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Weekly Wednesday Inspiration: Paper Cranes

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Long regarded in Japanese culture, origami is a calming and meditative practice that produces some stunning, simple art. Often mimicking real life and nature, origami paper folds to create cranes, lotuses and other peaceful symbols.

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Cranes in particular have a special place in history as origami’s finest representative. Tradition holds that folding 1,000 paper cranes can bring good fortune and peace to many occasions. Couples often fold cranes before their weddings for prosperity, while the cranes can also be folded in hopes of healing from illness, giving congratulations on an anniversary or celebrating family.

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At FFLB, there’s always a lot to reflect on, especially around our tenth anniversary. We’ve introduced cranes as a meditative craft idea. Whether it be during a treatment or in hopes of uplifting another Beauty, folding cranes is a tradition with potential for harmony.

Thank you to our amazing women who have contributed cranes! We hope these stand as symbols for your happiness, well being and importance to our community. Interested in making your own cranes? We’ve hunted down some of the finest instructions on the web. Tavin’s Origami Instructions has a helpful video, and we also like this step by step diagram.

Let us know how your crane folding journey goes, or shoot us a picture of your success! Plus, watch for cranes on our Instagram, @livingbeautyorg.

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Baltic Amber: Nature’s Ibuprofen

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Nature can have gentle, subtly healing elements- and they can also be an easy, everyday part of your style routine! After experiencing Hazelaid‘s hazel wood bracelets as helpful with skin ailments like eczema, we caught up with the company to learn about the potential benefits of their other stunning resource, baltic amber jewelry.

Baltic amber works like a natural ibuprofen, reducing inflammation and swelling while easing aches and pains. When in contact with body heat, the amber releases an oil called succinic acid, an alkalinizing acid that may lower the body’s acidity (and certainly doesn’t raise it). It’s a mild pain reliever, but the lighter and less polished the amber, the stronger it is. While not many patients have tried the amber to ease cancer symptoms, it is possible that stronger amber might be very helpful for pain issues that come with cancer. The amber does help on small levels to boost immune systems and energy levels, which is always excellent news!

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Hazelaid (along with FFLB) would love to know if and how our stylish Beauties find relief with this jewelry. In the course of our discussions, the company generously agreed to give away a free piece of jewelry to one lucky Beauty! Plus, a second Beauty will receive a 40% off code that can be applied in a transaction of up to three items from Hazelaid.

Even if you don’t win, or if you’re not a Living Beauty but have interest in Hazelaid, we have good news! All of our readers can get 10% off their purchases by using the code Foundationforlivingbeautiful10. Thank you to Hazelaid for joining our wonderful community of facilitators and sponsors. We look forward to extending more wonderful, holistic and fresh ideas!

To enter the contest, please email [email protected] with your own holistic tips and suggestions. Name a product, recipe, holistic expert or exercise that has helped you, and tell us how we can get more information! Your suggestions will help us continue building a forum to help other Beauties. Include your name and preferred phone number. Two winners will be chosen completely randomly after verification in our database. We also ask that our product winner keeps us posted on how the jewelry helps so that we can pass on the info!

Thank you for participating in a community of Living Beauty! Think this could help a friend? Pass it along and get them in touch with our staff. Feel inspired to donate? Check out how here.

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Your Healthy 4th of July Guide

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We searched the web to create a definitive list of healthy 4th of July recipes! Scroll to see wholesome, easy tips we’ve gathered for you to enjoy this holiday. Let us know what you’ll be using, and share favorites with your friends!

EASY, HEALTHY RECIPES

Want to rock a potluck without breaking the bank or spending hours in the kitchen? Here are some super snappy recipes that are healthy AND fun.

Watermelon Cake

An easy “cake” made almost exclusively of fruit, with no batter needed! Plus, you can probably get your prep time under ten minutes.

Flag Fruit Kabobs

A refreshing family treat to create together! Have everyone work on a different kabob! Arrange according to a photo guide, and you have a patriotic, nutritious serving of fruit. Click the image example below to find a step-by-step guide from Rada Cutlery!

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Red White and Basil:

A Caprese Salad Plate is an easy and classic potluck recipe! Simply layer round slices of mozzarella with tomato slices and pieces of basil. Click the photo below for instructions from All Recipes. Avoiding dairy? Substitute cauliflower!

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Cranberry Relish:

Filled with antioxidants, cranberries are a colorful must not only for Thanksgiving-but also 4th of July! Check out this tasty Cranberry Relish recipe, and serve it on absolutely anything: Veggie burgers, wholegrain crackers and even a bed of spinach! Click the image below for the recipe-you can substitute orange juice for the liqueur. Too much sugar? Coconut sugar is a sweet alternative!

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 Main Dish Idea:

Want an all-in alternative to traditional 4th of July pasta salads? Quinoa is the way to go! According to Medical News Today, quinoa is the only grain considered a complete source of protein. It also has tons of vitamins, calcium, iron and other nutrients! Red quinoa is a festive idea for your Fourth. Serve the quinoa with grilled chicken breast and purple potatoes or carrots for a patriotic and well-balanced meal!

Happy Fourth, FFLB Community!

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a woman in front of a colorful geometric wall doing a yoga pose

Tari Prinster and Yoga 4 Cancer

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We are so grateful to present a new series of tips for Living Beauties, their supporters and anyone wishing for a healthy lifestyle! Yoga is a very important experience at the Foundation for Living Beauty. Many of our retreats feature restorative yoga exercises, often led by yoga and cancer expert Tari Prinster. Tari will generously be helping us display some healing yoga poses on the blog.

In the midst of an incredibly athletic lifestyle, Tari was shocked to find herself diagnosed with cancer at age 56. On the road to recovery, she found that yoga gave her spiritual fulfillment while allowing release in her body. Tari recovered in 2003, but continues to share the gift of yoga with other cancer patients and survivors. She has earned a nomination for the Yoga Journal award of Good Karma. She sees both yoga and cancer as great teachers that introduce both the acceptance of uncertainty and the understanding of one’s self.

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For more about Tari and Y4C, check out this introduction video, as well as her website! We will be featuring more expertise from Tari, including healing pose ideas and meditation tips. Stay tuned!