Thyroid Boosting "Tuna" Salad

I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid in 2012. My metabolism felt like it had plummeted, I had low energy and put on weight. 

The thyroid is a gland which is butterfly shaped gland in the neck, that sits just in front of the windpipe. It produces hormones that help regulate the body's processing that turns food into energy. These are called T3 and T4 (thyroxine). When there is not enough thyroxine being produced the body starts to slow down, hence why I struggled physically in energy levels and weight. Muscular aches were also common, also down to not enough thyroxine. 

What is the cause of hypothyroidism? Well it is hard to say really. It could be iodine deficiency, environmental pollution, stress, high levels of cortisol, not speaking your truth. It is different for each individual. For me, I was intuitively drawn towards not drinking the right type of water. I used to drink a LOT of water when I was younger, but just tap water. Back then, I was not in awareness of the thousands of chemicals that are in the tap water. It is just a sense, but I think this certainly was a main contributing factor to my thyroid becoming underactive. That and expressing my soul's needs. There is a degree of discernment between expressing your soul's Truth and your Ego. You do not need to express everything and anything that comes into your consciousness, but when you are not expressing/living a deep Truth which exists on a cellular level, well your body will have ways of communicating to you to...stop and listen. Quite clever really. All our "illnesses", "pains", "dis-ease's" and just very clever ways of indicating we are out of balance. Thankyou Universe! 

Nutritionally, to help out the thyroid I now take iodine in the form of Kelp everyday in powder or tablet and have seaweed when I can. I am a big fan of Nori rolls, irish spirulina (very yummy), bladderwrack, kelp salt. So here is a fishy recipe, which resembles a kind of mayonnaisey, tuna flavour. Very tasty.

Thyroid "Tuna" Salad

Serves 2-3

Sauce

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1.5 cups soaked sunflower seeds
• 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 drops liquid stevia
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• bunch fresh dill
• 2 tbs seaweed (bladderwrack, wakame, kombu)
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Blend milk, vinegar, garlic, seeds, stevia, lemon, salt and pepper. Add in the coconut butter. Add more coconut milk if it is not thick enough. Pour over:

• chopped 4 celery sticks
• chopped 4 spring onions 

Sprinkle dill or kelp granules on top. Squeeze some lemon juice over to finish. You can even add spirulina if you fancy (I passed on that). 

In-Joy and Love

Parasite Cleansing, the simple way. *plus a HEAVENLY SUPERFOOD PRANARANA CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Parasites...most of us have them, had them or will have them at some point in our life. We can pick them up through water, environment, animals and non-organic food and they can cause havoc on our digestive systems which in turn effects our whole being. This is not something to take lightly!

My experience of parasites started to appear after a second trip back from India. I could have had them before, during, who knows but I certainly noticed a big difference when I came back..
Bloating, gas, cramps, no appetite, getting full really quickly, general fatigue, I.B.S symptoms etc. Not much fun. India is nourishing for the soul, but a bit taxing on the old physical body! 

But we don't have to have gone far to pick up parasites and it is fairly likely that most people unknowingly have parasites, which can affect your mood and energy levels. There is a list of symptoms on this website:

http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2013/03/28/true-or-false-everyone-has-parasites-in-their-body/

We could be putting the best nourishment in our body yet not be getting the most from it due to these little friends. 

Ok, so what to AVOID when you know you have parasites or have a suspicion that you do...it's the usual suspects sugar, wheat, dairy, alcohol. Sugar being the main culprit. So even dried fruit is best avoided due to the high concentration of sugar. 

There are also herbs which help out. Garlic, in my experience, has been the most potent. I ate 3-4 cloves of garlic RAW a day. Now, I just ate them as they were. This is not for the weak hearted, and you will stink. Really. But it worked, for me. I did this for about 1 week and could feel the symptoms lessen. Other foods that I was eating..

•  Pumpkins seeds
•  Papaya seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Coconut oil
• Chilli's
• Cayenne pepper
• Ginger
• Onions. 

Spicy things are great as they burn them out. I was eating raw and trying to be conscious of my fruit intake. I found it a struggle and dealt with a lot of cravings for sugar. It brought up a lot of emotional stuff about deprivation and feeling like I couldn't have this or that and resenting it. But that was part of my journey. Deprivation started to shift into abundance of other yummy things that I could have. Creativity spurred me on to make sweet things without sugar/overdose of dried fruit (i bloody love dried figs).

I have tried a proper parasite cleanse using herbs like Wormwood, Black Walnut Hull and Cloves. I did this for about 2 weeks. You have to do the programme for about 10 weeks I think, but to be honest..I have found other things more effective and I am not into faffing around with grinding cloves and remembering to take these capsules every day. However, this may work for you and this link has got all the right information:

http://curezone.com/cleanse/parasites/

Probiotics are an absolute necessity. Get on the fermented thing. Get your kefir in, the sauerkraut, fermented seed cheese (my new favourite recipe!), anything fermented basically! Fermented foods are high in L-glutamine, an amino acid which helps to restore the digestive tract. Raw dairy is fab as they have powerful strains of good bacteria, organic acids and enzymes which prevent as well as protect.This has helped me so much and I feel that I am now parasite free, although I haven't been tested so not 100%, but my tummy is a lot happier. 

If you can afford it, colonics. Wipe the slate clean. I love them, and although I think they should be done rarely (maybe once every two years), they are a necessity. Especially if you are changing diet to living foods. 

Hope this has been of some help if you are suffering. If you are not, everything that I have mentioned above can be applied to anyone who is feeling sluggish in their digestion. 

I feel that when we work with our tummy's it is a good chance to be conscious of what we are holding here emotionally. After all, this is the storehouse for our emotions. It's our sense of identity in the world, our place of doing and action. It is where we can hold onto guilt and anger. In my journey, resentment and guilt have been swirling around my navel centre. Kundalini has helped me work through these things..I recommend trying core work and maybe a bit of Nabhi Kriya if you feel inspired..these will all help with strengthening, balancing and eliminating all those things that no longer serve a purpose in your life.

So here is a DIVINE, DECADENT, CREAMY, RICH, YUMMY MOUSSE. Packed with goodness and prana, and perfect for Parasite Cleansing as no fruit. mmm I think I will call this a Prana Rana.

Serves 2

• 2 avocado's
• 3 tbs cacao
• handful soaked almonds
• 1.5 tbs melted cacao butter
• 1 tbs melted coconut oil
• couple drops vanilla essence
• 1 tsp reishi powder
• 1 tsp arjun bark powder
• 1 tsp cinammon
• 2 drops liquid stevia
• sea salt to taste

Blend the avo's, almonds, essence and powders. Add in the melted coconut oil and cacao butter. Add in salt and stevia to taste. 

I topped mine with some coconut kefir I have been experimenting with (using milk kefir grains). and damn it was good. Give this recipe to as many people as you can so they can experience how beautiful life is. 

In-Joy 

My FAVOURITE RECIPE at the moment..Curry with Almond Sauce.

Ok this really is quite amazing. I haven't been able to take a decent picture of it yet because I normally eat it fairly swiftly. So you are just going to have to try it for yourselves to see what all the fuss is about. This is better than any other conventional curry (in my humble opinion!). So there.

Almond Curry

serves 3-4

Sauce

• 1/2 cup almond/hemp seed butter (see recipe below)
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1.5 tbs curry powder
• pinch of chilli flakes
• 2 tsp cinammon
• 2 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbs tamari
• 1 garlic glove
• pinch asafaetida

Vegetables

• 2 chopped spring onions
• 4/5 dates chopped finely (or unsulphured, vegetable oil free raisins)
• head of broccoli chopped (stalk included)
• handful green beans chopped

To make the sauce, blend the almond/hemp seed butter with the coconut oil. Add in the apple cider vinegar and garlic. Then add in spices. Pour over vegetables and dates. If you want to add some turnip or suede rice then do so (just pulse the root vegetable in blender or food processor, you can add some turmeric for a bit of spice). Curry in about 5-10 minutes :). 

Almond/Hemp Seed Butter

Makes approx 1 jar

• 2 cup soaked almonds
• 1 cup shelled hemp seeds

Blend in high power blender until oils are released, this can take up to 10 minutes. You need to have a good blender for this. Keep scraping down the sides of the blender. You can make any nut/seed butter like this...try cashew nuts (dangerous!), seasame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds etc. My fav is raw tahini.

Coming out from the Shadow Self..Confession TIme!

I need to confess something. Ok, here goes. I believe we all need to take responsibility for ourselves and be honest, for our own sake rather than anyone else's. So I need to expose something which I have carried around for far too long. 

Sometimes I have days where I just do not like my body. 

It can start from when I wake up and be with me all day, or sometimes it comes and goes. It feels like it plays a constant tune in my subconscious even when I am not in conscious thought of it. I get frustrated because I do not feel comfortable in certain clothes, and then even more frustrated because I know I should be sending myself love but instead I find ways to repress, distract or numb. Normally in the form of food. 
Healthy but still using it as a drug.

I just spent the last 40 minutes writing out my "story" about my relationship with food but, you know what, I am going to drop that story. The more I tell it to myself and others, the more hold and belief it has. Past is past, future is future. 

None of it is real, it is all a complete illusion, a little game which the mind likes to play. Well mind, you can play this one on your own!

Dealing with the present moment is all that is True. And right now, I am breathing in love and breathing out guilt. I believe to break patterns it comes from breaking the emotion rather than the practicality of it. So for me, instead of overeating and feeling guilty and then looking at my body and not being happy, just releasing the guilt helps break the cycle, then there isn't as much "fuel" to eat when it isn't necessary.

 I feel there is some deep work to be done which is still firmly anchored in my subconscious but I am not yet able to see that clearly enough. aaaaaaaaa deep breath out, everything is actually fine and the work doesn't need to be "done" but allowing it all to unfold in the natural rhythm of life. I continue to nourish my mind, body and spirit with the the highest quality vibrations. I may not get it all the time, but that really doesn't matter. God is in my every breath and that is so sacred and, even though I forget, I am a Divine expansion of the Source or whatever words you want to use. As we all are. Each living thing on this planet. Even the stones. Raaaaaaar I feel a good dance session coming on!

What can you admit to yourself, or to others today?
Bear all. You will feel so much better for it.
Embracing "weaknesses" only makes them your strengths. 
x

Flying High

Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini Yoga supports your Divine Purpose in life, that of becoming an excellent human being. The practice of Kundalini Yoga encourages you to think of yourself first as a spiritual being, inhabiting a body that was designed to contain a portion of Divine Consciousness. Through Kundalini Yoga, you will move, breathe and concentrate in an exceedingly specific manner that encourages the level of consciousness necessary to experience your Higher Self, your union with the Infinite, your ‘Sat Nam’.

-from The Spirit Science

What states of consciousness can we reach as a human? I feel and have experienced that we can explore higher realms through food, plants, yoga and meditation. With the right awareness and clearing of our body we can tap into the infnite. Experience is a temporary event, but through reaching higher states we can see glimpses of our full potential in our incarnate bodies, which can help us blossom and be able to access the infinite supply of love that is within us. 

This is a easy meditation to try out, using the mantra Sat Nam to awaken your soul. Try it out for 3 minutes then build up to 11 minutes. Begin to bring the mantra into your daily life...perhaps as you are walking along breathing sat on the inhale, nam on the exhale. This is powerful stuff, but can only be recognized through doing it! Find what time of day works for you..I am a morning person so I do my practice in the morning but if you would prefer to do it before bed or in the evening then do what feels right.  

http://www.shaktakaur.com/meditations/long_sat_nam.htm

In my experience, I have found that having a juice in the morning get's me off on a good flying start. This is something I made this morning...check out the colours!

High Flyer

•  1 organic carrot
• 1/2 organic lemon
• handful of organic rainbow chard
• 1/2 melon
• handful nettles
• 1/2 cucumber
  

Ice Cream in the Raw

The Sun is shining, the weather is sweet yeh....

Loving the sunshine at the moment, although it makes it hard to get anything done as I cannot bear to be inside. Part of me desperately holding on to the heat and healing powers of the Sun, but really we only need about thirty minutes a day to get our Vit D. I end up getting sun stoned if I am out in it for too long as well. 

I have found, in my years of research, that ice cream accompanies a hot day quite nicely. In my opinion, this ice cream is tastier, creamier and more refreshing than conventional ice cream without any sugar crashes after. Try it, I think you will quite surprised.

Banana, Strawberry and Almond Ice Cream

Serves 2-3

• 3 frozen bananas chopped up
• 6 frozen strawberries
• 1 tbs soaked almonds
• 1 small avacado
• 2 tbs spring/filtered water

Blend in powerful blender (I use a Kitchen Aid and it has been fabulous..no need for a Vitamixer...I personally think it's better than Vitamixer).

Sprinkle with cacao nibs or elderflowers. In-Joy

Would also like to share with you that I went to a Kundalini Class yesterday and it was so lovely to get back into the Kundalini community. I didn't do a practice this morning as I usually would and I felt a bit flat. Ice cream definitely helped (!) but it was a great reminder of how potent a daily sadhana is, but when it isn't done for whatever reason rest in acceptance rather than getting caught up with that guilt pattern. For a long time, I carried a sensation of stuckness, or lack of clarity. I thought that feeling was just the norm, but then started experiencing other states of being and I now know to never settle for that stuckness. Listening to it and allowing whatever release to happen is vital. This is not your higher self, but it is absolutely fine to have these feelings. You are beautiful and divine throughout, sometimes we just forget. 

Sat Nam

What's the Occasion? Elderflower Kombucha Baby

Drinking has many things associated with it but quite often people enjoy a drink as they see it as a rewarding treat or, perhaps an occasion. It is not necessarily the effects they are after, or the taste, it's more the psychological and emotional connotations which surround drinking. 

Now I don't know if you have heard of Kombucha before, but it is a fermented probiotic drink which is slightly fizzy and a bit reminiscent of white wine (but fairly sweet!). The culture feeds off sugar and becomes carbonated when left in a tight lidded bottle out of the fridge for a couple of weeks. If it is a "strong" batch then sometimes it can make you feel a bit giddy but only in a good way. No headaches, or nasty hangovers only a happy tummy. I haven't been drinking that much Kombucha lately as I am not convinced that it eats up all the sugar and I mainly stay away from sugar, however when the occasion calls for it, Kombucha is refreshing and zesty.

I have been drinking Elderflower Kombucha as I am loving all the Elderflowers that are in abundance at the moment. We have also been making Elderflower honey, so easy and very good if you have any cold symptoms. Simply mix the flowerheads in with the honey and leave for a week to marinade. 

Elderflower Kombucha

When allowing the batch to carbonate after it has fermented, mix in the Elderflower heads. You could add in a bit of ginger as well. If you do not have a culture, look on the internet to see if anyone is offering up one of their babies in your area. Alternatively, email me or leave a comment and I could send you one. Happy brewing!

Kundalini Yoga Classes in Midlands

I am starting to offer yoga classes in Stoke-on-Trent. 1-2-1's are available too. Hopefully starting workshops at some point in the future....please give me a call or email if you have any questions. Sat Nam-Truth is my identity. x

Creamy Garlicky Courgette Pasta

A simple, yet very very tasty pasta. During the spring, all the abundance of wild foods got me bouncing off the walls. I am constantly amazed at how much food there is around us in the form of wild foods; cleavers, nettles, dandelions, wild garlic, edible flowers, plantain, yarrow etc. Thankyou Mother Earth!
Pasta (serves 2-3)

• 2 spirallized courgettes

Sauce

• 1 avocado

• bunch wild garlic chopped

• 1 tbs organic virgin olive oil

• 1 tbs lemon juice

• 1 tbs apple cider vinger

• pinch of good sea salt

• sprinkling of shelled hemp seeds

Blend the sauce ingredients and drizzle over pasta. Sprinkle the hemp seeds on top. You can also add sprouts if you would like some crunch. Yummy!

Cosmic Cacao Experience

As you get to familiarise yourself with Raw Shakti, it won't be long before you pick up how much I love cacao. So it seems a good place to start...with a full power Cosmic Cacao Experience.

This is very simple, very easy yet Divine. How it should be. I mixed this all together after I had done a 11 day juice fast (blog to follow soon), so there was an extra potency to this alchemy which catapulted me to the most blissful realm for at least 3 days. So I would strongly advise eating this after you have had a break from solid food for a short time. Being outside with bare feet is essential. Having time on your hands to savour every mouthful is also a priority! If we can filter these essentials to everytime we eat/drink then we are on the road to a very blissful life experience. The state of our minds is, to some degree, more important than what goes into our bodies. If we are relaxed, positive and content then magic happens. I am not encouraging to eat a Dairy Milk bar, but if you do, do it with a sense of gratitude, love and acceptance. When we start shifting out perception then we can bring love and gratitude into top quality high vibration foods/drinks like cacao. 
Cacao isn't just chocolate. O no. The cacao spirit is here to guide you. Use cacao as a medicine, as a pleasure tool or a tool to help you journey. Ask questions, meditate, dance, relate, do everything on cacao and see what happens. But like all plant medicines, treat as with respect and as a sacred substance and try not to overdo it. But even if you do, let go of the guilt and all that rubbish that comes from your mind and just be present. 

• handful of cacao nibs
• 2 tsp maca powder
• 2 tsp raw honey/yacon syrup
• 1 tsp carob

Mix and indulge. Thank the Earth for everything. 

Life in the Raw

Raw: in its natural state
Shakti: from shak "to be able", meaning power or empowerment

Raw; stripped, naked, as it is. Life can be raw, emotions raw. Sometimes it could be perceived as a state of vulnerability, whilst others perceive it as power and courage. Through my constant evolving I would like to share my Raw world with you in all of its aspects. If we strip away the toxicity and debris that lowers our vibration in body, mind and spirit, we are left with the Naked Truth of our full potential. Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful. I believe it is our experience on this Earth to live in our highest vibration, aligning to our purpose and being alive in the rawest sense. 

I plan to bring you raw recipes and information that will help clear our your entire body. Through the science and technology of Kundalini Yoga, work through old patterns and habits which no longer serve you, whilst strengthening your ten bodies. You will have an experience of being stripped to your Truth. Life will flow through you and acceptance of what is in the moment will be beautiful, even if that is a full rage! You are the most beautiful embodiment of the Divine, but it does not matter if I tell you that or not. You must find this out for yourself. Experience Raw Shakti. 

Recipe for Self Love

• compassion
• Good nutrition
• Yoga and exercise
• Patience
• Laughter
• Surrender

Lets make some magic happen...