Good bye, 2012! It’s been a whirlwind year for me professionally, and I’m looking forward to even more growth in 2013. I spent much of this year designing and teaching three new graduate-level courses for Tai Sophia’s MS in Nutrition & Integrative Health program, and continued to teach my course in Pharmacognosy at NYCC. I also started accepting new clients again and had a chance to work with some amazing people over the course of the year.
Plans for 2013
In 2013, I plan to put even more focus into my private practice. Since I can only accept a small number of new clients each month, I’m in the process of creating an online “Fertility Fundamentals” course to provide some support for people who aren’t able to schedule a private appointment. Here are a few other things to look forward to this year:
- More blog posts! Look for at least 2 per month
- Lectures and workshops in the Woodbridge, VA area
- I’ll be accepting new clients again in April, 2013
- Several online courses will go live, including an online Fertility Yoga course, a holistic weight management course, my “Feeding Your Little Ones” courses and the comprehensive 8-week “Fertility Fundamentals” program mentioned above
Favorite Things
Who doesn’t love a good list? Here are a few of my favorite discoveries from this year.
- Favorite actual thing: Yoga tune up balls – Even though I maintain a fairly robust yoga practice and what I hope is reasonable alignment, I still have chronically tight shoulders. Fifteen or twenty minutes with these balls + Jill Miller’s Upper Body series leaves me feeling like I’ve just gotten a deep tissue massage from someone who knows what she’s doing, and better yet the effects are lasting. Highly recommend.
- Most frequently read blog: I adore Katy Bowman’s Aligned & Well blog called Katy Says It’s funny, informative, practical and easy to read. If you have any interest in how body alignment affects health & disease, this blog is a must-read. See for example her post on 4 Fast Fixes for Pelvic Floor Disorder.
- Best herbie offering: Check out the free interviews with our elders series offered by Sylvan Botanicals. If you are interested in herbal medicine, these lectures are a wealth of information and well worth a listen.
- Most practical reference guide: I am constantly referring clients to the Cooking Oil Comparison Chart made by Andrew Wilder & Andy Bellatti. They do a great job clarifying which oils can be used when, which should be purchased organically, which have GMO concerns, etc. Great resource for clients and those new to healthy food prep.
- Most useful yoga tool: Free online yoga classes from Yoga Download; these classes are reasonably-priced (many of the shorter ones are free), easy to follow and range in length from 10 minutes to 60+ minutes. For the most part, the classes are well-done; I often refer clients to the prenatal offerings . These are great options when you can’t get to a studio or if you have only a short period of time to get some stretching done.
- Yummiest salad recipe: This kale salad w/parmesan & raisins is nothing short of incredible. My two year old will eat massive servings, it doesn’t require any fancy ingredients, and it’s one of the few recipes that makes raw kale delicious (in my opinion!). One bunch of kale goes a surprisingly long way when you prepare it like this as well. Check it out.
- Yummiest entrée recipe – If you’re a fan of Indian food, please make this red curry lentil recipe immediately. I promise you won’t be sorry. It’s gluten-free, easily modified to be vegan, and incredibly tasty.
- Most useful kitchen gadget: I’m not sure how I was able to live this long without a Y peeler. After attending a cooking class with Myra Kornfield this fall where I saw one of these in action, I couldn’t get to amazon quickly enough. Potatoes, butternut squash (any winter squash, really), cucumbers, carrots – all of these peel easily in seconds with this tool.
- Most desirable line of clothing: I met the woman behind the “I heart guts” line of clothing at a street fair and immediately wanted all of her t-shirts. I was able to obtain a “Womb Service” tee with a uterus on it, but I don’t’ think my wardrobe will be complete until I get my hands on a Smells Like Spleen Spirit shirt as well.
- Most useful sizing info: It’s no secret that many people are wearing incorrectly fitted bras. Here is some great general info about bra sizing, and here is a brochure about sports bras, how they should fit and what kind of support people need when wearing one. If you’re interested in more info, here’s an article with some additional detail.
Thanks for joining me, and best wishes for a happy 2013!
