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Since I greatly reduced my alcohol consumption, I realized how much drinking  felt almost mandatory during most holidays, most of them anchored in a boozy tradition. And in Stockholm, the pressure to drink alcohol can feel overwhelming.

Since I follow a low-alcohol diet (not to mention plant-based), I usually tend to feel a little boring with my tall glass of water.

This year, I will come prepared. I will feel festive! And I would like to help you, too!

At some party events, I allow myself a tiny bit of alcohol (a little high-quality organic wine never killed anyone), but for the most part, I will be sipping on the super-yummy, alcohol-free drinks I suggest below. Pouring these drinks in beautiful glasses such as wine, Champagne or Martini makes them that much more fun.

Eat, drink and be merry!

1. Green Juice or Smoothie

Is there any better time of the year to have a yummy green juice? I think not. With your tall green drink in hand, you will look and feel better than any drunken leprechaun I’ve ever met.

It is always preferable to make your own green juice or smoothie at home, (see below for my fave) where you can save cash and select your own top quality organic  ingredients. Of course, any organic store-bought green drink will do just fine. Just make sure all ingredients are organic and that the sugar content is in check. 

St-Patrick’s Day Green Smoothie

Yield: 2 servings

•   1 avocado

•   1/2 banana

•   1 cucumber

•   a fistful of kale or romaine or spinach

•   coconut water (or purified water)

•   a sprinkle of cinnamon or some cacao (optional)

1. Blend ingredients in a high-powered blender.

2. Kombucha

One of my favourite party drinks, Kombucha is a probiotic, raw food that aids digestion and boosts the immune system with its enzymes and Vitamin B. With a nice fizz, it is fermented tea that tastes and feels delicious and festive. It even looks like Champagne!

The Chinese have been using it for 2000 years and refer to it as “The Tea of Immortality”. Good enough for me! My absolute favorite flavor is anything ginger.   3. Coconut Water

Fresh Coconut Water (not to be confused with coconut milk) is one of the healthiest foods you can put in your body. With its elevated  electrolyte content, it is highly hydrating and contains many vitamins and minerals your body will thank you for.  Plus, it is super refreshing at a hot, irish party. I avoid canned coconut water  and make sure I buy 100% Coconut Water with no added anything. With a twist of lemon and few strawberries popped-into a martini glass, you got yourself a party!

  4. Pomegranate Juice Pomegranates are low-sugar fruits rich in vitamins C, E and whole range vitamin Bs and minerals. They are alkalizing and anti-inflammatory.  Need more? They also contain lots of antioxidants and flavonoids (all the healthy stuff in red wine, without the damaging alcohol). Because of all of these amazing qualities, I drink Pomegranate juice every single day, midsummer or not. For an added festive feeling, I like to add a little pear nectar or mix it with some Kombucha. I buy 100% pomegranate juice, not from concentrate.

Jivan Dios offers individual counselling, couples counselling and Family Constellation sessions in Stockholm, Sweden. For more, kindfulness.se

Do you remember when you were a little child, you felt joy simply by running free for no reason,could laugh while chasing butterflies and could play with the same toy for hours? Your belly felt totally relaxed, knowing somehow you were completely safe? When you were sad, you cried. When you were angry, you yelled and frowned.

You were innocent then. Guess what, you still are.

This innocence and simpler way of being are still inside of you and each and every one of us and can be felt at any moment, no matter what hardships you have endured.

This simpler way of being cannot be taken away from you. It is essentially who you really are. You possess a wonderful inner intelligence that is based not only on your mind. This intelligence is much bigger: it comes from a knowing from your entire body. You are an amazingly intelligent and loving soul with simple needs. Your deepest wish is to live happily and playfully, with a career and relationship that makes you thrive and live your fullest potential.

Sounds simple, and it can be. You just need to listen.

Transforming pain, depression, blame, unhappy relationships, chronic illness, fear and anxiety into something more beautiful than you ever imagined is not only possible, but easily within reach. With this shift, a deep inner compassion is revealed as well as a closer and deeper relationship with yourself and others.

With this shift, healing happens. Life becomes more fun and creative, richer, full of wonder, love and gratitude. In fact, this is what life wants for you every day.

Life is always wanting you and helping you to come back to your true nature of boundless joy and unconditional love.

If I would have believed the doctors and not trusted my own body’s messages, I don’t know if I would be alive today.

My body’s messages is what saved my life.

After numerous doctors visits, I still did not feel at ease when the doctors diagnosed me with an ovarian cyst. The surgeon who was to operate on me told me I had to wait seven months to have it surgically removed. The first doctor I saw didn’t even return my calls after a first visit because it was “nothing serious”. I told the surgeon I was in much pain, that I had to pee every 10 minutes and that my belly was growing by the week. He said, “It’s nothing to worry about. This is a normal cyst. Just relax.” My cyst was deemed non-suspicious, but my body could not relax. Somehow, something didn’t fit. Something was keeping my body from relaxing…

I was restless. My tummy felt anxious. I couldn’t sleep. My legs wanted to move. I lay down one day and simply listened and watched every bodily sensation. I noticed breath, aches and pains. Then, a sentence came to me very strongly through my belly: “Those doctors have no clue what’s really wrong! You cannot wait seven months for surgery! Investigate!” It was a voice so loud that I could not ignore it. I didn’t wait another moment and made an appointment with my surgeon and out of nowhere came the following words out of my mouth: “Do you offer private surgeries outside the Canadian health care system? To my surprise, the answer was yes, for $2,750. Some family and friends told me not to pay so much for the surgery when I could get it for free if I just waited a few months… They told me to take it easy and believe the doctors. They told me that they are the professionals and they know better than me.

My belly didn’t believe it. Five days later and thanks to the private surgery, I received an early-stage cancer diagnosis. If I had waited seven months as the doctor recommended, the cancer would have likely spread. I don’t know if I would be alive today. That was the best 2,750$ I ever spent, hands down! This is not the first time my body was trying to send me important messages. My body had been telling me for months that it wasn’t happy and that it was getting sick. It felt nauseous and tired. But I didn’t listen. If I had, it would have told me that it wanted to live in another place. It wanted to work with something else, something meaningful. It wanted to laugh and dance. Most importantly, my body wanted to be heard. I just had to listen. If I had, I don’t believe I would have developed cancer.

One of the many (believe it or not) wonderful things that came with a cancer diagnosis is a new relationship with my body. We are now best of friends. I can trust it. I know it saved my life. I now listen to it closely because I know it has intelligence far more sophisticated than my mind. If you have difficulty making a decision, ask your body.

When taking a moment to feeling each option, paying attention to which one makes your body’s energy go higher? That one is the right decision. This is fun, because you don’t even need to think. Just ask your body. It never lies! But it is not always easy to listen. Quite often while growing up, we are told to fight the body and its feelings. Don’t tremble with fear, don’t run, don’t laugh too loudly, and don’t dance. Eat all of your food even if you’re not hungry. Drink coffee if you’re tired; you can’t sleep now. Over time, this causes us to lose our connection to our bodies and ultimately our trust in them. By losing our connection to our bodies, we lose our connection to Nature and Life itself. Our bodies are innocent. They are primal and natural and are connected to all of Nature and the universe with its million and one happenings in every moment. How could it not be? As with all beings in Nature, our body works perfectly on its own without the need to think.

As Osho, a great mystic, once said, the grass grows by itself… When we are connected to our bodies and listen closely, something begins to guide us, something bigger, taking us to the next step and then the next step. This something can show up as an inner voice, a knowing or a hunch. Sometimes it can come as physical pain.

This something is what I call Life, the great mystery, always gently guiding us back to the center of it all…Love. In what ways has your body

Originally posted in www.elephantjournal.com