{Self-Care} The Dry Brush Massage

During my last detox, I discovered the benefits of dry brushing and it seems many of you enjoy it as well. I shared my experience with the Swan Wholistic community on Facebook which brought me the opportunity to find out a bit more about dry brushing from Ama Opare of Opare Integrative Health Care.

Ama is a gourmet raw vegan chef, author and public speaker as well as a committed educator and program director.  Ama has supported adults and children in a variety of areas and she currently uses her experience in education to support clients of Opare Integrative Health Care, which she co-owns with her husband Dr. Nana Kwkau Opare.  Dr. Opare began practicing medicine in the mid-80s and has combined his background in food, nutrition, dietetics acupuncture with medicine to create a integrative practice that serves the mind, body and spirit of their clients.

Ama Opare and Dr. Nana Kwkau Opare of Opare Integrative Health Care, Atlanta, GA.

The Opares include the dry brush massage as part of their juice fasting protocol.  Ama was kind enough to share their protocol below if you are interested in adding it to your self-care routine or next detox.

"During the fast a dry brush massage is done daily before the morning shower. The body releases toxins through the skin. The brushing aids the sloughing off of dead skin sells. Use a natural bristle brush with a long handle. Do not use nylon or synthetic fiber brushes, they are too sharp and may damage the skin.

Starting at the feet brush in circular motion until skin in rosy. Follow the direction of the arrows below. Red indicates moving downward, blue moving upward. Move up the front and inside of the legs, the front of the body, and then down the inside of the arms.

Next, move up the back of the arms and then down the back of the body and the back and outside of the legs." 

Opare Health Care

Courtesy of Opare Health Care, Atlanta, GA.

Connect with Opare Integrative Health at www.opare.net for more info on their juice fasting protocols available online soon.  Get other health news, healing techniques, recipes and more from The Opares on Facebook and Twitter.

{Master Teachers} Know Thyself

Now that I have this figured out, join me as I begin a legacy of life, health and prosperity:

www.swanwholistic.com

Life, Health and Prosperity,

Ashiya

{Master Teachers} My Swan Dad

I love natural teachers.  It is always easy for me to identify those people who love to share their knowledge simply because it is too good to keep to themselves.  When I first met my Swan Dad, I had no idea he would become my Dad, but I knew he would be a wonderful teacher if my friendship with his sons continued.  Almost 15 years later, I can't imagine my life without his wisdom.

150 MPH at the Chicagoland Motor Speedway

For some time I thought it was because of all the knowledge and the love he shared with me, but now I understand something more.  As SWAN and I continue to grow in our marriage, I see more of his father in him. All of the qualities I find admirable in my Swan Dad, I see My Love express in his own way.

Father and Sons.

My husband is simultaneously one of the strongest, but most sensitive men I've ever met, much like his father. They are humble, but confident; extremely intelligent, yet unapologetically silly when needed.  They have a pure heart and everything they do is motivated by the love of their family.  More than anything, they have an honor and regard for women that has been a source of love, healing and comfort for me for as long as I've known them.  Watching our brother become a wonderful father to a son of his own is further evidence to me of the depth of love My Swan Dad constantly gives to his children.

Me and  My Swan Dad on my wedding day.

In honor of Father's Day, here are a few of his thoughts on love, life and business that remained with me and SWAN over the years. Rest assured, he'll make another appearance here as a Master Teacher.  Every conversation with my Swan Dad holds a potential lesson.

My Swan Parents

"When you find someone you truly love and you know it is meant to be, marry them.  Everything else will fall into place."


"When you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." 


"Comfortable is dangerous."

Family vacation in Hawai'i.  Yes, Hawai'i.

"People who don't like a challenge will find a way to not to like you for accepting one."

"If there's no one in your sphere that has better ideas than you, you are in the wrong sphere."

Happy Father's Day to our Dad, our mentor and most importantly, our friend.


Life, Heath, and Prosperity.

Ashiya (and SWAN)

{Self-Care} Accountability. Alignment. Action.

Earlier this week, I got the most random, motivating call from my best friend, Shavonna.  Random motivation is nothing new to us, but the timing of this call was... divine.

At the moment the phone rang, I was actually thinking of Shavonna.  When I answered the phone in disbelief, she sounded just as shocked to hear from me.

"Ashiya, I'm not sure what's going on right now.  I answered a text from someone else and now you're on my phone."

I knew what was happening.  Just a few days before, I made a commitment to Shavonna and myself to practice yoga everyday for 30 days to rebuild my daily practice.  There are times when practicing 3-4 times during the week will keep me balanced and focused; however, I am entering a phase of life where deeper daily practice is necessary.  I scheduled the time to practice and was just about to find a reason not to when the phone rang. What else was I supposed to do but roll out my yoga mat and practice?

Shavonna and I on a stop at the Grand Canyon in 2002 as we drove into the "Masters" phase of life. ATL to LA in 3 days.

Each year, Shavonna and I manage to mesh our health and wellness goals in some way.  In the last two years, we both launched new businesses in health and wellness, naturally creating bigger goals personally and professionally.  Without a doubt, being accountable to Shavonna over the years has been a large part of each goal I've achieved.  {Thank you, Lillian!}

Vanya Francis and Shavonna Warthen of Om Point Yoga, Atlanta, GA.  Accountability. Alignment. Action.

This year, it was only natural to bring Vanya Francis into our accountability circle.  Not only did we all graduate from Spelman College together in 2001, but Shavonna and Vanya are co-owners of Om Point Yoga, a boutique yoga company in Atlanta, Ga.  Additionally, Vanya and I act as peer coaches as we have a mutual interest in women's wellness.  Because our friendship and purpose have intersected with our personal and professional goals, we solidified our accountability circle by choosing three words to keep us focused as we progress towards our goals. When we face a moment of decision, recalling these three words offer us a reminder of where we want to be.

Accountability
Accountability is a word that speaks directly to community.  It is a reminder that our actions not only affect us, but those who may be helped by what we do.  Being accountable to each other holds us accountable to our goals.

Alignment
We all receive opportunities to grow our businesses, but we've come to a place where we realized that every opportunity is not going to lead us where we want to be.  We always make sure our decisions are in alignment with our goals and our choices support our personal and professional vision.

Action
At some point, there is nothing else to think about.  The only thing to do is act. When we become clear on our goals, we become clear on our decision and our circle prompts us to act without delay.

If you set resolutions for yourself at the beginning of the year and have already abandoned them, here is your chance to renew!  If there is something that you have wanted to do for years and you still want to do it, this is a call to action!  Call up your circle, share your desires and choose powerful words to connect you to your purpose.

Life, Health, and Prosperity,
Ashiya

{Master Teachers} Lady M.

A Swan Life is a space dedicated to the people, places and things that bring me life.  Growing older has helped me to understand the real impact my family, friends and associates have had on my life and more of the lessons, love and laughter we've experienced will flow through this space.

I've been blessed with wonderful Master Teachers, but none more influential than my maternal grandmother.  With love and respect I refer to her here as Lady M. because it is a title that fits her well.  If you know her at all, I'm sure you would agree.

As I share old and new lessons, I will properly introduce each teacher; however, Lady M is someone who should always introduce themselves.

During a brief chat this morning, she shared with me about believing from the heart and reminded me she was my first yoga instructor.

"People just don't realize we are of one breath. One Spirit. And what we do with that Spirit is up to us.  We think of ourselves or other people as "good" or "evil" Spirits... It is all up to us and what we do."

 -Lady M.

Lady M captured by me during my preteen years.

And that is Lady M.

{Self-Care} The Other Lemon Water

It seems more people know the benefit of adding fresh lemon to drinking water and I'm one of them.  I learned things here and there over the years, but in the last few months, I've really understood how lemons can aid in the body's need to move toxins out of the body daily.

As my quest to drink a sufficient amount of water daily continues, I've tried all kinds of things only to remember it is always best to keep it simple.  Having a glass of lemon water in the morning has become second nature but I still needed to manage the rest of the day.  I decided to join the "fruit infusion" gang to bring to some flavor to my water.

Its the little things we do that bridge us to our goals.

After a few interesting combinations, I finally went back to where it all started for me : Cucumber. I first had water with cucumber over five years ago while traveling.  I made four trips to that water cooler in one hour, which I attributed to the hot summer day.  When SWAN and I started to drink a gallon in less than 24 hours, I knew it was giving me something my body needed.  So why fight it?

Cucumber is known to benefit the skin and I have noticed a difference in both my skin and SWAN's; however, I'm most excited that its helped me to drastically increase my water intake.   The beverage dispenser I used was the largest, most convenient container I had and it added a level of ease that is working for me.  Simplicity wins again.

Life, Health, and Prosperity.

Ashiya.

{Self-Care} Water to Wine

Water.  Why is one of the most simple yet beneficial things we can do to improve our health also one of the most challenging?  We can't deny how much we need it or how much better we feel and look when we are properly hydrated.  During one of my many strategy sessions to "do better" with my water intake, I randomly thought:

"Why can't I drink water like wine?!"   

 

Seriously.  I can put a sizable dent in a bottle of wine in a few hours if I wanted to, but a bottle of water will stare at me all day.  I know I'm not the only one, so I took a closer look at my ritual of "having a glass of wine" to develop some consistency in my relationship with water.  

The Occasion

At one point, I couldn't imagine honoring a special occasion without a glass of something.  My birthday.  Holidays. Your birthday. Graduation.  A rough day.  Friday...  When I consider how much more I get from a glass of water, I realized it is life that I celebrate with each glass.  So at night, I place a glass of water beside my bed with the intent of celebrating another day of life in the morning.

The Selection

I'm not a wine expert, but I know what I like.  When I was younger, I was really open to exploring wine and could usually finish a glass even if I didn't care for it.  I would just add it to my "do not buy" list.  Water may not seem to have much variety, but I was really only limited by my creativity.  While I do prefer alkaline water when I feel I need some balance, but I enjoy spring water most.  When I want to flavor my water or bring more life to it, I add fruits, vegetables or mint.  The possibilities are endless and if I don't like something I mix up, I have practice finishing it anyway.

The Glass

At home, its all about the glass.  What's better than a wine from a beautiful glass specified for my selection?  Why shouldn't I drink my water from a beautiful glass as well?  If I have a glass for red wine and a different one for white, why shouldn't I have different glasses for my mood or for convenience?  Having different glasses and water bottles around for different parts of my day has been most effective in building a better habit. Each glass represents a different part of my day and drinking from it has become a way of honoring that moment.

More than anything, the time I took to laugh at myself raised my consciousness on a daily basis.  Instead of being frustrated at the end of the day,  I found ways to continuously remind myself of my needs, which I meet on a more consistent basis now. 

And with that, I raise a glass of water to life, health and prosperity!  Cheers!

Ashiya