Cultivating a healthy spirit is a life long journey.

And staying positive about your life is a life long conversation.

When we work to achieve these pieces, we move towards a balanced and healthy connection with our soul. And this is essential during those peak times in the year where your stress levels are exceedingly high. (Think: back to school night, getting your classroom set up in time, report cards writing, balancing work and home life…You know what I mean!)

Practicing gratitude on a daily basis creates more space for you to see the miracles happening all around you. For example, no matter how you reading this – computer, iPad, phone, even printed out on paper – they are ALL true miracles that we get to take part in every single day.

The more you can appreciate, first, what is in you, the more you begin to see it in others. Remember the allure of teaching? All the *pros* of working with students, and colleagues, and growing together? That takes precedent over the stress and worry when you create even just the smallest space for gratitude.

Try this: Start a Gratitude Journal

Set an alert on your calendar and begin your day by making a list of all the things that you are grateful for in your home life, and work life. Once you write down the list, read over it and let your heart truly give thanks for each item you listed.

You can give thanks for the fact that you have a job that gives you an income, be thankful for the car you have that takes you to work, the roof over your head, the bed you sleep in, the fridge you have with with food to nourish you, the wonderful coworkers you have, the supportive partner in your life, your creativity… And so on.

I love keeping a gratitude journal because whenever I write down all the things I’m grateful for and see my huge list I can’t help but smile and feel so fortunate to have so much! I also found over the years, especially as a principal that whenever I wrote about being grateful for my *tricky* teachers or demanding parents I found that my attitude shifted, and that opened up the experience to be so much more than negative. By focusing on the positive aspects of these negative situations I was able to let go and realize they were there to teach me a lesson I needed to learn about myself. Interesting, huh?

Just imagine waking up one day to only find the things that we were grateful for! Changes things doesn’t it?

So I am very grateful for you today for trying this tip and I hope it transforms your life in the way it has done to mine and I would love to hear about it!

Alejandra
xx

When we think about Teacher Wellness & Our Body it’s common to think about dieting.

Let me assure you, this is NOT my bag. I want you to feel healthy, and appreciate all the ways you nourish your body. This includes healthy food, healthy rest, and healthy attention. I want you to have enough energy and strength to do things for yourself, your family, and teach all day long.

Today I want to talk about the food we ingest. Feeding our bodies with the right nutrients can happen when we tune into what actually serves us. And with a little planning you’ll be able to ditch the fast food and empty calories with healthy food that will make your skin, eyes and hair feel wonderful all year round. Combine this with exercise or some type of movement that works for you and your lifestyle and your body will be thanking you over and over with abundant energy and radiance.

Try This: Start Your Day with a Big Green Smoothie

Try my no fail smoothie recipe. I adore this because it’s so easy and is one of the best ways to get your greens. My son loves it and my teachers swore by this when we did our group smoothie cleanses. Give it a try and let me know what you think. (Make sure to notice how it made you feel.)

Alejandra’s Green Smoothie

2 cups of spinach

3 cups of water or nut milk of your choice

2 cut up frozen bananas

1-2 cups of frozen strawberries or blueberries

Little splash of vanilla (optional)

In a blender:

Blend the spinach with the liquid first

Add remaining ingredients

Enjoy slowly while you savor the flavors. Don’t forget to *chew* your smoothie because digestion begins in the mouth.

Bonus:

Like walking? Take your smoothie to go and get out in nature and love your body!

Do you have a favorite green smoothie I should be trying out? Leave a comment and let us know!

Bottoms up!

Alejandra

xx

Mind:

How we address our mind, its health, and the constant thoughts is critically important in our Teacher Wellness. We can start cultivating a healthy mind by taking time each day to breathe, let our mind grow quiet (even if our surroundings are not), and reflect thoughtfully on what’s important to us.

Here’s an encouragement to begin tapping into yourself. You can do this lots of ways. Set a reminder on your phone to check in. Get up 5 minutes early to spend in silence. Go for a walk on the weekends. The more you can start to turn to yourself, and your mind, the more you strengthen your wellness.

To help you accomplish this, I’ve created a beautiful screen saver for your phone. Download and install it now for more mindful days. (When you click the image it opens into a separate window for you to save to your phone.)

Additionally, when you begin meditating, walking in nature or simply taking a few minutes a day to focus on your breathing to empty your minds of worry and being present in the moment, you will begin to feel much calmer and notice that you are able to handle stressful situations easier.

Here’s a Tip: Start meditating! Schedule a time today to tune into YOU. Even 5 minutes a day will make a huge difference in your life and will affect so many areas of your life in a positive way. Scientific research has found that meditation has many benefits including a decrease in hypertension, heart disease, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and addictive behaviors.

You should also know that in my new program, ReBalance, I’ll provide guided meditation opportunities all year long. The program opens on August 18, so be sure to jump in with this amazing community and have your best year yet!

Alejandra

xx