Shira Turkl-Rubin

Last week Chad and I took a mini vacation. It started as a business trip for Chad. We went to Manchester, England which was beautiful and decked out in the holiday spirit but we only spent one day there and then flew over to Amsterdam which was the actual vacation part of this mini trip. I say mini because we were away from Wednesday-Monday – it was short and sweet to say the least!

What I’ve learned from this trip was that it was MUCH needed. Sometimes both Chad and I get caught up in the NYC hustle and bustle  of life but it wasn’t until we left the city that we actually felt ourselves “come down” off of our NYC high. In Amsterdam we strolled the whole city, enjoyed delicious food and yes we even indulged in the typical Amsterdam “coffeeshops” where we really let our hair down.

As we returned back to the states, I was not only dealing with jet lag, but the reality of my life here – or how I’ve created my life here – In a rush. I’m always rushing. Why is it that I’m constantly hustling from place to place?

I even find myself hustling in the shower…

I’m aware that if I leave myself just half hour more time I wouldn’t be rushing all the time!

This is unacceptable.

This stops now.

How many of you rush through life? We know that if we left ourselves more time we could stroll to work, watch the birds, smell the flowers, take a leisurely shower but do we execute? So far I haven’t! I know, I know, I’m a yoga teacher and I absolutely love going to work everyday – but, you have no idea how much I am traveling throughout this city, even the boroughs!

Anyway, I don’t want to complain, I’ve done this to myself. Tomorrow starts a new week and my conscious effort to slow down starts immediately.

Over the past week I’ve been reminded not only to slow down but also to take that much needed vacation! It’s time to book it already! No more procrastinating.

Yours in health,
Shira

Here is the second half of my lecture. Enjoy!

<After college I moved into Manhattan with my then boyfriend, now husband. I was again stressed out and searching for a job. Through the many informational interviews and internships – paid and un-paid – I came to realize that the line of work I had been searching for just wasn’t doing it for me.

More stress – and the only thing that truly made me feel better was practicing yoga and eating healthy. Two things that I knew I should be doing more of in my life. I was never one to eat a diet filled with lots of sugar, but my diet was nowhere near the healthy level that it is now.

One day, my now sister-in-law and I were talking and as I was recommending a food product that she should try – bam, her comment was: you should do this for a living – and that was it… As soon as I got home I ran to the computer and did research.

I found the Integrative Institute of Nutrition where I could obtain a certificate to become a health coach – PERFECT!

As well as going to school for health coaching, I signed up for yoga school because after going to the same weekly yoga class in college, I knew how amazing it made my body feel and I wanted to be able to give that to others. SO I got certified in an accelerated program in just one month! By the time I was finished with yoga school, I was all ready to learn about health coaching.

As a health coach, we learn about all the different diets out there, that one diet doesn’t work for everyone, and one person’s medicine might be another person’s poison. When talking to my GI doctor about which foods I should eat for my colitis he told me I could eat anything I want. My intuition told me that wasn’t correct so I did lots and lots of research to find out that those who suffer from colitis feel much better when going on a gluten free diet.  So, I tried it and it stuck. I now follow a gluten free diet, I limit my dairy intake since I know dairy causes mucus, and I seem to have an abundance of that, so the least amount of dairy the better for me.

As well as my Gluten free diet, I also stay away from processed foods, refined foods like white flour & white sugar and I stick to natural sugars like honey, maple syrup and agave. I eat lots of veggies as well as some meat but only once or twice a week and I always make sure it’s grass fed and organic because after seeing the movie Food inc I didn’t have a choice… For those who have seen it know what I’m referring to, and for those who don’t, I suggest you watch the grueling film about our country’s food industry.

I have learned an abundance of information about the importance of eating organic and I know that if I don’t pay attention to what goes into my body, then who else will? The way I see it is, my body is my temple, my home and if I treat it like garbage then I’ll most likely feel like garbage.

On top of my diet change, I’ve furthered my yoga practice. After learning how to create my own home practice to soothe my soul, I make sure to meditate and practice breathing exercises such as ujaii breathing, breath of fire and alternate nostril breathing every morning. We’re now going to practice alternate nostril breathing so you can see what I mean. I’ve learned to help calm the mind and body with this exercise. Let’s clear our laps, sit up tall in your chair and feel your feet on the ground: Do 3 rounds of alternate nostril breathing.

Since practicing yoga and breathing exercises everyday I’ve noticed a large shift in my stress level and I find myself able to control my breathing, which causes me to calm down when faced with stressful situations.

On top of all that I’ve already changed in my life to help my healing process, I’ve implemented a seasonal cleanse. My current yoga teacher, William Duprey taught me how to complete a yogic cleanse called dhauti – he was certain it would help clear my colitis symptoms completely. I wasn’t sure about this, but given my openness to trying new healing modalities, I was game. He gave me the instructions to drink a certain amount of Himalayan sea salt mixed with water and do specific yoga postures between each glass of water. Needless to say, I was in the bathroom all night but by the end of it I was completely cleaned out and ready to start fresh. So far, I’ve done this cleanse twice and have felt great after.  I intend to continue doing this each season because cleaning out the body is as healthy as it gets and it helps to clear my colitis symptoms too.

Now that I’ve spoken all about what I’ve done for myself to help me feel better, the only thing that would top off this talk is some actual research! Well, I do have it and I know we all appreciate results on paper – so here it is. I don’t have the numbers from my colonoscopy test in 2007, but when I had one in 2009 my DR. said the colitis was 11 cm up the colon and that number was slightly better then my test in 2007. This year, 2011 I had another test and my DR. said the colitis was just 3 cm up the colon making it proctitis instead of colitis! That’s a huge difference and means what I’m doing is actually working! The first thing the Dr. said when he told me that result was: wow, those enemas must really be working! – in my head I thought – Sorry dr. C but I barely take the enemas and there’s no way they did this healing.

I have to say that all the work I’ve done on myself has really paid off. I can’t say I’m 100% better, there are still days where I see blood and mucus in my stool but I know I’m on the mend, and the fact that doctors say this disease is incurable, well…. We’ll see about that. I have all the positive energy and thoughts to know that what I’m doing is working. With that, I leave you with a thought – even though disease is said to be in-curable, with will-power and the right tools, can it be cured? No one will ever know, but it’s definitely food for thought. I thank you all for listening and I hope I’ve given you some hope that whatever disease it is you or someone you know struggles with, don’t give up, talk to everyone you know until you find the right cure to make you feel better. Questions?>

This week I had the opportunity to speak at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. I gave a lunch lecture speaking about alternative healing, colitis and yoga. The experience was un-like any I’ve ever had before and I felt honored to share my story and how I’ve helped myself heal my colitis and it’s symptoms. The fact that I am spreading the word about alternative healing, and that I am a real life example that it can and does work was amazing for these med students. They love to see results as well as proof that these methods work. I think that’s why they loved my talk so much, besides the fact that I’m close to their age and we can relate to each other too!

I will be posting my lecture in a few different posts, so stay tuned as there will be more to come very soon.

<Hi,

My name is Shira Turkl-Rubin and I have ulcerative colitis. I’m here today to talk to you about how I’ve healed myself using alternative methods such as diet and yoga.

I’ll back up quite a bit and give you some history about myself first.

I grew up in an affluent town in Northern NJ called Tenafly. Throughout my childhood I suffered from frequent stomachaches, which my doctors eluded to me being lacto intolerant. That may have been the case, but my stomachaches were no small matter, and they kept getting worse. There came a point when I was around 12 years old that I noticed blood in my stool. I thought maybe it would go away but finally my parents decided to take me to the GI doctor who ran some tests and sent me for a colonscopy.

They found out I had proctitis – inflammation of the rectum. They wanted to put me on oral steroids for the rest of my life, and my parents, being a bit alternative themselves, decided to go the natural route and found a vitamin regiment to put me on.

For many years I took L-glutamine, fish oil, acidolophilous, vitamin E and a multi vitamin. This worked for a while, although I would still sometimes see blood in the stool anyway, but the stomach aches were less. As I grew older, my stress levels grew larger and the stomach aches would return.

Finally I went to college and found yoga. I took my stressed out, lack of sleep body to the yoga studio where I learned the proper way to breathe, move my body and de-stress. I felt great. I continued going to the same class every week as I found it to be my place to relax.

When I was a junior in college, I signed up to study abroad in Barcelona and knew my yoga regiment would be put on hold. Studying abroad was so much fun, but it took a great big toll on my body. I was eating foods I wasn’t used to, drinking coffee everyday and was stressed from missing my friends and family back at home. There were times of struggle While I was gone – my cat who was alive for 20 years died, as well as my aunt, she suffered from Pancreatic cancer and died a week after I returned home. I was a stress case to say the least and had no clue that my stomachaches were getting worse because of it. I noticed cramping, bloating, mucus and blood in my stool and I knew something wasn’t right.

After talking with my parents and doctor, we signed me up for another colonoscopy. The result was ulcerative colitis. My doctor prescribed me nightly enemas to ease my symptoms – sure, the enemas helped somewhat, but they were no cure.>

This is only the beginning of my story and you will see more of it in my next post.

Cheers to spreading the word about alternative health.

Shira

A day or weekend out in the country completely soothes my soul.

I can’t think of anything better then being surrounded by oxygen generating trees, beautiful plants and flowers and the sound of birds, squirrels and many other animals going about their business.

When I spend time at my family’s country house up near Woodstock, NY, not only am I surrounded by loving family, but the smell of nature grounds me and brings me back down from being on a city high.

Living in NYC is actually wonderful, but sometimes I get so caught up in the rush that I forget to stay grounded and I become flighty, forgetful and stressed.

One day out in the country is all I need to reset my soul.

What is it that your body craves to keep you grounded?

Here are pictures of me practicing yoga among the trees.

This past weekend I helped my husband Chad complete a juice cleanse that he randomly decided he wanted to do. Clearly I am all for cleaning out and thought this was incredible that he decided to do this on his own! No push from me!

If he was going to do this, then I was going to make all the juices for him!

That’s exactly what I did and they were absolutely delicious – all of them.

I did get inspiration from Blueprint Cleanse but made sure mine were even more delicious – I’ll post the recipes below.

Here’s why I love juice cleanses:

Your digestive system gets a major break and isn’t constantly working.

The cleanse allows for your entire body to fully rest – that’s why I recommend doing it over a weekend or when you have time off of work – the lowest amount of stress, the better.

This is time for YOU.

The body rids itself of inflammation and aches/pains are likely to dissolve.

You will have increased energy by day #2 – On the morning of day 2, Chad shot out of bed and said – let’s go on a walk! I didn’t have as much energy as him so I declined but was excited that he was feeling so great.

Doesn’t this sound incredible already?! Why haven’t you done it?? Don’t be scared or nervous, the body knows what to do with pure, raw fruits and vegetables – it doesn’t know what to do with processed crap that we put into our bodies day after day. What I mean here is: your body will thrive off of just juice for 3 days (or however many days you decide to do.)

***The trick here is if you do this cleanse properly, you won’t feel hungry. Amazing right?

When I talk about a juice cleanse – I’m not talking about buying apple or orange juice from the store – I mean fresh pressed greens, and other amazing vegetables.

Here is what I juiced:

Beet, carrot = DELICIOUS

Lemon, grapefruit, celery, pineapple

Kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, romaine, lemon, ginger

Red or green bell pepper, garlic, sweet potato, celery

Cayenne, lemon, maple syrup – not in the juicer

Cashews, water, vanilla, cinnamon, maple syrup – made this in the Vitamix

This post is for those who have never tried acupuncture. If you suffer from disease or pain, you must find yourself the right practitioner. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medicine where your healer not only wants to know what hurts in your body but they actually want to know how you feel mentally, physically and emotionally. She looks at my body as a whole – starting with my face, eyes, and skin coloring. Then she checks my tongue, pulses and feels the temperature of my body. Not only does she work to heal my digestive problems, but she also helps me reduce stress in my body, mind and spirit by allowing me to take 50 minutes to rest without anywhere else to be. It’s my time and I love it. There are no distractions only my own mind, which I work to quiet as I receive treatment.

Last week my body was fighting a cold and my symptoms included having a headache, jaw pain and restless sleep. I was treated for these cold symptoms as well as my regular stomach digestive problems and granted, the next day I was feeling a bit under the weather, but the day after that I was back to myself! It’s almost as though the acupuncture helped speed up the process of my cold and I was able to ‘get it out’ without actually having a full-blown cold.

All I can say is that I feel incredible after treatment from my acupuncturist. I am relaxed, elated and am ready to conquer the rest of my day. I promise if you find the right practitioner you won’t be disappointed. Please give it a shot, it’s for your health and you deserve to feel your best.

If you’d like to learn more about it please check out THIS book.

Take care of your temple, it’s the only place you ever HAVE to live.

It smells like fall in my apartment! I’m making my Fall orange soup and it smells delicious! This is my favorite time of year because the vegetables that I love the most are in season! Squash! They are grounding, earthy and they absolutely soothe my soul.

Here is the recipe for deliciousness in a bowl.

1 medium yellow onion

1 butternut squash

1 medium size sweet potato

4 carrots depending on size – if very large only use 2

pinch of ground cinnamon

pinch of ground nutmeg – this is very floral tasting so go easy on it and only use a very small amount. You can always add more if needed.

sea salt to taste

Add ghee or olive oil into a soup pot and let it warm up. Slice onion and add into pot. Turn the flame to low and let the onions get soft and clear.

Chop butternut squash, peel and remove seeds. This is the hardest part of the whole recipe! Be careful! You can always cheat and buy chopped squash at the store.

Peel and chop sweet potato. Wash the carrots well, remove ends and chop the carrots into rounds.

Once onions are soft and clear, add the chopped veggies.

Add 5-6 cups of water – you want the veggies to be covered.

Place lid on the pot halfway so air is seeping in. Turn flame to medium-low and let cook until all the veggies are soft. Should take about one hour. Puree with your immersion blender, Vitamix or regular blender. Enjoy!

This will make quite a lot of soup, so plan to have it for the rest of the week. You can also freeze some to eat later.

Hello to all!

I don’t usually self promote but this one calls for a nice clink of the kombucha glasses!

I have a deal on Lifebooker.com for either 1 private yoga session for $35 or 2 private sessions for $65!!

Over the past few years I have learned an abundance of information about yoga, nutrition and health. I’ve got some great tricks up my sleeve, but don’t worry, nothing too hard for the beginners out there! This private yoga deal will surely give you lots more confidence to move on to the next level!

My skills allow me to teach a wide variety of students from beginners all the way to advanced practitioners.

I love working one-on-one with students; attention to detail is significantly increased and the student becomes more in tune and aware of their body, which is incredible to watch as the teacher! In each session I offer helpful adjustments, modifications and I always bring an all around sense of ease and comfort into the room.

If you know you need yoga in your life, but haven’t gotten yourself to class then this Lifebooker deal is the one for you! Don’t wait, buy yours now! It only lasts for 5 days!!

Here is the link: https://secure.lifebooker.com/getloot/shira_turkl_yoga_1

Hope to see you soon!

With gratitude,

Shira

After returning home from an incredible yoga training in Vermont with Will Duprey, I’ve had a bit of a hard time assimilating back into “normal” city life.

Well, there I was, completely immersed in yoga day in and day out for two straight weeks. I felt great, (except for some belly issues due to the food) I continued my meditation and breath work practice and was surrounded by incredible, fun and lively people who were all in the same boat as me.
Then I arrived back to NYC and felt like the tiniest fish in a very large ocean. My emotions were soaring high those first two days because not only was I forced to say goodbye to some amazing people but I was also heading back to chaotic New York City. On most days I absolutely love the city but it is a challenge to get thrown back into it after being immersed in yogi land.

Now here I am, back in NYC and already I survived an earthquake AND a hurricane all in the same week! When it rains is certainly does pour!

My emotions have calmed down now but I am faced with asking myself the question: how will I keep up this positive, confident, soaring high feeling while living in NYC? So far what I’ve done is kept in touch with lots of people from my training and I will continue to do so. Only we understand the healing and positive energy we received from being present together in the same space for 2 whole weeks. I know that I can continue feeling great – although, let’s be honest, I know it will change as I travel along my journey.

My main focus is to stay positive, keep in touch and feel good.

My journey continues and so does yours.

Here is a blog post I hand wrote while away on my yoga training that I just returned home from. I was in Vermont for two weeks and now I’m slowly settling back in

Here I am, the last couple of days of my training and I’ve learned an abundance of information not only about my spiritual practice but… you guessed it, my belly speaks again.

Although the chef and staff on retreat have been great and very accommodating to my gluten free needs, the food has not been as clean as I’m used to and I’m certainly paying for it now.

I started getting uncontrollably tired and I wasn’t quite sure why. My body started sending more messages like heartburn and that’s finally when I put my foot down. I stopped eating the acidic meals that the chef was preparing and the next day I immediately felt a difference and wasn’t tired! I slept well, woke up refreshed and was ready to learn 🙂

My question for you is: what in your life is making you tired? Is it eating too much food that your body can’t digest? Acidity? Mucus? Sugar? Work? Relationships? What in your life is dragging you down and how can you put an end to it?

Please take a minute to stop and think about this. Tune into your body because like I always say: your body is your temple and you’re the only one who can control what goes in and out.