— HeyMonicaB

Our repetitive thoughts manifest in our bodies, whether good or bad. If we replay traumatic events, angering or stressful situations, our bodies will respond as if we are reliving them over and over. These stress patterns will eventually appear in our physical bodies as disease. Breathe. Move on. Detach. Forgive. Love. Be at peace with this moment, enjoy the now and look forward to the future.

Lately my fiancé and I have been hooked on making our own pizzas with leftover scraps (that sounds bad, but you know what I mean) from the fridge. They are SUPER easy, healthy, and way better than any pizza I’ve had in LA. Sorry LA, your pizzas have yet to impress me. I’ll be kind and blame the water! We use any veggies we’ve got laying around and any cheese we have hanging out in the fridge. Most of the time we wing it with what we have in the house and it always turns out amazing.

Bonuses about making your own pizza:
A!) Use any veggies from the farmers market! If you have left over veggies that you need to use, slap them on the pizza. Healthy and balancing! When we buy from farmers markets, we ensure that we’re getting the freshest seasonal produce and our bodies LOVE it.
B!) Use the bbq so you don’t heat up your home. That’s what we do and the pizza has a nice “brick oven” flavor to it…only it’s not. It’s bbq. So maybe I could just say it has a nice “bbq” flavor…
C!) It takes LESS time to whip up your own than it does to call the pizza dude. It tastes better, it’s healthier and it’s cheaper!
D!) Divvy up the pizza as necessary so everyone has their favorite ingredients on their portion.
E!) Never underestimate the joy of yummy leftovers.

Lookey. Here are some pics of one I made recently. One side has red sauce, spinach, red peppers and a little shredded mozzarella. The other side has pesto as the sauce, fresh mozzarella blobs, and grape tomatoes.

Here’s how to make it. Keep in mind, I am the laziest “cook” in the world. Lazy. Pants.

Oven instructions
1. Get some pizza dough from the grocery store (Trader Joe’s has whole wheat and herb doughs in addition to plain!). You will probably need to let it sit for 20 minutes before smooshing it flat. You can take a walk or do yoga while it sits :D
2. Smoosh the dough flat onto a floured cookie sheet or round pizza pan.
3. Add sauces (homemade pesto, olive oil, ghee, or red sauce), a little cheese (a little goes a long way, keep it healthy and don’t “over cheese”), and veggies galore!
4. Stick in the oven 10-12 min. DONE!

BBQ instructions
1. Smoosh dough on a well floured cookie sheet and put flour-side down onto the grill. It will lose it’s shape, you may need to restretch a little. It cooks quickly, so wait like 1 minute and check the bottom. When the bottom looks toasted, remove and bring inside (the top will be a little raw).
2. ****Most important part**** Flip it over so that the grilled side is facing up and the undercooked side is on the bottom. Add your sauces and toppings.
3. Place back on the grill so that the bottom can cook. Wait til cheese bubbles in the middle and DONE!

You can also add pepper flakes, garlic flakes or make a garlic oil with olive oil and garlic in a pan. The sky is the limit. My personal favorite is: Carmelized onion, dates, and a little bleu cheese on an olive oil crust. HEAVEN!!

Have fun and use what you have. That’s what life is all about afterall. You don’t have to go to the ends of the earth to make something great. Often what you already have is greater than anything else you can find out there :) xoxo!

Hey Gardeners! 10 Homemade Organic Pesticides! Neem (an Ayurvedic herb which soothes skin problems and high pitta problems) tops the list. Personally I’m a fan of chili powder. Keeps cats from poopin in your garden too…just sayin.
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/organic-pesticides/

Oh boy, oh boy! I created a REALLY FUN 18-page guide for summer! In my passionate quest to heal people through Ayurveda, I decided to create a fun guide to staying healthy during each season. From that intention, Seasonal Bloom was born! As you may already know Ayurveda, the seasons correlate with the energies that govern our bodies, which means that we will be most healthy when we follow nature. While www.heymonicab.com holds buckets of information, Seasonal Bloom is something you can easily refer back to.

This first one is all about summer and pitta energy. Come on pittas, I know you’re excited!! I know I’m excited cause my vata butt is doin’ a little dance! Speaking of which, vatas and kaphas I did not leave you out. Luckily you will have an easy time during summer because your body and mind will hum in perfect harmony with nature.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY OF SEASONAL BLOOM. Show your friends! Tell your family! Just by bringing awareness to the amazing science of Ayurveda, we can begin to heal each other. Some samples are below:

I welcome your questions, emails, comments and suggestions. This is created for you with love, so let me know what your wishes are!
Thanks again for all your supportive hearts.
Namasté my friends!
Monica B.

Hey! You guys asked for more challenges and I am happy to oblige!

Let’s start with one that I’ve mentioned before, but didn’t get any feedback. In case that was too subtle, gimme your comments! I wanna know your results! In fact, not just me, but everyone who reads HeyMonicaB will want to know how you’re doing. If this challenge works for you tell us! And if not, let’s discuss why!

HOHkay, I think this challenge will make a huge impact for you. I mean, why not start off with a bang? ;)

For 1 week, do not eat while standing, walking, or sitting at your desk

My friends, I’ll tell you why it’s important to put your mind in your food.
Numero Uno! We will actually pay attention to taste. Digestion starts in our mouth with saliva and teeth. When we taste, it stokes our agni and preps us to digest food. Healthy agni is key to heath!
Numero Dos! We will be able to feel when we are full and therefore will less likely overeat (overeating is a huge factor in causing disease). When we calm down the other senses, our mind stays with our food
Numero Tres! You deserve time to eat for crying out loud! Sheez. Who said that we have to work through lunch? Last I checked (and I am a recruiter by day), the law says that you must take a 30-60 minute lunch break for every 8 hours worked. Take that break because it’s yours and you deserve it.

And if you want a piece of candy, take it from the dish, walk with it, sit down in a chair (if you are at your desk, face away from the computer), unwrap it and TASTE the darn thing. You might love it and be satisfied with just one. Or, you might decide that Hershey’s kisses taste like wax and they aren’t worth it ;) Whatever the outcome, at least you are fully aware of what you’ve eaten. And THAT is mindful munching :) xo. Tell me your results!!!

Happy Independence Day Weekend!! I am back in Milwaukee (my hometown) this weekend to celebrate in 4th of July festivities with family and friends. The journey started out a bit rushed and I didn’t get to eat breakfast on the first leg of the trip. During our stop over in a pretty major city, I was excited to find a little deli sandwich and maybe a piece of fruit cause I was staaaaarving.

UM!! no.

What I found was Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonald’s, Panda Express, and Ben n’ Jerrys. I got instantly sad. I looked around and the lines were pretty long at each of these places. I got sadder. I felt bamboozled, like the fast food places were laughing at me (insert scary clown face) saying, “Mwwahahaa MonicaB, you think you make it easier for people to choose wisely for themselves in life. Well now you’re out of California and even YOU have no choice. mwwaahahaaa…” I felt awful and duped! Duped. Not an apple, banana, bagel, wrapped sandwich, yogurt, nothing!!

I got rockin angry. And thought, ” OMG we really are at the mercy of corporate America and what they make available for us to eat!”

Or are we?

I was so starving but refused to get that food. I walked a little further and found a Schlotsky’s Deli. I got a veggie and cheese sammy on warm wheat bread. That works! “‘Mmwwaahahaa’ back at cha clown face in my head, nothing stops MonicaB from taking care of herself!”

My friends we have a choice. You and I choose every day what goes in our bodies. Use your buddhi (booDEE), your wisdom to make right choices. You can DO it! Nobody else will do it for you, nor can you rely on outside sources to make decisions about your heath. It might seem like, “Duh, if these places are in business they can’t be that bad for you.” But our nation is getting sicker and sicker. OUR nation. WE. US! U.S.!!! And we know it.

Remember that YOU are independent. YOU make your choices. YOU have the power in your entire being to take care of yourself! Start choosing the right foods, not just the “easy” foods. If you get confused, a basic rule of thumb is eat as close to nature as you can. If you know where a food came from, you’re in pretty good shape. If you don’t know where the food came from, how it was made, or the full ingredients, make a different choice.

Sorry for the little rant, but I love you and I want you to take CARE of yourself!! I will change this nation, even if it takes til I’m 90! I swear I will because we deserve better!!! (sigh) Ok, huggies. Nightey-night.

HeyMonicaB.com turns two today! How fun. Any guesses on what the first post was about (no cheating by going to the archives)?

Come on guess!!

OK I’ll tell you.

It was GHEE!

haha! I think there are even non-working links on that page. What a rookie. All I wanted to do two years ago is tell people how fabulous ghee was. And look! Things have expanded and hopefully you are learning lots while being mildly entertained.

SO! That brings me to a question. What do YOU want out  of the next two years (and beyond…!) from heymonicab.com? Advice column where you can ask questions? Product advice? Seasonal health guides? Tell me! I have some things in the works all ready but I want to hear from you. Afterall, Ayurveda is ALL ABOUT YOU anyway, so bring on your wishes! Let’s incorporate them. Let’s make this thang even better.

THANK YOU for your support and great questions. This is just the beginning, my sweet friends. I hope you continue to enjoy and share Ayurveda with your friends and family. First we heal ourselves, then we heal our loved ones, and then we can heal the masses…that’s MY goal anyway ;)

To start it out with a bang, I’ve created some summer pitta artwork on little cafe press store: www.cafepress.com/heymonicab
There are two designs to choose from and a bunch of products (I think they’re kinda fun). I will create more artwork for other doshas as the seasons change. I hope you likey!! Enjoy my friends and thank you from the bottom of my heart. Here’s to TWO! *clink* (that was a cup of chai btw). Namasté sweet ones.

I would love to know who’s had cereal for dinner in the past week. Anyone? Confession: Me me, I had cereal tonight!

Yesterday began summer solstice which means we are full into pitta season. Long days, lots of sun and heat begin to increase pitta’s fire in each of us. So when it comes to meals we are probably not reaching for spicy chili, heavy rice dishes, or mashed potatoes. Nope, that stuff feels too heavy and warm for us. So, we might crave something light and sweet, like cereal!

While your mom may have said that cereal is not a good dinner, I’ll tell you that cereal is actually not a bad dinner during summer! It’s light and easy to digest. The milk has a cooling effect on the body (plus, liquid calms down fire), it’s a mild laxative, and instantly calms stress and anxiety. The cereal is dry and light, so it soaks up any excess oils and heat. Both cereal and milk have what is a “sweet taste” in Ayurveda which is the best taste to balance pitta.

SEE?! Don’t you feel better? Craving cereal in summer is not strange, it’s totally natural! Our bodies call for exactly what we need. Next time you get a craving for cereal for dinner, check the weather because I bet it was a warm day

*Choose cereals wisely. Fruit Loops, Cap’n Crunch, Coco Pebbles and the like are FULL of sugar, which will jack you up and crash you down! No bueno! When in doubt, shop the natural foods section of the grocery store. You also can’t go too wrong at Trader Joe’s.

A few years back I dabbled in improv. I took classes, was in a troupe and even taught improv for a corporate sales meeting in Vegas (gawd that was fun). One of the foundations of improv is, “Yes, and…” So, when one of your fellow improvisers gives you an idea or a thought, you confirm and build on it by starting your next sentence with, “Yes, and…” For example, “Hey, that’s a nice hat.” “Yes, and my mom made one for you too.” See? From there the story can unfold. Whereas if the person said, “Hey, that’s a nice hat.” And then, “I’m not wearing a hat.” DOH! The scene is ruined and everyone feels uncomfortable.

Improv is all about going with the flow. If you flow against it, you’ll ruin the story (and make the audience uncomfortable). Now, what about applying that principal to life? We get thrown things ALL the time that we don’t plan for or even like all that much. We usually end up complaining how life is so unfair and we get the short end of the stick…blahdeeblah. But what if we took those things that aren’t quite so great, turned them positive and then ADDED something better to them!? Holy moly that is rockstar!!

Lets practice saying, “YES!” “Yes, and…” could be anything really.
• Your manager wants you to try a new task at work, “Yes and if it works I can teach others.”
• Someone tells you they are sorry and asks if you’ll accept their apology – how powerful is THAT one? “Yes and, I’m sorry too…” LOVE it.
• Or how about, “Babe, I’d like it if we could keep the house cleaner.” “Yes, me too, I’ll do a better job of helping with dishes.”
• “Can you please help me move the table?” “Yes and when we’re done would you mind helping me grab the chairs.” “Sure!” Seeeee…harmony!

When you say yes, you give others the chance to do the same. If you shut them down by saying no or negating their ideas, the relationship will have some strain. It might feel like you are Yes-Anding a lot in the beginning, but I also think you might be surprised at how well received it is. As you become more positive, watch the world around you change for the better. I promise. xoxo

*disclaimer! There are boundaries. If you are a “yes” person and bust up your own life for the needs of others, that is not what I’m talking about here. In Ayurveda (and on airplanes!) you always have to make sure that YOU are taken care of first, before you take care of others. Cool? Understood? Right. Love yourself first and love for others will follow with ease. xoxo (again)

Some of you have contacted me wondering about my personal thyroid challenge, and thank you for asking!! I started breaking out after a few weeks, which was kinda yucky but maybe kinda necessary.

Now, it’s been two months since I started and my skin has almost completely cleared up (I also went for a facial from my new favorite lady, Narine!). I got a reduction in medication two weeks ago from my doctor and I have to wait another 4 weeks to get my TSH levels checked. If the levels are normal, we’re in business!! That will mean that my thyroid has started working on it’s own again.

The good news is I got my period normally (tmi? whatever.) which NEVER happened when I was hypothyroid…so I’m hoping that’s a good sign.

In addition, a friend of mine found this cool site that has free yoga, pranayama and meditation classes. This yoga class is specifically for the endocrine system! I haven’t tried it just yet, but I will soon enough. An fyi, in case it seems weird, the “hummmm” sound she makes in the beginning is the vibrational sound of the 5th chakra (throat).

Anywho. Come on little thyroid…you can do it…go go go!! :)

Ah, wrinkles. We try so hard to avoid them, don’t we. In Ayurveda we can read the entire body on the face! Depending on where the wrinkles are, we can see where imbalances lie in the body. A face that has lived a life of laughter, love, and nourishment is quite different from a face that is stressed, worries, and angry. Right? You’ve seen them – think of faces. Some are bright, some are dull. Some you want to stare at and some scare the bejeezes out of you. Emotions manifest in our body and our face reflects our body. Therefore it is true that our faces reflect our emotions.

Vata skin will be the first to wrinkle because their skin is dry and thin. Think about the earth when it’s dry…it cracks. Same with our skin. Vatas have are like an emotional rollercoaster and they tend to race ahead and worry a LOT. They will get the lines across their forehead first and next in line would be crows feet.

Pitta skin will not wrinkle as fast because they have oilier skin. They will likely have crows feet first because they are constantly thinking and squinting. Pitta rules the eyes and if the eyes get “burnt out” (from pitta fire) this person will need glasses or contacts. So, they squint, analyze, criticize and disect what’s in front of them. Pittas are the folks who see sun damage first.

Kapha skin has sort of everlasting youth and doesn’t wrinkle very easily. Their skin is thick, oily, and resistant to most crud in the atmosphere. Kaphas are very mentally sound and they don’t get stressed or shaken by negative emotions as often as vata and pitta. Because their mind stays steady, so does their body, and therefore so does their skin. Lucky are the kaphas!

I have some light crows feet although I think they were worse like two years ago. I don’t know if they are from squinting at a computer screen or from laughing a lot. Probably both. I also have light horizontal lines on my forehead from worry (I like to worry. It’s annoying). Other signals are the two vertical lines between the eyebrows, which reflect deep seated anger or frustration. For more information on goodies like this, Absolute Beauty by Pratima Raichur has all you could ever want to know about skin care. I am completely in love with that book.

Here are some tips to help avoid wrinkles, hooray!
• Yoga inversions. Plough pose, shoulder stand, handstand, headstand, feet up the wall. All great for blood circulation and reducing wrinkles. It works! I’ve seen it on my own face!
• Eat well. What you eat turns into your physical body. Garbage in, garbage out.
• Put good stuff on your skin. Your skin eats too so spend some money on it. I love these products from Simply Divine Botanicals – my skincare line of choice!
• Almond oil for crows feet. I do this nightly when it’s really dry outside. Apply a little bit with your ring finger and stroke from the outside of the eye and trace right along the cheek bone. Do these strokes (one direction only) for about 30 seconds and then hit the sack.
• Almond oil over the eyebrows. Start from the inner eyebrows, trace the brow bone (press firm & go slow) to the corner. Releases tension!
• Give yourself a natural face-lift. It’s a really simple technique but works wonders to liven skin!
• Breathe. For goodness sakes, please breathe away that tension.
• Stop smoking and drinking too much booze. Enuf said.
• Call me and let me practice facial massage on you :D

Let us also remember that while we can do everything in our power to avoid it, we will eventually get wrinkles. It’s just gonna happen at some point, but it’s kind of a beautiful think because in a way, it’s a map of your life. Make sure to fill it with laughter, enjoyment, serenity, good rest, healthy breath, a career you love, good food, and most of all GREAT LOVE because everyone will see it on your face. mmwwaaaah! xo

An all too common theme lately: emails & words that hurt. If you have been a recent recipient, please remember their dagger may have hit you, but it’s not about you. It’s about them. Send silent blessings and compassion. Feel free to cry your eyes out to let it go. But don’t hold onto it – it’s not yours to hold. Namaste sweet friends.