A SIMPLE MORNING ROUTINE

September 18, 2017 by Jacqueline Amidon

Every morning is a fresh start.

My littlest is waking up more times than i care to mention and I even thought about how little i am even able to wake up and commit some time to myself. But so is life and I know deep down the importance of having this time. It doesn't have to be every day. Maybe even do it on a weekend. I post this as a gentle reminder to put some time on the calendar for yourself. TAKE BACK YOUR MORNINGS...take them back from your children, your computer, your 3 cups of coffee, your innate desire to keep hitting snooze whatever keeps you from a little bit of a.m. time to yourself. I promise you that if you can give this morning routine a go you will no doubt feel better, accomplish more things, choose healthy food, etc. My answer to every ailment is always yoga + food and a good morning routine. Here is mine:

MORNING YOGA + AYURVEDA ROUTINE

Wake up half hour before the sun rises or earlier if you like (6am is perfect)

Drink lemon water or just water (keep some next to your bed)

Rise and use the bathroom followed by splashing your face (esp eyelids) with cool water

Put the kettle on and make some tea. Mint is nice. Grab a banana or something light to eat

Roll out your mat and do some light yoga stretches followed by some deep breathing and or meditation *

Take a shower followed by a cool rinse (bonus if you dry brush and self oil beforehand)

Eat a nourishing breakfast (my favorite right now)

This routine takes no more than 30 minutes. And if you have longer than 30 well than you can really enjoy each step. IF you don't have even 30 minutes just take some time to stretch and breathe. This can be as little as 10 minutes. But i really challenge you take the 30. You deserve it.

LOVELOVE,

Jax

* I am putting together a video for two simple yoga sequences: One for AM and one for PM. Check back soon for those!

Photo by Bekah Russom on Unsplash

HOW TO START LIVING HOLISTICALLY AND MINIMALLY

September 11, 2017 by Jacqueline Amidon

Living well seems easy enough. There are so many books and articles and gadgets floating around out there, but instead of helping us they leave us confused and feeling judged. So I am here to help you sort through all the stuff and simplify this lifestyle. Its time YOU do YOU all while coming from a place of health and vibrancy and saucy-ness.

Living holistically, to me, represents living with care and making choices suitable for YOUR whole being: mind...body...soul....and environment. Taking care of yourself and the planet is is high on your list. You make good choices to sustain that. The real YOU is always vibrating high and flowing with the natural flux of your days and seasons. You apologize for nothing. You are in tune and thriving. Everything that you bring into your life is nourishing.

Living minimally, to me, is keeping that which surrounds you light and simple. From your thoughts, to your things, to your environment to your exercise routine to the food on your plate. It means saying no to things that don't serve you and being ok with letting things go. Stress can arise from clutter. Just take a room...clean it fully and see how you feel. Clarity and health are always at the other end.

The pieces of MY well-being pie:

+ nourishing whole food

+ movement

+ travel/adventure

+ a clean/simplified environment

+ creative work

+ owning my personal style

+ self love and beauty

+ a clear/calm/and present mind

+ adhering to the seasons through Ayurvedic wisdom

Small simple ideas for each piece above:

+ One plant-based meal per day

+ Start a Yoga and/or Meditation practice (this is my foundation you can read about it here)

+ Take a walk outside daily or drive a different way or take a weekend day trip and explore

+ Clean out your clothes closet to reveal a wardrobe that is undoubtedly YOU

+ Wear said wardrobe even to the grocery store

+ create something: write, sing, paint, start a business, cook, etc

+ Breathe/Mediate for 5 min or just 5 breaths daily

+ Always wake up with the sun

//Your wellness pie can be whatever combination suits you. Remember the foundation to living and feeling well and functioning at a frequency that suits your soul so perfectly is always changing. We are always changing and there is no one specific formula that works for everyone. Support in the beginning is crucial to getting new habits in place. Reach out for a SESSION to get started on living this soul affirming lifestyle. //

My mantra for you:

You are YOU today and that is beautiful and we as a collective universe thank you for that. We do not judge you because we know you are choosing what is nourishing for yourself today and we stand by you.

LOVELOVE,

Jax

HOLISTIC/ MINIMALIST/ MOTHERHOOD

August 30, 2017 by Jacqueline Amidon

I took a little break to gather my thoughts, have a baby, reconnect to me and essentially what i want to share in this space. September is like a new beginning. My soul is ready to teach again and i am so happy to be back.

There are so many changes heading to this space but for now expect to see some posts on topics like:

+ revisiting what the practice of yoga REALLY is

+ seasonal routines

+ short am and pm yoga practices

+ un-defining yourself

+ simple food recipes (seasonal)

+ a personal journey of being a mom with nomadic feet

+ a peak behind the scenes of starting a business

+ minimalism as a mother

+ how to begin a holistic lifestyle

and more of connecting to our wild, spiritual, feminine nature.

Hope to see you all here soon...interacting and asking questions and maybe just saying hi. Please sign up below to stay connected...

p.s. this is not a photo of me....hang tight while i get all my ducks in a row and get some great pics of me and my brand. xx

CREATIVE MAMA | RACHEL GARAHAN

February 02, 2017 by Jacqueline Amidon

//Happy 2017 lovely readers! Let's kick off the new year (and my birthday) with a new interview. Today we have the lovely and so very talented mama, Rachel of One Part Gypsy. She is a mama to Benjamin River, 18 months, as well as a creative consultant, blogger, and author! Her book, A Beauty Collected, shares her stunning photography in an ABC format. Rachel is one part gypsy and many parts a soulful being. Read. Enjoy. Share.//

Dwell

After nearly 10 years of living in Venice Beach, we recently moved to Ojai in September. It’s been a really wonderful change with more green grass, crisp air, and the brightest stars and moon. We’re in a furnished rental at the moment, which is quite frustrating as we moved here with only 1 suitcase each- literally every other thing we own is in storage! As you might imagine, I spend a lot of time envisioning what our future home will look like. A little beachy, minimalist, lots of white and wood, earthy, comfortable, eclectic, zen. See what I’m dreaming about here!

On Creativity

So many things inspire me, and I’m constantly pouring through books, making notes, collecting bits of nature, window shopping- but surprisingly the best ideas come to me when I’m watching TV at night (I have to watch something with a plot before I go to bed, but then I’m constantly pressing pause to make notes about something completely unrelated that struck me) or when I’m sleeping. I’m always reaching to write things down in the middle of the night or when I first wake up.

On Simplicity

I eat the same foods every day and wear basically the same clothes over and over. I’m also very good at making decisions. I’m not an anxious person and tend to know what needs to be done and just do it.

Personal style

I’m a basics girl for sure. If it’s not comfortable I won’t wear it. I also like to say 70’s flowerchild x 90’s grunge x modern California. Flowy dresses, birkinstocks, jumpers, ripped jeans, black or white T-shirts, beanies, leather jacket… i love good clean lines, but a little messy is fine with me. I read an article about Amanda Bacon (of Moon Juice) saying that "At any given moment, she is ready to attend the chicest event ever or just take a nap” and it stuck with me as just the ultimate YES. I love these T shirts from Club Monaco, I buy them large- theyre really thin and silky and just get better with time. Also Natalie Martin Collection, Just Say Native, Eileen Fisher, Black Crane, The Rose Bowl Flea.. More inspo here.

Habits

Drink so much water. Like way more than you think. Count to 5 instead of taking a wimpy sip. Water helps you sleep, makes your skin radiant, puts you in a better mood, allows your body to release waste and weight … there’s nothing simpler or less expensive than water as trick to living well. That said, I’m probably dehydrated as I write this right now. Ojai is so much drier than LA and it feels impossible to get enough!

Typical day

Mondays and Wednesdays are Me days. I just started taking pottery classes, go on artist dates to random places that interest me, and I consult and design for clients. The rest of the week are Mama days- I take Ben to the park, to playgroup, music and gym classes, friend dates, go on hikes with my husband and our pups- we try to stay busy as I get stircrazy sitting at home with him, especially if it’s just me. While I could do with one more “Me” day each week, my husband is really good about letting me sleep in, work, or do my own thing on the weekend when I want to. I’m incredibly grateful for that because work + mom + dogs + house + LIFE is the most insane juggling act! He keeps me sane (ish).

On Feeling Beautiful

When I’m well rested, bare-faced, have some sun on my skin, vibrant food within reach, journal in hand, and on an adventure somewhere new.

Beauty regime

I’m pretty simple but it’s actually a goal to spend some more focus on this. I just got back into oil pulling in the morning which feels really good. For makeup I just do a little Omica Geranimum Lavender hydrosol, Nucifera balm, and RMS un-coverup– thats about it. One of us takes a bath with Ben every night as part of his bedtime routine, and we fill the bath with lavender oil, light candles, put on good music.. it’s really relaxing but not exactly me time. I’m a total spa junkie though and really need to take things up a notch. I envision deep epsom salt child-free baths, getting an infrared sauna (justified by the fact that I’m always freezing!) and more regular facials and massages. Self-care is everything!

On balancing motherhood and creativity

Invest in help where you can. Mothers have this idea that we need to and can do everything… but we can’t. In order to be healthy and creative, we need off time, even more of it than seems is ok for a mother to want. But for every hour we give to ourselves- doing whatever it is that puts energy back IN- the investment comes back tenfold and the better we can be when we’re on. This is something I talk with clients about all the time too- and not just moms, but women in general. It seems there’s a lot of guilt and no matter what we’re doing- if we’re working, we should be working out. If we’re hiking we’re looking at the emails coming in on our phone, thinking we should be at our desk. If we’re out with friends, we should be with our kids. If we’re with our kids, we wish we were at the spa. If we’re at the spa… you get it. I suggest starting by taking a pause in the morning to figure out what it is we really need most. If there’s the option tp, do the thing that’s calling you, regardless of the hour, day of the week or what else you had planned. Flowing with your natural creative or energetic rhythm makes everything easier. And if we don’t have the luxury of choice- have to wake up and do the thing we don’t feel like doing- do it well anyway, and without annoyance or resentment. So that when you get to the spa, or the beach, or the coffee shop for that one peaceful moment, you can really be there too.