June 03, 2020 at 11:00AM The road to change in our communities’ legal and cultural stance toward racism is a long one. For the past few days, we’ve paused all content in solidarity with the current outcry against racial injustice in our law enforcement and on. Just as we have all recently learned in our collective experience with Covid-19, albeit in a different way, crisis or no, daily life treads on in some way, shape or form. The sun doesn’t stop rising. In some ways, when we’re in crisis, we wish it would. We wish that we could have a pause to deal with life’s hard, but necessary interruptions — sometimes the consistency of the earth’s rotation seems cruel when we’re in crisis, but we can also see it as a comfort if we choose to. The reality is that we must learn how to create meaningful changes to protect our communities against injustice while we do business, tend to our families, survive all the other struggles of being human and take care of our own physical and emotional well-being. As a wellness site, one of our main concerns right now is how to help our community — especially people of color — deal with the trauma, heartbreak and emotional overwhelm at this time in our nation. Our initial impulse and coping mechanisms often drive us to look away from our difficult feelings or funnel them into un-conscientious expressions — from addiction to violence to self-harm. As we’ve all been echoing for
Tag: The Chalkboard
Standing In Solidarity + Resources For Change
June 02, 2020 at 01:02AM We stand in solidarity with our black readers, friends and community members at this time of tremendous pain. Our nation has been reeling with accounts of grave injustice within our criminal justice system over the last decade, made all the more traumatic and impactful through video footage captured by our communities. Our greatest hope in this time is that this intense period of protests around our country give way to a long period of substantial institutional reforms. As former President Barack Obama spoke in this important article in Medium earlier today, “The point of protest is to raise public awareness, to put a spotlight on injustice, and to make the powers that be uncomfortable; in fact, throughout American history, it’s often only been in response to protests and civil disobedience that the political system has even paid attention to marginalized communities. But eventually, aspirations have to be translated into specific laws and institutional practices — and in a democracy, that only happens when we elect government officials who are responsive to our demands.” He later goes on to note, “…the elected officials who matter most in reforming police departments and the criminal justice system work at the state and local levels.” We echo this call to civic engagement in our local communities, as well as Obama’s call to keep ourselves bound to the standards we wish to uphold; “let’s not excuse violence, or rationalize it, or participate in it. If we want our criminal justice system, and American
A Nutritionist’s Diet + Supplements While Recovering From COVID-19
May 29, 2020 at 11:35AM Earlier this week, we shared this interview with holistic nutritionist, Serena Poon. In it, Serena outlined her entire journey with COVID-19, from initial symptoms through her whole healing process. It’s Serena’s job to help other nourish and heal, so she was well-equipped to make the healing journey. Since she shared so much great advice with us, we decided to list her nutritional protocol here separately. These are the foods and supplements Serena used herself and recommends to her nutrition clients to stay strong and fend of viruses… + Supplements used to enhance my COVID recovery included: extra zinc picolinate, liposomal vitamin C (2000mg 3-4x a day), liposomal glutathione, vitamin D, NAD+, NAC, magnesium glycinate, propolis, oil of oregano, astragalus, nettle leaf with quercetin, L-lysine and an Ayurvedic immune blend. + Green Juice I made sure to have green juice once a day, and I had at least 100-120 ounces of water (staying well-hydrated is key, especially if you have a fever!). + Celery juice – If accessible, it’s not a non-negotiable – there were a couple of weeks that it was a bit harder to come by at grocery stores. + Turmeric + Ginger Shots I took 1 ounce shots of fresh turmeric and fresh ginger daily. Supplements or raw dehydrated form if fresh isn’t available. + Daily immunity elixir made with: organic aloe (whole leaf), raw organic apple cider vinegar, colloidal silver, chlorophyll, an immunity blend of mushroom tinctures. For my personal constitution, I blend
3 Daily Rituals To Help You Overcome Burnout, Anxiety + Stress
May 29, 2020 at 10:42AM When was the last time you felt a deep sense of consistent contentment or trust in the timing of your life and everything happening in it? When was the last time you had an innate inner joy that made you marvel at the universe and it’s timing? If it’s been awhile, then it might be time to get up close and personal with yourself and try on some new ways of connecting, integrating and aligning with the universe and your higher self. Kelsey Patel is one of LA’s leading wellness and reiki experts, and an expert in burnout. In her new book, Burning Bright: Rituals, Reiki, and Self-Care to Heal Burnout, Anxiety, and Stress Kelsey shares the tools she uses in one-on-one work with her clients — many of them struggling with massive career burnout and anxiety. According to Patel, “Joy is not something that is outside of us. In order to feel and receive joy on a daily basis, we need to know what it’s like to have that feeling inside of ourselves without needing anything else. We already possess and own the skills needed to make joy a bigger presence in our day-to-day lives. Often times, we are just stuck and committed to a pre-programmed approach that we have likely been engaging in for years. “In order to feel something new, we have to try something new and change our own cycles and rhythms. Whether it’s the way we wake up or the way
21 Things We’re Having Delivered From L.A.’s Coolest Cafe
May 28, 2020 at 11:34AM If you live on the Westside of L.A., you’re planning your day around the long line at Gjusta. If you live on the Eastside of L.A., you’re planning your month around a lunch date in the yard behind the hidden Venice cafe. This, of course, was life before quarantine. As restaurants around the world strategize ways to show up for their base of devoted diners (stay tuned for more on this all month!), few have done it better than Gjusta. Disclaimer: we’re one hundred percent obsessed with the Gjelina Restaurant Group, from Gjelina itself (grab the mushroom toast from their epic cookbook) to GTA (think curbside cortados and handmade pizza by the slice), MTN (Japan meets LA) and their new take out-only concept, Valle (Oaxacan tacos, braised meats and ceviche). If you live in L.A. it’s likely our obsession is shared by you — and if you’re planning a visit in the distant future, all of these spots deserve to be on your shortlist. Gjusta is offering food deliveries unlike almost anything in town. When it’s open, the experience at Gjusta in Venice is rustic and natural, but warm and intense — like a good sourdough. Crossing through it’s doors from the scrappy Venice neighborhood feels like entering another world, a Scandinavian bakery from another time, but fueled by modern thinking and filled with post-modern foodies. We didn’t think we could enjoy what Gjusta had to offer more, until we received a market delivery from
7 Sustainable Beauty Essentials from The Detox Market
May 28, 2020 at 11:34AM The Detox Market is taking their commitment to sustainable values to the next level this year. You can see it inside their shops, where they’ve asked brands to create low-waste alternates to the conventional plastic displays you find in most retailers and you can see it in the beauty and self-care products they’re curating better than ever. Last month, The Detox Market offered this selection of extremely sustainable products in their monthly subscription box. That box is now sold out, but we loved the products so much we’re spotlighting them all for you here: 7 Sustainable Beauty Essentials from The Detox Market Odacité 552M Shampoo Bar We can’t stop talking about this shampoo bar! It works as well as any bottled shampoo we’ve used, but without any plastic packaging. We were skeptical that the bar would work well, but now that we know, we’re obsessed with bar soaps again too — so chic! bkr Spiked Water Bottle There are a ton ofreusable water bottles out there lately, but none of them are cuter than the glass-walled, rubber spiked bkr. We love it in pink or black. Meow Meow Tweet Rose Geranium Baking Soda Free Deodorant Stick This deodorant is a Detox Market best-seller. It comes from Brooklyn-based Meow Meow Tweet and is wrapped in an all paper tube with essential oils of rose geranium. Baggu Standard Reusable Bag Baggu bags are the easiest thing ever to toss in the car and unfurl for trips to the farmer’s market or grocery store.
5 Exercises That Will Dramatically Uplevel Your Sense of Self-Worth
May 28, 2020 at 11:00AM Writer, speaker and all around magic-maker, Gala Darling is on a mission to help more women find their authentic voice, live in the present, and fall in love with, well, themselves. According to Gala, “Everywhere I look, I see an epidemic: millions of incredibly smart, sublimely beautiful and unique women who cannot see their own luminescence. Women full of doubt, women full of fear. Women who feel confused by what they ‘should’ be, torn apart by conflicting messages from society and the media, women who feel that the only way to move safely through the world is to turn down the volume on their own joy.” Apparently, Gala’s message is striking a chord. Her first book, which was self-published, became a #1 Amazon bestseller and has since been acquired by a major publisher. Radical Self Love: A Guide To Loving Yourself And Living Your Dream is now reaching more women than ever before. Whether you consider yourself too buttoned up for all this flowery self-love business or are ready to go head-over-heels into these exercises, we challenge you to give a few of Gala’s self-love suggestions a legitimate shot. Here’s Gala’s guide to activating radical self love… Stop waiting for other people to acknowledge your light So many of us are in a holding pattern, simply hoping that one day someone will notice us in our full brilliance and validate us with their words and actions. We all have different fantasies of how this will play out, from getting an art
I Recovered From Covid-19: A Story We’re Grateful To Run
May 27, 2020 at 11:16AM Join us Friday, May 29th at 11AM PST | Serena will be taking over our Instagram LIVE to answer questions and share her story. Nutritionist and chef, Serena Poon is a long-time contributor who recently battled COVID-19 — and won. With such a full spectrum approach to health and wellness (Serena is also a reiki master!), we knew Serena was equipped with quite a bit of knowledge and understanding to fight her battle well. However, we’re also humbled by the current state of things and take nothing for granted, so we were relieved to hear that she was in full recovery. Here is our chat with Serena, including important takeaway more of us should know… The Chalkboard: Serena, we are so happy to hear you are on the mend and that you’re willing to share your experience with COVID-19 which could help so many others. First of all, when did you realize you were coming down with the virus? Were there any telltale symptoms others should watch for in your experience? Serena Poon: To be very honest, I was so focused on my sister’s recovery (who also had COVID), that I did not really pay attention to my own symptoms at first, as they were not listed as “COVID-19 symptoms” on the initial list that was released during the first few weeks of March. Looking back, I was experiencing a burning sensation when I breathed. I called it “breathing fire,” because that’s literally what it felt
The Vitamin That’s Key To Take In Quarantine Now (It’s Not Vitamin C)
May 27, 2020 at 11:05AM Yes, of course vitamin C is important for our immunity, but too few of us recognize the importance of vitamin D for immune systems. In fact, we learned from Hum Nutrition that an estimated 1 billion people worldwide are deficient in vitamin D. Harvard’s School of Public Health released a report citing several studies linking vitamin D levels with bone strength, muscle retention, heart health, and the immune system. Why You Shouldn’t Overlook Vitamin D for Immunity Naturally, getting enough direct sunlight is key for vitamin D absorption, but even if you spend the right amount of time outdoors, cloud cover, air pollution, altitude, and skin color can all affect the amount of sunshine available to the body. HUM Nutrition’s Here Comes The Sun supplement contains 2000 IU’s of Vitamin D3. D3 is the active form of vitamin D which the body can use more efficiently. It has been studied for its effects on the immune system, bone health, hormone balance and digestive health. Studies have also shown that Vitamin D can boost elasticity and collagen production in the skin while also reducing the appearance of lines, dark spots and acne. Vitamin D is so important to immune health that HUM Nutrition includes Here Comes The Sun in their Immunity Trio alongside Gut Instinct and Air Patrol. We asked dietician, Alex Caspero, MA, RD, RYT to break down the importance of vitamin D for immunity a bit further. She shared with us, “Most of us
Plant Magic: Basically, Our New Hobby For the Year
May 26, 2020 at 11:05AM We were so charmed and intrigued by the new book, Plant Magic: Herbalism In Real Life, that we’re sending it to a bunch of friends while we’re all at home. With most of us living at a slower pace lately, we’ve been craving more nature then ever before and this book has been teaching us to forage, make fresh tea, tinctures and generally look forward to being able to spend more time outdoors in the near future. Author Christine Buckley explores the basics of herbalism in language we can not only understand, but actually enjoy. We can’t say the same of all books on herbs which are sometimes so dry they snuff out our enthusiasm after page one. Plant Magic is broken down into 3 parts: ‘a crash course in herbalism’ with charts and quizzes that help you understand a high-level view of things, part two – ‘making friends with plants’ (because, yes), and, most importantly, part three – ‘your herbal arsenal’ the bulk of the book that dives deep into twenty-two individual herbs from thyme and chamomile to dandelion and elderberry. There are charts for each herb and a few pages each on sourcing, the herb’s helpful properties and a few ways to use each one (including recipes). If you’ve ever dreamed of stepping up your herbal tea game or being able to forage or garden your own remedies and tinctures at home, this book is the perfect way to get started. Bonus points