November Gratitude | words from Kate

I love how gratitude and great attitude sound so much alike. This "sound alikeness" has helped me become more and more aware of when I live from a place of gratitude the more automatically I live with a great attitude. Lately, being the Thanksgiving time of year, I have been pondering gratitude and all the things in my life I am grateful for. And, I have realized that I so rarely express gratitude for myself. I very often say thanks for family and friends, for opportunities and experiences, and for things that I have acquired. Though to myself, I have noticed that oftentimes I say things like “well, you could have done better,” or “why did you do it that way,” and “you're sure you want to wear those pants today?” I am not sure where this lack of self appreciation has come from, though I have decided to change all that. I have decided it is time for me to appreciate the funny way I think, the way I don’t understand sarcasm, the way I always see the silver lining, and how I think greens and chocolate are the two best food groups. To help with this I have started keeping a self appreciation journal. I have to admit it is harder than keeping a gratitude journal though being able to appreciate me is truly something I am grateful for.

In Joy,

Kate

Emotional Freedom Technique | tapping through the holidays

The holy-days can be some of the most stressful and some of the most joyous times of the year. To help you go from a place of feeling stressed out, anxious, overwhelmed, etc. to a place of greater peace, I would like to share with you an easy, simple and profound technique that you can do just about anywhere. This technique is called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) aka Tapping. It is called tapping because the technique involves you gently tapping on different acupuncture points.

Here's a guide to get your started

Find a quiet place where your can practice tapping with out interruption for at a minimum of 15 minutes.
Before your begin tapping on the acupuncture points (reference photo), identify the emotion your are feeling and rate it's intensity on a scale of 0-10.
Using one of the examples below (or create your own!), repeat out loud what your feeling or anticipate feeling while simultaneously tapping with two figures lightly on your "karate chop" point. Repeat 3 times.
EXAMPLE I: even though I am feeling (state your emotion) about going to be with the family during the holiday. I choose not to get upset. I deeply and completely accept myself.
EXAMPLE II: Even though I am really challenged about having to go to the holiday party and see (state the name(s) person(s)) I choose to have a good time anyway and I deeply love and accept myself
EXAMPLE III: Even though the holidays bring up (state your issue(s)) I choose to be compassionate and loving towards myself. I choose to enjoy and be at peace with the holidays. I completely love, accept and forgive myself knowing all is well and all will be well.
Repeat this activity on each of your other acupuncture points.
Now check in with your original stated emotion and rate it from 0-10 again. If it is still higher then you like, go through all the points again.
EFT is one of the easiest and simplest was to bring more grace to your holiday season and one of the most fantastic things about it is that you can practice it almost anywhere.
Give it tap and let me know how it goes.

In Joy,

Kate

Mindful Moment | gratitude activities

One For You | reflections

Satisfaction and appreciation of ourselves is not often high on people’s lists when they look in the mirror. Most often the glance in the mirror produces thoughts like "ugh, my hair today. I wish it wasn’t so floppy," or "Wow. My thighs look thick today, I wish I was thinner and look at those wrinkles," etc...

Let us use the energy of thanks to have a revolution and change all that! Each day spend 30-60 seconds looking in a mirror, pane of glass, a shiny spoon any shiny reflective surface and smile at and to yourself. This in of itself will change your day. If you would like to take it a step further as you are smiling to yourself thank your hair for keeping your warm, your thighs for helping you be active, your arms for being so strong. Thank all of you. You deserve it!

One For All | pass the gratitude basket

There's so much going on at Thanksgiving gatherings that it can be hard to bring in that element of giving pause and sharing gratitude with one another. Here's an activity that can be done at the Thanksgiving table with everyone!

Give everyone a sheet of paper and a pencil. Then ask each person to write down one thing that makes them feel grateful and put it into a basket. Pass the basket around the table and have everyone read another person's paper, followed by the group guessing who wrote it.

Kate's Kitchen | Free Range Turkey Bone Broth from Dr. Mercolangredients

1 free-range roasted turkey carcass

1/2 cup Dr. Mercola’s apple cider vinegar

4 quarts filtered water

3 celerystalks, halved

3 carrots, halved

3 onions, quartered

Handful of fresh parsley

Sea salt

Directions

Place turkey carcass in a large pot or a crockpot, add apple cider vinegar and enough water to cover the bones.
Let the mixture sit for one hour so the vinegar can leach the mineral out of the bones.
Add the vegetables and bring to a boil. If there’s any scum then skim it from the top and discard.
Reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook for 24 to 72 hours (if you're not comfortable leaving the pot to simmer overnight, turn off the heat and let it sit overnight, then turn it back on and let simmer all day the next day).
Check the pot or crock pot every eight hours or so and add water as needed.
During the last 10 minutes of cooking, throw in a handful of fresh parsley for added flavor and minerals.
Let the broth cool and strain it.
Add sea salt to taste and drink the broth as is, or store in the fridge for five to seven days or in the freezer for up to six months for use in soups or stews.

Click here to learn more about the benefits of Bone Broth and to see the Dr. Mercola's full recipe.

The Season of Giving | gifts of health from Illuminating Wellness

Retreats

The two greatest gifts in life would be the gift of time and the gift of health. When you give the gift of a Whole Being, Well Being Retreat, you are essentially doing that. You are giving the gift of time because your loved one gets to get away from the hustle, bustle and routine of their daily life. A retreat is the perfect place to unwind, relax and let go. You are gifting them with the time to slow down, time connect with nature, time connect with themselves.

Stress has been shown to be a component is over 85% of all dis-ease. Which means when stressed is relieved healthiness increases

By slowing down and eating delicious, lovingly prepared meals, enjoying daily bodywork treatments, daily movement classes, daily mindfulness classes and with lots of time to relax and just be. A Whole Being-Well Being retreat relieves stress and increases rejuvenation, allowing for a fresh start, fresh perspectives and personnel transformation!

Winter Retreat | Jan 31 - Feb 3, 2019 | Basalt, CO

Join Kate Carei-Eakins

for 4 days and 3 nights to relax, let go & begin living in flow. This retreat will be taking place in mountain log home surrounded by a pine forest with incredible views of the West Elk Peaks, a cozy indoor gathering space equipped with a wood burning stove, hot tub and an element of seclusion!

Receive daily massages, daily inner journeying exercises, daily guided visualizations, and daily movement classes. In addition to the above fantastic services, you also receive daily sessions on the BioMat ,the IMRS 2000, and the Chi machine.

$1,900 for a private room | $1,500 for a shared room | payment plans are available

Spring Retreat | May 14-19, 2019

Isla Holbox, Mexico

Join Kate Carei-Eakins for 6 days and 5 nights on a tropical island away from it all to relax, let go, renew and begin living in flow. Isla Holbox is an island north of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, just a hop away from Cancun. It's part of the Yum Balam Nature Reserve and separated from the mainland by the Yalahau Lagoon, which is home to flamingos and pelicans. AND, it’s a car-free island with a perfect mix of relaxation, great weather and bohemian beauty.

During this retreat you will receive daily massages, daily inner journeying exercises, daily guided visualizations, and daily movement classes. In addition to the above fantastic services, you also receive daily sessions on the BioMat, the IMRS 2000, and the Chi machine.

$3300 private room | $2800 shared room | payment plans available