How To Fall Asleep Anywhere in 5 Minutes

TCM Classic -- We originally shared these tips for how to fall asleep fast in 2017, but love the story so much we decided to bring it back!

Whether you need to get into sleep mode quickly for a power nap pick-me-up, you're traveling and can't catch those Z's, or just can't seem to slip into good sleep night to night, these techniques will knock you out in a flash. We love this list of natural ideas for how to fall asleep from Food Matters...

Tossing, turning and hopelessly counting sheep… insomnia is totally torturous and any form of sleep pressure is never any fun. Left unchecked, it can harm our health, mood, productivity and general quality of life!

Perhaps you travel a lot, work shift work, or have disordered sleep patterns. Maybe you’re a bit stressed and have trouble switching off at night. Whatever the case may be, up to 70 million Americans experience some form of sleep disorder, so chances are you might appreciate some extra zzz's!

With modern schedules fuller than ever, we know you can’t waste precious time tossing and turning before you hit the hay. So here are our top tips for switching to sleep mode faster than you can count to 50 sheep!

10 Tips For How To Fall Asleep Fast

Bring On The Black. Darkness sends all sorts of signals to our brain that it’s time to wind down. On the flip side, bright lights keep our brain switched on in wake mode. If you can’t make your room dark or regularly need to catch your shut-eye in different environments, consider buying a good quality eye mask. They are light, portable and will help you to melt into that soft, inky darkness where beautiful sleep is found!

Tune Out. Just as bright lights distract us from falling asleep, noise is another major stimulus that stops us from snoozing (and can be downright irritating when you’re tired!) Invest in some soft, ‘sleep’ headphones - these are padded, super comfortable and tend to do a better job of blocking out distracting sounds. Even better, play some soothing music, meditations or nature sounds to really zen it up.

Try The 4-7-8 Trick. Pioneered by Dr. Andrew Weil, 4-7-8 breathing is one of the simplest yet most effective tools you can use to access instant calm. Simply inhale through your nose for a count of 4, gently hold this breath for 7 counts and exhale slowly for another count of 8. This type of yogic breathing stills the mind and stimulates the release of feel-good chemicals in your brain. Given that stress is a major cause of sleep disturbances, relaxation is absolutely essential to help your mind to wind down.

Keep An Essential Oil Kit. Aromatherapy has been used for centuries as a natural sleep remedy. Lavender, Roman chamomile, neroli, orange and petitgrain essential oils are all potent sleep aids. Why? Aromatherapy works on emotional, psychological and biochemical levels to induce calm. Essential oils act directly on the brain and the central nervous system to release natural chemicals and feel-good endorphins. Our sense of smell is very powerful and also builds an ‘association’ with sleepy calm if we use it consistently before nap time.

Pack Helpful Herbs. It’s pretty well known that a warm herbal brew of chamomile tea will help us get to sleep. However, making a cuppa in the midst of a restless night or when you’re away from home isn’t always feasible. Thankfully, many sleep-inducing herbs are now available in supplemental form. An herbal supplement containing chamomile, valerian, hops or passion flower will help most of us nod off to sleep in no time - just be mindful that some meds do interact with these herbs and valerian, hops and passionflower aren’t recommended for prolonged, regular use.

Hang Your Worries On A Worry Tree. Many experts recommend journaling out any anxious thoughts or a ‘To Do’ list before you go to bed. However, if you need sleep - fast - and are away from home, this may not be the solution for you. Alternatively, visualize a beautiful, ancient tree with deep spreading roots and expansive foliage. Imagine yourself transferring your individual worries from your mind onto the strong, supporting branches of this tree. Know that this tree is guarding your problems and keeping you safe while you sleep.

Savor A Sleepy-Time Snack. There is some evidence to suggest that a light snack containing low glycemic index carbohydrate can help us get to sleep. The theory behind this is that such foods may help our brains to produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter that makes us feel happy and relaxed. Therefore, you may like to try eating a small banana, handful of blueberries, healthy oatmeal cookie or small slice of sourdough toast before heading to bed. The emphasis here is on having a light snack, though - eating too much will strain your digestive system and actually interfere with your quality of sleep.

Find Your Sleepy Acupressure Points. Acupressure has been used to remedy a wide range of health ailments. It’s safe, totally natural and offers some easy applications that can be used anytime, anywhere, to help you fall to sleep. There are two major acupressure points that can be pressed to help you drift off. Firstly, find the small indent at the top of your nose and between your eyebrows. Apply light pressure with your fingers for a minute before sleep. You can also press the sole of your foot, approximately one third from the tips of your toes, for a similar effect.

Catch Yourself Catastrophizing. Before we go to sleep, we are typically alone with our thoughts. With the added stress of being overtired, it is easy for our mind to cascade into spirals of worry that keep us awake. Most of the time, these worries are blown out of proportion. When we wake up or actually have to face our feared situation, 9 times out of 10 it’s not the big deal that we thought it was. Therefore, worrying late at night is mostly a massive waste of energy. But how to escape these seductive trains of thought and slip into the sleep zone? Try to notice any ‘catastrophizing’ worry thoughts and say to yourself, ‘STOP. No, no, no. We’re not going to deal with this right now.’ When your brain starts another tangent, remind yourself gently but firmly that you are not in the right frame of mind to think about this clearly and will deal with these thoughts with a fresh mind in the morning. With regular reinforcement, your mind will start to listen!

Use All Your Senses. Visualization exercises are a powerful way to relax, yet how tricky can it be to make your mind stay present and focused while you do them? Instead of simply ‘seeing’ a relaxing visualization in your mind’s eye, try to recruit all your senses to imagine a relaxing scene unfolding. What does this scene actually feel like? Smell like? Experts say that recruiting all senses will guide you deeper into visualizations.

Want to learn more about how to fall asleep quickly and deeply (and why)?
Discover a million more pro-tips for getting better sleep here!

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Make Danielle Walker’s Instant Pot Chicken Tacos in Lettuce Cups

There's just something about late summer and early fall evenings that make a taco night at home seem absolutely spot on. Sweetening the deal even further, gluten-free goddess Danielle Walker divulged this incredibly easy chicken taco recipe to us recently when she walked us through her autoimmune-friendly kitchen.

We may be the last people on earth without an Instant Pot, but this recipe stands ready to convert us, wholly. All that is added to the chicken is salsa and seasoning and these tacos are ready to be slapped together in a clean, crunchy lettuce or cabbage leaf. Try them right away, then work your way through our vegan taco recipe round-up here -- you won't be sorry you did. Bonus points: the pineapple salsa recipe shown can be found here! 

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5 Mindful Travel Rituals to Make Your Vacay Feel Twice As Long

Flying around, hopping from hotel to hotel, eating foreign foods and jumping right into cultural experiences. Travel is a highlight of summer, but the thrill of new experiences and sharp shift away from our usual routines can overpower our ability to be grounded in the moment. We're exploring five mini but meaningful travel rituals from globetrotting yogi and Free People contributor, Elizabeth Rowan. 

At this moment, I’m not on a mountain top looking serene in a leotard as you might; rather, I’m currently wearing a t-shirt and a mala (no pants, ya feel me) in my apartment that looks like an explosion. I’m off to lead a yoga retreat to Peru shortly; still have laundry to do; a ton to pack on planes, trains and automobiles to create a sacred space for my yogis next week (see also: spiritual accessories that aren’t actually a necessity). I hope there’s a passport in there somewhere. There are dishes in the sink even though I had take-out last night, and things that need doing everywhere I look. Hustle. Excitability. Muchness.

There’s also a sweet pup still asleep and keeping my bed warm. A fresh pot of coffee. A candle is lit from this morning’s meditation. A loved-in, lived-in space. A love note from my man tucked secretly inside my bag. Indications of upcoming adventure and opportunity hidden in the preparation. Optimism. Heart. Joyful anticipation of adventures to come and memories too precious to photograph. Perspective. So much perspective!

Travel affords us incredible opportunity to explore, connect, expand, open our hearts and minds alike. I’m off to the airport shortly, but not without sharing my favorite ways to stay mindful, present and well in travel. Take a read — and I’d love to hear yours!

Ground Yourself. Literally.

Travel of any sort can leave us feeling uprooted and unsteady in the absence of routine, home and predictably; and the root chakra definitely takes the brunt, declaring its presence via digestive issues, homesickness, a feeling of being way up in the ether. As plans allow, get up close and personal with Mother Earth before, during and after travel. Go outside, walk, sit under a tree, lose the shoes, lay on the earth. Close your eyes, take several deep breaths, and envision yourself sourcing grounding energies both from within and from the earth. Repeat as often as needed.

Maximize That Transit Time

Often the getting there, whether road trips, flights, delays, so on, holds a lot of downtime for self-care, even more so when we’re not plugged in. While the thought of a jam-packed airport gate on a recurring delay sounds anything but nurturing, reframe the agony into pure potentiality. Next time you’re en route, pack some herbal teas to sip and soothe your nervous system. If fresh fruit is available, add some to your water bottle. Go all in on skin treatments, especially if flying (I’m forever applying eye cream and rosewater mist in-flight). If self care is an indulgent read, favorite playlist or podcast you’ve already started three times, give yourself permission to mindfully indulge, relax and care for yourself. Don't forget a little simple people watching.

Energize with Movement

Walking, jogging, yoga, jumping jacks -- physical activity of any sort is key during travel and once you’ve arrived. Airplane galley yoga? Done it! Gas station jumping jacks? That too! Hotel bed restorative yoga? Imminent! Moving gives us an energy infusion, ups circulation, fights fatigue and jet lag, sometimes even makes fitness friends. Bonus: it helps us stay connected with our body while so much else is in flux.

Airplane Mode: A State of Mind

Wherever you go, there you are, so be there! Travel keeps us acutely present with senses at volume 10, very little routine or control, and often has us less plugged in than at home. Flirt with the freedom of being — geographically, at least — unreachable, with heightened senses, with spontaneity, with saying YES. If you don’t regularly meditate, experiment with sitting in stillness, eyes closed, for just a few minutes a day. Take note of observations within as well as where you’re exploring, maybe even jot them in a journal as a soulful souvenir.

Create Sacred Space For Yourself

Whether or not you have an altar at home, gathering a few significant objects such as crystals, notes, photos, seashells, maybe even a tea light candle or sage can help keep us grounded, connected, steady and present while away. Allow this space in travel to be sacred, and a visual reminder of your home, heart, and the expansion to be found in seeing the world.

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A Cauliflower, Pomegranate + Pistachio Salad From Ottolenghi’s Simple Cookbook

Chef Yotam Ottolenghi can do no wrong. The Israeli-British chef, restaurant owner, and prolific bestselling cookbook author is a master of making whole, nourishing ingredients sing. His recipes are vibrant, fresh, and complex in flavor and texture -- yet still cozy and familiar-feeling. His latest cookbook, Ottolenghi SIMPLE, showcases his sophisticated style in a stripped down format specifically designed for busy people.

SIMPLE's title is actually an acronym, which breaks down the kind of culinary experience you can expect to find within its pages: S - short on time. I - ingredients: 10 or fewer. M - make ahead. P - pantry lead. L - Lazy day dishes. E - easier than you think.

The recipe we're sharing just below is one of many we've dogeared in the book to make this fall. Crafted almost entirely out of fresh veggies and flavorful herbs, this seasonal dish is healthy but quick to pull together, and 100% crave-worthy. Here's Ottolenghi with notes...

It was a little moment of revelation, I remember, when I first combined roasted cauliflower and raw grated cauliflower in the same dish. So different from one another, but worked so well combined. This is lovely as it is, served as part of a spread or spooned alongside some roast chicken or lamb. Don’t throw away the leaves of the cauliflower here. They’re delicious to eat, roasted and crisp, or grated raw as you would the rest of the cauliflower. If you want to get ahead, roast the cauliflower up to four to six hours in advance. Keep at room temperature and then combine with the remaining ingredients when ready to serve. [olists num=1]

Discover more gorgeously seasonal recipes from Chef Ottolenghi here.

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Jade Roller, Who? We’re All About The Beauty Wand Now – Here’s How To Use It

So, you got yourself a jade roller. And then came the gua sha. Now you can't live without a collection of beauty tools -- and we're right there with you. Here's another pretty piece to add to your hoard: the beauty wand.

We recently snagged a beauty wand at The Detox Market and we've been playing around with it to alleviate tension, mitigate under-eye puffiness, and increase collagen production by stimulating the soft tissue of the face.

A beauty wand can be used in the morning along with your AM skincare routine or on the go for a quick pick-me-up. Here's how to use this white turquoise version to smoothe, depuff and help your skincare products better absorb...

Benefits of A Beauty Wand

Smooth + Circulate| Massaging your skin boosts circulation, increasing the flood of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to your skin. This allows your skin to dispell excess fluid, heal and rejuvenate.

product penetration | The gentle massaging motion of using our beauty wand can help work treatments, such as serums and oils, deeper into the skin. This helps to boost their effectiveness, by making sure they are delivering their ingredients into the skin.

Reduce inflammation | Puffiness can be due to stagnation of lymphatic system. Lymphatic drainage can actually have an effect on acne. So using a tool that helps aid in the expulsion of toxins from the skin can help reduce redness, inflammation, and breakouts. Plus, this calming selfcare ritual can help reduce the need to pick at breakouts, which can cause further inflammation and lead to more blemishes.

How To Use A Beauty Wand

Start at the chin, and wiggle horizontally out to the hairline. Pressure should be light and comfortable on the skin. Move up to the nose, and wiggle from the corner of the nose out towards the ears. Use the small end of the jade roller, and place it in the inner corner of the eye. Wiggle out toward the temples. Place the wand on the eyebrows, and wiggle downwards, ending at the temples. Wiggle from the eyebrows upwards to the hairline, moving across the forehead.

SkinOwl white turquoise beauty wand | Crafted entirely from white turquoise, known for its grounding and calming qualities, this multitasking wand aims to reduce facial tension and puffiness, encourage lymphatic drainage, and stimulate circulation for a rejuvenated appearance. Tip: Keep one on your desk to relieve muscle aches during your workday! CHECK OUT NOW

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The Truth About Saffron: A Doctor Explains The Spice’s Promise To Fight Depression

Loading up on saffron is usually considered a luxury. The brightly-colored culinary spice has long been treasured as a potent ingredient in teas and stews throughout the Middle East — and is notoriously expensive. Now we’re learning that the spice may carry more modern health benefits than we ever imagined. As LA-based integrative doctor, Dr. Habib Sadeghi shares below, "Research has shown that saffron is just as effective as Prozac for treating moderate depression...”

As a first-generation Iranian-America, founder of The Fullest, Nikki Bostick grew up with a generous amount of saffron in childhood meals. Her mother taught her a few traditional uses for the spice such as eating a little saffron rice to reduce bloating, but it wasn’t until she worked with Dr. Sadeghi that she learned of saffron’s potent ability to support mood health.

The Fullest’s just-launched saffron latte harnesses the anti-inflammatory effects of the spice in a base of creamy coconut milk powder and checks off all the wellness boxes: vegan, paleo, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free. Try the new latte mix here, and learn more about the benefits of saffron below...

What You Should Know: Supplementing with saffron can be intimidating for two reasons: the price point (saffron is know for being one of the most expensive spices) and the preparation required to get the full benefits of the spice. It's not necessarily like other herbs and spices that you just add to your bowl of sautéed veggies. When you cook with it, you grind it down and add it to water or ice to make it into a tincture, and use that tincture to add drops of it to your food.

Why You Should Try it: According to LA-based integrative doctor, Dr. Habib Sadeghi: "research has shown that saffron is just as effective as Prozac for treating moderate depression. Best of all, saffron doesn’t come with the usual side effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) like Prozac and other antidepressants that include weight gain, suicide risk, and feeling emotionally muted." How much do we need to take to get the benefits of saffron? "Studies have confirmed saffron’s anti-depressant effect at 20mg and 30mg per day. Adding to saffron’s neurological benefits, a review of 14 different research studies has found it to be as effective as Aricept, the most commonly prescribed drug for Alzheimer’s disease."

Let's Get Together: Saffron can be easily blended into recipes, but our favorite (and most efficient) way to supplement with it is in the form of a daily latte. The Fullest's Saffron Latte features freshly ground saffron paired with a fat (coconut milk powder) for optimal absorption. There are 150mgs of saffron in each serving that act as an instant mood lifter, as well as having impressive long-term effects when used regulaSaderly.

Discover more amazing superfoods and their benefits with our Superfood Spotlight series.

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 another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs. 

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Movement As Medicine: The 7 Best Exercises To Prevent + Alleviate Back Pain

Back pain can be a challenging experience to navigate. At best it makes for an uncomfortable day of cautious movement; at worst it takes us off our feet and leaves us bewildered. Whether you've experienced occasional soreness from sitting at a desk all day or you have a more chronic condition, understanding the root causes of back pain can really transform the way you approach the issue. 

We recently learned all about the connection between back pain, energy stagnation and misalignment in other areas of the body from body whisperer, Lauren Roxburgh -- check it all out here. According to the pro, most people don't realize that the underlying triggers often have to do with a lack of structural support, something that can be addressed with the right kinds of exercise. Read more about that below, but first a note on the right professionals for back pain...

Start With A Pro. If your back pain is really bad, I would say getting some professional help is a great way to start. You're probably going to want to go to a physical therapist. Or, go to someone that does what I do, which is called structural integration. This is a form of Rolfing, which is looking at the human body globally, rather than that one little piece.  Sometimes you only need a few sessions of that and then you can start doing your own version. Become your own body whisperer. Once you have the tune-in and you figure out exactly, "Oh gosh. Okay. So my lower back is hurting because my left arch of my foot is collapsing." If you know that, then you're going to know how to manage that. Make the choice to put yourself, make yourself a priority, and actively reduce that pain rather than numb it.

Sometimes you need professional's help to manage back pain -- acupuncture's a great thing, for example, but when it comes to structural imbalances, it's really important to have a professional look at you. You can even do a consultation virtually. Go to someone that you really trust, that's referred to you, and then get it looked at and then you'll have all these resources. That's why I created all of my tools,  books, and videos. Because people now are healing themselves, which is so phenomenal.

While beginning the process of decoding and relieving back pain might require some guidance from a pro, focusing on a few specific exercises for back pain like the ones below can help build stability, and strength for relief now and later down the line. Here's what Lauren recommends...

Roll Out Your Feet + Legs. There's often a direct connection between pack pain and the feet. I love to use an infinity roller to massage tension out of the feet. That's a really great tool for rebalancing all three of the arches of the feet. When you're rolling out your feet, keep going up towards your shins. It seems weird, but the shins can have a huge impact on the lower back, so rolling the shins out is phenomenal.

Support Your Sides. Building three-dimensional core strength is really helpful for lower back stuff, but you want to make sure you're not just gripping the pelvic floor so tight the whole time. Work on strengthening the sideline of the body by doing side plants. It's also helpful to do lateral movements, side-to-side, to really gett the hips to extension, stretching the inner thighs to allow the sides of your core to do the real work.

Lengthen The Pelvic Floor. We want to be able to create 'eccentric' lengths in the pelvic floor. What does that mean? Picture your bicep muscle if you are going to fully extend your arm. That's called eccentric length. When you fully bend and bring your knuckles back, like you were doing a bicep curl, that's called concentric. So, you have concentric, which is squeezing the muscle very tight. Then you have eccentric which is lengthening -- and we all want that. We need that length because the length is what decompresses the joints and that's what keeps us vital, and simple, and flexible. It looks amazing, too. It's aesthetically pleasing but it's also very functional to have the ability to do both.

Deep Squats. Again, with the pelvic floor, we want to be able to fully eccentrically elongate the pelvic floor. The way you do that is by doing deep squats where you're coming all the way down. Picture, Japan -- like, in Okinawa, people live longest in the world and they're all like in the garden until they're like 120; squatting down in the earth. That's actually what we should be doing and we're not, we just don't ever get down there. We really should because it's really good for our hips, pelvic floor, and our gut.

Do The Twist. Lateral movement is really good for back pain, Think of the body three-dimensionally going upside down, twisting. Twisting is so amazing for the body. Doing side bends, and just working the body in all the different planes of movement is where the magic happens.

Go Upside Down. I love inversions. I think they are phenomenal. And I'm not talking about doing a crazy inversion as they do in yoga. My version of an inversion is to put the big foam roller under your lower back, bring your knees up and then rock your knees side to side, massaging the sacrum and lower back. That's a phenomenal thing to do for lower back stuff. When you're inverted, you're decompressing the joints and the vertebrae of your spine, or the disks, and then you're allowing your body to kind of rebalance where the musculature structure should hold you up and also kind of lift the organs up as well. You allow your body to take the pressure that it has had on it all day from sitting too much.

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 another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs. 

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Embrace The Beauty Of Imperfection With The Japanese Art Of Kintsugi

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing pottery by mending the broken areas with gold, silver, or platinum - leaving the restoration clearly visible to others. In both a literal and philosophical sense, Kintsugi is about embracing breakage and the process of repair. It creates wholeness by highlighting that which binds the broken pieces, rather than treating that damage as something to hide.

We can learn a beautiful lesson from this concept; what happens when we stop striving for perfection and let our brokenness show? What if we stop trying to conceal our repairs, and instead see that 'damage' as proof of our resilience and strength. We become more whole and more capable of transformation.

Use these pretty kintsugi and kintsugi-inspired pieces below to remind yourself of the philosophy daily and learn more about the beautiful Japanese principle with these books all about the concept...

BERNARDAUD Kintsugi Porcelain Teacup | This pretty porcelain teacup features a goldtone design inspired by the centuries-old Japanese art that showcases imperfections in broken pottery. Learn about the art of tea ceremonies and feature this cup in your next one.  CHECK OUT

KINTSUGI WELLNESS BY CANDICE KUMAI | In this wellness guide, long-time TCM contributor and blogger babe, Candice Kumai, shares her favorite Japanese traditions and practices for cultivating inner strength and living a gracious life. it's loaded with insights and dozens of recipes for healthy, Japanese-inspired cuisine. CHECK OUT

Ceramic Bowl | This handmade bowl is one-of-a-kind and just the right size for overnight oats, noodles, or just a pile of seasonal veggies. CHECK OUT

Kintsugi by tomas naravvo | Learn how to embrace the adversity in your life, heal your wounds, and build a more resilient you in Céline Santini’s self-care book inspired by the ancient Japanese art of kintsugi. CHECK OUT

CB2 MEND METALLIC BLACK SERVING BOWL | Black serving bowl design embraces the philosophy of treating cracks and repairs as part of the history of an object, rather than something to hide. Handpainted and glazed, each will be unique. CHECK OUT

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Living Well, Wherever: On the Road with Country Star Carly Pearce

Country music star, Carly Pearce, has been on the road touring since she was barely double-digits. She's climbed the ranks -- and the charts -- with hard work and humility and is now one of the top female vocalists on the country music scene.

Carly has developed a deep love of wellness to offset the balance-blasting effects of being constantly on the go. From regular Skype sessions with celebrity trainer Erin O'Prea (whose clients include Carrie Underwood and Kelsea Ballerini) to strategic road snacks, here are a few tricks we learned from Carly that she uses to live well, wherever...

Carve out run time | Always get a good run in—it’s the easiest workout to do on the road. You don’t need anything but yourself, a pair of running shoes and some good music. Running is also my therapy. It gives me time to myself to clear my head and regroup when in the midst of a busy tour season. I use the alone time to spark inspiration for new music or song ideas.

Stay in touch with My trainer | Skype or FaceTime workouts with trainer Erin O’Prea have been a lifesaver. Erin is key for my physical health, getting toned and staying in shape on the road. I FaceTime her on the road and/or do the different workouts she’s taught me when I’m home in Nashville. She knows what works for my busy schedule and how to be realistic with the time I have and goals I want to make. She’s amazing!

Make Simple, Easy Recipes | Overnight oats are my go-to. It's an easy recipe and one of my favorites! Great for bringing on the bus, and keeps me nourished and full while on the go.

Stay hydrated | Water is so important for everyone, especially singers. With all the craziness of being on the road with constant travel, it’s easy to forget to drink enough water. I always make sure to drink a glass first thing in the morning and keep the bus stocked on the road—so there’s no excuse.

Plan, plan, plan | If you aren’t intentional with actions—such as meal prepping or being physically active—it likely won’t happen. I plan ahead by meal prepping and getting all of the healthy ingredients I need to cook before I hit the road. I also schedule workouts in the morning before a show. Planning ahead will help you feel refreshed and rejuvenated—and on track— while traveling.

EAT HEALTHY | Don’t underestimate the power of fruits and veggies in order to ensure you are getting all of the vitamins you need to stay alert and energized. In my opinion, nothing beats grilled asparagus!

Bring your own snacks | It can be tempting to stop and buy snacks for your trip, but convenience stores and gas stations don’t usually carry healthy alternatives. Pack your own and save money, time and temptation.

Don't forget to sleep | Getting eight hours of sleep a night is so important, especially because traveling can take a toll on your body. Prioritize sleep so you can be your best self all day long!

Check in on emotions | Mental health is just as important as physical health, so keep a travel journal along with a good book and enjoy time to yourself when you travel.

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Glutathione 101: Everything You Should Know About The Mother of All Antioxidants

Have you heard of glutathione? This potent antioxidant is something our bodies naturally produce to support our immunity, but our lifestyle, stress levels, medications, and age can all deplete our glutathione levels leaving us vulnerable to everything it exists to protect. Functional medicine expert, Dr. Mark Hyman, is diving into the uses and benefits of glutathione, and how to boost levels naturally, based on science and some incredible first-hand observations...

It's the most important molecule you need to stay healthy and prevent disease — yet you’ve probably never heard of it. It’s the secret to prevent aging, cancer, heart disease, dementia and more, and necessary to treat everything from autism to Alzheimer’s disease. There are more than 89,000 medical articles about it — but your doctor doesn’t know how address the epidemic deficiency of this critical life-giving molecule.

What is it? I’m talking about the mother of all antioxidants, the master detoxifier and maestro of the immune system: GLUTATHIONE (pronounced “gloota-thigh-own”).

The good news is that your body produces its own glutathione. The bad news is that poor diet, pollution, toxins, medications, stress, trauma, aging, infections and radiation all deplete your glutathione. This leaves you susceptible to unrestrained cell disintegration from oxidative stress, free radicals, infections and disease. And your liver gets overloaded and damaged, making it unable to do its job of detoxification.

In treating chronically ill patients with Functional Medicine for more than 10 years, I have discovered that glutathione deficiency is found in nearly all very ill patients. These include people with chronic fatigue syndrome, heart disease, cancer, chronic infections, autoimmune disease, diabetes, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, asthma, kidney problems, liver disease and more. At first, I thought that this was just a coincidental finding, but over the years I have come to realize that our ability to produce and maintain a high level of glutathione is critical to recovery from nearly all chronic illness — and to preventing disease and maintaining optimal health and performance. The authors of those 76,000 medical articles on glutathione I mentioned earlier have found the same thing!

What is Glutathione?

Glutathione is a very simple molecule that is produced naturally all the time in your body. It is a combination of three simple building blocks of protein or amino acids — cysteine, glycine and glutamine.

The secret of its power is the sulfur (SH) chemical groups it contains. Sulfur is a sticky, smelly molecule. It acts like flypaper and all the bad things in the body stick onto it, including free radicals and toxins like mercury and other heavy metals.

Normally glutathione is recycled in the body — except when the toxic load becomes too great. And that explains why we are in such trouble …

In my practice, I test the genes involved in glutathione metabolism. These are the genes involved in producing enzymes that allow the body to create and recycle glutathione in the body. These genes have many names, such as GSTM1, GSTP1 and more.

These genes impaired in some people for a variety of important reasons. We humans evolved in a time before the 80,000 toxic industrial chemicals found in our environment today were introduced into our world, before electromagnetic radiation was everywhere and before we polluted our skies, lakes, rivers, oceans and teeth with mercury and lead.That is why most people survived with the basic version of the genetic detoxification software encoded in our DNA, which is mediocre at ridding the body of toxins. At the time humans evolved we just didn’t need more. Who knew we would be poisoning ourselves and eating a processed, nutrient-depleted diet thousands of years later?

Because most of us didn’t require additional detoxification software, almost of half of the population now has a limited capacity to get rid of toxins. These people are missing GSTM1 function — one of the most important genes needed in the process of creating and recycling glutathione in the body.

Nearly all my very sick patients are missing this function. The one-third of our population that suffers from chronic disease is missing this essential gene. That includes me. Twenty years ago I became mercury poisoned and suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome due to this very problem. My GSTM1 function was inadequate and I didn’t produce enough glutathione as a result. Eventually, my body broke down and I became extremely ill …

This is the same problem I see in so many of my patients. They are missing this critical gene and they descend into disease as a result. Let me explain how this happens...

On Glutathione + Chronic Illness Prevention

Glutathione is critical for one simple reason: It recycles antioxidants. You see, dealing with free radicals is like handing off a hot potato. They get passed around from vitamin C to vitamin E to lipoic acid and then finally to glutathione which cools off the free radicals and recycles other antioxidants. After this happens, the body can “reduce” or regenerate another protective glutathione molecule and we are back in business.

However, problems occur when we are overwhelmed with too much oxidative stress or too many toxins. Then the glutathione becomes depleted and we can no longer protect ourselves against free radicals, infections, or cancer and we can’t get rid of toxins. This leads to further sickness and soon we are in the downward spiral of chronic illness.

Glutathione is also critical in helping your immune system do its job of fighting infections and preventing cancer. That’s why studies show that it can help in the treatment of AIDS.(i)

Glutathione is also the most critical and integral part of your detoxification system. All the toxins stick onto glutathione, which then carries them into the bile and the stool — and out of your body.

And lastly, it also helps us reach peak mental and physical function. Research has shown that raised glutathione levels decrease muscle damage, reduce recovery time, increase strength and endurance and shift metabolism from fat production to muscle development.

If you are sick or old or are just not in peak shape, you likely have glutathione deficiency. In fact, the top British medical journal, the Lancet, found the highest glutathione levels in healthy young people, lower levels in healthy elderly, lower still in sick elderly and the lowest of all in the hospitalized elderly.

Keeping yourself healthy, boosting your performance, preventing disease and aging well depends on keeping your glutathione levels high. It is critical for immune function and controlling inflammation. It is the master detoxifier and the body’s main antioxidant, protecting our cells and making our energy metabolism run well.

How To Optimize Your Glutathione Levels

The good news is that you can do many things to increase this natural and critical molecule in your body. You can eat glutathione-boosting foods. You can exercise. And you can take glutathione-boosting supplements. Let’s review more specifics about each. These tips will help you improve your glutathione levels, improve your health, optimize your performance and live a long, healthy life...

Eat Foods that Support Glutathione Production.

Consume sulfur-rich foods. The main ones in the diet are garlic, onions and the cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage, cauliflower, watercress, etc.).

 Try bioactive whey protein. This is a great source of cysteine and the amino acid building blocks for glutathione synthesis.I am not a big fan of dairy, ut this is an exception — with a few warnings. The whey protein MUST be bioactive and made from non-denatured proteins (“denaturing” refers to the breakdown of the normal protein structure). Choose non-pasteurized and non-industrially produced milk that contains no pesticides, hormones, or antibiotics. Immunocal is a prescription bioactive non-denatured whey protein that is even listed in the Physician’s Desk Reference.

Exercise for Your Way to More Glutathione.

Exercise boosts your glutathione levels and thereby helps boost your immune system, improve detoxification and enhance your body’s own antioxidant defenses. Start slow and build up to 30 minutes a day of vigorous aerobic exercise like walking or jogging, or play various sports. Strength training for 20 minutes 3 times a week is also helpful.

Take Glutathione Supporting Supplements.

One would think it would be easy just to take glutathione as a pill, but the body digests protein — so you wouldn’t get the benefits if you did it this way. However, the production and recycling of glutathione in the body requires many different nutrients and you CAN take these. Here are the main supplements that need to be taken consistently to boost glutathione. Besides taking a multivitamin and fish oil, supporting my glutathione levels with these supplements is the most important thing I do every day for my personal health.

N-acetyl-cysteine. This has been used for years to help treat asthma and lung disease and to treat people with life-threatening liver failure from Tylenol overdose. In fact, I first learned about it in medical school while working in the emergency room. It is even given to prevent kidney damage from dyes used during x-ray studies. CHECK OUT

Alpha lipoic acid. This is a close second to glutathione in importance in our cells and is involved in energy production, blood sugar control, brain health and detoxification. The body usually makes it, but given all the stresses we are under, we often become depleted. CHECK OUT

Methylation nutrients (folate and vitamins B6 and B12). These are perhaps the most critical to keep the body producing glutathione. Methylation and the production and recycling of glutathione are the two most important biochemical functions in your body. Take folate (especially in the active form of 5 methyltetrahydrofolate), B6 (in active form of P5P) and B12 (in the active form of methylcobalamin).

Selenium. This important mineral helps the body recycle and produce more glutathione. CHECK OUT

Antioxidants including vitamins C and E (in the form of mixed tocopherols), work together to recycle glutathione. CHECK OUT

Milk thistle (silymarin) has long been used in liver disease and helps boost glutathione levels. CHECK OUT

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 another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs. 

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Take Care of You: A Powerful Routine To Deal With Heavy Emotions

When we feel weighed down by heavy emotions, it's tempting to want to pack them away and never look back. The idea of nurturing negative thoughts might sound counterintuitive, but giving them the attention they're calling for is key to emotional health.

According to "Joyologist" Tricia Huffman, paying (the right kind of) attention to your most uncomfortable feelings is essential to developing a more positive outlook. Here's why learning how to understand and label negative thoughts properly can help us find our way back to joy.

Try these reflective journaling exercises to get started...

As someone who has built a career as a joyologist, you would think I would be all rainbows and sunshine, right? Yes, I did feel pressure to always be full of joy, happiness and see the positive, especially when first starting out in this transformational work. But, here's what I realized very quickly: Forcing myself to only see the positive and not allow myself any negative thinking was limiting my potential for true joy. I was merely burying my real thoughts and emotions, which left me feeling heavy, confused and looking outward for answers.

When I first learned to acknowledge my negative thoughts, I used an exercise called the Morning Pages. It's a type of journaling that Julia Cameron suggests in her book The Artist's Way.

This form of journaling is incredibly therapeutic — you write down everything jumping around in your mind, heart and soul onto the page, all beautifully jumbled together. This is where I was faced with the truth: I do have negative thoughts. Initially, I was shocked and horrified, telling myself — as a joyologist, especially — I was not allowed to have doubts, fears or feel envy. But, I learned that I had to pay attention to this internal dialogue.

Those difficult and heavy thoughts and feelings were real and trying to ignore them, shake them off or too quickly shift their nature wouldn’t make them go away. So I started to let them out. I gave my negative thoughts and feelings my attention and offered myself compassion. Only then was I able to truly hear myself, to fully show up, love and support myself.

On Labeling Negative Thoughts + Dealing with Hard Feelings

In the years since this major “a-ha” and act of self-love, I created an easy check-in routine to keep myself connected to how I am feeling. This helps me move through the ickiness, truly be present and live in joy. Here is the method I use, and the questions I ask myself, to help label negative thoughts and process through those tough moments:

What am I feeling?
I name the emotions that have me feeling off, heavy and/or funky.

+ I am feeling confused.
+ I am feeling guilty.
+ I am feeling like I am not enough.
+ I am feeling like no one cares about me.

Why I am I feeling this way?
I try to track personal experiences to see what could have triggered these feelings. Here are a few examples from my life:

+ I am confused about what we talked about in a recent podcast recording and I'm wondering if it will resonate and how my guest feels.
+ I am feeling like I didn't do enough last week and that I am not putting time into the things I really want to do because they are scary/hard/will take up so much time.
+ I didn’t hear back from a text message I sent to a friend.

Is this true? 
Too often we read too much into things or make things up in our minds. Do a reality check with yourself: do you find yourself putting a spin on a situation or a non-situation?

What can I do to feel differently?

+ Go outside, take a deep breath, call a friend for support.
+ Reach out to a friend to see how she feels, thank her for spending time/energy with me.
+ Take the time to name and prioritize wants.
+ Reach out to a friend I haven't heard from in a while to send love her way.

What do I want to believe + How do I want to feel?
I don’t want to feel confused, guilty, like I am not enough, and I am guessing you don’t want to feel these hard emotions — the ones we often try to push away — either. By naming difficult emotions, you make the space to move through them. Then, even more powerfully, you can choose to move into what you do want to believe and feel.

+ I want to believe everything we talked about was perfect and is going to really resonate with people.
+ I want to believe that I am making a difference in people’s lives regardless of what I did — and did not — accomplish in any given timeframe.
+ I want to feel that I am supported, loved, enough as I am.

Use Personal Affirmations To Reframe Negative Emotions

After I label negative thoughts and focus my awareness on what I am feeling to discover the why behind them, I turn to my feelings.

How do I want to feel? What do I want to believe? I turn these thoughts into a powerful affirmation to support me, and to help calm negative thoughts that may otherwise make me question everything, analyze what was said and done, and worry about the future.

I am a big believer in affirmations; I believe they are the most powerful when you use them to reframe negative thoughts. Affirmations are most effective when using words and language that actually speak to and excite you.

Try this mantra, repeating it to remind you of what you know to be true, deep down:

Everything is happening right on time. 
I am a badass.
My worth is not dependent on what I do or do not get done today.
I trust the timing of my life.
I am enough, I am loved, I am supported.

I know tapping into those uncomfortable thoughts and feelings is challenging, but it is worth it. You are worth it. Your joy is worth it. By tapping into the truth of what you are feeling, you are giving yourself the power to move through it, heal it and transform it.

Remember that you are not alone. Allowing myself to feel these emotions gave me a greater sense of compassion for myself, but it also gave me a greater sense of compassion for all of us who are moving through life. Many of us are fighting so many heavy thoughts, emotions and feelings. Instead of fighting the heaviness, hold its hand, ask it questions, allow it to open you up, and make space for what it is you want to think and feel.

For additional help, I created an affirmation deck and app for daily support and awareness. It's full of powerful thoughts to help you check in with your feelings, offering affirmations to support you in transforming your thoughts to acknowledge the truly awesome person you are.

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An Impressive Gua Sha Tutorial That’ll Make Your Lips Look Fuller Fast

To fill or not to fill? Cosmetic lip injections have reached a whole new level of popularity lately and, while our fear of duck lips is very real, many doctors have figured out ways to keep thing subtle. That said, most of us aren’t willing to take the risk of over-doing it or getting those weird lip shapes from a poor procedure — or maybe we just can’t imagine coughing up the dough for something so vain. Regardless, this lip-plumping gausha tutorial fits the bill for those of us who aren’t in to fillers, but still want fuller lips.

We recently met the three female founders behind new skincare brand, Wildling, whose signature ribbed gua sha is a must-have for any hands-on beauty nerd. These skin-savvy ladies have been sharing their gua sha secrets with us, including this effortless gua sha tutorial specifically designed to plump the lips. If you’re new to gua sha, this method is a great place to start; the results are instant and impressive. Your lips will look fuller right away and your lipstick will apply flawlessly...

A Gua Sha Ritual For Fuller Lips

Gather The Goods. Your skin should be nice and slick before you begin. Spritz your face with your fave facial mist, then follow up with a generous layer of facial oil. Grab your gua sha and get to work. Wildling's Empress Stone gua sha is designed to massage any active ingredients into the skin more deeply than hands alone could.

Define Edges. Use the U edge of the gua sha tool to sculpt and define the edges of the lips—the mouth is made of intricate muscles so massaging this area increases circulation and decreases tension caused by facial expressions.

Comb Out Lines. To erase fine lines around the lips, use the comb edge of the tool with gentle pressure horizontally across any lines. Imagine the comb edge is an eraser and you're gently breaking up the wrinkle.

Bring In Blood flow. Continue using the comb edge over the lips to increase blood flow and plump—you'll be able to feel the tingle. More pressure isn't better, this is a gentle move!

Address The full face. You're sure to see the best results when you use your gua sha on the entire face to open up the flow of energy in your entire body.

Shop Wildling's signature Empress Stone gua sha and other powerful products for the ultimate gua sha routine.

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9 Modern Cookbooks That’ll Feed Your Imagination (+ All Your Friends)

The modern cookbook is so much more than just a catalog of recipes. It's art, it's entertainment; it offers endless inspiration to feed your eyes, your mind and all of your closest friends.

We're nerds for a well-designed cookbook and have even been known to keep a stack of stunners on our nightstand. As it turns out, Kerrilynn Pamer, founder of CAP Beauty, can relate. She recently shared a stack of her fave healthy, modern cookbooks on Instagram and we can vouch for each of her delicious picks.

Whether you're a farmers market junkie looking for a reason to stroll through this weekend, or you're simply sauntering through a dinner party daydream, you'll find something to love in these modern cookbooks...

This Is A Good Guide | A guide to move you towards a more sustainable lifestyle that is a fun read and impactful. This book would be a welcome addition to many homes. CHECK OUT

Vegetables Unleashed | A big bold take on vegetables from a Spanish carnivore. Inventive and thoughtful, Jose encourages even the biggest meat lovers to consider the vegetable. CHECK OUT

Sweet | He can do no wrong in my book (and many others). Now he’s turned his brilliance to sweets and we’re all the luckier for it. TCM Editor Note: snag a few recipes we love from the iconic author’s cookbook. CHECK OUT

Ruffage | A new take on the vegetable kingdom. Unique, approachable and inspiring, this makes me want to get to the farmer’s market right away. TCM Editor Note: be sure to check out our recent interview with the author of this veggie bible. CHECK OUT

Pizza Camp | Having celiac doesn’t allow for pizza out, but I can make it at home. And with inspiration like this, I’m happy to. CHECK OUT

Piatti | Italian beauty and imagery abound in this gorgeous book. Planning my next dinner party centered around it. CHECK OUT

Notes From the Larder | I’ve been devouring Nigel’s writing for years so this was a welcome discovery. On the nightstand. CHECK OUT

The Kitchen | Vegetarian recipes from an artist’s studio kitchen is a fun way to get a glimpse into the inner workings of a creative. CHECK OUT

Veggie Burger Atelier | Always looking for a way to uplevel the burger, this book is a natural addition to my bookshelf. CHECK OUT

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Make These Elderberry Gummy Bears To Boost Your Immunity

We're all for garlic tonics and ginger shots, but this fall we'll be amping up our immunity in a sweeter way. The healthy foodie editors behind Public Lives Secret Recipes crafted these cute cold-fighting gummy bears using minimal ingredients: honey, gelatin and Pressed Juicery's perfectly spiced elderberry shots - an actual immunity game-changer! Make these gummy bears to boost your immunity all season...

We’re firm believers in the old saying, let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food. That’s why we aim for a majority plant-based diet. But, we’re also firm believers in the 80/20 rule: Eat clean 80% of the time, then really enjoy yourself the other 20%.

To be able to create a recipe that will not only boost your immunity (following the first rule), but also allows us to enjoy ourselves (following the second), we knew this quick, simple recipe was a winner. We use Pressed Juicery’s Elderberry Shots, but any simple elderberry syrup will work if you don’t have a Pressed Juicery near you. With just three clean ingredients and taking only about ten minutes to prepare, you can make these gummy bear alternatives that are delicious and loaded with antioxidants!

[olists num=1]
Love this recipe from PLSR? Grab another genius recipe here (hint: it has everything to do with our fave Trader Joe's staple).

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Put Down The Banana: Swap In Zucchini For Creamy, Low-Sugar Smoothies

You know that meme that pokes fun at how cauliflower can replace everything in your diet (and your life)? The same may be true about zucchini after scooping up this smoothie tip from holistic nutritionist and founder of Nutrition Stripped, McKel Kooienga. We're big fans of zucchini roasted, sauteed, in noodle form, and even as a pizza crust. But how do we feel about it as a smoothie addition?

We loved this suggestion from McKell's gorgeous Instagram feed to boost fiber and decrease sugar by swapping in zucchini for a creamy smoothie texture. Here's what you should know....

Why Add Zucchini To Your Smoothie (But Really)

According to McKell, "instead of frozen bananas in smoothies, try frozen chopped zucchini -- it'll boost the fiber and decrease the sugar without giving up the creamy smoothie texture."

"Sugar and carbohydrates from whole foods aren’t “bad” (we have several articles detailing the important role of carbohydrates in our diet), but with smoothies and juices, it’s almost too EASY to squeeze in extra fruit such as bananas which are really common to give smoothies a sweet flavor so being mindful is key! You can also use half banana plus half a low sugar option to retain the flavor, possibilities are endless. The sugar content regardless if it’s from fruit or not, can easily climb up to 50 g of sugar in some smoothies online or at a local smoothie shop. For some people and scenarios that may work really well for their body, but for some, it may be too much at one serving without properly balancing it with protein, fiber, vegetables (like greens), and healthy fats. Try out this substitution in your morning smoothie.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
"Zucchinis have a very neutral taste, add fiber, give smoothies a great creamy texture, and they are super easy to freeze (meaning less prep in the morning, woohoo!). Simply chop raw zucchini (1-2 large) into chunks, put them in a freezer-safe bag, and freeze. Zucchinis also add nutrients like potassium, manganese, vitamin C, and vitamin A. Head to the link in bio to read 9 more ingredients you can use in smoothies to make them lower in sugar, and articles about the role of carbohydrates in our diet and tag a friend who might want to learn this!"

How To Make A Zucchini Smoothie

Smoothies offer an excellent opportunity to sneak in an extra serving of veggies. Spinach and kale make regular appearances in our morning concoctions, blending seamlessly in with a rich chocolate protein powder. We've even warmed up to the idea of adding cauliflower for an extra boost of fiber. But, zucchini? With health perks like the ones listed above, we're feeling pretty good about it.

Want to try the trend yourself? Here are a few functional smoothie recipes that are easy to integrate zucchini into simply by swapping out the banana and adding an equal quantity of veg...

Zucchini Berry Smoothie | This nutrient-rich smoothie from Cameron Diaz's wellness site, Our Body Book, comes loaded with zucchini and cauliflower. Swap out some of the banana for an even healthier version. READ MORE

Birthday Cake Smoothie | Loaded with protein and celebratory vibes, this birthday cake smoothie is deceptively healthy. Working in some zucchini in place of banana is a seamless swap. READ MORE

Flat Belly Smoothie | This tropical blend includes digestion-enhancing ingredients like papaya and raw ginger. Swap out the frozen banana to reduce sugar. READ MORE

Jet Lag Smoothie | This fermented smoothie features ingredients that help get gut health and hormone levels back to balance after a long trip. The banana adds magnesium to enhance relaxation but can be replaced with zucchini for a version that plays nice with your blood sugar. READ MORE

Thirsty for more wellness inspo? Check out dozens of our favorite superfood smoothie recipes here.

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Lauren Roxburgh On The Causes Of Back Pain No One talks About

Lauren Roxburgh is the body whisperer. Specializing in a form of bodywork that focuses on fascia, Lauren's signature techniques are used by everyone from LeBron to Gwyneth to reduce pain and optimize energy flow. We’ve been fans of Lauren’s incredible mind-body work, books and products since day one, and she's become our go-to resource for decoding and dealing with pain.

Back pain is a topic Lauren knows about on a deep level, and it's something many of us deal with as part of modern life. While most people instinctively treat back pain where they're feeling it, the actual cause can be anything from pelvic floor misalignment to stagnant emotional energy. We interviewed Lauren to explore everything from the root causes to surprising connections...

The Chalkboard Mag: Based on your experience working with clients, what are the primary root causes of most back pain?

Lauren Roxburgh: Back pain is very common, and the root cause can vary. You could have an injury, a physical imbalance or emotional energy that's stuck down there. The way I see it in my practice is the lower back — the sacrum, the hip, the pelvic floor, even the gut — is all connected.

When we sit too much, excess energy tends to collect at the base of the spine, at our root chakra. This energetic point relates to survival, primal instincts, family, money, structure, security. All of those things live in that part of our body. It's full of a lot of emotions and lots of energy, and it can actually cause physical tension if it's not released.

From a structural standpoint, there are a lot of things that intersect. The legs are connecting to the femur bones, which are connecting to the hip joints, and that's connected to the lower body and then the upper body. Wherever you have a lot of different muscles and tendons and joints connecting there's more susceptibility to congestion, compression, and pain.

TCM: A lot of your work focuses on correcting pelvic floor dysfunction. What's the connection between back pain + the pelvic floor?

LR: Back pain is directly connected to the pelvic floor and to how your pelvis is either anterior tilted, or posterior tilted, or it even has a pelvic torsion, which means that one side of your pelvis is going to be anteriorly tilted, the other side is going to be posterior tilted. I see a lot of this in my practice. It's a very common thing—maybe from sitting too much, carrying a bag dominantly on one side, even the way we sit in our car, at our desk, on an airplane, etc. That's why I always say, align your body, align your life. When you can find that alignment in the physical structure, then the pain starts going away because the torque starts vanishing. All of a sudden, you have more energy and more connection to what your true desires are.

Back pain has a lot to do with emotion, structural alignment, strengths, weakness. And that's why I wrote my book, The Power Source, which is all about the pelvic floor, the base of the core, the home of the root chakra. I've seen how pelvic floor work can release the lower back and rebalance the alignment of the hips. This can be done with proper breathing techniques, bodywork, and foam rolling as well.

TCM: What are some indicators that pain is related to emotional stagnation + how does that energy connect to our physical experience?

LR: If we have pain in the body, essentially it's an area that's susceptible to either an injury or energetic clogging. If there's an energetic blockage, you might feel anxiety or a heaviness. Even bloating could be an indicator of the body reacting to stagnant energy. I would say, even people that have layers and layers of fascia or scar tissue might have an energetic issue as well.

A build-up of tissue can actually mean you have stress or toxins stuck in your body, and stuck emotions.

Having excess fat is also linked to emotional blockage, because — if you think about it — fat is just another form of stored energy. It's thick, hard and dense. The meridians can't flow as well through that stagnant energy, and the chi in the lymphatic system is also blocked.

The nerves live in the fascia, and they get compressed when you have scar tissue that's bundled up like a brittle, thick, dense internal cast. If that's there, then your body's not getting proper circulation or blood flow, it's not getting lymphatic flow. Your immune system is lowered. You may have pain, you may feel sluggish, you may feel heavy, you may not have as much energy, and your body becomes more vulnerable to injury and pain.

I love bringing science and spirituality together in my practice because they do overlay each other similar to the layers of the human body and human energy. It's fascinating.

TCM: What are some simple techniques we can use to clear stagnant energy + help reduce back pain?

LR: SALT + SAGE. I love using salts. They've been used for centuries to clear energy. You can take a bath with salt. You can even sprinkle salts around your house. Or you can try burning sage, Palo Santo, or even using crystals—all these are a great way to cleanse.

Water. Water is another amazing way to cleanse. Even just washing your head in the shower and having the water flow down over your face in your head, is a very cleansing thing. Go in the ocean, into saltwater.

Earthing. Do some earthing. It's a phenomenal way to clear energy you don't really want to have. If you're traveling and you need to practice grounding to get into those circadian rhythms of the earth wherever you are, it's a really good thing to do. Walking barefoot on the earth can be very cleansing and healing as well—you're picking up electromagnetic energy from the earth to rebalance.

Sleep In. Sleep is another great one to clear energy. Getting into deep REM sleep is a great thing to help you clear blocked energy, or to reboot your energy, and give you vitality and rejuvenation.

Unplug. Also, getting off of technology, unplugging or putting your devices on airplane mode so you're not absorbing negative energy from cellphones, which I'm sure we'll find out later, in about 20 years. It's so terrible for us, you know?

Dry Brush. I think dry brushing an amazing way to clear energy as well. Learn how to do it here.

Get Moving. Obviously, I think foam rolling is also a way of clearing energies, moving away those layers of just stiffness, density and things we pick up. I love rebounding—bouncing on a little trampoline is a phenomenal way to clear energy, flush your lymph and also to get the body's serotonin and oxytocin boosted and rolling. Any kind of workout helps—I call it movement medicine. Any kind of movement can boost serotonin and oxytocin and then help you clear any negative emotions that are stuck in the body.

TCM: If back pain doesn't always originate in the back itself, what can we do to help decode the actual cause?

LR: Wherever the pain is occurring isn't necessarily the root of the issue. The body is interconnected and when one thing is out of alignment, it can trigger a reaction elsewhere. Let's say we see a knot in your right shoulder blade. This could be coming from you not standing equally through both feet. It could be coming from the left arch of your foot. It could be coming from your left side of your lower back. The body also does these amazing things where it crosses over (fascia will literally cross over and around each other). Sometimes, if it's something on the right side, the dysfunction could actually be on the left side of your body or vice versa.

To decode the actual source of pain, not just the percieved source of pain, look at the body and energy more globally, rather than locally.

I think that's what a lot of traditional doctors and physical therapists do—they will just look at that area and say, Oh let's fix that area instead of looking at the body as a whole and saying, You know what? If your lower back is out then we've got to look at your feet. In your feet, there are three arches. There's the lateral arch on the outside, the medial arch on the inside, and the transverse arch, which goes over all of your toe tendon, or under your foot, under your toes. With your arches, if you're pronating—which is when you cave into your inner arches—your medial arches are like someone you'd see that is knock-kneed. Misalignment can create a lot of tension in the pelvic floor and with lower back pain.

TCM: What are some common ways our bodies become be misaligned + how can we identify these problem areas?

LR: Weight Distribution. Weight-bearing too much in your toes can create issues on the lower back. If you're weight-bearing too much in your heels, this can also create tension in your hip flexors. We take about 10,000 steps a day without doing any cardio. This is just going about your normal day. Every step we take is an opportunity to either be dysfunctional or functional. The feet are something I always go to first and look immediately if someone has lower back stuff. Because if you think about it, your feet are the thing touching the earth and that's your foundation.

Leg Alignment. Start by looking at the feet, at the inner legs, at the medial line, which is a line that comes up from your inner arch through your inner ankle, through your inner calf (basically inner knee, inner thigh). And then also the lateral line, which is the outer sideline. If you are wearing leggings, you'd see the seam on the outside of your legs and the inside, those are the two lines I would look at to make sure they have alignment and they also have joints, that your joints are stacked up, one on top of the other and in an organized fashion. This will help with posture and pelvic alignment, and the lower back stuff, too.

Habitual Movement. Body mechanics are really important when dealing with the lower back. Sometimes you're always hinging from your lower back. You're putting a lot of pressure on your joints. This is what I always teach: When you bend down, step one foot forward into a deep lunge. Or do a deep, really deep, squat where your pelvic floor is opening instead of hinging from your hips because that loads the joints of your spine.

Core Condition. It's also important to build core strength, not just superficially, but from the deep—I like to call it—inner core. So that would be strengthening and rebalancing your psoas muscles. Those are the pillars of strength that basically go from underneath your diaphragm, through your core, on the front side of your spine, all the way down into your groin. If your psoas is out of alignment, weak or disconnected, then it can create a lot of lower back pain. It can create a pooched belly. It can also inhibit good digestion. And these get really tight because—in our culture—we're sitting too much.

Posture Problems. If we're talking about where we're going to start when we're looking at lower back stuff, always look at the feet. Also, how are we hunching forward? Is our diaphragm compressed? Is our head forward? Because our head weighs close to 30 pounds. So if the head is forward, it's going to put pressure on the whole spine. So, again, looking at when you asked, when you have pain somewhere, you have to look at the body globally rather than just focusing on one little spot. Because, essentially, we're a living tapestry of tissues, bones, muscles, skin. We need to really nourish on every level.

Learn more about Lauren's holistic approach to pain management with her Living Well With interview here!

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A Sourdough Flatbread Recipe To Feed Your Rustic Daydreams – And Your Friends

Recently, we’re learning all about how to make sourdough breads from scratch with the inspiring ladies behind Heritage Gatherings, a team of three women who host education on traditional techniques in stunning natural locations.

This sourdough flatbread recipe creates a soft yet crusty sourdough pizza that can be covered with your fave seasonal toppings; the possibilities are endless and the process is actually way easier than it seems.

Discover the health benefits of sourdough and snag the simple sourdough starter recipe you'll need here.

Sourdough can often be more easily digested by those who have trouble consuming other breads as it involves a slow, natural fermentation process. According to the Heritage founders, "the fermentation process makes it easier to digest by breaking down gluten and providing the good tummy bacteria, a natural probiotic if you will. I love baking with sourdough because of the health benefits and flavor profile."

Whip up a cute little sourdough flatbread or two the next time you're hosting or simply hungry for a new culinary challenge...

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Inside Leighton Meester’s Closet: On Jumpsuits, Personal Style + Sustainability

With all the buzz about the rumored re-launch of Gossip Girl lately, all eyes have been on the original cast. Leighton Meester became an instant style icon as entitlement-chic New Yorker, Blair Waldorf during the seven seasons of the culty teen drama. But recently, Leighton has been collaborating on a whole other kind of fashion project -- and it's just about as far from Manhattan as things get.

Sustainable designer, Christy Dawn has made a name for herself here in LA with her signature prairie dresses -- a look that has redefined daily fashion across the city. Everything in Christy's line is hyper-sustainable. Most dresses are made with 'dead stock' fabrics, which means they're upcycled from vintage pieces.

This summer, Leighton and Christy collaborated on the environmentally friendly "Leighton Jumper"  -- and it sold out almost instantly (shop on the waitlist or see similar styles). All proceeds from the sales of the jumpsuit benefit the Downtown Women's Center, an organization in LA with a mission to empower and assist women in DTLA suffering from homelessness.

To celebrate the timely collab, we asked Leighton to join our In Her Closet series where some of our favorite fashionable women discuss sustainability and personal style-- check out Christy's closet here!

Here's Leighton on her personal style, her favorite sustainable brands and the bag she carries constantly...

Currently wearing: Everything Christy Dawn—dresses, jumpsuits, jackets.

My style in three words: California, feminine, tomboy.

Recent inspirations: 90s forever!

My style icons: Miss Honey from the movie/book Matilda. I thought she had a flattering, sweet style; relaxed, but put-together.

Go-to uniform/signature look: Wide leg slacks, button-up top, Vans.

FavOrite sustainable brands: Christy Dawn, Reformation, Nisolo.

Favorite natural materials: Tinsel and flax.

Something in my closet I'll own forever: High-waisted jeans.

Style trend I'm most excited about: I love seeing more companies become conscious about the environment and how to sustainably and ethically make their product.

Trend I'm excited to see go: I don’t have trendy clothes or follow trends for the most part, but I admire them on other people.

Most essential accessory: My Frye backpack. It used to be my diaper bag and now I carry everything in it -- change of clothes, water bottle, first aid kit.

Look that will never go out of style: Jeans and a t-shirt.

My mission in one sentence: Mainly to raise a kind person and take the time to enjoy it.

Current Mantra: Kindness and compassion—not just currently but always.

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