Beautiful and Unusual Portraits of People from Ethiopia's Omo Valley

Check out these stunning photographs by acclaimed German photographer, Han Silvester, found on the Saharan Vibe blog here.

Is it Better to Sleep on the Hard Ground?

The other day I listened to the interview with Victoria Boutenko on the first night of the Raw Mom Summitt and she spoke about her whole family sleeping on either the floor or another hard surface. She explained for the first couple of nights or so your body would be detoxifying and you would probably feel discomfort, but after about seven nights, you would feel aches and pains sleeping on your soft bed! I talked to my partner, Laye about it and he said that back in Senegal growing up they used to sleep on the ground as well and often children would just fall asleep wherever they were on any surface. It reminds me of watching my own son just fall asleep so deeply after playing with trains for hours on the living room floor and simply letting a train drop from his hand and rolling over on his side.
In one of Victoria's first books "12 Steps to Raw" she writes "our bodies need to stretch out at night. All the bones and joints can only stretch out when we lie on a hard surface...the spine is improperly positioned while driving, in front of the computer, watching tv, such that some joints don’t get adequate spinal fluid and blood enriching oxygen."

This great article on zafu.net (the website of a company that sells yoga props and meditation pillows) gives a more in depth exploration of "Sleep Ergonomics" and the habit of traditional peoples to sleep on hard surfaces. You can find it here

Vital Information for Parents to be Shared at the Raw Mom Summitt

The Raw Mom Summit is coming soon! If you are a parent or soon to be a parent, please join me and register for these free live interviews with some my favorite experts in the raw food, attachment parenting and natural living world.
The series hosts interviews with Jean Liedloff, (author of the Continum Concept), herbalist Susan Weed, raw foodist Victoria Boutenko and Shazzie and many more.

Here are some quotes from some of the speakers that are lined up;

"It's not even possible to discuss conscious parenting without talking about diet." Karen Ranzi

"What have we misunderstood about our Human Nature? We use the word 'normal' as if it is a synonym for 'natural', which it is not." Jean Liedloff


"What have I learned? (about good parenting) To listen, listen, listen. What do I teach my children? To question everything!" Victoria Boutenko

"The birth process affects our ability to love, experience happiness and intimacy, as well as whether living in a body is experienced as safe and joyful and or as painful and lonesome." Elena Tonetti

Looks amazing. Please join me and listen to these interviews while you are cleaning the house or playing with your child.
"The Evolution of Motherhood Has Arrived" - rawmomsummit.org