Fall Freeze: Layered Blood Orange + Lemon Juice Pops

There's something so nostalgic about homemade popsicles. We saw this recipe from Valerie Aikman-Smith and Victoria Pearson's pretty new cookbook, Citrus, and figured it was high time to revive a childhood fave. Plus, we love a themed treat and couldn't help but imagine these in a candy-corn colorway for Halloween! Imagine them in red, green and white with fresh-pressed pomegranate juice, Greens 1 and Coconut H2O for the holidays! Snag yourself some BPA-free ice-pop molds and get creative. Here are the authors on this icy throwback treat... This is not really a recipe, but an invitation to make customized frozen ice pops in a dazzling kaleidoscope of colors and tastes. These are also a fun activity for kids. Add fruit or layer them with coconut milk or your favorite yogurt. Or make a grown-up version by lacing the citrus juices with a little vodka or tequila.

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Mornings in Venice with Green Designer Christy Dawn

Using "deadstock" fabrics from top designers, Christy Dawn is creating sustainable dresses L.A. cool girls can't get enough of. Think prairie dresses, floor-sweeping gowns, and chic caftans that will take you from Venice to Tulum to San Fran and back. We're loving her uber-feminine prints and vintage-inspired cuts. Deadstock fabrics are essentially batches of scrap material leftover from giant designer orders. Smaller designers are able to get their hands on beautiful, top notch fabrics in small amounts that would otherwise go to waste. Using deadstock allows a designer to go green and stay high-fashion. We visited Christy in her namesake shop along L.A.'s up-and-coming Lincoln Boulevard corridor. Her shop is the thing a modern girl's dreams are made of - complete with fiddle leaf fig tree and a stock of ZenBunni chocolates. We picked up a floor-length dress for ourselves and quizzed Christy on what's inspiring her now...

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Less Tricks, More Treats: 5 Healthy Halloween Treats We Love

candy happens. Between all the commercial-driven fun this time of year and the store shelves piled high with tricky treats, it's pretty inevitable that candy will make it to our mouths this weekend. Kudos if you can't relate, but we're "doing it for the children." Am i right? Sugar is one thing, but chemical-laden, highly processed and artificially colored junk is another. We're not craving corn syrup--we're craving chocolate! Not all candy is created equal. We've found five dupes for our top Halloween treats and we think you'll love 'em as much as we do.

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7 Natural Antibiotics To Consider Before a Prescription

We love fall with the spectacular colors, chunky cardis and roasted veggies... if only they didn't come hand in hand with cold and flu season. The minute we start feeling a little run down, we have our go-to holistic preventative solutions like zinc and bone broth and vitamin D. But what happens when you're past the point of prevention and just need to help your immune system fight off infection? There's a time and a place for medical intervention, for sure, but we wanted to learn a little more about conventional antibiotics and some natural alternatives, so we turned to Food Matters, one of our go-to educational resources. Here's Food Matters with the scoop, plus their list of seven natural antibiotics to help combat the sniffles and help you sail through the season... Since the 1940s antibiotics have been internally embedded as conventional medicine amongst the medical profession for a resolution to bacterial infections. Although antibiotics have had their place in society, we need to ask ourselves: Are antibiotics really worth the underlying risks? Studies show that even short-term use of a course of antibiotics can effectively disrupt the body’s natural gut flora and potentially lead to a spread of antibiotic resistance. This is a concern because bacterial resistance cannot be controlled or killed by antibiotics. Studies show the organisms that are responsible for diarrhea, urinary infection and sepsis are resistant to older antibiotics. So why should you care? It is important to be aware of the effects antibiotics have on our bodies, as it has become a public health burden on us in more ways than one. It is not just the medical industry that capitalizes on the use of antibiotics, but our global food system as well. Take the agricultural use: Antibiotics are injected into animals or animal feed and are then sold to us for consumption. Antibiotic residue can linger in these meat and dairy products. You can find out more on how to avoid exposure to these forms of harmful chemicals in our foods here. Another common misuse of antibiotics is inadequate diagnostics. Have you ever gone to the doctors when you were unwell and have been prescribed antibiotics, despite not being given a diagnosis yet? According to the CDC, a comparative report on antibiotic prescribing revealed that some doctors were over-prescribing more so than others. Due to such over-consumption, treating infections with antibiotics today unfortunately, leads to more damage than good, to our immunity and digestive systems. Luckily, we have the choice for our health to be in our own hands, in Mother Nature’s hands. Here are 7 of our favorite natural antibiotics that have been around years, with no negative side-effects. [olists num=1] The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease. 
All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program. 

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The Blonde Detox: Win Our Non-Toxic Makeover With A Top Stylist

If, like us, you're committed to reducing the chemical overload your body encounters on an everyday basis, one area that can't be overlooked is hair color. We met with Color Director Christine Thompson for L.A.'s Spoke & Weal, a natural salon we love here in town by top stylist Jon Reyman, to learn the key facts about going green when going blonde...so to speak. Five lucky readers will win a full non-toxic haircolor makeover from Spoke & Weal through today's Instagram contest (#TCMblondedetox). Tell us why you're the girl who needs it most and get all the details below. For every single reader, the salon is also offering a complimentary Color Balance Gloss Treatment with any other color service booked including new growth, dimensional color or balayage. Readers should mention The Chalkboard Mag when booking to receive the complimentary color!

Why Non-Toxic Color Matters: 

One: Do it for your stylist. You may only encounter the color solutions used for that wicked blonde or brunette shade for two hours every month or so, but think of the stylist handling the chemicals every day. One of the most harmful effects, both for you and for anyone who works in a salon, is the effect of inhalation during color processing. Two: Products that absorb through the skin. When it comes to detoxing your beauty regimen, some products matter more than others. Products like color, which sit on your scalp for a length of time, are included in that category of products that matter. Body lotion, shampoo, foundation and hair color are all applied to and absorbed by large areas of skin - and usually massaged in. These are the products you want to be sure are safe and clean! Two other hair products that should always be non-toxic? Aerosol hairspray (ihhalation) and leave-in conditioner (absorbtion). Three: Beauty with benefits. Not only is natural color safer, Christine argues that natural color, especially from the Aveda line which they rely on produces a longer-lasting, more realistic color. Aveda's hair colors are infused with oils that cause less damage (hence the longer wear) and the natural chemistry relied on for these new natural solutions results in, surprise, more natural hair tones. We can't wait to see who wins these color makeovers! We hope this contest inspires many of you to make the switch for good. Other fun notes from Christine and team include trends they noticed while backstage at NYFW this year. They include moves toward a more progressive, less harsh sombre, a more natural texture than the recent matte trend, lots of braids, and an obsession with all things California - we love that!

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London In The Fall: The Violet Bakery’s Fig Leaf Ice Cream

There's nothing as decadent as a basket of fresh figs... and since we're at the tail end of the season, we had our eyes peeled for one last spectacular way to use this luscious fruit. Claire Ptak, the world-class baker behind London's obsession-worthy cake shop and cafe, Violet Bakery (Alice Waters and Jamie Oliver are both fans!) shares our love of the fig and is sharing this gorgeous recipe with us from the pages of her new cookbook, The Violet Bakery Cookbook. Claire's cookbook is packed with wholesome, indulgent, and seasonal treats, this fig leaf ice cream being a prime example. Get a load of this dreamy and unusual ice cream that uses both fig leaves and the figs themselves. Here's Claire... Fig trees can be found in many back gardens in London and often overflow onto the street. Seldom do the figs turn into much. The fruit tends to stay underripe throughout the season, unless the fig tree has the good fortune to grow inside a walled garden that provides it with much-needed warmth. This suits me just fine, because I am mostly interested in those large green fragrant leaves. For a wedding rehearsal dinner for two of our most regular customers, Rick and Caroline, my friend, chef Joe Trivelli, prepared a wonderful Italian Irapinian menu and I made this ice cream with roasted fig leaves. NOTE: You will need an ice cream maker for this recipe.

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Balm Up, Calm Down: DIY Magnesium Body Butter To Calm Your Nerves

No matter how zen you are, there are always a few moments when stress and worry sneaks up and pounces. You know by now that a little self-care can go a long way towards mindful centering and grounding - we've talked about lots of healthy ways to cope and de-stress, like 15 minutes of yoga, acupuncture and adaptogens. As the holidays zoom toward us, it's the perfect time to add a skin-nourishing stress-buster to your coping toolkit - and btw, it would make an awesome hostess gift too! Here's our gal Dana from Hello Natural on her fall-appropriate, magnesium-packed body butter recipe perfect for restoring some zen to those oh-so-very human days... While I love fall, this time of year makes me a little anxious. If Halloween is almost here, that means the holidays are right around the corner. I haven’t begun to think about costumes for trick-or-treating, much less Christmas shopping. Plus we just moved (for the third time in three years), and I’m still knee deep in boxes. If you think about it all too much, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. My instant de-stress tricks? First, stop and take deep breathes for a couple of minutes. Zone out and focus only on your breathing. This helps tremendously. Second, escape to take a shower (or a detox bath). The rituals of self-care – dry brushing, lathering with body wash, taking time to shave my legs – seem small but they’re also empowering. If I can make time to take care of myself then I feel strong enough to tackle everything else on my to-do list. After a shower or bath, whipped body butter is one of the most decadent things to put on your skin. I’ve made body butter before with just two ingredients (shea butter and coconut oil) and loved it. This time I wanted to incorporate magnesium oil and other essential oils that can help your mood. Stress depletes magnesium in the cells, causing all kinds of symptoms like anxiety, fatigue, headaches and insomnia. Applying magnesium via the skin (bath soak or lotion) is one of the fastest and easiest ways to up your daily magnesium intake. Aromatherapy is another way to fight stress. Orange, bergamot and frankincense together create a fragrance that can boost the mood and ease tension. I’ll admit making this body butter was a wee bit stressful, not because the recipe is hard but because it came together during our recent move. But I think it’s a testament to how it’s almost impossible to ruin beauty recipes. To start, I combined just shea, coconut and magnesium oil. But the mixture didn’t solidify enough to whip. Bummer. Remelt, add 1/4 cup cocoa butter and back into the fridge. But before I knew it my mixer was packed up and the refrigerator was being cleaned out. Over about two weeks, the bowl went from cooler to temporary fridge and back to regular fridge, where it stayed until I could unpack the kitchen and think about body butter again. By then the mixture was a hard rock, and I was sure I had ruined it. It sat on the counter for a few hours to soften, and I cautiously attempted to whip. And hurrah, I couldn’t believe how awesome it turned out. Definitely my favorite lotion so far! Whew! Here’s how to make your own de-stress body butter that soothes your skin and your mind at the same time.

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Spooky Spotlight: 7 Reasons You Should Try The Ancient Practice of Cupping

Last Halloween, we gave you the 101 on the ancient healing practice of cupping. You know, that detoxifying wellness practice that leaves giant red sucker marks up and down the backs of some of those hard-core girls in your yoga class? If all the unusualness of it still has you too freaked out to try it, we're hoping this list of benefits will give you the guts to try this beneficial practice for yourself... [olists num=1]

We want to hear from you!  Have you tried cupping yourself? If so, we want to know how's it benefited you...

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Coconut Sushi, White Lilacs + Rosé: The Perfect Girls’ Night In At Home

Girls' night out is one thing, girls' night in is another. Whether for brunch, tea, lunch or dinner, there's nothing like having a few of your own girl tribe over for healthy bites and even healthier conversation. There's nothing that can't be discussed when the rosé-fueled, girls-only conversations take place in your own home! And that's what girls' night in is all about - catching up and winding down for a few moments to build up the women around us in life. If rosé has a higher purpose, this is it. For this particular girls' night in, we gathered for golden hour with a few of our favorite friends in wellness who know how to get down in the kitchen. Our own editor, Suzanne Hall huddled up with raw chef and author, Meredith Baird, baby whisperer-slash-holistic doula, Erica Chidi Cohen of Mama Circle, and one of our favorite wellness bloggers Lacy Phillips of Free + Native. We whipped up girl food recipes like no other at Meredith's Venice home and took full advantage of the home's rooftop garden for one of the last bright evenings of the season. Make our menu at home and invite your own tribe over! Below you'll find Meredith's incredible coconut sushi recipe from her new book the Coconut Kitchen and Lacy's sprouted fall grain salad with mint and pomegranate arils. We also enjoyed a few glowy bottles of rosé courtesy of Club W and gorgeous local florals from our girl crush, Finch Floral (white lilacs, anyone? Swoon.) Here are a few notes on making these delicious hand rolls at home... Hand-rolled sushi makes a great lunch or dinner - it’s a straightforward and uncomplicated presentation. Young coconut meat is an excellent fish substitute. Rice is not used in the following version, but this dish can definitely be served with any grain you would like; black rice offers a really nice contrast to the white coconut, and quinoa is also a great choice. Serve with a little pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce or coconut aminos. Try serving hand rolls with as many ingredients as possible and letting everyone make their own. [olists num=1] [olists num=2]

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Is This Real Life: Chocolate Caramel Turtles That Are Good For You

We love that paleo is a thing these days. Because even if you're not paleo, it's so nice to walk into Whole Foods and have a selection of refined-sugar free and gluten-free treats at your fingertips. Right?  We're all about cleaner eating, obvi. Especially when it looks like this. We've just got to believe you'll be as thrilled as we are when you see this recipe pop up in your feed - vegan, paleo TURTLES! Almost every recipe coming from the kitchen of Sweet Laurel Bakery knocks our socks off (find her chocolate cake and coconut ice cream recipes here!), but here Laurel herself and pal Claire Thomas of Kitchy Kitchen are truly knocking our socks off. A note from Claire: Sweet and rich, with a bit of sharp depth from the dark chocolate, and crunch from the pecans, these little bites immediately put a smile on your face. Pecans are the classic, but feel free to try these with any of your favorite nuts.

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Our Wanderlust Giveaway + What We Learned From A Yogi With a 60-Year Practice

You know the type: Technically, they're 'senior citizens' but they have a vibrant energy about them that transcends age. We watch them sail past 70 without a backward glance and start to see aging in a whole different way. More often than not, these kinds of elders have been dedicated to some sort of movement for their entire lives: cycling, yoga, running, climbing... you name it, they move. And they usually have a secret or two to share.  Our friends at Wanderlust Hollywood sat down with 76-year-old yogi Germán Bravo-Casas to learn about a few of the lessons he's learned in his 60 years of practice. Get inspsired, then check out our offer of the ultimate yoga trip to L.A.! We've partnered with Wanderlust Hollywood and Movember to bring you fall's best yoga giveaway: A week-long unlimited yoga vacation in LA including at stay at Loew's Hollywood. See below for details on how to enter and keep on moving, no matter your age... I remember the day I met Germán Bravo-Casas, the gentleman who would be leading the more literary, scholastic portion of my teacher training program at Yoga to the People. He passed around two very important yogic texts: a yellowing and clearly beloved translation of The Upanishads … and an equally dog-eared copy of Cat Yoga: Fitness and Flexibility for the Modern Feline. A classic tome and hilarious kittens - here was a man after my own heart. Listening to Germán lecture on yoga (or, in his silky Colombian accent, “joh-gah”) is a unique honor. He’s been practicing yoga since 1961, is the President of the Yoga Club at the United Nations, and continues to lead teacher trainings as a scholar and academic (no, really - he has an entire room of his home dedicated to yoga literature). Though it’s tempting to just gawk at senior yogis, I’m more interested in discussing the power of a long-term practice and teasing out the truths they’ve learned in that time. Because one truth I know for sure is that in order to be a good teacher, one must first be a good student. Germán taught me that. I had the opportunity to ask him some questions about his life’s practice and what it’s truly like to be a senior yogi.

wanderlust: How long have you been practicing yoga? Germán Bravo-Casas: I am 76 and I started when I was 15. At age 15, I was suffering from pain in my joints and I was diagnosed with arthritis. My doctor recommended two things: Reduce the consumption of red meat and to do yoga. wh: What has been the most important long-term benefit of your yoga practice - is it the physical strength? The meditative aspect? Something else? GBC: It’s a combination of the physical and mental benefits. Certainly, the physical preparation is important, but not enough. The physical preparation should facilitate a mental practice: meditation. wh: What are the challenges of being a senior yogi - is it hard to stabilize the joints of a body that is older but still flexible? Is it being part of an under-represented population in the studio scene? GBC: Patanjali defined yoga as “the control of the fluctuations of the mind.” That control is difficult to achieve when we are young, but a strong and vigorous physical practice is a good tool. As we age, we don’t need too much of that physical practice… As we age with a solid practice, we are able to relax more easily and to have a “steady and comfortable posture,” which is what Patanjali considers the physical way to achieve the stillness of the mind. wh: What are you capable of now that you weren’t when you first began practicing? GBC: Concentration and meditation. Through the years, I have been devoting more time to control the breath (pranayama), relax the senses and prepare for concentration and meditation. wh: Do you have a favorite pose to practice? GBC: I have many favorite poses, including padmasana (lotus) for meditation; sarvangasana and sirsasana (shoulder and headstand are good inversions); mayurasana (peacock for arm balance); and agni sara (combining the stomach lift or uddiyana bandha with pumping the abdomen). Interviewer’s note: Germán’s mayurasana is legendary amongst YTTP alumni, partly because he’ll be in the middle of lecturing, then jump into the pose (in khakis and polo shirt, no less!), and then go right back to serious discussion like nothing ever happened - amazing. wh: What do you wish you saw more of in the yoga community? How has the yoga world changed since you first began practicing? GBC: It is estimated that we have around 20 million people practicing yoga in the U.S. today, and there are ten thousand new yoga teachers trained each year. Yoga is still expanding as a fashion and there is a large “biodiversity” of schools, practices, and styles, many of them corresponding more to the capricious personality of some of the teachers. Through the years, I am more convinced that what really is important is to maintain a regular yoga practice. Yogi Berra used to say: “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.” This applies perfectly in yoga. You can have a wonderful knowledge of yoga anatomy and yoga philosophy, but what finally helps us to achieve “personal transformation” is practice. That is why I insist in the teacher training program that the role of a teacher is to help the students to discover the teachers inside themselves. Yes, we should continue to study the classic texts - The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, The Bhagavad Gita, The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and other seminal works - but the most important part is practice. Feel free to visit the Yoga Club at the United Nations Facebook page to connect.

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The New Fall Cake: Tomato Soup Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Tomato soup in a cake? Not as weird as it may seem when you consider we've all been eating carrot cake for years. We love the idea of this daring, but homey fall dessert recipe - bring it along to an autumn gathering so that guests can eat one less pumpkin spiced something!  We're all about using fruits and veggies in unusual ways (here's proof) and if you're looking for a vegan or gluten-free version of this recipe some of these stories might help you get started: our fave gluten-free flour, a raw, vegan dupe for cream cheese frosting, an a slew of vegan swap ideas.  If sticking with ingredients as is, we suggest using grass-fed butter and free-range, local eggs.  This clever, cozy recipe comes to us straight from the pages of the new Food52 Baking. Here are the Food52 editors with more on the origins of the recipe... Don’t let the can of Campbell’s tomato soup in the ingredient list freak you out. Former editor Marian Bull’s late grandmother, Ruthie, dared to go there, and we’re glad she did. Despite the inclusion of an unusual ingredient - which apparently originated with Irish immigrants looking for cheap alternatives to bake with - the result is a rich and complex spice cake that wants for a soft cream cheese frosting. Serve it up and ask all of your guests to guess the secret ingredient.

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Class In Session: Spiralized Veggies From Inside This Garden Classroom

our fixation withraw veggie pastas is no secret (spiralize all the things!) But leave it to our friends at Heirloom LA to take the romance one step further. This recipe from Heirloom LA's Chef Matt Poley is utter fall magic. Ingredients were gathered from the garden classroom at L.A.'s Garden School Foundation, an organization established to teach L.A. schoolkids about gardening and farm-to-table eating in the most practical of ways. Here's Heirloom LA's Tara Maxey to tell us about the classroom session and the delightful way this recipe made its debut... Can you imagine your 3rd grade science class taking place in a lush, edible garden every other week? Imagine still, that the outdoor-based curriculum encourages exploration and creativity as it strengthens the connection between academics, health, and environmental awareness. Garden School Foundation (GSF) is one of the non-profits HeirloomLA is excited to actively support throughout the year as it provides this kind of education to under-served public schools in Los Angeles. So awesome, right? Garden School Foundation's garden instructors are highly skilled in sustainable horticulture and nutrition. But they recently requested to supplement their working knowledge with some professional culinary tips from our chef, Matt. With produce freshly picked from their one acre, outdoor classroom (which can be found at 24th Street Elementary School here in L.A,) our chef Matt demonstrated how to securely grip a knife as if it were an extension of one's arm (no loose wrists), and how to hold the produce so that all fingers are shaped like a bear claw (which protects them from the blade). The children use plastic knives for their classes but proper form is a good habit to get into when preparing food! Here Matt shows the teachers how to make linguini “noodles” with raw, sliced zucchini and a bruschetta made of a collected medley from the garden.

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Best Morning Ever: A Healthy 5-Step Routine From Yogi Tara Stiles

You know HOW important it is to start the day off right, but on Mondays, sometimes the snooze alarm is way more appealing than manning the Vitamix and doing some down dogs. We asked our Guest Editor, yoga babe Tara Stiles - who always seems pretty energetic, both a.m. and p.m. - about her morning routine to see how she gets her energy pumping and beats back the Monday blues. Hint: Start with music. Her five-minute yoga sequence is so easy to fit in, you might not even be late for work. Here's Tara's five-point plan for the best morning ever...

GET THosE TUNES GOING:My current playlist on Spotify can be found here. Wake yourself up and get your body moving: Tara's Fall 2015 STRONG. IF THIS DOESN'T WAKE YOU UP I DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL: Drinkee by Sofi Tukker. the morning smoothie: My favorite morning smoothie is what I call the “Green Dream.”To make the simple green smoothie simply blend spinach, banana and almond milk to taste. For an extra boost, I like to add almond butter or ginger. Editor's Note: We're loving all of Tara's healthy recipes inside her new book! go-to healthy breakfast ideas: If I have a little more time, I’ll go for avocado on toast with a lot of hot sauce. I love hot sauce on everything. And a secret favorite breakfast, honestly is miso soup. I love having something warm in the morning and soup, although not a “normal” breakfast food, makes me feel great. After sampling a lot of the real deal in south east Asia, I invented a five-minute version I can whip up at home (see below). Get a cup brewing while you try my quick yoga sequence! 5-minute yoga sequence for a perfect morning: 1  - Down dog lift & lower, roll to plank movements & down dog, plank, lower to belly, interlace hands back arch, child’s pose, down dog. Take a big inhale and lift up on your tippy toes. Exhale and relax back. Twice more just like that, big inhale and lift, easy exhale and soften. One more time, big inhale and lift, easy exhale and soften. Tuck your chin and roll out into plank. Sway around here a bit if that feels nice. When you’re ready, take a big inhale and lift your hips up and back to down dog. Once more just like that, tuck your chin and round out into plank. This time, soften your elbows and lower down to your belly. Interlace your hands behind you and lift up a bit, swaying side-to-side however feels good for you. When you’re ready, soften back to your belly. Press your palms on the ground under your shoulders. Keep your knees on the ground and shift your hips back to child’s pose. Rest here for a moment. When you’re ready, lift your hips, tuck you toes, and lift up and back into down dog. 2 - Walk feet up, standing forward bend, back lengthener, roll up, standing arm reach, roll down, low lunge, low lunge twist, runner’s stretch, low lunge, single leg forward bend, low lunge, high lunge, low lunge, plank, lower to belly, interlace hands back arch, child’s pose, down dog. Walk your feet up to the top of your mat and come into a standing forward bend. Soften your knees and press your left fingertips to the ground. Open your body and right arm up toward your right. Gaze upward if that feels nice. When you’re ready come back to center and go for the other side. Keeping your head and neck soft, round up to stand one notch at a time. Once you make it up to stand, take a big inhale and float your arms out and up. Exhale and soften back to your standing forward bend. Soften your knees, press your fingertips to the ground and step your left leg back to low lunge. Sway a bit here if that feels nice. When you’re ready, soften your back knee to the ground. Either stay here or open your arms upward if that feels nice. When you’re ready, press your left fingertips to the ground, take a big inhale and open your body toward your right, lifting your right arm up. Gaze upward if that feels nice. When you’re ready, bring your fingertips to the ground on either side of your front foot. Shift your hips back toward your back heel and relax your torso over your front leg for your runner’s stretch. Sway your torso side-to-side if that feels nice. When you’re ready, crawl yourself back to low lunge. Press your fingertips on the ground and lift your hips up for your single leg forward bend. Relax your torso over your front leg. Sway a bit side-to-side if that feels nice. When you’re ready, sink your hips back to low lunge. Take a big inhale and lift up to high lunge. Exhale back to low lunge. Press your palms on the ground on either side of your front foot and step back to plank. Soften your elbows and lower down to your belly. Interlace your hands behind you and open up your chest. Sway a bit here if that feels nice. When you’re ready, soften back to your belly. Press your palms on the ground and sink your hips back to child’s pose. Rest here for a few long, deep breaths. When you’re ready, lift your hips, press your palms on the ground, take a big inhale, and lift up and back to down dog. 3 - Repeat this movement phrase on the other side.

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First Glance: Win Our Pinterest Contest + Jenni Kayne’s New Fall Collection

Print catalogues had all but completely fallen off our radar lately until our friends at Jenni Kayne brought the idea back into full focus this fall. We're obsessed with the new fall catalogue (get your own here!) and the idea of leafing through the entire collection at home in print seems all too cozy! We love that Jenni's bringing the catalogue back and hope the idea is catching across the fashion world. To celebrate the new collection and everything we love about fall style, we're running a very stylish Pinterest contest with Jenni Kayne, designer hat maker Janessa Leone and our very own Pressed Juicery. Get all the details below and enter one of our coziest contests of the year!

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Reader Poll: Has A Health Problem Ever Led You To Live A Healthier Life?

Have you Ever looked around your life and thought, how did I end up here?? Even though we're all about setting intentions and manifesting our own reality, as you know by now, life doesn't always cooperate. The good news? When our lives veer wildly off the path we thought we were supposed to be on, sometimes those unexpected twists and turns can lead us straight into more meaning and more joy - even when those twisty turns seem like a major bummer. Every day here at The Chalkboard, we're lucky enough to meet all kinds of inspiring wellness gurus, many of whom found their calling through their own health challenges. Funny how life works that way. Last month, we asked you, our readers: Has a health problem ever lead you to a healthier life? We're loving the encouraging stories you shared with us on Instagram...

@kelly_marie219 Yup! I've been a Type 1 diabetic for 21 years and it was always out of control. I finally decided to get healthy , get my diet and exercise under control and it has changed my life completely. I've never been happier! @corygoldstein I was diagnosed with RA at 20. My lifetime dream was to be in the fashion industry. At 25, and in constant pain, I chose to go back to school and get a graduate degree in psychology. I currently work with cancer patients, doing both therapy and mindfulness activities. My ultimate goal is to have a private practice for those who suffer from chronic pain and other life changing health issues. @broccolibetch Yes! My years of anorexia and bulimia lead me to many digestive issues. Learning which foods I could tolerate and rebuild my digestion strength (mostly paleo, low fodmap) helped me tremendously in my recovery from not just my digestive issues but also my eating disorder! @rachelsteenland yes! I got diagnosed with pre-diabetes... I immediately started eating super healthy and stopped drinking. I worked really hard and was able to lose 80lbs within a year. I'm now no longer considered pre-diabetic!! @tabbiij yes! I have a seizures disorder, kidney disorder, hypothyroidism, crps, gastroparesis, and well, it continues: I didn't want to live a life chronically ill and didn't want to live a victim to a chronically ill life. I walked into a crossfit gym one day with a healing torn knee - after a seizure caused me to nearly die a month prior - and said I don't want to live like this anymore. I found phenomenal support changed my diet and lifestyle and I feel so much better in general. I don't let anything stop me. A lot of levels have improved so much. @iris.edna.sc They thought I had lymphoma. It was a horrible ordeal that I still have to have scans for months later. It taught me so much about life, what truly matters, and seeing your organs on a screen reminds you the damage or love you can show them. @seechelci Oh, yes! Diagnosed with endometriosis and the only options I was given was medication or surgery. I've instead pursued alternative methods including acupuncture, yoga, and a complete gluten-free diet change. I am now the lead program developer for an Integrative Health Program for community clinics throughout Orange County, CA. Through my experience and my ongoing journey to wellness, I have been given the opportunity to make integrative medicine more accessible to communities that may not otherwise have access to it! God has not let a moment of my pain be in vain! @nirosha2310 Yes! My 5 year old was diagnosed with leukemia March this year and we have completed treatment now and she's doing very well and cancer free, but yes our whole family has made huge lifestyle changes - plenty of family walks in the forest, healthier eating, organic produce, all natural chemical-free products and the list goes on! It's a work in progress but what you said resonates so strongly with our family right now. @jenrecchio Yes! Graves disease. My autoimmune system is doing a number on my thyroid! I broke up with gluten and I feel so much better. Gluten-free, GMO free and organic. I miss pizza. ..the naughty-greasy pepperoni kind, but it is so worth it. Next stop is dairy-free and fake cream cheese is no fun.

Editor's note: Oh, @jenrecchio, do we have a couple of resources for you! Dairy-free ideas here and the best vegan cheeses here! 

@zalatadressing Yes! Severe food poisoning threw my entire system off. Through this, I went through a cycle of many many digestive complaints, it was on going, lots of ups and downs. I did a lot of my own research, learned a lot, and made many health/diet/lifestyle changes. It was bittersweet but very valuable. Grateful for it. @ahealthyfeed 15 years of (cystic) acne and four rounds of accutane left me feeling depressed and hopeless, still battling acne. Luckily this lead me to a plant-based lifestyle where I thrive with more energy than ever, feel happy and my skin is finally clearing naturally. @caramleduc Anxiety, depression and migraines. I hated the suffering and didn't want to taken a bunch of medications so I tried cleaner eating. Sure enough after getting into a steady green smoothie routine and less processed foods, my anxiety started to decrease. My depressive episodes nearly subsided and, well, my migraines... we are working on that. I completely believe that adding so many fruits and vegetables into my daily diet, as well as lots of water can totally change my mood and help me be stabilized without the boat load of medication. @lisa_vipond Yes, when my son was born with autism I immediately turned towards an organic, whole foods + holistic lifestyle. We eliminated gluten, implemented the GAPS protocol and I became a nutritionist. It's been a fascinating journey! @clean_cuisine Yes! I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1998 and adopted an anti-inflammatory diet right away (at suggestion of my neurologist). I have been symptom-free for over 15 years and feel way healthier now approaching 40 yrs old than I did when I turned 20! Have raised my 14 yr old son to eat same way and have written five books with my husband, Andy Larson, MD. @adrianbillot Yes! I was diagnosed with MS as well, in February of this year, I already was living healthfully, but now I'm on a 100% plant-based diet that has worked wonders for me and I'm running my 2nd marathon a year to date that I was diagnosed!

Editor's note: @adrianbillot you've got to learn more about vegan athlete, Rich Roll! 

@skookumk I had zombie skin my whole life. Absolutely covered in eczema. People thought I had chicken pox or flesh-eating disease. Asthma, constant coughing and sneezing., Clean green eating changed all that. Now I get compliments on my skin and spends my days being active, outside. Picture of health. @sproutandpour I fell ill (severe fatigue, GI issues,etc) over a year ago. Dr couldn't find one thing wrong... so he dumped prescriptions of antidepressants. Instead of following that route my older sister turned me towards juicing and probiotics and integration super foods and supplements into my diet. Later I was so improved and inspired, we started a juice business at the farmer's market. Now we have 2 locations, less than a year later. @greenleanbean Diagnosed with Crohns at age two. Lived almost 30 years with pain, being heavily medicated, and having numerous surgeries being told I would never get better. Diagnosed with Lyme, Candida, arthritis, asthma, optic neuritis, melanoma... I finally became my own health advocate after realizing allopathy wasn't working and only making me sicker. After giving up meat, dairy, processed foods, detoxing, fasting, cleansing with herbal medicine and eating raw foods, I can say I am now med-free and completely symptom free! Took 30 years but I've learned so many lessons along the way! I am now helping others get well and teaching people they have the power to self-heal. @briahaudra I recently found out that the root to my severely weakened immune system, constant fatigue, joint pain, GI issues, etc was caused by numerous food allergies I had been battling for years. After simply changing my diet and taking probiotics, I have gained my life back! The change in my lifestyle has inspired me to live a healthier life and help others. I've decided to leave my successful job in advertising behind, and pursue a career in health and fitness in the Boston area. I'm excited to see where this new journey takes me!

We love hearing from you! Share your stories of healing and transformation below and let the rest of our wellness community know how your health crisis became a positive turning point...

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From Biker to Brussels Sprouts: 8 Fitnesswear Costumes For Halloween

A halloween costume can be so much work. Plus you have to drop a wad of cash on that clever costume you'll never wear again... Well, our former fitness editor, and awesome girl-advocate Katie Horwitch of WANT, has done all the work for you with these eight easy halloween costumes - all based on fitnesswear you'll want to wear again and again. You're guaranteed to get a lot more post-October use out of those super cute leggings than a pizza rat costume.

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High Vibin’ Snacks: Royal Jelly Coconut Wraps

We're a little slutty when it comes to superfoods. We'll pack any superfood into any meal, any time of the day. NYC's CAP Beauty is one of our faves in the city, because they seriously enable our trollop-y ways - it's like a candy store for the health and beauty obsessed. Each month CAP Beauty co-founder Kerrilynn Palmer brings us recipes for beautifying goodness (like this insanely delish vitamin E "latte"), but this roll-up may be our most favorite yet. This cashew coconut wrap with royal jelly is one-half dessert and one-half snack, so it's versatile (right?). We're already dreaming up other superfoods to toss in there. Here's Kerrilynn on the power of royal jelly... Another addition to our superfood pantry, royal jelly is a perfect pick-me-up. We sprinkle it on just about everything whenever we're needing a nutrient-dense boost. Considered to be one of the most potent medicinals in Chinese and Western medicine, this magical powder supports and revitalizes the immune system. We're partial to Bee Mana from Immortality Alchemy because it's harvested from bees who feed on the most high-vibe diets, living on apiaries near medicinal herb farms and wild forests (the bees are never fed sugar, only their original diet of honey and pollen harvested from the herbs and plants growing far away from industrialization and pollution). Royal jelly contains not only a huge assortment of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants, but also human-active B-12, making it an ideal longevity food. Royal jelly is the food of queen bees. So eat like a queen and get buzzing naturally.  

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The Coffee Dupe: A Mushroom + Maca Tonic To Counter Caffeine

Feeling exhausted, like, all the time? If you're gulping down your third cup of coffee while fantasizing about having an entire Saturday to catch up on sleep, we get it. We're big on coffee around here - especially in L.A. where coffee is having a total moment. Knowing the balance necessary to counter our caffeine habits, it's almost embarrassing the amount of coffee recovery-related stories we've shared with you (see them all here!) Christine Dionese, integrative health & food therapist, is the kind of wellness pro we can depend on for hard-core at-home recipes like this one. It's a little more complex than dipping a tea bag in some hot water, but we think this recipe is fascinating - and incredibly good for those of us who need the stress support. Too much coffee and too much stress can deplete our adrenal glands. Christine is breaking down what adrenal fatigue is, why it matters and what you can do to support your adrenal function with this cool DIY that mixes 'shrooms into your morning ritual... Up early, run to work without breakfast, coffee one. Work while eating a huge lunch because you missed breakfast resulting in afternoon slump, pour coffee two. Get home and feel like crashing, but still need to do more work, pour coffee three. Frazzled and can’t relax in the evening, wake up exhausted in the morning. Rinse and repeat. Sound like you? If you’re reading The Chalkboard it might not sound like you because you don’t skip meals, you drink your greens, sip tea and zen out at yoga everyday, right? Right? Perhaps it only describes you on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, or it’s the occasional you. I find the fall to be a particularly vulnerable time of year for many of my patients in private practice. Work projects ramp up, the holidays swiftly approach and boom, those health-attracting habits you powerfully embraced throughout the spring and summer months are traded for eating on the go and relying on caffeine for fuel. If you’ve been burning the candle at both ends - or are prone to - you may be experiencing some degree of adrenal fatigue. If you’re exhausted, blame it on your brain. If you’re also anxious, you can blame that on your brain as well. The underlying issue beneath adrenal fatigue takes root in the brain. The communication loop that connects your adrenal glands and the brain, called the HPA or hypothalamic axis is responsible for regulating environmental influences that signal the release of cortisol and catecholamines such as epinephrine and norepinephrine (aka your fight-or-flight biochemicals). Not enough quality sleep and excessive amounts of caffeine can cause blood-sugar levels to unnecessarily fluctuate, further perpetuating this cascade. The result? Increased fatigue. If stress becomes prolonged, eventually anxiety and fatigue together may occur. At this point, your brain needs help. Insert behavior change: Add adrenal tonics. You’ve got to get that brain of yours to “believe” you’ve reduced or removed stress. If you can’t sleep through the night, start taking 20 minute power naps to convince your cortisol and catecholamine levels to cooperate. Step away from your screen for at least five minutes and om out with three yoga moves, followed by an avocado or handful of cashews. You likely already know the drill. And sure, enjoy a daily cup of coffee if you love it, but then fight that urge for coffees two, three, four… Go for an adrenal tonic instead. Remember what I just said about making your brain “believe” you? Here’s the trick: When I develop a new food therapy protocol for a patient, I always create abundance. I never take a ton of foods away the patient loves without creating a suitable addition. Let’s face it, our emotions are connected to our behaviors surrounding food; we need variety, and some of us need comfort. Just be aware that excessive coffee or overly-caffeinated beverages may be that comfort standing between you and your ability to combat adrenal fatigue. Rather than have you suffer from “emotional coffee loss,” let’s just replace it with something equally as good, equally as happiness-stimulating, but even better for your brain. This will convince your brain: adrenal soothing mushroom roast. Rich, medium to full-bodied, earthy and won’t leave your brain hanging! Mushroom endnote: If you love the taste of umami, but have gone vegan or vegetarian, dehydrated mushroom powder offers a similar, rich flavor on its own and can be added to all varieties of recipes!

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The Anti-Aging Eye Massage: Using Acupressure For Beauty

A magic wand for eternal youth and flawless beauty would be rad, but holistic beauty isn't about erasing 'symptoms' - we want to understand the underlying cause of our beauty woes, right? There's obviously a place for Western medicine in our lives, but lately, we're totally into immersing ourselves in the Eastern approach to beauty and aging... East Coast acupuncturist and esthetician Shellie Goldstein, author of Your Best Face Now, explains how facial acupressure works and why you should be doing it daily. No tools necessary, all you need is your own two hands. If you want to bump it up a notch, splurge on an acupressure tool. Shellie makes a pretty cool one that takes acupressure and throws in some magnetic therapy, vibration, and germanium. It may not be a magic wand, but it's the newest beauty gadget we're dying to try. Here's Shellie with the lowdown on facial acupressure and the systems we can treat for optimal beauty... Acupuncture and acupressure are ancient Chinese healing techniques that have been acknowledged for their effectiveness by Western medicine and supported by thousands of scientific studies. These studies indicate that acupuncture can ameliorate dozens of conditions from hiccups and constipation, to allergies, insomnia, fatigue and musculoskeletal pain. When it comes to aging though, Western and Eastern medicine don’t always see eye to eye. While Western medicine view signs of aging such as wrinkles, sagging muscles, dull, dry, or a lusterless complexion from the inevitable standpoint of age, excess sun exposure, and possibly our genes; Chinese medicine (CM) looks at it in terms of an imbalance in your qi, meridians, and organs. In CM, balance or harmony, is maintained by an energy known as qi that flows throughout your body via specific pathways called meridians, in and around body systems referred to as organs. Unlike the Western anatomical organs, these organs are powerhouse networks that keep your body healthy, vibrant and strong. Acupuncture points, conveniently numbered along the meridians, when correctly stimulated by an acupuncture needle or an acupressure instrument (which can be a tool designed for this purpose or even your fingers) can adjust the flow of qi in the meridians and organ systems to reduce wrinkles, lift sagging cheek muscles, even improve skin color, texture and overall health. There are 10 primary organs paired into 5 organ systems, all of which are involved in the cosmetic symptoms mentioned above. They are: [olists num=1] [olists num=2]

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Hot Potato: A Sexy Veggie Bowl with A Libido-Boosting Miso Sauce

When October rolls around, we can't wait to get our paws on seasonal farmers market offerings like sweet potatoes and zucchini. So we're loving holistic blogger Ashley Neese and Nitsa Citrine of Sun Potion for sharing this dreamy roasted veggie bowl that sports not only our favorite autumnal produce, but also bestows the benefits of probiotics and L-Dopa. (P.S. If you need us, we'll be in the kitchen whipping up a vat of this calming, mood-lifting, sexifying miso sauce.) Here are Ashley and Nitsa with the scoop on the superfood that makes this bowl so special... The active ingredient in this sauce is mucuna pruriens. This is an extract of the beloved  "velvet bean" which is standardized at 15% L-Dopa - a precursor to dopamine -  and which when taken, may soothe the nervous system, elevate the mood and enhance libido and energy levels!

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Moonlight + Miso Sauce: Incredible Recipes From Inside Our Dinner With Sakara Life

We're always down for a ladies night. Often with babes from every walk of life. But give us those wellness babes for an evening? And we're especially happy campers. Last week, we gathered with some of our favorite women in wellness to enjoy Shiva Rose's gorgeous moonlit garden and one of our latest culinary obsessions: Sakara Life. While the clean-eating delivery service has long been a staple with NYC's wellness mavens (everyone from Guest Editor Lily Aldridge to Man Repeller's Leandra Medine is hooked,) we Left Coast ladies are just now sinking our teeth into Sakara Life's killer breakfast, lunch and dinner deliveries. The meals are light, clean, filling, give you that glow, and we can't get enough of those dressings. Sakara Life founders Danielle DuBoise and Whitney Tingle planned our meal under the stars with ingredients they gathered from the local Santa Monica Farmer's Market and using their own classic recipes. We're thrilled that they're sharing the recipe below for their killer miso mushroom dressing - you're going to need to try this immediately! Bake up a batch of these rosemary beet chips, gather everything you need for the Pressed Juicery cocktail, and recreate the perfect girls' night at home... [olists num=3]  [olists num=1]

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Elevate Your Home Yoga Practice + Win a Trip to Wanderlust Hollywood!

Is it easier for you to zip out to a yoga class, rather than practice at home? A home practice takes some getting used to, but sometimes, that private space is exactly what you need. And you don't need an immaculate dedicated yoga room to make your home practice more meaningful. Wherever you choose to practice, Kara Jovic brings a little Wanderlust wisdom our way today, sharing 5 simple ways to bring more clarity to your practice outside the studio. Balance out all that at-home-yoga love, by signing up for the Movember Foundation's 30-day MOVE challenge and be automatically entered to win our Move Your Way to LA giveaway. Prizing includes a $750 travel stipend, a week of unlimited yoga + meditation classes at Wanderlust Hollywood, a four-night stay at Loews Hollywood, and some sweet TOMS sunglasses (because you honestly cannot hit LA sans shades.) Here's Kara from Wanderlust on five ways to spiritually pimp out your private at-home practice... As yogis we know our inner strength, our boundaries, our edges, when to push through and when it’s best to relax. Our thoughts come and go with the ebb and flow of our breath, the rhythm of our asana. Despite the noise of the world around us, yoga creates a quiet space inside, clearing away the mind-chatter so our innermost needs and hopes can be known. Sometimes they may come in a whisper and at other times in a flash of clarity or a long-held desire or dream. The use of ritual in our home practice can help bring those whispers to life, nurturing them into a courageous roar of action, inspiring us to follow through on what we often already know. Here are 5 ways you can integrate the power of ritual into your home practice. [olists num=1] [olists num=2]

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Mint Smoothies + Perfect Ts: Mornings with LNA Designer Lauren Alexander

Finding the perfect tee used to be exasperating. Until we met Lauren Alexander, designer and co-founder of LNA. The quest for the perfect version of this wardrobe basic led her and her partner to set up shop. Since then, some of the best bodies in Hollywood (um, hi, Ryan Gosling. What up, Kate Moss?) have been spotted in LNA T-shirts and clothing. We love that her pieces are just loose enough to be comfortable and just revealing enough to be subtly sexy. We're fascinated with the woman who's mastered the art of designing "I woke up this way" clothing, so we asked Lauren what her mornings look like. Here's what she had to say... [olists num=1] [olists num=2]

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The 6 Top Bookstores for Foodies From London To L.A.

If entertaining is your superpower, and you tend to cook for friends no matter where you travel, you'll love Friends Food Family, by Sasha Wilkins, former journalist and the blogger behind Liberty London Girl. Among all the treats and treasures in Sasha's new book, we were psyched to discover a few foodie-centric bookstores mentioned - in all our favorite cities. From Los Angeles to New York, San Francisco to London, Sasha has a few perfect spots to head for a few great new reads. If you're prepping a dinner for eight at a friend's flat in Notting Hill and need a little inspiration, we know just the spot...

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Smell Better: 6 Essential Oils to Diffuse for Every Mood

You know those days when you need a little extra support? Maybe you're feeling tired... or upset... or anxious... Well, there's probably an app for that, but before you use up valuable space on your smart phone, consider something a little less high-tech. Essential oil diffusion therapy. Certified master aromatherapist Rose Heart (yep, that's her name) has been working with essential oils for over a decade - supplying fancy schmancy holistic spas and resorts and om-tastic yoga studios too. From her experience with clients and designing her own line of 100% pure custom blends called Organic Infusions, she's got the specific benefits of essential oils dialed. Here's Rose's list of the best essential oils to support your every mood... (And hey, your "therapy" will make your space smell amazing too.) P.S. We know you'll all be asking: the beautiful oil diffuser pictures above is by Puzhen and can be found here!

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NYC bite of the month: The Grown-Up Fruit Cup

We'RE totally devoted to the West Coast, but we have a huge crush on the City That Never Sleeps. Every month, Eater Drinks editor Kat Odell brings us sips and bites that make us want to pack a bag and hop on the next non-stop flight. Here's Kat on Dante's Pimm's Cup, the best grown-up fruit cup, ever...

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From Holland To Mexico: 10 Lessons Learned With Yogi Tara Stiles

We've all gota little rebel in us. It's one of the reasons we're so down with our October guest editor  - Tara Stiles isn't your typical yogi. Known for her irreverent approach to, well, just about everything, Tara forges her own path. When she's not making her own rules in the kitchen (watch our video here), or practicing yoga with Deepak Chopra in NYC, she can be found circling the globe spreading her own expression of yoga - and learning a few things along the way. We asked Tara to fill us in a few of the lessons she's loved best, having met to many yogis from around the world. Here are her rapid fire answers... 1 | No matter our differences, background or age, our real desires are the same I have the pleasure of traveling a ton for events, classes and Strala openings. One of the most touching lessons and reminders is no matter how different we think we are based on where we live, our lifestyle, background or age, our deepest desire of wanting to feel great, live well, love and be loved, are all the same. Knowing this truth breaks down walls of differences and allows connection to flow easily. 2| Each culture has something special and useful that we can apply to our own LIves I love spending time surrounded by people from different places and backgrounds. We can learn a lot and improve our own lives by adopting great habits we don’t necessarily have in our home culture. From Asia I have learned soup and veggies for breakfast is an amazing way to start the day. From France, I have soaked up the appreciation for finding beauty everywhere, even when I’m not in Paris. From the Dutch I have learned to appreciate life and realize control isn’t the only way to achieve order. From Mexico, I have learned to live in vivid color and put hot sauce on everything. I could go on all day, but I’ll save you my world tour. The point is, the more people we are able to meet from different parts of the world, the more we can grow and enrich our own lives by appreciating our exciting differences. 3 | We all have different goals Whether it’s to raise an amazing family, build a business, or fully enjoy the gift of life, we are all here with different goals, and those differences are exciting to share. 4 | Everyone loves hugs Hugs are the best icebreaker and easiest way ever to make new friends and greet old friends. 5 | Inspiration is everywhere Every city I’ve seen around the world is fascinating in some way. From nature, to locals, to art, to food, every moment is full of inspiration as long as you open your eyes. 6 | Sharing is healing I have the pleasure of hearing a lot of people’s personal stories of overcoming trauma, personal growth, and dealing with hardships in their lives. Sharing our stories helps us heal, grow and connect. 7 | Intentions Put us in Our Flow. Opportunities present themselves to us each day to choose between helping others or building an air of proving how great we think we are or want to be. When we choose helping, we drift into an awesome flow that supports service and joy. 8 | Good food leads to Good Moods
 Each culture has fantastic local foods that are natural, healthy, celebratory and fresh. When we choose to eat natural and fresh daily, our mood improves a ton, and we have great energy to go about our day and shine bright! 9 | We are all connected Whether it’s through location, family, friends, a love of healthy eating, mindful practice, or hugs, we are all connected. When we choose to see each other with joy, respect and wonder, we are in the natural flow of our awesome life. 10 | Yoga is the 5th element Ever since I was little, I knew we all had a natural ability to tap in, quiet down and listen to our intuition, which points us in the right direction in our lives. The practice of yoga and meditation is for everyone, because it is naturally inside us already. We simply have to choose to practice to get the goods. Whether practicing alone, in a group, or online, the good stuff lives vibrantly inside of you, and connects us all together.

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The Coziest Recipe Ever: Savory Steel Cut Oats With Shitake, Kale + Walnuts

We love serving up our favorite old dishes in new ways. Quinoa for breakfast? Absolutely. Crepes for dinner? Yes, please. What about oats? Sure, we've tossed them into our smoothies. We've even been known sprinkle them in a DIY face mask. But this cozy-as-can-be savory bowl from one of our favorite holistic health counselors, Pamela Salzman is a total game changer and a must-try!  Here's Pamela... I adore a warm bowl of oatmeal in the morning. Comforting, high in fiber and filling, it's the perfect way to start the day. Oats are a blank canvas for countless toppings, which almost always seem to stray to the sweet side. But why not go savory for a totally different, but equally delicious, take on oats and get an extra serving of veggies to boot? My favorite combo is kale, shiitakes, walnuts and gomasio, a macrobiotic condiment with sesame seeds and sea salt. The options are limitless. Most anything you would add to polenta, toast or pasta would be fair game on a simple bowl of oats, too (or should I say, game-changing?). Here are some other options I love: sauteed cabbage and scallions, sesame oil, shoyu, gomasio or sesame seeds and a poached egg; shredded zucchini or sautéed asparagus, goat cheese and toasted, salted pistachios; burst cherry tomatoes, garlic, crushed red pepper, basil and grated Pecorino or Parmesan; or dried chilies, coconut milk, dried unsweetened coconut, toasted cashews, scallions and shoyu.

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Inside Oh Joy’s FEED Supper: How To Make Fresh Pasta With Family

Over the last month, Lauren Bush Lauren and the FEED Project team have thrown dozens of dinner parties from coast-to-coast. In the most delicious fund-raising plan we've encountered lately, Lauren and team have raised 2 million meals for those in need through dinners of every shape and size, from large L.A. gatherings to small family suppers. The FEED Supper premise is simple: throw a dinner so that someone else can enjoy one too. Every FEED Supper guest is invited to make a donation to provide a meal for someone in need. Gauged by the success of suppers like this one, hosted by Joy Cho of Oh Joy! and our friends at Heirloom LA, this year's suppers were a huge hit. We're sharing this fun and impressive recipe from the Oh Joy! supper for two reasons. One, the snaps of Joy's adorable daughter, Ruby making rainbow-colored pasta just can't be beat and, two, we couldn't resist the idea of getting our hands on Heirloom's simple, but gorgeous pasta recipe! Making fresh, ricotta-filled pasta at home with children may seem ambitious, but it's an idea we love for the upcoming holidays. It takes a little time and attention, but not nearly as much as one might expect. We can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon at home this fall. To make these vibrant pasta colors, Heirloom added a touch of spinach, beets or tomato paste to each of the batches. For a festive red pasta, just add one teaspoon of tomato paste to the yolks in the recipe and whisk briskly. Remember, the better the eggs, the brighter the yolks--one reason Heirloom's pasta is so brightly colored is that they use eggs from locally-raised chickens that range free and feed on worms, bugs, produce and some grain, which makes their yolks very vibrant. Learn how to make a gorgeous crostini station from Heirloom too. Check out our feature on making one of the gorgeous boards in the photos above here. Bookmark these gorgeous recipes for future holiday gatherings!

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Your Best Body Now: Breaking Out Of Your Own Body Image

New contributor and former Chalkboard staff member Katie Horwitch is preaching up that body positive message we love from a new pulpit: WANT: Women Against Negative Talk. In this personal essay, Katie hones in on an all-too-true reality about our own body image. Read it through and overcome the urge to compare yourself with that unobtainable woman: your past self. One of the little details I love best about my life is that my parents still live in the house I grew up in. My room is practically untouched from the time I was a teenager - photographs and books stacked up on my desk from when I moved home my senior year of college. All my things are right where I left them, the magazine cut-outs and  quotes still taped up to my walls and cabinet doors. The Beatles poster still hanging to the side of my bed as a reminder of my classic rock roots. My closet is also fairly unchanged. I used to have this weird ritual when I came back home of going into my closet and trying on clothes from years, even decades back, just to see if they still fit. The words of magazines and role models would echo in my ears; about women getting back to their “high-school weight” or fitting into the jeans they wore when they were 16. Every adult woman in my life at one point or another wished out loud to have their “best body” back. Getting older came to mean getting bitterly nostalgic and insufficient. I figured that as long as I was always approximately the same size, I could avoid the diet campaigns, the negative self-image, and moreover, the self-imposed stigma of not remaining the same size as when I was apparently “at my best.” We talk about how we’re affected by media images and how we compare ourselves to others…but how about the way we compare ourselves to ourselves? When it comes to body image and, dare I say it, body satisfaction, many times we base our opinions on either what we’ve looked like in the past or what we hope to look like in the future. We view our bodies as a constant companion, and any deviation is almost like a betrayal. We view times in our lives as being “at our best” and other times as having “slipped up.” I know I’ve done it – not just my sixteen-year-old self, but coveted that 23-year-old body that I now view as myself at my best. What’s crazy is that very few times during those years did I actually see myself in that way. And it started young. When I was 13, I wished for the body I had at 11. When I was sixteen I coveted that 13-year-old frame. And when I was 23, I grappled with the fact that my 21-year-old body was unhealthily “healthy” on the inside, yet what I thought looked pretty fab on the outside, and that I missed that. On the flipside, each of those ages brought its own set of hopes and wishes. When I’m 11, I’ll look grown-up. When I’m 13, I’ll fill out dresses. When I’m 16, I’ll be a few inches taller. When I’m 23, I’ll be fitter. When I’m 26, I’ll finally lose this baby face. And so on, and so on, and so on… Rarely do we see our beauty and so-called “perfection” in the moment. No matter what we look like, there will always be something better, something sparklier, something more prefect than who we are now. I look at photos of my 23-year-old self and can’t imagine why I ever wanted to look any different. I want to shake that girl and say, You are literal perfection, baby! What are you thinking? Why can’t you see that?! But I know my 23-year-old self would smile, hug me, kindly thank me, then put herself down. Because ultimately, perfection is subjective. Because ultimately, what has-been in the past and what could-be in the future are usually more sparkly in our mind’s eye than what is - in the present - right here in front of us. It’s not really fair to say it’s “bad” to covet another shape, size,or incarnation of ourselves – we’re only human. But whereas we’re often looking to a past or future version of ourselves to guide how we feel about our body, I think it’s more productive and powerful to look at our present self and ask how we can be the very best version of where we’re at right now. Not only do our bodies change with time, sometimes by the month – hello, hips! – but our lifestyles change as well. Location, occupation and even sleep patterns can affect our bodies on a profound level. We have kids. We change jobs. We shift obligations. Life happens Health and self-care should always be our number one priority – because only when we take care of ourselves, are we able to take care of everything else. Yet not all of us can walk to and from work, or spend 60 minutes at the gym, or home cook every meal in balanced nutritional ratios. But we can do the very best with what we’ve got. What I usually don’t remember about my 23-year-old bod, and 23-year-old self, are the months of bank overdraft upon bank overdraft because I was only just making enough money to survive. What I don’t remember are the exhaustingly long shifts at the yoga studio I worked at, walking in and out and in and out, then cleaning the entire place after. I don’t usually think about the excess of time I had or the lonely moments of not really feeling like I had a group or person like I thought I was supposed to have. Basically, I don’t remember that I had a lot less that I genuinely cared about. Now, my life looks a lot fuller. And my body reflects that – the good and the bad. It reflects the stress of a very long daily commute. It reflects the workouts that are shorter and more intensely interval-driven instead of longer and more steady-state. It reflects healthy, loving relationships and a self-respect I just didn’t have at a younger age. I know that my body will not look like it did when I was 23, because my life does not look like it did when I was 23. And I don’t want it to. Because I love my life now. We think our bodies are turning against us, but maybe we’re the ones turning against our bodies. We’re holding ourselves to a standard that was never really the standard at all. We’re reminiscing about how we think things used to be instead of embracing how we know things are now. Essentially, we’re making decisions to shape our lives and blaming our bodies for going along for the ride. I spent a recent weekend at my parents’ house, in my old room. And instead of trying clothes on to gauge how much I needed to “work on,” I did something drastic – I tried on what I thought I might want to keep, and threw what didn’t fit in a pile to donate. Which, by the way, was pretty much all of it. I knew I was throwing away dresses I’d loved and tops I still wished I could wear, but I was also throwing away a barometer for “success” that no longer served me and frankly, never did. Next time you find yourself wishing for your 13-, 16-, 21-, 23-, 28-, 34-, 48-year-old body, do this exercise: - Remember what that time was like. For better or worse. - Remember what this time is like. For better or worse. - Ask yourself one question: How can I do my best with what I’ve been given? Then go clean out your closet to make space for the present.

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Is Sleep Hygiene a Thing? 10 Ways to Deepen Your Sleep

Remember when you were a little kid, how you could fall asleep anywhere? At the Thanksgiving table, under mom's desk, at the grocery store... If you have trouble sleeping now, you probably long for those days. We know first-hand how painful it is to watch precious sleep hours tick away while staring at the ceiling. We asked nutrition and wellness specialist Melissa Rousseau of M. Parke Studio for 10 tips on getting the best quality Zs possible. This isn't exactly an insomnia quick-fix or a "how to fall asleep fast" guide, but if you follow Melissa's lead, you'll find yourself drifting off into deeper, more blissful slumber and maybe even snoozing like your 6-year-old self again. Here's Melissa... Sleep. It is one of those absolutely essential pieces to our overall wellness and vitality puzzle, but also one part that can be so easily disrupted. As the season shifts, new routines are introduced, daily stress is a constant, and finding the balance between self-time, kids, and work becomes more and more challenging, so the first thing to go is sleep. While it may seem high maintenance to some, or to those lucky souls to whom sleep comes effortlessly, getting a nourishing, restorative night's sleep can be deeply enhanced by a ritual of excellent sleep hygiene.

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We Cannot Even: Vegan Mac And Cheese With Butternut Squash

Let the holiday recipe bookmarking begin! Online food mag Food52 just released a brand new cookbook, Food52 Vegan: 60 Vegetable-Driven Recipes for Any Kitchen - and if you know the site, you know they don't mess around in the artistic department. Each page of this cookbook is just as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the tastebuds - especially their entirely vegan comfort food recipes. This month, we'll be sharing several of our fave plant-based indulgences from its pages - like this pancake recipe we've been craving every morning. Blogger, author and Food52′s vegan columnist Gena Hamshaw is giving us the deets on today's healthy makeover: a butternut squash mac and cheese.... Everyone has a favorite mac and cheese recipe. This one, which uses sweet, creamy butternut squash in the sauce, is mine. To create an authentic cheese flavor, I use a combination of nutritional yeast, miso, smoked paprika, salt, and lemon juice. (You can use any leftover sauce as a cheese dip.) I highly recommend including the optional vegetables. In addition to providing some contrasting color and texture, they’ll round out the meal, so you won’t have to worry about making an extra side dish – win, win.

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The $4 Tool Every Wellness Maven Should Keep In the Kitchen

A few months back, we ran into a little kitchen tool that changed our lives: the long-handled cocktail stirrer. No, it wasn't a perfectly stirred martini that changed everything (we like them shaken, duh!), it was the addition of this simple bar tool to our weird wellness drink rituals. We say "wellness drink" because of the great variety of health-giving beverages we're mixing up over here on any given day: smoothies, green juice, protein drinks, vitamin C tonics, herbal remedies, coffee with gelatin and cacao powder - we could go on! You name it, we're drinking it.  But the annoying side-effect of all this frenzied drink-making is that our counters are constantly covered in a thin veil of powder - and the same is true for our 3-free manicured hands. It's not a good look! Most protein powders and other powdered potions come with tiny plastic scoops or nothing at all. If you're a long-time Chalkboard reader, we've got to believe you know what we're talking about when we say the worst part of rushing out the door in the mornings is digging down deep into the bottom of an envelope of whey protein or green powder and getting that sprinkling of powder all over our sleeves, clean counter and goodness knows where else. Here's the cocktail stirrer we've discovered we love best: a utilitarian metal wand from CB2 that can reach the bottom of just about any bag or bottle, snags just the right amount of product, and does a mean job stirring everything up in a glass if need be. If, like us, you've got a daily ritual or two involving green powder, a protein shake or powdered vitamin c, we think you'll appreciate our simple little find! Find it: CB2's stainless steel cocktail stirrer

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Beauty Food: The White Mulberry Vanilla Smoothie

smoothies are an incredible vehicle for therapeutic nutrition. Don't get in a rut with the protein powder and the frozen fruit! Think outside the box and try deeply nourishing recipes like this one from holistic blogger Ashley Neese and Nitsa Citrine of Sun Potion. This superfood-infused white mulberry blend is full of skin-nourishing vitamins and minerals + a little boost for your libido! Because winter is coming... and a smoothie recipe like this one is the perfect thing to rely on to keep skin fresh and your body in balance. Here's the scoop... This is a creamy, nutrient-rich, vanilla smoothie made with raw cashew, coconut, white mulberries, superfoods and tonic herbs. White mulberries are a wonderful beauty food, digestive tonic, and source of iron. Tocos (rice bran solubles) provide bioavailable vitamins D & E and nourish the skin and connective tissue. Pine pollen is a subtle aphrodisiac, hormone-balancing, brain nourishing and immune-fortifying complete food.

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Crystal Confessions: 8 Steps to Owning Your Weird Holistic Habits

Your crystal collection is growing larger with each passing month, but you would give up smoothies before you'd display a single one in public. You're pretty sure your essential oil collection now outweighs your makeup stash, but aren't sure you want to be "that girl." It might be time to come clean and stop hiding your weird holistic habits... We love this hilarious advice from Heather Askinosie of Energy Muse. In 2000, Heather and her BFF, Timmi Jandro, co-founded Energy Muse, a conscious lifestyle brand that marries crystal healing and gorgeous jewelry to help create balance in everyday life. For more than two and a half decades she's been studying energy and healing, so she knows a thing or two about owning one's unconventional wellness habits. Here's Heather on how she came out of the crystal closet, plus eight steps she suggests to help yourself make peace with your own sage-burnin', crystal hoarding ways! Tag a friend who must read. It all started out like any other morning: I woke up, lit a sage stick and smudged the house. However, on this particular morning I used a pottery container and filled it with loose sage. Normally, when I fanned my hawk feathers over the crackling sage and walked around the house, the smoke would eventually burn out. That morning, the loose sage went ablaze and white smoke filled every crevice of empty space in each and every room. I ran through the house opening doors and windows as the fire alarms went off in unison. My neighbor saw smoke coming from the house and called the fire department. As the firefighters entered the house asking what the smell was, I kept saying, “It’s a false alarm. I was just sageing the house.” Of course, that lead to one fireman ask, “Why are you doing that?” I had to own it. “To purify and cleanse negative energy.” As the firefighters drove away, I explained what happened to the neighbors who were gathered in front of my house. That’s when I finally came out of the crystal closet and decided to embrace the real spiritual, mystical, truth seeker in me.

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Walnut Butter + Coconut Water: 5 California Hiking Essentials

summer is fading in the rearview mirror, the weather is cooling and nature is throwing off vibrant oranges, yellows and reds. It's the perfect time to hit the trails! L.A. lifestyle blogger Lauren Gores Ireland is dishing on her love for the hike and the reasons you should charge up a canyon, mountain or ridge as part of your fall workout routine (here are a few of our fave trails.) Plus she's listing what she stashes in her day-pack - everything you need to make your autumnal hike picture-perfect. Whether you live in California or Connecticut, stuff these hiking essentials in your fave day pack and head for the hills. Here's Lauren... Transitioning into fall is best done outdoors where you can indulge your senses in a new season. The air is crisp; the leaves dry; the skies promising of a fresh start. Fall creates the perfect backdrop for a California hike. The trek is challenging, scenic and reflective of change - both seasonally and mentally. A hike allows you to set your own pace, even switching between walking and running. Once at the top, take a minute to celebrate, reflect and set a goal. A successful (and enjoyable!) hike has a lot to do with how you prep for it. You need to begin hydrated and stretched, while eating protein-packed snacks along the way. I always carry my essentials in a small bag tied to my waist, to avoid putting weight on my back or arms. [olists num=1] [olists num=2]

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XOXO: Playing Nice With The Founders of Kind Campaign

We love to see women championing other women... In the past few years, we've loved watching as girl gangs from I Am That Girl to The Giving Keys find a voice in the female-o-sphere, inspiring women everywhere to become their own real-life role models. Lauren Paul and Molly Thompson are the co-founders and real-life besties behind Kind Campaign, an organization launched to reach young girls on the issue of girl-on-girl "crime." As every female who has ever trudged through junior high hallways knows, "Mean Girls" is much more than a cute film plot. Almost all of us have a crazy tale of the emotional cruelty we women are capable of  putting one another through, especially in those late school years. Lauren and Molly are addressing the issue in a way we love, forcing the topic into peer discussions with their Kind Campaign assemblies and using influencers across social media to help spread the "you can sit with us" brand of messaging as simply as any other timely trend from nail art to flower crowns. We interviewed these two about a few of their kindest experiences as they set out on another school assembly campaign, learn more about their journey and message and catch them taking over our Instagram feed today from the road! The Chalkboard Mag: How did the Kind Campaign get started? Lauren Paul & Molly Thompson: Kind Campaign was birthed out of the initial stages of filming our documentary, Finding Kind. We started making the film back in 2008, before bullying became the hot topic that it is today. We had no idea if people would be willing to open up on camera about this issue. However, the moment we turned those cameras on, it was so blatantly apparent that girls and women had been waiting for someone to take this issue out from under the rug and start a conversation about it. It was those initial interviews for the film that inspired us to do more. At that point, we kinda looked at each other and realized this could be such a huge movement and that’s when we started developing our school assemblies and curriculum and ultimately founded Kind Campaign in February of 2009. Since its founding, Kind Campaign has been regarded as the premier anti-bullying movement for girls and has impacted hundreds of thousands of students. The two of us have spoken in around 360 schools across North America and Kind Campaign Assemblies now take place in schools almost every day of the school year. We are currently on our 10th Founder's Assembly Tour where we will be speaking in 30 schools across America for National Bullying Awareness Month! TCM: What was the kindest moment you experienced in school yourselves? LAUREN: I went through a traumatic experience in middle school. In 7th grade, a group of girls started a rumor about me and the rumor ended up turning into two years of torture. When that initial rumor was started, one girl decided not to go along with the group. She stopped being friends with all those girls and she stood by my side throughout 7th and 8th grade. We pretty much ended up being each other’s only friends. She went through a lot of horrible things with me because she didn’t want to be a bystander and because she was courageous enough to stand up for me. That girl, Lacey White, is still my best friend to this day. She was the maid of honor in my wedding. It goes to show you that by being kind and standing up for someone while you’re in school, you can create a friendship that can last a lifetime. MOLLY: During my junior year of high school, I went through a really difficult and emotional time with a group of girls. My school was huge, so the few friends that I did have, I didn’t really see in the hallways. So, I dreaded coming to school every single day. I feared lunchtime even more because we had off-campus lunch that was divided into three different class periods. That specific group of girls and I shared the same lunch, so I typically would just go and sit in my car and eat by myself because I feared running into them at any of the local restaurants. One of my guy friends knew that this was happening, and on especially emotional days he would skip the class that fell during my lunch period and instead he would come and eat lunch with me so that I wasn’t alone. I don’t know if he realizes how much that meant to me, but his simple act of kindness was one of the things that gave me the courage to continue stepping back onto campus. TCM: Tell us about a student you've met or impacted along your journey with Kind Campaign. I'm sure you've met so many! Lauren & Molly: There are so many, we wouldn't even know where to start! Here is a pretty special story from one of our assemblies last year. Rachel is a girl we met during our last spring tour while in Utah. At the end of all of our assemblies, we take a picture with the group of girls we are speaking to and post the picture on Kind Campaign’s social media. We were scrolling through the girls' comments on their school photos and came across this comment from Rachel: “I was at the Kind Campaign assembly at Draper Park. You guys really changed my point of view on everything. I can relate to everyone in the film. Every girl friend I've had, I have lost. This morning when I woke up I was thinking about committing suicide. I came to school today on the verge of tears. Once I got in and sat down I wasn't really paying attention but once I watched the movie and I was in tears. I came up and shared my Kind Card. It was about one of my best friends. He stood by me through all my hard times. Once I got home I realized that even though some girls can be rude and don't understand what their words can do that it shouldn't be worth dying over. I called my best friend and talked to him for an hour. I was just crying my eyes out. Your assembly today? Yeah, it saved my life.” We were really moved after reading that and immediately connected with her through Instagram and offered further support with our in-house counselor. Our on-call therapist counsels girls and parents who write to Kind Campaign and need extra conversation and support. This service is free of charge. We ended up sending Rachel a gift while we were on the road, a card and a Giving Keys necklace so that she knows she is not alone. Since that assembly, we have received updates from Rachel and she is happy, healthy and doing so well! TCM: Who is the kindest girl boss you know? Lauren & Molly: Jessica Weiner, confidence expert/author/girl-world guru and Caitlin Crosby, founder of The Giving Keys! TCM: The kindest celeb? Lauren & Molly: Aaron Paul. First of all, he is the kindest hubby ever (Editor's note: Lauren Paul is married to actor, Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad fame.) Secondly, Aaron has gone above and beyond to use his platform to help us spread the word about Kind Campaign and to share other stories that he feels passionately about. A couple years ago, he threw an event for the series finale of Breaking Bad and he turned the event into a fundraiser for Kind Campaign. He spent countless hours, helping raise over a million dollars for Kind Campaign, which completely changed the game for the nonprofit and has allowed us to provide Kind Campaign Assemblies free of charge to hundreds of schools throughout the world. TCM: How to kill with kindness: Lauren & Molly: Remember that everyone has a story. You have no idea what someone comes to school with or what they go home to when the bell rings. Use your voice. When you see someone being bullied, stand up for them. Don’t participate. When you hear rumors and gossip swirling, don’t let yourself be a part of it. TCM: What is the kindest thing other girls in school can do for each other. Tell us about part of your practical message when you're with students... Lauren & Molly: Let each other live in peace at school. Don’t be a part of the drama and the gossip. Stand up for others when you see them being bullied. Sit with that girl or boy that you see sitting alone at lunch every day and ask them how they’re doing. Smile. Use social media wisely and kindly. Remember that the words you type onto your phone or a computer will have just as much of an impact on the person as if you were saying those words directly to their face. When a conflict arises, talk about it. Don’t go to your friends and talk about a problem you are having with someone…that will just start a huge web of drama. Sit down with the person, talk about the issue, find a way to resolve it and move on. Simply be kind and respectful to your peers. TCM: The kindest thing grown-up girlfriends can do for friends experiencing unkindness? Lauren & Molly: Listen. We live in such a fast-paced, self-consumed world. Being a friend that your friends know will unplug and listen or be a shoulder to cry on is a lot more rare in adult life than you may think. TCM: The moment of kindness that changed your life: Lauren: Before beginning our journey with Finding Kind, I sat down with Tom Shadyac, an incredible director and human being who I had the pleasure of working for on his beautiful documentary I Am. Over frozen yogurt, I told Tom about the documentary we wanted to make. He asked how much the film would cost and then and there, he wrote a check for the whole budget. That funding gave us the ability to start shooting our film right away and without the wave that Finding Kind created, who knows if Kind Campaign would be what it is today. To say he changed my life would be an understatement. His kindness has helped change the lives of hundreds of thousands of girls across the world. Molly: I feel like every day brings countless moments of kindness that change my life, from something as simple as someone letting me over in bumper-to-bumper traffic to something bigger like a friend going completely out of their way to cheer me up. Even though these may seem like small things, they are the things that have the ability to change your perspective or mood on any given day, which then changes the way that you make decisions, how you interact with others, and how well you do your job. And when those things add up, they ultimately have a huge impact on the course of your life. TCM: The kindest thing a stranger has ever done for you: Lauren: I have experienced kindness from so many strangers throughout my life. Whether it’s opening the door for me, helping me find the answer to a question or just smiling as they walk by, those acts of kindness can completely change my day. Molly: We encounter random acts of kindness from strangers all the time while traveling for Kind Campaign. Whether it be someone surprising us and buying our coffee, helping to fix a flat tire, or giving me an impromptu hair cut. Given the opportunity, people really do go out of their way to be kind and I believe that is because it has the ability to not only change the person’s life that you are being kind to, but ultimately it has the ability to change your life. There is nothing quite like the feeling you get when you know you’ve had a positive impact on someone’s day – whether they are your best friend or a complete stranger. TCM: The kindest city you've ever been to? Lauren & Molly: They are all amazing! We feel so lucky that our work allows us to travel into hundreds of cities across North America and that we have had the opportunity to get to know so many people across the nation. Every place we go welcomes us with open arms, whether it be a big city or a tiny town. One of the many things we walked away with after our two-month road trip across America to shoot Finding Kind was that our country is indescribably beautiful and so are the people who live in it. TCM: Your fave quote on kindness: Lauren: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” - Plato

Molly: “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”                                                                                                                                                                                               – Mother Teresa

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