Walking through the Lost Orchard, I can’t help but stop to admire the apple tree known as The Embrace. When I gaze upon this tree or stand in its space, I feel transported to a different time, to the Victorian-era in which this tree was planted. My mind relaxes, my breath deepens, my heart remembers. Body and soul, I can’t help but feel pulled into its embrace by simply being in its presence. All at once, I am the one who planted the tree and nurtured its growth, and the one admiring its magnificence now. Not just an apple tree, The Embrace is a lifeline between two lives, two times, two worlds.

Read more about My Discovery of a Lost Victorian-Era Orchard. 

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I tend to be someone that people confide in. Even strangers often tell me the stories of their suffering, and of course, in my practice it has always been important to me to address healing from a body, mind, and spirit approach. That often means that people have shared their stories of abusive relationships. Suffering abuse at the hands or words of a narcissist, is sadly, more common than most people realize. And, contrary to popular opinion, women are not the only ones who may be victims of narcissistic abuse. Please note that I’m sharing this blog based on personal accounts shared with me in my practice or in my experiences with others and it is intended for informational purposes only. A…

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Delicious and Simple-to-Make Plant-Based Yogurt. Photo copyright Michelle Schoffro Cook.

One day while I was busy straining whey from a batch of homemade dairy-free yogurt, and waiting for what seemed like way too much time, I said to myself “there must be a better way.” I knew that yogurt had been made this way for hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of years, but that was when yogurt was made from cow’s, goat’s, or camel’s milk.

With the substitution of cashews in place of milk, I set to work to find a better, no muss and no-fuss method for making dairy-free yogurt. Realizing that the culturing time can only be sped up so much (after all, the little beneficial bacteria need tim…

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Most people are concerned about the health of their brain these days. And, for good reason: brain diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease are rapidly rising. According to some estimates, 35.8% of people 85 or older have some form of moderate to severe memory impairment. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to protect your brain and memory, from exercising and mental exercises, to healthy diet rich in brain foods like blueberries, walnuts, pomegranates, and more.

But, there is another way to boost your brain health—by increasing your brain's stem cells--those cells that can create more stem cells or become many other types of cells in the body. Research shows that a co…

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