Hey everyone

I have returned back to myself. Last year I vowed to be a different person. That I would be better to myself and promised to nurture myself holistically. Unfortunately the devil gains hold of you when he sees that you are progressing. That is what happened to me. I had bought raw food and began to follow Queen Afua's book " Sacred Woman". I felt good at the end of the first month and that's when I fell off. I began to stress about college and finances ( I was a senior in high school at the time) and also stressed about my boyfriend who was in his first year of college. There were other issues along with these stresses of getting into school and trying to nurture a long distance relationship. That summer I returned back to eating meat ( chicken and seafood) because I figured that I wouldn't be able to afford the vegetarian diet in school ( moved from New Orleans to New York). I began to feel the side effect.

I remember years ago when I studied aikido that I would always get a little freaked when the sensei would train us to fight more than one person at a time. I hated it. I always wanted to go last, because it was never two-on-one, it was always like FIVE-on-one. He’d laugh as my eyes got big like saucers, but he’d make me do it anyway. The thing he taught me was that as long as you’re standing, you’re never, ever going to fight 5 guys at once. What you will do is fight 5 guys one at a time…repeatedly.

That’s kind of how I look at weight loss. You don’t need to lose 50 pounds.

You need to lose 1 pound….50 times.

Get it?

Think about how much better your day would go if instead of thinking “Oh I can’t eat anything. I have to lose, like, 50 pounds.” you said “I’ll have one cookie. Just one. Because well, all I gotta do this week is lose 1 pound”. Statistics show when it comes to weight loss, slow and steady wins the race. So sit down and think about one thing you could do everyday to lose just ONE pound.

Here’s a list of a few I’ve come up with:
1. Put skim milk or 2% in your coffee instead of whole milk

No. this is not a post about chickens that do yoga.

It’s about me.

And my fear of doing yoga in public.

It’s not a debilitating fear. Its’ more like a strong aversion to having anyone behind me while I’m doing downward facing dog. Outside of martial arts, I’ve always worked out alone…with headphones. I’ve done yoga before, but it’s either been at home alone or in a really big class (think YogaZone). I’m aware of yoga’s myriad of benefits, but I admit that I’ve been slacking off lately in the exercise department. So at the beginning of the week, I made a promise to myself to face my fear and go to a yoga class with my friend Anna. She’s invited me before, but I’ve never gone for the reasons previously mentioned.

Well yesterday I dove into the deep end of the pool folks.

I took a yoga class… in Soho.

Is anyone here interested in changing their appearance?

Peace and prosperity everyone, this blog post is for anyone interested in purchasing an Ardyss Body Magic garment. Its a phenomenon thats allowing men and women to drop hooks on those belt loops whithin actual minutes.

How does it work?
Its a garment created by a team of orthopedic surgeons to lift and sculpt by redistributing body fat from undesirable areas to more desirable areas. It provides tremendous support to the lower back which through my own personal research reveals is a sensitive place in our bodies responsible for supporting the functioning of the entire upper body. This explains why everyone who has purchased a garment from me has reported better breath. Once the garment is purchased and becomes exclusively yours, it functions in a similar way to dental braces, eventually reshaping your undesirable's into highly desirables.

Does it work?
Meaning are women and men actually dropping sizes in minutes? I'll let you see for self.

After suffering with fibroids of varying shapes and sizes and their symptoms for the past 6 or 7 years, (I'll go into detail about fibroids in a future post), I had myomectomy surgery to remove 12 of them and...they came back. My doctor told me that African-American women over 30 who eat a diet high in fat, dairy and meat have a high-risk of developing them.Well, I don't fit that last category, I've been vegetarian and pretty much lactose-intolerant for years. I've read about them, talked to other women about them and every woman who's suffering with them seems to have different symptoms. And there is no cure.

I’m always looking for ways to save money, look good, keep my house clean, and keep my weight down. But I’ve decided to challenge myself by minimizing the use of anything unhealthy in or on my body, or in my house. Even if I have to make it myself.

So I ask the questions...
Isn't it possible to save ourselves AND the planet?
Isn't it possible to have great looking natural hair without chemicals and minimal heat?
Isn't it possible to clean your house without using harmful chemicals or pesticides?
Isn't it possible to to do all of the above on a budget?

The answer is YES! (I've done it).

I am not a doctor, hairdresser or nutritionist. I'm a wife and a homeowner with a full-time job, a crazy cat and not enough hours in the day...who thinks there MUST be a better way.

So I invite you to take this journey with me, to become more healthy, smart and of course...SAVVY!

As I consciously grow and develop myself spiritually one area that I do not want to neglect is my physical body. It can be very easy, especially for someone like me who has no Earth in her natal chart (the earth element corresponds to the physical body and environment as well as the ability to be practical and grounded. I have no planets in the Earth signs, which makes these areas and attributes difficult for me) to neglect my physical health and well-being.

But not only do I want to take care of my body, I want to cultivate my relationship to the earth. I not only want to make good choices for my body but I want to make eating choices that are good for Her body as well.

To read more please visit http://riverofhoney.wordpress.com/.

Intermediate Yoga Flava Winter Warrior 7 class Series

Mondays ~ 4:30pm - 6pm~

Location:
The New Seminary Center For Interfaith Studies
2672 Bway @ 102nd St. 2nd floor,
New York, 10025

Strength and Balance!

Feb. 1 - Warrior Poses

Feb. 8 - Warrior Flow Vinyasa

Feb. 15 - Standing Balancing Poses

Feb. 22 - Arm Balancing Poses

March 1 - Yoga Flava Intermediate Flow

March 8 - Yoga Flava Intermediate Flow

March 15 - Yoga Flava Intermediate Winter Warrior Flow

Investment for commitment to full series: $100.00
Drop in rate per session: $25.00
*Please take advantage of this recession-buster price as we build an ongoing group at our new location.

To reserve your place, please visit http://yogaflava-africancaribbean.blogspot.com/2010/01/winter-warriors-y...

or

email robin@yogaflava.com

Deadline: Please confirm your payment by 3 p.m. the Friday before each class you will be attending. (Ex: payment for the Monday January 11 class will be due by Friday January 8 at 3 p.m.)

Personalize Private Sessions in Private Room within Studio at an agreed upon date and time $50.00 an hour

Begin the New Year with a commitment to a series of Yoga Flava sessions during this winter season. Come out of the cold, warm up your body, mind and spirit with these mindful Monday night melt downs.

Location: The New Seminary Center For Interfaith Studies
Street: 2672 Bway @ 102nd St. 2nd floor, NYC 10025

Monday Nights - 6:30pm - 8:00pmJanuary 11-March 15

January 11 - Introduction to Yoga

January 18 - The Basics of Breathing - Pranayama

January 25 - Seated Postures

February 1 - Standing Postures

February 8 - Hip Openers

February 15 - Sun Salutations

February 22 - Back bends

March 1 - Inversions

March 8 - Yoga Flava Flow

March 15 - Yoga Flava Flow Finale :-)

To reserve your place, please visit http://yogaflava-africancaribbean.blogspot.com/2010/01/beginners-yoga-fl...

or

email robin@yogaflava.com

I am feeling soooo great lately about the New Year ahead! I feel it is going to even more powerful than last year! I just got my Lunar Calendar in the mail today - it has all the moon phases, and signs for 2010. I have ordered one for me and friends every year for some time now. I use it to record my cycle and work with those moon times ceremonies. I think its a valuable tool - so much so I am giving away 7 on my blogspot at www.SistahGoddess.blogspot.com

I plan to feature more moon cycle wisdom on the site and these calendars will prove to be a great tool as workshops get underway!

Also, if you want to feature your great SiSTAR arts and product links - just send me an email!

Happy New Year!
SistahGoddess

Well...The great thing about blogs, you can make them as informal as you desire....lol being the writer I am, I tend to be a perfectionist in the way I deliver my messages....however, not tonight. Tonight, I'm just crying out for some Divine intervention, healing and sistah support...

It's going on 42 days since my last menstrual cycle.(no i'm not pregnant!...already ruled that option out)... I've already convinced myself that I'm going to skip this month...(which I havent skipped a month since I stopped taking my birth control pills in April- for reasons we will get to in just a sec)....so here I am...angry at myself, angry with stress, depression, and doubt and worry moving into my space without consulting me....or better yet, angry with myself for not protecting my womb from my emotional inconsistences....aggh!

Greetings and Blessings SiStars,

I had a wonderful conversation on Another Reality Show with Golden Hawk about why women should use Womb Friendly Products.

All too often, women suffer from various vaginal issues due to the use of tampons and other commercially made sanitary products and this has got to stop!

Did you know that every time a woman uses a tampon, they are leaving little pieces of threads within that get embedded within the womb and can lead to growths and cancer?

I urge my SiStars to "Be Kind to Your Womb" at all costs!!!

Here is the interview. Please enjoy and be empowered!

Henceforth the leaves of the tree of knowledge were for women, and for the healing of the nations.

Lucy Stone

Heal a wombn, heal a nation.

Lady Prema

------------------------------------

Who does your healing serve?

Notice my question iz not in the future tense.

It doesn't matter if your eyes are newly opened to the need to take deliberate command of your creative power, or you've been a veteran of "process work" for longer than you'd care to admit. Your deeply personal, private healing journey iz always tied into and serving a larger living body of consciousness.

None of us ever heals alone.

Our wombs are living repositories of eons of evolution upon which the web of life iz continually spun. By choosing healing, we liberate generations, past, present & future. This quality iz essential to the magik of the Feminine Essence.

Considering a fast or cleanse to rev up your energy levels, release stored junk in your trunk, disarm your inner warrior of its angry liver complex? Consider this as well. The potency of a good cleanse is well-worth the investment, time and self love you put into it. That’s right, I said self love!

It’s the best of times and the worst of times, cleansing and fasting. It’s the best because you become extra discerning of what substances you take into your inner temple, your body, and it can be the worst of times, albeit momentarily, because the power of a true cleanse not only moves residue out of your intestines, it removes obstacles out of your life! And that means people, habits and thoughts that aren’t serving you.

First of all I want to thank Lumayna for sharing the video clips. I agree with you sisters from what I could see the movie does not encourage natural beauty. Towards the end he makes a plea for Black women to stop putting the "kiddie perms" in their daughters hair. He says to let them make a decision when they are up in age. Well if the mothers are a reflection of the women in the movie the decision of these young women would be obvious. How you going to tell your daughter that she is beautiful and encourage her to wear her natural hair when you as her mother have a perm? It makes no sense. My daughter and I have sister locs and you could not pay my daughter to believe that she is not the ish. Sometimes, I think that I have created a monster because she has so much confidence and she loves her skin tone and her locs. Raven Simone openly admitted that she gets a perm to make others feel more "Relaxed". Living to please others is like dying. When I was a young and unaware of my natural beauty....I did the perm thing because I did not know better.

Soul Purpose October Newsletter

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Soul Purpose September Newsletter

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Hetep Beloved SiStars!

As an online fundraising drive for EYE AM YOGA community programs, I have launched an excellent Kundalini Yoga E-Guide that you can use as a guide for your yoga home practice.You'll also love to have a detailed Yoga Numerology Chart! To get the Kundalini Yoga E-Guide or the Numerology Chart click CHIP IN here to donate to Yoga for Street Youth or SiStars Yoga.

Thank you in advance your your support!

Shea butter is too heavy and I'm concerned that when it gets colder it won't melt easily into my skin unless blended with some other ingredients. I also fly alot and the air in the plane is very drying. I need a rich moisturizer, preferably that I can make myself. I want to support black women and their businesses, but sometimes these organic 100 percent natural products can be expensive, and I love the do-it-yourself method. When I get the cash I do support, in the mean time I will try to get the ingredients themselves from a black owned business. Any suggestions for recipes?

FLYER, http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GSoKbwjBScU/SpvXRxAG0CI/AAAAAAAAAGM/MGgVWZPSJy...

Saturday, September 19, 2009
First Cypher from 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Second Cypher from 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm

Sunday, September 20, 2009
2:00 pm - 4:30 pm

The workshop will be held at the KRST UNITY CENTER OF AFRAKAN SPIRTUAL SCIENCE
7825 South Western Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90047

Iya Raet, lovingly called Raet, comes to us all the way from Philadelphia Pennsylvania. She is a phenomenal activist and motivator who promotes and supports the Pan-Afrikan way of parenting. Raet’s mission is to help our mothers connect/reconnect with our divine and natural ways of mothering by uplifting our community through education; in turn renewing our minds to promote a collective and positive vibration.

You will experience an exciting, informative and hands-on presentation covering numerous topics from her book including:

Womb and Environmental Health for Mother and Baby
Womb Communication and Rituals
Healthy Pregnancies and Labor
Welcoming and Blessing Ceremonies
Placenta Burial and Postpartum Rituals
40-day Rest after Birth
Baby Wearing

http://thesagehoney.wordpress.com/

My friend Sydni (the one I visited in the ashram awhile back) is now a certified yoga teacher, and she does classes for all ages and levels of experience in the Bay Area. She and Codi have collaborated on her website:
http://www.yogameansunion.org/

And he recently shot these wonderful videos of her talking about yoga. I am so proud of them both, I just had to share :)

Question 1: My hair has been natural for four year but recently I have been having the worst dry scalp & skin in general. I have decreased salt intake and increased water intake for several months now but something is going on lately that making dry. Anybody have any suggestions or recommendations ?

Question 2: I am looking for a natural herb or fruit/veggie that I can eat or use to increase my mojo! lol! I am going on cruise at the end of the month and I want to really have a really good time with my man! I've been on all kinds of birth control pills for ever but I am beginning to think this latest brand is messing with my mojo but I don't want no babies so not taking them is not an option.

WHO: Robin Downes' Yoga Flava
www.yogaflava.com

WHAT: Yoga Intensive Workshop - Kama Sutra & Tantra inspired
Nurture your spiritual & sensual side, during the heat of the
summer! Get your body in heavenly hot shape! Featured
discussions on The Kama Sutra and Tantra Yoga - accepts and
embraces the power that arouse the senses - Mind, body,
breath and spirit.

WHERE: Yoga Flava Sanctuary at African Caribbean Television (ACT)

WHEN: Sundays 10am-12 pm
*Private lessons are also available

Please contact me through this site for further information

I love vegetables!! When I heard that there was a group in my neighborhood who is starting a CSA Farm share this summer....I knew I had to participate!!....Organic Vegetables delivered every week from a farm upstate NY. If you live in NY, you can find out if there is a CSA Farm share in your area by going to the "Just Food" website. Every CSA Farm share is different but generally the price that you pay depends on your income. It's very affordable!!

This week I received:

• 1/2 lb. Snap Peas
• 1 bunch Baby Bok Choy
• 1/2 lb. Green Beans
• 1 head Cauliflower
• 1 bunch Beets
• 1 bunch Japanese Turnips
• 1/2 lb. Salad Greens
• 1 lb. Cucumber
• 1 lb. Zucchini
• 1 lb. Summer Squash

Greetings My Sisters,

My 2year old is Allergic to Mosquito Bites. Every time he is bitten he gets a large blister on the area that the Mosquito bit him and the area gets extremely hot. They don't seem to bother him however me as a mother, they really bother me. I took him to our pediatrician and they couldn't tell me what caused the bites/blisters, let alone how to treat them. I looked on-line and that is how I discovered what was wrong with him, yet no one seems to know what to do for it. Does anyone know what I can do for him, I don't want him to have to spend his summers inside or in hot clothing. Many thanks to anyone who can help us.

Many Blessings,
Anat Em Shep aka Anuket

Yum, This Natural food bar is my current favorite. I just got a lovely box, I will try to make this one last for the whole month. The bars are 100% natural from Mrs. May. I love that it has big pieces of fruit & nut. I was a big fan of Raw Revolution and Greens + Energy bars, well actually I still like those, but it time to switch up. Bars are great! I’m always running around, traveling to work and the ceramic studio. I like bringing my own food with me it’s cheaper and healthier.
I would love to hear what's your favorite Bar?