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april 2019yogajournal.com.auWhat I have learned is that our
health is a journey, especially for those
of us with difficult childhoods, past
trauma, and undetected lingering
infections. This journey can be highly
frustrating and unrewarding at times;
after all, I’ve committed my life
resources to healing and I do not
always get the results I hope for.
Nevertheless, I’ve come to appreciate
this journey, as with every obstacle
comes deep understanding and
discovery that you will learn and
benefit from. What fascinates me
equally is how this journey has armed
me with the “soft” coping skills of
patience and self-forgiveness. Without
those, there will be no healing.
So, back to hormones. They are
responsible for how you think, feel,
and look. A woman with balanced
hormones is sharp and upbeat, with a
good memory. She feels energetic
without caffeine during the day, falls
asleep quickly, and wakes refreshed.
She is blessed with a healthy appetite
and maintains a desired weight with a
good diet. Her hair and skin glow. She
feels emotionally balanced and
responds to stress with grace and
reason. When menstruating, her
menses comes and goes with no or
little PMS. She has an active sex life.
She can maintain a full-term
pregnancy. When entering
perimenopause or menopause, she
slides into a new phase of life with
ease. If that doesn’t describe you, your
hormones are imbalanced. Don’t
despair. You are not alone. Millions of
women experience hormonal
imbalance. The good news is, you can
rebalance your hormones naturally
and resolve your symptoms. Here are a
few quick ways to start to assess what
imbalances you might be suffering
from.hormonal
imbalances
HIGH CORTISOL:
You are in a state of chronic stress, and
your adrenals are working extra hard.
Family issues, poor relationships, job
problems, finances, overexercising,
and past trauma and abuse could be
causes, as could chronic digestive
issues or infections.Jicama (Yam
Bean) and
pomegranate
slaw
(GUT HEALING,ESTROGEN
BALANCING, IMMUNE BOOSTING)
SERVES 6 TO 8
You see jicama in most health-food
stores but probably wonder what to do
with it. This crunchy and yummy root
gets its sweet flavour from inulin,
which is a prebiotic, or food for the
probiotics in your gut. This salad
couples jicama with the mighty
phytoestrogenic pomegranate; I hope
it becomes one of your favourites.
SALAD
1 1 ½ to 2-kilograms jicama, peeled
and cut into½-cm sticks
1 medium pomegranate,
seeds removed
½ red onion, sliced thinly
1 cup loosely packed fresh
corriander, finely chopped
½ cup loosely packed fresh
mint, finely shredded
DRESSING
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
⅓ cup freshly squeezed
lime juice
2 tbsp pomegranate
molasses (optional)
½ teaspoon sea salt
Place the jicama, pomegranate seeds, onion,
corriander, and mint in a large salad bowl.
In a small bowl make the dressing by
whisking together the olive oil, lime juice,
pomegranate molasses, and salt.
Pour the dressing over the salad and
toss until the jicama is well coated.
Chill for 20 minutes before serving.