I discovered Pranic Healing by chance, more than nine years ago in Brazil, where I’m originally from. As a successful software engineer for more than two decades, I had always been very skeptical about anything that was not palpable or fully endorsed by western science. After stumbling upon an article featuring a Harvard study on the benefits of meditation, I decided I had to give it a try. So, I reached out to this genius childhood friend of mine who simply told me to take a Pranic Healing Level 1 class, and my journey began. I registered without thinking and barely read what the class was about, so I had no idea what to expect of this weekend long work-shop. Perhaps some new age, handholding, “let’s get together and feel all right” kind of thing? It couldn’t be farther from that! In a Pranic Healing class the human energy anatomy is taught very methodically and with a high level of detail. We learn about the 11 major chakras (energy centers), their physical and psychological functions, plus practical and powerful no-touch hand movements to remove energy blockages and improve the quality of the energy flowing through a person’s body. Ultimately, a Pranic Healing session can lead to an accelerated rate of self-healing, substantially improving the quality of one’s health, both physically and emotionally. As cool as this may sound, my engineer’s mind instantly rejected it all. I even considered not returning for the second day of class, but there was something inside telling me to “finish what I had started”. Besides, on the second day we would learn the Meditation on Twin Hearts, my main goal from the very beginning.

Usually when people track their macronutrients, they focus on fats, carbohydrates, and protein, but another macro that factors into a healthy diet is fiber. Fiber plays a major role in digestive health. It fuels the intestinal cells, helps digestion keep moving to prevent diarrhea and constipation, feeds the microbiome of the gut, and also helps with excretion. Soluble fiber, the type that turns to a gel when mixed with water, can bind cholesterol, hormones, and toxins in the intestines and keeps them moving through the tract until they are excreted in the stool. Soluble fiber dissolves in water to form a gel which slows digestion leading to more stable blood sugar. This type of fiber also binds unwanted fats and cholesterol to help move them through until excretion. Additionally, your gut bacteria use soluble fiber as a food source in the large intestine. Insoluble fiber draws water into your digestive tract and adds bulk to stool, allowing it to pass more easily through the intestine, helping to prevent constipation. The national fiber recommendation for men is 30g and for women is 25g. Most people think salad is enough fiber, but did you know 1 cup of shredded lettuce only has 1/2 gram of fiber? On the other hand, 1 cup of broccoli has 5g of fiber, and 1 cup of beans has an amazing 30g of fiber! If you are aiming for 30g per day and eat three meals per day, a good rule of thumb would be 10g per meal. Whole foods are full of naturally occurring fiber, which is basically just structures that are resistant to our digestive enzymes. The term ‘whole foods’ applies to fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains with minimal processing, and animal products with minimal processing. Whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables are all close to the state they were harvested in, which means they still contain all of the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and essential nutrients our bodies can utilize. Prebiotics are compounds that, when fermented in the gut, produce specific changes in bacterial composition or activity, and support the growth of our normal commensal bacteria. These compounds are mostly carbohydrates that we cannot digest due to a lack of the proper enzymes, aka fiber! In general, fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains like wheat, oats, and barley are all good sources of prebiotic fibers. One of my favorite recipes that helps fulfill the daily recommended fiber goal is the following skillet. This dish is a savory blend of white beans, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and kale, sautéed in avocado oil. One serving has 16.5g of fiber, 21g of protein, and tastes delicious! Adrienne Wilen is a Naturopathic Physician practicing at Federal Way Naturopathy and the creator of Biomi, a 10-week program helping people resolve common digestive complaints. Learn more at MyBiomi.com.

Using native plant seed balls is a great way to reseed the landscape while teaching kids the importance of native plants and the environment! A seed ball is a marble sized ball made of clay, earth and seeds which is used to replant areas where the natural flora has been destroyed. Some say it originated in Japan while others claim Greece, but the important thing is that the native plant seed ball has now been used around the world to reseed land that has been abused by man or neglected by Mother Nature herself. Before the development of the native plant seed ball, reseeding some natural areas was difficult. The traditional method of broadcasting seed comes with several major drawbacks. The seed is sown on top of the soil where it may be baked dry by the sun, blown away by the wind, washed away by heavy rains, or nibbled away by birds or other small wildlife. Very little is left to germinate and grow. Making seed balls addresses all of these problems. These clay balls protect the seed from the heat of the sun. They’re heavy enough to be unaffected by the wind or heavy rains and the hard clay casing deters animal nibblers as well. In dry areas, the shape of the ball actually gives enough shade to conserve moisture. The seeds begin to germinate and the ball breaks apart. The small pile of crumbles provides the start for the root system, but is still heavy enough to anchor the emerging seeds to the ground.