This was a big month for me.  First, I turned fifty-five years old. Hard to believe so many years have flown by so fast!  Last year on my birthday, I made a 90 minute yoga dance video that included my daughters, my twin sister, and friends.  Just the process was so gratifying and so much fun and if it can inspire wellness in you, I served my mission. You can see some of the clips on the Carpe Diem Wellness App under Fun, Fitness & Fashion.

This year, two of my daughters went with me to Baltimore for Body Love Day where we practiced some wonderful meditation and yoga and feasted on green juice and chocolate…heavenly.

And last weekend, I was invited to be the keynote speaker for Women’s Wellness Weekend and provided an interactive workshop on my Seven Steps to Optimal Health.  First everyone patted herself on the back for already doing the first step…BEGIN.  Prioritizing time for selfcare is often the hardest task for those of us who are givers and doers.  We had begun the day with sunrise yoga, then a great breakfast followed by a warm up  of yoga dance let by Rosalie Grazzini.

The night before, we celebrated the Fall Equinox with a beautiful fire circle where we let go of what no longer served us. Most of the 90 women present gathered, wrote on index cards and threw these intentions into the fire.  There was a lot of surrendering of fear, inertia, indecision, and struggle.

The retreat center was located on a peninsula, 175 acres surrounded by water, a river and creek leading to the Chesapeake Bay. After we finished tossing cards into the fire, the most surreal thing happened.  The water next to us, that had been calm, began to churn loudly with with so much energy that the leader of the fire circle stopped talking about the fire and had to comment how water we can also be a cleansing aid to release negative energy.  Could 90 women’s thoughts and intentions have been so strong as to literally move water?  (If you were present, please share your comments on the experience.)

Next, we stood arm to arm and each one spoke of what we wanted to bring into our lives.  For when we let go of the negative energy, we open up space for new thoughts, behaviors and positive change. The most beautiful part was that we had time and space to bring in what we wanted to bring into our lives.  We wanted more fun, joy, love, and peace. We felt warmed not only be the fire but the camaraderie, of all of us united arm and arm in support of our positive intentions.

This is so symbolic of the Fall Equinox… a time to slow down, relax and let go of so much of the hot (Pitta) struggle. This is a time to savor the beauty of the fall leaves, and to be open to a new beginning, and to new ideas with the start of the new school term. For many the New Year often starts in the fall, not in January.  Commit now to a new strength to become more grounded.  A time to prepare yourself for the winter by fermenting food not only to make the harvest last through the winter but to help you prevent allergies, colds and flu through the winter.  This is a great time to do a seasonal cleanse to prepare the body for the winter.  Fall harvests like kale, collards, cabbage, cauliflower and apples are detoxifying, alkalinizing and full of vitamins essential for boosting the immune system and for good gut health. How do you strengthen your immune system?  By healing the gut and eating the bounty of the fall harvest available to us.

How will you celebrate life this fall?  Will you join us for the Savvy Secret Seven Day Cleanse or Kickstart to Wellness Program?