Spring Rejuvenation Retreat in Sedona, Arizona

Laura's Note: I am honored to be participating in this empowering, rejuvenating retreat in Sedona May 25-29. Won't you join me? I'll be leading the Reality Creation for Goddesses Workshop and helping to prepare the delicious, raw gourmet meals with Raw Chef Elaina Love! You'll enjoy workshops with other delightful women as well! Please check out Kerrie Cushing's website and her note to you below.

Greetings!

Join your sisters in a ladies-only retreat dedicated to awakening, cultivating, nurturing and celebrating the Divine Feminine Goddess within each of us. This Spring Rejuvenation Retreat getaway in the breathtaking desert of Sedona, Arizona has a beautiful flowing stream, hiking trails, energy vortexes, a mystical labyrinth and an indescribable magic. This extended weekend is filled with opportunities to:

REJUVENATE
LEARN
STRETCH
PLAY
CONNECT
LAUGH
JOURNEY & THRIVE!

Live, Love, Laugh, Learn and Let Go!
~Kerrie

Alynn writes,
"This is my personal motto:
Life is GRAND so LIVE it!"

Standing in an open space, basking in the warm rays of a beaming sun, savoring every moment of breath and life, with eyes closed, is Alynn Davis. Since I have been on this journey, I have been awakening (and still am) to every aspect of life, in a spiritual, living way. Life is a journey ~ life is given to you to breath ~ life is GRAND, so LIVE it!

My eyes, my mind, my emotions, my SOUL had been shifting to a new level since I became 100% raw in October of 2003. The darkness has drifted away. The cloudiness, the negative forces of energy faded into space. Living Raw is not just about eating raw foods. It is about living your life in an optimal way. It is about choices, it is about becoming something you never thought you would become.

Without realizations, I had been 80% raw growing up. Every time my mother offered us four kids something to eat, I always (ALWAYS) opted for fruits and/or veggies. I hated anything sugary, canned, or whatever that didn't seem natural. It is perhaps that I listened to my body, and instinctively knew that eating fresh fruits/veggies is better than eating processed/packaged foods. I have always been allergic to dairy (which is a plus!) and became vegetarian/vegan in 1992.

Thanks to Brenda Lee and May Wille, I was informed of raw movements and the raw lifestyle. When I was told about raw food, my first reaction was... "I do eat raw.. apples, oranges, celery, etc... so what do you mean Raw Foods?" They explained that eating raw meant nothing was cooked or processed; that it was all organic, etc etc etc. From there, Brenda Lee and I took moments to study, research, and educate ourselves about the raw lifestyle before becoming 100% raw. We wanted to know what we were getting ourselves into without being ignorant. In October of 2003, after I returned from a business trip, Brenda Lee, Brian Moore and I chatted, catching up on news. At one particular moment, out of the blue, Brenda Lee and I looked at each other, read each other's mind, and blurted out (almost at the same time!) "Let's become raw!" We jumped onto this path, became 100% raw overnight (with no transitional phase) and have been loving it ever since!

I think what makes us truly unique from others is that we are deaf. Being deaf makes us more conscious of who we are and we stand out. Just because we are deaf doesn't mean we are clueless! My goal is to educate and communicate with the deaf population. There is a barrier between deaf and hearing people and that is communications. How do we break down that barrier? By having someone who can relate to them and communicate with them. Perhaps that is where we fall in...

We shall see what this journey brings us! If you are interested to learn more or wish to inquire more about me, feel free to check the website which will be up and running soon ( www.dazzlingraw.com) or contact me via email at alynn@dazzlingraw.com.

This is my personal motto: Life is GRAND so LIVE it!

Alynn is one of the raw chefs at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center's All Raw Cafe. And Alynn's infamous durian-cacao recipe is included just for fun in this issue. If you've never had, durian, you're in for a treat!

Raw Chef Melissa Davidson shares
her experiences at the magical "Tree"

Early last Summer, I had the chance to visit the Tree of Life with a friend of mine, Christopher "Coconutty" Cowen. Since my Raw transformation in 2001, I had been wanting to visit this Oasis in Patagonia I had heard so much about it from the Raw scene. Coconutty and I spent 2 days in the community volunteering in the kitchen. Just as we arrived, a group of kitchen apprentices were on their way back home from a 3 month Internship. "The Tree is where magic happens, Mango,” Coconutty would say to me.

Having experience with preparing live foods myself, it was natural for me to slip right into the kitchen and help out. Wanting to come back and experience the Tree more, I was asked to return in January during the slower season while the management took their leave.

My day typically began before the sun would rise over the desert mountains just outside the cafe patio. I got the opportunity to peek behind the scenes and learn what being of service to others was all about. For me, prepping fresh organic cuisine was like wrapping a gift while the guests and staff were rising. Breakfast was served soon after the sun would warm the mesa, and our intention would fill the air. Sitting out on the patio, you could count on mingling with visitors from as close as California or over-hearing excited travelers passing through on their way to England.

Beginning in late January, there was a 30 day documentary being filmed with six diabetics reversing their illness through Raw Foods and Yoga. The participants loved the food and for the most part, they were quite open minded and willing to try new foods. Within 3 weeks, the participants were off their insulin or cut their dose by more than half. The participants were not the only one's going all raw! The film crew even dove into the freshness and were so amazed at what the chefs were creating. During my time at the Tree, I enjoyed talking with the Fasters and assisting them in their delicate cleansing time. Guests were coming to relax and detox in the casitas and locals taking the scenic trail in from town to soak in our private hot tubs. One could enjoy a massage, Panchakarma treatments, the Infrared sauna or daily Yoga. Taking a walk through the labrynth or stretching out on the sun decks was a great way to unwind. Each day of the week there were food prep classes, a Q&A session with Gabriel Cousens MD, Kali RayYoga, and a sunset ceremony with chanting meditation or dancing.

The community would gather to dance, sing, laugh, play games, build, garden, and hold meetings that had to do with important community decisions. It was so beautiful being a part of a community that truly desires to support it’s members and encourage growth and celebrate life.

Melissa is a private Chef and business owner. She is not employed by The Tree of Life rejuvenation Center.

"Live foods for a Rawkin' Lifestyle" Melissa Mango 512.791.2673

Check out this luscious, mysterious,
delicious and odiferous fruit!

Ingredients

• Fruit of one durian
• Two young coconuts (water and meat)
• Handful of cacao nibs

Blend all ingredients in a VitaMix or food processor. Voila! Pour into beautiful parfait glasses and enjoy the most sumptuous, delectable dessert ever!

Alynn says, Durian is my FAVE and nowadays. I'm known as the Durian Queen!" People say, "Where there is Alynn, there is always a Durian!"

Rawsome Inspiration for You!

In my deep, profound journey with food in this lifetime, I have experienced everything from unending hunger, to emotional comfort, to sickness from overconsumption, to self-restriction, to self-hate, and through the dark chambers of misuse and misunderstanding into self-nurturing, self-love, profound healing, release of old patterns and renewal on all levels in my eating and living experiences.

The raw and living foods diet has probably always been lurking within my core, finally ripening when I became so ill five years ago that I just couldn't stand it any more!

I am giggling as I write this, because I know that it is not necessary to become ill before learning to nurture ourselves with a diet of all or at least more raw and living foods. I hope that these words and ideas will inspire you and help you appreciate yourself and your relationship with food.

As I discovered raw food, I found that my social relationships were able to deepen, because my focus was no longer on what I'd be eating. I found I didn't need very much food at all. I knew I'd be happy at a party simply eating an avocado or some pineapple chunks on toothpicks, or justing sipping water with lemon. Having been a sugar-holic, it was quite a release and healing to be free of the overlighting need to eat all the cake in the fridge or make brownies and eat half the pan. Thank God! What a painful experience that was, not being able to stop myself when I knew what I was doing was leading to more pain for me.

Drinking three quarts of water a day is actually what got me off of processed chocolate and sweets, believe it or not. I had read the book "Your Body's Many Cries for Water" by F. Batmanghelidj, MD, and was delighted that my cravings disappeared in a matter of days. This was before I went raw. I remember my first raw day clearly. I was having headaches for four or five days in a row, and had absolutely no energy. My cries from within came out: Please, God, make me raw! How cute! Anyway, my cries were heard, and within a matter of days, a new friend named Robert Selby appeared in my life and taught me how to go raw. Robert also helped me get my body back in shape with physical fitness. My first raw morning was Christmas. My mother had made her wonderful breakfast scones, served with jam and butter. Though I could appreciate the love and care that went into them, and received that directly, I didn't even want the scones. I let the rest of my family enjoy them, and felt very pleased to be on my new, all raw diet.

Since then, I have been 100 percent raw about 90 percent of the time. In the winters, or during times of stress, I have found myself dipping back into warm cooked foods, though I have tended to stick with the healthier, vegan dishes like quinoa with steamed vegetables for the most part.

I am thankful that once again, I am 100 percent raw 99% of the time, and feeling great for it! I need only one small meal a day, with a bit of fruit or a smoothie a couple times a day. I drink lots of water, and I enjoy the clean, energizing feeling of living in the raw.

What are your desires regarding manifesting your optimal diet? I am here to support and uplift you into meeting your goals and maintaining your accomplishments towards a healthy, loving, self-nurturing relationship with food.

May you be continually renewed and blessed with the true nourishment that comes from deep within your Spirit, and may the food with which you celebrate Life always bring you joy, health and prosperity.

Love!
Laura Laura Fox offers classes, private raw food prep instruction, dietary upgrade consultations, Thai yoga massage, and The Raw Immersion Experience (see details at the end of this e-mail). Dietary Upgrade Consultations are available over the telephone and in person. She is currently located in Richmonnd, Virginia and can be reached at (804) 243-9909 and laura@rawinspirations.com. Her true aim is to uplift and serve those who desire to experience greater good in all areas of life.

Laura's note: My friend Jennifer sent me this curious link about an orchestra that makes it's instruments from all raw veggies. I love it! Click the photo above for Dr. Mercola's comments on the delectable instrumentation, and find the article link from Independent Online below. Food for thought, eh?

This article is reprinted from the Independent Online Website:

Hamburg - The sound of 40kg of finely tuned cucumbers, leeks, potatoes, radishes, peppers, aubergines and marrows entertained a German audience at a weekend concert by the Viennese Vegetable Orchestra.

The nine-piece orchestra plays a range of original compositions on instruments constructed from vegetables - including a flute made from a carrot, a saxophone carved out of a cucumber and a pumpkin converted into a double bass.

"I would never have thought you could get sound out of a cucumber," a young woman at the concert said. Others commented on the raw vegetable aroma accompanying the melodies.

The Austrian ensemble, three women and six men, said their instruments are freshly sliced and put together only an hour before each performance to enhance the sound. Size, texture and water content are vital to achieving the correct sound.

"Ordinary vegetables work better together than organic vegetables," said Matthias Meinharter, who plays a violin fashioned from leeks.

The musicians must also work against the clock. To protect their instruments from drying out during the performance, they place damp cloths around the vegetables when they're not in use.

At the end of the performance, the instruments were turned into vegetable soup.

Join Laura for FUN, ADVENTUROUS INSTRUCTION in preparing some of THE most delicious, nutritious raw food recipes on the planet. You'll enjoy a luscious raw gourmet dinner, get your questions answered on how and why to add more raw to your diet gracefully, and receive RAW KNOWLEDGE to inspire you to reach your goals!

MENU:
~ Delectable Raw Chocolate Brownies
Veggie Spaghetti with Red Sauce and Alfredo
~Fresh Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

LOCATION: Home of Susan Halloran

COST: $25

BRING: You will be asked to bring an ingredient or two for the recipes we'll be making.

REGISTRATION: Please call Laura at (804) 243-9909 or Susan at (804) 457-4751 to sign up for class and receive your food assignment.

Spread the word, and we'll see you there!

Laura’s Note: Me Me Davis is a colon hydrotherapist located in Richmond, Virginia. If you have never experienced a colonic, please know that they are highly recommended and can greatly improve your wellness. Me Me is offering a purification class this Saturday in Richmond. Please call her number below for info on colon cleansing, classes and detoxification.

Purification, also known as detoxification or cleansing, is the process of addressing the accumulation of toxins in the body. The liver, digestive tract, kidneys, bladder, lymphatic system, lungs and skin are the major systems and organs that are involved in the neutralization and elimination of toxins.

Because we are exposed to high levels of foreign substances and overconsume chemically-treated, synthetically-produced food, extra purification is needed. When we think of all the foods and drinks we have consumed over our lifetime, the amount could literally add up to tens of thousands of pounds.

We are also exposed to irritants such as cigarette smoke, pollution, hair dyes, dry cleaning fluids, cosmetics, exhaust fumes, soaps, perfumes, alcohol and drugs. This everyday exposure can and does leave us feeling less than our best, therefore, to receive ultimate health we should do some type of detoxification, annually or seasonally.

For further information on cleansing and Detoxification, call Me Me Davis C.C.H.T, C.N.C at 804-218-7644

Just call or e-mail Laura at (804) 243-9909 or laura@rawinspirations.com.

It may be just the beautiful experience you need to help you meet your dietary, health and wellness goals and help you learn to prepare delicious raw gourmet meals! You deserve it! Cash, check and credit card (PayPal) accepted.

Our Special Price: $200 USD

Purchase Your Raw Immersion Experience Now! Simply enter the quantity of days you want for your Experience in the quantity box. We'll handle the food costs later. | Check it out!