Good afternoon lovely readers,
This week is a little different. I thought I would tell you a little about my journey and what led me to creating Seeds Of Health. What my journey has been thus far and what my passion and aim is, within Seeds Of Health.
I think I’ve always had a seed inside me – of curiousity.
By the age of 14 I had done my first liver cleanse – following Sandra Cabot’s guidelines. I remember being in year 9 and wanted to tackle some skin concerns that I had so I decided, with my mum, that we would do a liver cleanse together. This type of investigation has led me to strong philosophy that I know I can trust to cleanse and clear my body. Things will continue to come up as life evolves, but these days I’m no longer worried and guessing. I know what tools to use. I have confidence and certainty. I want to educate and show others that they too can feel this sense of empowerment around their own body.
I encourage you to explore alternatives and always be open to try new things. You don’t know until you try and you don’t know where it will lead you on your journey.
I began my own health journey and interest in health many years ago when I was having problems with my skin. At first during my teenage years it was acne on my face but then in later years I had a significant encounter with eczema while travelling around Australia. Both of these ‘issues’ provided fabulous platforms for exploration and learning around food as medicine, minerals, herbs and homeopathy. Well that’s what I chose to explore and felt drawn to.
Initially during the later years of high school I became interested in wholistic alternatives for my acne and tried things like zinc cream, eliminating dairy, another encounter with a naturopath and the idea of balancing hormones and skin concerns naturally, rather than choosing The Pill.
A Native Indian Reserve in Saskatchewan, Canada, was my first international stop which sparked something. Such an eye opening experience and in relation to where I am now, it gave me exposure to traditions, sweat lodges, cultural beliefs around elders, habits and food, as well as round dances, community, overseas travel and the beauty of honest friendships.
During my first year of University (studying a Bachelor of Learning Management in order to become a primary school teacher), I was given an amazing book by my cousin called Natural Fertility by Francesca Naish. It was powerful! I loved feeling that I could understand my body and know what was happening to it during my monthly cycle and in particular, knowing when I was ovulating. I now recommend this book to my clients because I feel it gives women a chance to feel in control of their body.
Fast forward a few years and I had explored a few more ‘healthy’ food ideas and trialed them for myself however still had this deep intrigue for what else plays a part in health and healing – the bigger picture of our body and illness. Along with this were a few trips to different countries like South Korea where my love of communal eating was sparked!
In 2007 I travelled around Australia in a van for 11months (which, by the way, was the best!) and suffered a serious case of eczema all over my body, which had been getting a little worse before leaving. This led me to dealing with a homeopath that my partner had used during his childhood. This suited the circumstance, as she was able to conduct consults via phone and post remedies to me while travelling. I also eliminated a lot of foods while on different remedies to enhance their potency and trial different options. A fabulous personal experience. During my travels around Australia I had time to contemplate what it was that I wanted to do instead of full time teaching, which I found stressful. My experience of full time teaching made me question where my passions lie. I kept being drawn back to health.
I have come so far since those days of liver cleansing, when I was 14 years old. With this background and my love of food as medicine, the power of herbs, the power of nature and my belief in the importance of simple daily practices like drinking 1L water upon waking, getting into the sun, etc, to create health and healing, I decided to start my own business called Seeds Of Health.
To this day I believe, from my own experience, emotions play such an enormous role in the healing journey…it has been an interesting ride so far and one that I have learnt enormously from and still do everyday. I am learning to trust my ‘gut’ more and more and ensure I am surrounding myself with positive healthy relationships and balance – for me getting in to nature in really important.
What once began an awareness of nutrition soon spread to an awareness and desire to live more consciously. I began to question what alternatives could be used for everything including skin, laundry, cleaning, etc. I became aware of how I was voting with my dollar, every time I spent money. My Naturopathy studies opened my mind and also blew my mind at times. Our bodies are capable of SO MUCH given the RIGHT CONDITIONS.
Another important part of my journey was stumbling upon Don and Tyler Tolman at a free seminar in Brisbane. After interactions and encounters over a few years I attended a 7 day juice fast and everything that was presented to me felt right within my body. The simplicity and honesty of the foundation of health is something I wanted to incorporate more in to my practice as a Naturopath. The Naturopath industry as a whole felt like it was moving away from where health begins and more towards a topical ‘pill’ approach. I wanted to educate, empower, guide and lead by example to encourage others to try it for themselves and see how their body feels. From personal experience I know it works. From here I have grown year by year gaining more knowledge about how to live consciously – a very important part of my aim within Seeds Of Health.
I want individuals to feel they have a CHOICE and to know that they vote with their dollar every time they spend. Also, to consider the finer details like what they put ON their skin each day, along with what they put IN their bodies. What choices and alternatives are available? That’s what my aim at Seeds Of Health is – education and awareness in order to live consciously.
When viewing my philosophy on my website you will notice that I have 3 important reasons while I chose the name Seeds Of Health (the name actually came to me relatively easily and effortlessly and for the following reasons it still rings true to me).
Planting seeds of knowledge that blossom when the time is right – remembering everyone is on their own journey.
Knowing where your food comes from and where possible planting seeds to grow your own. Herbs and rocket are a great place to start!
Predominately or solely a living plant based diet. One that encourages individuals to crowd out the bad by simply increasing the good in their diet, making the transition enjoyable.
My continued aim with Seeds Of Health is to simplify health and live consciously – bringing awareness to our routines, lifestyle choices, food choices, emotions and how this impacts on our mind, body and spirit impacting our vitality. I enjoy bringing a community together like during my morning activation sessions to practice simple and powerful daily rituals in order to realize how easy it is to implement them into daily life – creating a ripple effect and an abundance of health.
I would love to hear your comments or questions below! I love to stimulate discussion and let you have your voice heard.
Have a beautiful afternoon x
Janelle.