I have spent the past three years since graduating with a degree in Integrative Clinical Nutritional Therapy trying to figure out what my nutritional prescription is. Even though I went in to the program with plenty of personal experience, having used diet and natural remedies to care for myself and family, I still sought out a deeper understanding of the healing powers of food. After my years of higher education about this topic I felt compelled to dive right in to counseling others. I had to share what I knew and if I didn’t do it right away I might forget all the details that were so fresh in my mind. When I started offering therapeutic nutritional counseling to clients I soon realized that everyone pretty much wanted the same thing; to be heard and to be told what to eat (for me to ” fix it”, and the quicker and easier the better). I could listen well, and meet others where they were at, but it became very clear that my telling someone else what is right for them was not going to heal or transform their relationship to food or fix any issues they were having around self-care.  I also realized that I wasn’t going to transform my relationship to self-care by subscribing to the latest health promoting diet, lifestyle, or therapy either.

I had to take a break from trying to figure it all out. I fell into a spell of fatigue. My mind was overstimulated, body ignored, and spirit just plain numb. I have such aversions to diagnosis after being caught in the therapeutic web of illness and wellness that I hate to even label it “adrenal fatigue”, but the truth was; I was burned out!

Sadly, and with egoic defeat, I stepped back from “trying” to achieve anything and took my own advice to slow down and practice mindful living and intuitive eating. I had spent so much of my life relying on my passionate and pioneering energy to get me through, that when I burned out I began to doubt everything I thought I knew up to this point. Was it all a waste? What if there is no right way, no formula, no prescription for health? What if It doesn’t matter what we eat or if we exercise or meditate, but rather why we treat ourselves the way we do?  I went to an integrative school, meaning that we integrated the body-mind-spirit aspects of nourishment into one. I got it. I know the psychology of eating, the energetics of food and the patterns of self sabotage. But, making the shift from the concept of “integrated self-care” to really embodying self-love and practicing sacred nourishment has been my greatest learning!

I call my process of cultivating self-love through sacred nourishment, “The Luscious Way”, because it is a journey I am on. A practice. A path. There is no destination (“perfect health”, intellectual mastery, generic nutritional formula), but rather an exploration in remembering the innate wisdom of being that allows me the capacity to live fully, consciously, and lovingly.  It is Luscious because what I know in my heart of hearts is that feeling into my being is delicious, juicy, sumptuous, sexy, vibrant, whole, and naturally soft. I also name it “Luscious” because it is about my relationship to food, beauty, art, connection, passion, nature, creativity, ritual, and all things that feed my soul and I know that I crave and am deeply nourished by lusciousness, so that is the path I dance.

I intend to share my discoveries along this  path to inspire others to find their luscious way, so there will be a lot of recipes, art, ponderings, photos, and maybe I will even get my video on!

Love to you all, many paths, one heart