How to purchase Young Living essential oils

I will never hang my hat on any one thing (as there never is one panacea), but since I started using Young Living essential oils daily, I have felt so much calmer, happier, and healthier. My emotions are more on an even keel with fewer lows. My skin is glowing like never before and my kids are so much more chilled out. There’s less fighting, yelling and screaming in my house. 

Essential oils are what I call nature in a bottle. They are the powerfully potent extract of the life force of the plant and without them the plant wouldn’t exist (hence the term “essential”). 

The way I use essential oils is as a powerful and beautiful adjunct to what I call the 8 foundations of health. They are yet another tool in my health tool box. We discuss and explore all of this in the essential oils workshops that I run. Their uses are broad and varied and grow daily as I become more and more familiar and comfortable with them. Some of my favourite ways are: 

• as a face and body moisturiser diluted in olive oil 
• in the diffuser to provide a beautiful aroma and energy to the house
• as a facial mist
• as a household cleaner
• occasionally in my food (amazing in cakes!) and drinks
• on soles of our feet or steam inhalation when we are feeling sick
• as a first aid for cuts, burns, bruises and muscular aches
• as a remedy for mould
• as a concentration booster for study or writing 
• as an air freshener to purify the air and remove stinky odours (think boys’ rooms, soft pack lunch boxes, garbage bins)
• to induce sleep and calm before bedtime
• to take the edge of anxiety and stress
• as a mouth wash diluted in water
• in the bath

I am very frequently asked why I chose Young Living essential oils. Simply put, it is because independent research shows time and again that they are of the highest quality the world over, both in terms of purity and power. Putting aside that Young Living is the largest essential oil company in the world, it is the only essential oil company in the world that owns all of the farms from where their oils are harvested so they have total control and visibility from “seed to seal”.  This gives me a quality assurance that no other oil company in the world can. As I am extremely cautious with what I put in and on my and my kids’ body, I always seek out the very best quality- whether its food or personal care products.  Like food, not all essential oils are the same! Treat these oils like a powerful medicinal tonic, as that is what they are. A little goes a very long way.

To purchase these oils follow the steps in this step by step guide. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me directly. 

embrace the grit

 ©Irving Penn.

One of my little mantras lately is EMBRACE THE GRIT. 

This is what I say in my head (after a few expletives) in reference to all the crappy things that happen in day to day life- some big, some small, some catastrophic and some just a pain in the butt. 

The Buddhists say that the very nature of life isn't perfect (they call it Samsara) and to expect it to be otherwise will set you up for disappointment and stress on a more or less continual basis. 

Sometimes the universe throws grit at us when we haven't learnt poignant lessons (and it will keep on throwing it thick and fast until we sit up and listen and effect requisite change!! I’ve blogged about this before here, here and here). And sometimes you find it strewn all over the place when the universe deems we are ripe to grow and learn of strengths we never had. But even when you've made a bucketload of positive changes and you've put seemingly grit-proof processes and procedures in place in all areas of your life, the grit will still rear its ugly head from time to time. Maybe to remind us that there are forces greater than us at play.

What I have learnt is to expect the grit and to embrace it. I've learnt to deal with it better. The grit is part of the very fabric of our life. I don't beat myself or others up when mistakes (inevitably) are made or disaster strikes. Instead, life morphs into a series of shoulder shrugs at the mess to clean up and ponderings on (even more) lessons learnt.  How you respond to the grit defines you as a person. Haven't you noticed how different people respond so differently to the grit? Some totally lose their sh%t and fight it, while others embrace it with ease and grace. And the latter is what I admire and aspire to. And isn't that observation a learning in and of itself?

What do you think? Have you embraced the grit?

Creamy Rice Porridge

Occasionally I love a creamy rice porridge for breakfast. My kids love it too, especially in winter. It’s the perfect winter warming comfort food for breakfast. The recipe below can be used for any type of gluten-free grains but white rice is our favourite closely followed by oats. 

As detailed in this blog, grains should ideally be properly prepared (such as by soaking overnight) before cooking them in order to make them more digestible and nutritious. 

I like to add in egg yolks, butter and cream as nutrient-dense bombs into my porridge to provide a creamy, super nutritious and satiating bowl (otherwise grains alone are too glycemic and leave me hungry a couple hours later). I like my porridge quite milky as I find grains can be very drying. If this is too much liquid for you, simply reduce the volume of milk to 2 cups.  

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice

• 3 cups full fat milk

• 1.5 tablespoons butter (or coconut oil)

• 2 tablespoon cream

• 3-5 egg yolks

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder or 1 drop Young Living cinnamon bark essential oil

• 1 drop Young Living vanilla oil

• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg or 1 drop Young Living nutmeg essential oil

Toppings:

•  chopped banana

• a handful of fresh berries

• a scattering of goji berries 

• a scattering of raw cacao nibs

• a handful of coconut flakes

• a handful of gluten-free activated muesli

• dusting of raw cacao powder

• dustings of cinnamon powder 

• a drizzle of raw honey

Directions:

1. Soak rice overnight in a bowl of water (add enough water so that the rice is well covered).  
   

2. Strain (and discard the soaking water) and rinse rice in filtered water. 
   

3. Transfer rice to a saucepan, add milk, and cook on high heat, stirring occasionally, until the milk just begins to simmer then immediately lower the temperature and cook, covered, stirring occasionally until the rice is well-cooked and completely soft (approx. 10 mins). Be careful not to allow the milk to boil. 
   

4. Turn off heat and stir through the rest of the porridge ingredients. 
   

5. Divide between 3 bowls and serve with any one or more of the suggested toppings.

Serves 3.

Variation: Instead of rice, use any other gluten-free grains such as oats, millet, amaranth or quinoa and reduce the volume of milk to 2 cups instead of 3 cups.