Manifest Change!!!- Moving towards Health and Happiness! 

Thursday, December 15, 2011 - Posted by Jess at 7:22 AM
The New Year is almost here and we (myself included!) like to make resolutions usually to make some form of change in our life! The new year seems to stand as a symbol of new beginnings. Maybe its to take on a healthier lifestyle in terms of how we eat and take care of our physical bodies! Maybe in how we interact in our relationships, or to start a new project, whatever it is we have to begin somewhere! So the first step is determining what it is we want to begin and then setting our intention for the year in that direction! So usually we get super ramped up at the beginning and then it tends to fizzle out and we lose that momentum we had. Then we go back to the same ol', same ol'! So how do we keep up our momentum? Well in my experience it seems to be first in taking consistent action (even when you don't feel like it!) and next, this is a big one for me, having someone to be accountable too! So be it a friend, partner, councilor, hired trainer or someone in a support group. Who ever it is for you, it is helps to have to someone to keep you motivated, and on the right path, as well as someone to give you feed back and "atta boys'" here and there!!

So I thought for the New Year I would offer my services at a discounted price to any one who is looking to make a change in their diet and lifestyle!! I want to be that support person for you to keep you motivated and moving toward your goal for a healthier and happier you!! So if you are interested please contact me via email or by phone and we can figure out a time and day that works for you and your life! Here is to you and moving forward with whatever it is you choose to do!! Much love and Health!!

Jess



"MANIFEST CHANGE"- Moving towards Health and Happiness!

6 weeks of Nutrition Coaching and Private Yoga sessions-

Combo package 1 1/2 hr- $390!!

Special last through January 31st, 2012!

Before the 6 weeks begin we would have a consultation to figure out what your goals are and then we will go from there! All sessions will be held at Laughing Lotus Yoga Center in Columbia City, IN. If you would like to meet at your home just add $30 to package price for travel fees. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask! Can't wait to hear from you!


Namaste'

Jessica Burkett, C.Y.T., C.N.C
jessburkettyoga@gmail.com
260-797-2040


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The Eight Limbs of yoga!! (yes that's right 8!:) ) 

Wednesday, December 14, 2011 - Posted by Jess at 5:41 PM
Well Happy Holidays everyone! Hope you are all enjoying and staying relatively calm this holiday season!! I have been focusing alot this season on how to do that myself! (no Christmas cards again this year! Sorry friends, I still love you! ) But one,or many, of the wonderful ways that has been helping me stay conscious about my response to the holidays is by reflecting/practicing the 8 limbs of the yogic path. So if you are unfamiliar with the Eight limbs here is a little break down for you:

Yamas-(5 moral restraints)

Ahimsa- non-violence
Satya- truthfulness
Asteya- non-stealing
Brahmacarya- moderation
Aparigraha- non-hoarding

Niyamas-(5 observances)

Sauca- purity
Santosha- contentment
Tapas- zeal, austerity
Svadhaya- self-study
Isvara-pranidhana- devotion to a higher power

Asana-(postures)

Pranayama-(mindful breathing exercises)

Pratayahara-(turning inward)

Dharana-(concentration)

Dhyana-(meditation)

Samadhi-(union of self with object of meditation)

So there is all 8 limbs, but you don't have to take them in order! Really they are not linear, more of a wheel shape! So you try to incorporate all, or as much as you can at one time!! Sound overwhelming? If so maybe just focusing on one at a time. Say for example you want to practice Ahmisa (non-violence) this holiday season. How might you do that you ask? Well there is the most obvious, like don't punch the woman who just took that last toy you have been searching high and low for! That is a good start, but in more subtle forms, maybe in not beating yourself up for not sending out those Christmas card this year, or being conscious of not overeating all of those wonderful treats everyone keeps baking! (stay away from the gingerbread men they can be addictive!) Or not staying to long with family members that are really difficult to be around! (yes it is okay to limit your time with these people! It is practicing non-violence for both people involved! :) ) So there you have it, not very complicated to think about, but the practice is what can be a little bit more challenging! So try it out before the big day hits and all the festivities start and see how it changes your interactions with your family and friends, and yourself!! Try one or two or all! And let me know how it works out for you! Would love to hear your responses! And let yourself know right now that you will never do all of them perfectly! It is a path and enjoy the journey! OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti! (om, peace, peace, peace, thats what we are going for right?)


Much love-

Jess



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Judging the Human! 

Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - Posted by Jess at 5:50 PM
I want to start off by making the statement, "I am not perfect!" I will never rise above level of human, at least not in this plane of existance! And to be honest sometimes that is troubling to me because I have this illusion that if I just do this, this and this everything will be perfect and I won't have to work so hard! :) And of course the universe always lets me know that that is not how this whole thing works and I get back on my path. So with that said, I had an experience a few weeks ago of having someone judge me pretty harshly and my ego felt a blow. Now with the whole statement of not being perfect, one of my character flaws is people pleasing and wanting everyone to not think negatively of me. SO, when I had this person say these things about me it really took me back, and I started to question myself. Am I what they state, and of course who do THEY think they are?!! And then my mind was off to the races! So feeling the pain of being judged by my peers really hurt. But then after a couple of days of talking with others and thinking things through more logically, I realized that I was doing the same thing as this person. I was judging them for the statements they made about me. Not realizing that we are, again, all flawed human beings! That we look at others and think that we know what is right or best for others, when in reality the name of the game is keeping the focus on ourselves and changing what we can change; about ourselves. So I came to the conclusion that the statements made about me were not true, but I also wasn't honest in my judgements of this person as well. We are all doing the best we can with what we have, right now! Of course I hope I make the best choice 99.9% of the time, and of course it is much less than that! So on my path of humaness, I take my lesson in judging others and find my focus back to where it needs to be; on myself and what I can change, and giving love and being of service! Flaws and all! :)

Much love from one human to another-

Jess


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ARE YOU LOOKING TO BE A YOGA TEACHER???? 

Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - Posted by Jess at 5:43 PM




Just wanted to put a plug-in for my good friends yoga studio LOTUS Wellness and Gallery, and for my teachers studio Prairie Yoga. Lotus will be hosting the teachers from Prairie Yoga to begin this fall with yet another teacher training program. There will be a 200hr certification program and a 300hr certification program. Now I may be a bit biased, but these women who teach for Prairie Yoga are outstanding teachers with many years of experience! I received my 200hr certification through them and felt that I couldn't have asked for more with my training! They were very thorough with teaching about the all aspects of yoga and I personally am signed up for my 300hr training with them and am very excited! So if you feel the inspiration to teach yoga and help others please check out the LOTUS website! www.lotusfw.com or check out Prairie Yoga's website, www.prairieyogatt.com. Time is coming soon for classes to start so check it out!!

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Yummy Summer Recipes!!! 

Tuesday, August 2, 2011 - Posted by Jess at 6:22 PM
Well I have been picking alot of yummy stuff out of the garden these past few weeks! And I am getting an over abundance of zucchini squash. So I was checking out some different recipes to use it in, and of course you can't not make zucchini bread with all of that excess zucchini!! :) Well I found this really amazing recipe that is healthy with out all of that sugar added in!!! I was so excited I made several loaves that day! So I thought I would share the recipe with you all! Let me know if you try it and how it goes!! Oh and a bonus recipe if you like Canned Jalapenos! My husband is a salsa junkie and likes to doctor up his salsa, so these home made Jalapenos are his new favorite! Try it out if you have alot, it is a pretty simple recipe and requires no yellow #5 to make them taste delicious! Enjoy!!!!!


Healthy Zucchini Bread

-1 cup applesauce, unsweetened
-1/2 cup canola oil
-1 cup honey
-3 eggs
-2 cups shredded zucchini
-2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
-3 cups whole wheat flour
-1/2 cup flaxseed meal
-1 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. baking powder
-1 Tbsp. cinnamon
-1 Tbsp. nutmeg
-4 oz. of dark chocolate chips
-1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Beat applesauce, oil, and honey together in a large bowl. Add eggs, zucchini, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add to wet ingredients along with nuts and dark chocolate chips. Beat until just combined. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Shake the loaf pans as soon as you take them out of the oven for easy removal. Yield: 2 loaves



Pickled Jalapenos


-approx. 50 fresh jalapeno chiles (I just pick as much as I have, at least 20 to make it worth it!)
-4-5 large cloves garlic peeled and sliced
-5-6 bay leaves
-6 fresh basil leaves
-5-6 cups distilled white vinegar
-5-6 pint canning jars and lids


Wash chiles and cut off stems and slice. Sterilize pint canning jars and lids. After sterilized place garlic and bay leaf in each hot jar, then pack chiles into jars as tightly as possible. Add 1 basil leave to each jar when it is half full. Bring vinegar just to a boil and pour over chiles. Let sit 2 minutes then tap jar to release air bubbles and top off jar with vinegar to within 1/2 inch of the top. Wipe rim, seal, and immerse jar 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. Let rest for a few days to blend flavors before opening jars and serving. Refrigerate after opening.

-Makes about 5-6 pints


Happy and Healthy Eating!

Jess


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"The Food We Eat??!!" 

Thursday, July 14, 2011 - Posted by Jess at 6:43 PM
Well I finally watched the movie Food,Inc. for the first time yesterday! (I know, I can't believe I haven't watched it before either!! :) ) And of course I wasn't TOTALLY surprised by what I saw. But afterwards I was having ALOT of intense feelings toward the "BIG WIGS" in the food industry. I feel what they are doing to our food is indefensible, but waiting on them to change may never happen. So the question is what can we as individuals do about our food? How can we have healthy food that we can afford? How do we know what is healthy for us and what is not? I think these questions are pretty common among the general public. And I think that some of it can feel so overwhelming that we can get paralized and not make a change at all!! So what CAN we do as individuals? Well if you haven't watched the movie, they talk about how much power we actually do have as individuals; and that it all lies in the money that we spend!! If we decide to purchase a fast food meal we are voting to keep that kind of food going! If we use our money to buy locally grown fruits, veggies, and meat; then we are telling those companies that what they are producing in not acceptable and if enough of us do that THEY will have to change!!! Sounds simple, right?! So instead of wasting our hard earned money on something that really has no nutritional value, causes heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol, (just to name a few), we can get nutrient rich food that tastes GREAT and supports those people that are helping make the difference by buying from your local grower or buying organic.
But you may say that Healthy food is too expensive. Well yes and no. Maybe at first it is expensive, but if you add up all of the health cost that go along with diabetes and heart disease and not to mention the cost it has on our planet, it really comes out equal or cheaper. And again the more we purchase local or organic we are making our vote for what we want. Which will eventually evoke a change for the better and then drive down the cost of healthy options!!!! Other ways to go cheaper with healthy food is grow your own! It doesn't get cheaper than that! Or find your local food coop and shop in bulk!! You can find so many good deals that way! So it really isn't so bad making the change. Your body and the earth will thank you!
And of course the last question, How do we know what is healthy for us? Well simplest answer is, if it rots than it is probably a good option! (and I can't say it enough local and organic is your best options on any of it!) Anything packaged and manufactured is full of all sorts of preservatives and chemicals and goodness knows what else, so if you can't grow it and if it has a cartoon on the outside of the package selling it, it probably isn't healthy! And if it all still seems confusing please feel free to call me or email me! I would be more than happy to help you out!!
So there is my rant for everyone! It is bitter sweet watching those kinds of movies. It upsets me at the carelessness and greed that takes over people, but also inspires me to make a change and keeps me dedicated to helping others find a happy and healthy lifestyle! So Happy and Healthy eating to everybody!

Much Love-

Jess


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Sunday, June 26, 2011 - Posted by Jess at 6:04 PM
"Make time for the quiet moments as God whispers and the world is loud."
- Anonymous

Hello Friends!!! Welcome to OM Therapy blog!! My first blogging experience ever! So hope you enjoy! With the blog I hope to share with who ever reads it some tips on some Healing yoga and Nutrition ideas that I think would be helpful and also some personal experiences or thoughts going on in my life! In hopes that it can be of use to someone, somewhere out there!

Also check out the info for my Yoga for Healing programs and Nutrition Coaching. And when you are ready to get started; please email or give me a call! I would love to help!!!


So now that I got my little introduction out of the way I want to get back to the quote at the top of the post. "Make time for the quiet moments as God whispers and the world is loud."

Well as you can tell this is a brand new blog and with that comes alot of time and effort on my part.(not bad, but just alot of time!) And I am a mom of two young boys and a wife and have a whole host of other commitments. So with all of this and my many other commitments and obligations I was starting to feel overwhelmed and impatient! Which I am pretty sure is only natural with starting a business! But I was getting short with my boys and not really giving my husband the time he deserves from me and just feeling frazzled, and frustrated with myself. So I was talking with a friend about all of this the other day and he said that quote to me, and I realized how I hadn't been taking as much time for myself to feel balanced as I should. So I took his advice and did some extra meditation aside from my usual practice. And it never ceases to amaze me the clarity that comes from those quiet moments! The realizations of my impatience and selfishness with my family(so hard to admit out loud!) Or how I need to say NO to people sometimes! Wow, all of that from a mere 10 minute Yoga Nidra! So being a yoga teacher I am constantly reminding my students how important it is to take time for ourselves. And gosh how hard it actually is for me/us to take that time. So that wonderful reminder from my friend to take that time has helped immensely! I got what I needed to get done,done.(for now!:) ) I even happen to feel a bit more patient (my kids appreciate that!) But, I know that it is only a daily reprieve! Practice, Practice, Practice is what I need to do in order to keep it! So I will TRY to keep consistant with my practice so my family and friends get the best of me instead of the worst of me!! I know I would appreciate it!

Thanks for reading! Namaste!

Jess


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