Pen Pals

I had a pen pal from summer camp once. She was from Japan and always included lots of pink silly stickers in her correspondence. I liked her foreign handwriting and cutesy matching letters and envelopes. I liked deciphering the feelings behind the neatly-phrased, polite, grammar-school English.

But I wasn’t a very good pen pal. I got bored quickly and didn’t often write her back. It felt like work, and I was 12 years old and more interested in play.

Now I have a new pen pal. I wrote her a letter back today and it was delightful. A sweet college friend of mine invited me to join her in this communication. I was touched by her beautiful letter and by the process of responding. It tickled me to be finding joy in something so simple as writing, something I do all the time, and yet this was different.

Essential Oil Of The Week: Helichrysum

 

Helichrysum is a powerfully healing plant that you don’t hear about that often, but probably should because it is so special.

I learned about it in massage school when I had a massive cut on my knee and asked my teacher what to do about potential scarring. Ever since then, I have used this oil regularly to heal wounds and bruises, improve complexion and reduce scarring. 

Helichrysum’s common name is “Everlasting.” It is tall yellow cluster of aromatic flowers that can grow in deprived soil and sunny harsh conditions where other plants can barely survive. Energetically, that feels very indicative of this plant’s fortitude and power. It is traditionally found in Europe, especially in the Eastern regions and in the Mediterranean.

The scent of helicrysum is spicy, warm and herbal. It’s quite a unique fragrance, hard to place unless you know what it is.

Therapeutically, the essential oil of the helichrysum flowers is safe for topical usage, even undiluted. It is very healing for skin conditions such as eczema, burns, acne, radiation burns, chronic dermatitis etc.,. It is analgesic, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory.  It reduces pain and can encourage the proper flow of chi and blood in the body. Topical usage is beneficial for bruise healing, broken capillaries and varicose veins. 

On the realm of the psyche and emotions, the use of this oil is most suited for moving through grief, bereavement and emotional trauma. Helicrysum can assist in healing old emotional scars, acute fear or anger and overcoming adversity. 

Energetically, helichrysum has the power to break through the deepest, most “stuck” negative feelings and can help restore feelings of compassion for others and for oneself. 

Keeping a bottle of this powerful essential oil handy to simply take a few long deep inhalations of during times of emotional stress is very soothing. I also keep a bottle of helichrysum hydrosol mist in my fridge for a cooling, skin-healing spritz now and again. 

Topically, a few drops of this oil can be applied directly on healing wounds or old scars. Another good way to benefit from the skin healing and anti-inflammatory properties of this plant is to put a few drops of this oil into a warm bath and soak it up.

Have you ever used this essential oil before? What are your favorite essential oils to work with?

 

Love and Blessings,

Frances

 

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Seasonally Perfect Peaches

There are some things that are best only enjoyed at a specific time of year.

The concept of eating seasonally as much as possible makes sense environmentally, but also energetically and emotionally for me. I feel that enjoying a certain type of produce just when it’s most readily (and locally) available makes it so much more special and delicious. I appreciate it more and thus eat it with more relish and joy.

For example, grapefruits are a February/March thing for me. Pumpkin is an autumnal treat. Blueberries, a summer necessity. Corn on the cob? Wouldn’t think of it in winter!

Flowers too. Even though we can ship in flowers from all around the world, it’s still much more aesthetically pleasing to make an arrangement with dinner-plate dahlias in the summer, peonies in the spring, or snowberries in the winter months and so on.

Right now it is full-blown perfect peach season. On the Western Slope of Colorado there are many orchards providing beautiful fresh fruit. The peaches from these orchards of Palisade, Paonia and beyond are some of the best peaches I have ever tasted.

End of Summer Musings

•a florist’s main tool•

August is almost over. Can you believe it?

I personally cannot wait to welcome in autumn. I’m an October baby and have always loved fall the most. Plus, this has been my first wedding season in the floral industry and I’m feeling it. The season is not quite over yet of course, but the finish line is in sight.

I’m looking forward to the change in seasons and the shift in focus it will bring for me. I always feel a new rush of inspiration when the weather changes. The cool air and autumnal breezes reignite my interest in cooking, nesting, experiencing nature and being creative.

I have a long list of blog post ideas, places to check out, recipes to cook, garden/house projects to do and so much more on my horizon, but I simply haven’t had the time, energy or spark to do/write/create/invest in these things recently and that’s kind of bringing me down.

As I reflect on these past 10 months since I moved back to CO, I can’t really get a grasp on time. The months seem to blend together and I can’t remember what was happening when. It’s been a big year, a year full of changes, challenges and wonderfully exciting things. Simply getting adjusted to our new schedules here has been huge part of this year – my erratic and exhaustingly consuming work schedule, Thad’s highly time-intensive school and studying schedule and of course puppy Artemis’ play and potty schedule too!

It’s been a lot of juggling on top of keeping us super consistent with our yoga/meditation/chanting practices, maintaining healthy cooking and eating habits, getting to know a new town, new friends, settling into a new home and keeping it very clean, tidy and pretty as well (which is very important to me, if not for the pup and man).

All part of growing up and moving on of course. I’m grateful for this year and these new challenges, even the financial ones (turns out teaching yoga and doing massage is actually more profitable than being a newbie florist…oh well!).  Live and learn.

September I will be working consistently all over the place with 4 different floral companies, modeling for a fun bridal fashion show, hosting my childhood bestie for a weekend of fun, working a huge wedding in Aspen, and hopefully attending a few extra yoga classes and cooking with lots of pumpkin puree!

As always, thank you for your support of Lila blog. I love sharing my life and learnings with you.

Stay connected via Bloglovin’,  Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Love and Blessings,

Frances

The Bhakti Path

The bhakti path winds in a delicate way.
On this path there is no asking and no not asking.
The ego simply disappears the moment you touch
him.
The joy of looking for him is so immense that you
just dive in,
and coast around like a fish in the water.
If anyone needs a head, the lover leaps up to offer
his.

 – Kabir

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Oh Hello Old Friend

These past 3+ weeks, my dropbacks simply have not been working. I’ve had this sticky stuck achy feeling all through my mid-back that prohibits me from arching past a certain point. It literally feels like a road block.

Let’s not even talk kapotasana, which I dread on a daily basis. With the combination of my back and shoulder inflammation issues, this pose just makes me want to throw in the towel…. so, moving on…

This pain in my mid-back. I’ve been ignoring it, since it wasn’t too bothersome or restrictive and instead have just been sitting out on dropbacks for awhile. Until this Sunday, during afternoon practice when I was all loose and warmed up and decided that after a solid half-primary and half-second, I should give ’em a go.

My Proust Questionnaire.

Recently one of my Facebook friends has been posting snippets from the Proust questionnaire on her wall. Seeing these got me thinking about my own answers.

Quick fact – Marcel Proust did not actually write these questions, as many believe, but penned his responses to a character-assessment  interview from an an English confession-album when he was a teenager. Much later, the manuscript of his answers to these questions was sold at auction for a pretty penny  and ever since then, his name has been inextricably connected to the questionnaire format.

I’ve always loved reading the back page of Vanity Fair with these questions with their clever caricature cartoons. Whenever I do any air travel, that magazine is my go-to plane reading.

Since I do not have a cartoonist available, I leave you with a photograph that I feel embodies me, in my youth and today. Quintessential Frances, and my Proustian answers…..

Squash and Greens Vegan Casserole

To be perfectly honest, casseroles do not make a regular appearance in my culinary repertoire. I was not raised eating many casseroles per se, but my dear Pennsylvania-born husband was and he is always happy to welcome one onto our dining room table.

This casserole is a creation of mine, inspired by other random vegan recipes I’ve perused on the interwebs. It’s creamy and slightly cheesy tasting because of the cashews and nutritional yeast. It’s quite filling too – very satisfying and nutritious. The sweetness provided by the butternut squash is quite lovely. I’m already excited for fall and all the deliciousness of squash, pumpkin and root vegetables.

This recipe is certainly up to your interpretation, particularly concerning the specific vegetables in it. I chose three different textured green veggies, but next time I make it, I think I will add some mushrooms as well.

I made this yesterday when I had some free time so that all I had to do for lunch today was pop it in the oven – easy peazy!

Give it a whirl and see what you think.

Almond + Brown Rice Crispy Treats

These simple, healthy, no-bake treats are super tasty without being overly sweet or rich. This recipe is vegan, gluten-free and cane-sugar-free, so basically, totally guilt-free in my book!

I love how satisfying these crispy chewy little nuggets are and how quick and easy they are to make. I modified this recipe from one I found in a Macrobiotic cookbook. I added the millet, made it slightly sweeter, spicier and less macro, because, well, that’s what I do. 😉

Enjoy!

My Clean Green Beauty Routine

There’s no denying it. I’m kind of a hippie flower child, despite the fact that I cut off my dreadlocks years ago. Take a look in my bathroom and you will see lots of random glass bottles and jars – no Pantene ProV or Secret in sight.

A few years ago, I got serious about “cleaning” up my beauty routine. I’ve always used high quality products, but when I read a book about the dirty side of the cosmetics industry, I knew it was time to step it up a notch. The amount of cancer-causing, endocrine-disrupting and generally nasty chemicals in our conventional products is down-right scary! So I purged my bathroom of all my fancy makeup and shampoos and started fresh with simple, organic, cruelty-free and natural products.

Using Skindeep as a resource for investigating different product’s safety ratings, I began experimenting with new hair and beauty concoctions. Whole Foods carries a lot of great products, many of which make the cut in terms of my standards of health/chemical-free cleanness. Acure Organics is one of my favorite brands that Whole Foods carries, mostly because it is so affordable for the high quality and cleanliness it delivers.

Why Mysore Style Practice Is So Darn Special

The other day at a Barre class, I overhead two women talking about Ashtanga Yoga. Neither had practiced much, but they were interested in learning more. I bopped into their conversation and couldn’t stop myself from doing a bit of the Ashtanga cheerleader dance – I just love this practice so much!

By the end of our chat, after I told them about our group here in Denver and how we have Mysore six days a week, both women basically said something like, “Oh, I’m not ready for that…I don’t know the poses well enough…I need a led class.” Sigh… that discussion again. I know many other posts and articles have been written on the Mysore vs. Led discussion, but here are my two cents anyways:

Mysore is an incredible method for building a practice that lasts. Learning the poses, one by one, makes them stick in your brain and your muscle memory. The repetition and the consistency brings you to a place of ease and comfort with the asanas over time. You get to know the poses well and your body in them. A self-led practice breeds discipline and a type of focus that just isn’t as accessible in a led, talking class.