Feel Good Guru

This is an unusual post for me. But I’m putting it here, in “Feel Good Stuff” because it’s actually relevant to the Feel Good Guru mission of inspiring evolution.

There’s a cosmic conversation going on over at Twitter, and if you care to jump into the stream and get your feet wet, you’ll meet some incredible people doing things to change the world. It’s a potent microcosm of the global community where everyone gets a voice and self expression is encouraged. You’ll be amazed how much can get said in 140 characters or less. (more…)

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Yes, I’ll admit it. I’m a tree hugger. I’m almost 42 and I still climb trees - I’ve been called “Monkey Girl” more than a few times - and yes, I hug them if I’m invited. I’ve been known to cry at the sight of a magnificent old redwood being ripped from her roots. And ever since I can remember, I’ve fantasized of living in a tree house.

So when I finally make it to Costa Rica, land of forest, jungle, woods, thickets, groves, parkland, trees - and tree-hugging howler monkeys, I will stay at the Costa Rica Tree House Lodge nestled inside a wildlife refuge on the southern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. (more…)

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I know that American Thanksgiving hasn’t even happened yet, is only just being cleaned off the plate, but I walked into Shoppers’ Drug Mart a month ago and Bing Crosby was crooning “White Christmas”, so whether we welcome it or try our best to ignore it, Christmas is coming at us like a freight train loaded with consumer goods.

It’s the season for giving, for gathering and for good cheer - all feel good stuff under normal circumstances. But this year feels different than the years of Christmas past when we were all blissfully oblivious to the long term effects of no-cap credit cards, no-limit consumerism and bottomless oil reserves… (more…)

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Do you ever hold your breath while walking downtown during heavy traffic times? I do. I can feel the toxic soup of car and truck emissions in my eyes and on my skin, so I reason that if I hold my breath until my next vacation in Big Sur, I’ll ingest as little as possible into my lungs. But I’m getting tired of holding my breath.

That’s why I’m happy to read about BMW’s introduction of the MINI E - a zero emissions - that’s 0 - emissions - electric version of the iconic MINI for the urban driver soon to be catching your eye on Main Street, Wall Street, the 401 and the 405. It’s a beauty and it’s sure to inspire other auto-makers to set their electric dreams in motion! (more…)

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It’s cold in Toronto. A perfect day for lots and lots of ginger tea and some fall macrobiotic foods. Get your macro on!

The macrobiotic philosophy is about finding balance. Not just within your body, but in your life. Local and seasonal foods can help bring that balance.

The balance comes from foods that are neither extreme yin nor extreme yang. If we eat too much salt, for example, which is extremely yang, we will need to balance that with extreme yin foods like sugar. Ever wondered why meat and red wine go together so well? Meat is extremely yang while alcohol is extremely yin. Extremes in our diet will cause cravings. (more…)

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…Gracefully.

Have you ever said “yes” to something you really wanted to say “no” to? Have you ever said “yes”, then changed your mind and been too afraid to say “no”? Have you ever said “yes” and not really meant it, hoping the other person would get from your tone or read between the lines that your real answer was actually “no”? Don’t you sometimes wish you had the courage to “just say no” to every request coming down the pipeline? How do we do that gracefully, without losing friends, losing business, being called lazy or a deadbeat or a snob? (more…)

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Already cursing winter? Not gonna make it to spring? Need a distraction of the South Pacific kind?

Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort is just the place to get you through the long winter ahead of soakers and frostbite. Go to the website and daydream of your oceanfront cottage complete with thatched roof and sultry breezes. Imagine a poolside “bobo” massage, a traditional healing practice done with rich tropical oils and percussive, long strokes to stimulate circulation and release tension. Fantasize of diving in the clear, warm waters of Savusavu and seeing the largest variety of fish and coral anywhere in the world…Or stop dreaming, get out your credit card and just book! (more…)

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We’ve all had fights and arguments or “words” in our various relationships, but has anyone ever said something specific to you that sliced your heart like a knife? Beyond the emotion of what was said, can you identify one word that particularly stung? Perhaps someone said something without thinking and a word slipped past their lips with the intent to hurt, or maybe the hurt was unintended. Perhaps you’ve used words yourself as weapons…

Have you ever stopped to think about the power of the words you choose? How you can harm or disarm someone in an instant with a single word? How you can soothe or calm or bring intense pleasure with a well-chosen series of syllables? (more…)

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There’s a great article today in the Toronto Star discussing the results of a recent study that highlights the correlation between corn and fast food and how the whole ugly union is ruining our health and the environment.

As people feel the squeeze on their budgets, the first industry to benefit is the fast food industry with its $1.59 double cheeseburgers.

What people don’t realize is that the money they save by going “fast” will eventually be lost to drugs for diabetes, drugs for obesity, drugs for heart disease, and programs for environmental rehabilitation. (more…)

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Let it be said here first. Pope Benedict XVI is groovin’ with the woowoo.

The Pope has declared environmental pollution a Cardinal sin and wants his followers (all 1.1 billion of them) to go green. He’s the Al Gore of the Catholic world with further reach and wider influence - and a bigger house and more cars.

In an effort to make Vatican City the first country in the world to go carbon-neutral, two and a half thousand solar panels have been installed on the roof of the Vatican hall where the Pope delivers his weekly audience.

(more…)

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One of my favorite places on the planet is Christina Lake in Southern British Columbia. It’s Canada’s warmest fresh water lake, and, therefore, a favorite for recreation in the summer. With only about 1500 year-round residents, winter at the lake is pristine and still. Some of the humans I admire most in the world live here, making annual visits a welcomed ritual.

My partner, Ron, recently purchased a tiny piece of land on a residential cul-de-sac just a block from the lake. He bought it strictly as an investment, simply to take some green away from the volatile stock market and place it in something perceived of as more secure - land. (more…)

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Day 1 is almost over and I am full! If you thought you’d be starving throughout this program, have no fear. The exact opposite is true. In fact, most of us, even the overweight among us, are starving with our everyday Standard American Diet (S.A.D. - known at Feel Good Guru as Sick and Dying) due to empty calories that fill and bloat, yet fail to nourish. Let’s clean that stuff out!

For three weeks, we’ll supply our bodies with healing foods that support and build our immune and hormonal systems, nurture and sustain our nervous and circulatory systems, and energize and alkalize our blood, lymph and digestive systems. (more…)

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This guy’s groovin’ with the woowoo. Gary Strobel, a professor at Montana State University, travels the world studying plant life, seeking secrets of the universe and beneficial microbes.

In a major discovery that could have far-reaching implications in the efforts to wean the world from fossil fuels, Strobel found diesel-producing fungus inside the branches of an ancient family of trees known as the “ulmo” in the Patagonian rainforest. (more…)

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By the time party season hits in December, you’ll be looking and feeling so good people will be paying money for your secrets. At least that’s my goal. Feel Good Fast starts this evening, and goes through December 2, my mom’s birthday and the official start of drinking season. Doesn’t the thought of all that egg nog make you want to cleanse?

If you’re following along, you can start with the entry “Feel Good Fast”, then scroll up from there. I’ll be posting menus, recipes, photos, hints and feedback right here in the Food section, so watch for daily updates and come along for the fun! We’re gonna feel good. Fast! (more…)

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I call November “slump month”. It can be a really low energy period as we curl inward and brace for oncoming cold weather, less sunshine and those crazy holiday office parties.

A lot of people pack on a couple extra pounds at this time of year as everything slows down, including our metabolism. This can cause mild bouts of depression or insomnia, and can even lead to suppressed immune systems, leaving us vulnerable to bugs and viruses. November could, if we let it, be the beginning of a long, downward spiraling winter. (more…)

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With voting season in the past, and America soon to be safely in the hands of a poet, an angel of peace and a change artist, why not celebrate all the euphoriosity and positivity by dropping some green on the internet world’s most fabulous artists and artisans?

Etsy dot com is the go-to online destination for cool this shopping season. It’s the e-bay of hand-made, and it rocks big time in the funky world of inspired small-business! (more…)

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Now that the colors of autumn are fading, the sky’s about to turn slate gray for months and holiday madness is about to get silly on us, why not escape to a Green Territory in the middle of the aqualluring Caribbean Sea and ponder peace?

Fly away to Maho Bay…on the island of St. John, the least populated of the US Virgin Islands.

Airy eco-tent cottages, 114 of them, are tucked away in the lush foliage and joined, spider web-like to each other by an extensive elevated network of stairs and boardwalks, sensitively built with the environment in mind.  (more…)

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It’s been a gorgeously warm week here in Toronto and I haven’t had soup on my mind since last week’s cold weather, but today I needed to use up some veggies in the fridge, and a quick soup seemed like the way to go. I had a can of organic cannellini beans, a zucchini, a head of spinach, a bulb of fennel, some celery, onions, garlic and a lemon. Perfect ingredients for a hearty veggie and Italian white bean soup with a refreshing lemon broth.

The beans help reduce cholesterol, are a great source of fiber and contain twice as much iron as beef. Eat beans, not beef! Here’s how for a pot of Cannellini Lemon Soup: (more…)

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It’s an awesome time to be alive! For the first time in the history of the world, peace feels attainable.

If Americans (and the rest of the world) answer Obama’s call to greatness, we will have the most exciting 8 years the planet has ever seen.

I loved watching the newscasters trying to contain their enthusiasm. This kind of enthusiasm is uncontainable. A tsunami of change washed over the world last night, leaving everything in its wake shimmering with newness and hope. (more…)

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Ever get a craving for something chocolatey chippy and oatmealy but not too sweet and fairly substantial and actually good for you? Dig these cookies. You can throw them together in ten minutes in the morning before work, then throw them in the oven and hop in the shower. On your way out the door, grab a recycled paper bag and toss in a mittful of warm fresh-baked biscuits. Nibble on the fly en route, and if there are any left when you get to the office, pass them around!

Here’s how for about 3 dozen small choc chip oat cookies: (more…)

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