What’s on the Mind, Body & Soul Food Meanderings Menu?

           Some folks have teasingly called me “crunchy granola.” Sure, I used to wear Birkenstocks, until I realized I needed shoes with more give to provide a full stride. And yes, I try to eat organic, as natural as possible, with a good dose of raw food and minimal fish and fowl in my diet. I admit I’m an avid practitioner of yoga, and meditate daily. I’ve also been known to hug a tree or two, but usually this has been prompted by someone else leading a group of us through an experiential exercise—now that I wear dreadlocks, I know there are plenty of places for ants and other tree creatures to hide on my head—I itch just thinking about it. So the evidence is there, the pronouncement is in: Tonya Parker meets the criteria for crunchy granolahood!

            I’ve stopped resisting the evidence, but I these days I choose to adopt a different name. Sometimes I’ve called myself Earth Goddess. Other times it has been Natural Sistah. Most recently I’ve answered to Throat Chakra Shaman for all the healing work I do around communication and expression. I respect and love Earth Mother, and all of her critters and cures (Sure, I haven’t figured out the need for mosquitoes—some creature’s food, I’m sure—but I do what I can to respect them while preventing them from invading my space!). Whatever my name, pairing nature and healing is my game.           

            My love of nature combined with my call to heal and teach led me to pursue a Natural Wellness Certificate—a way of helping individuals understand that healing occurs naturally in the human body when it is given what it truly needs: nutritive foods & herbs, pure water, fresh air, sunlight, exercise, rest, essential essences, bodywork, conscious breathwork, etc. Far from my days gone by of being a practicing psychotherapist, I now understand that people are better able to achieve and maintain good health by addressing their mental, physical, AND spiritual selves. My current mission is to facilitate expression of one’s highest self—mind, body, and spirit—through divinely inspired and assisted holistic healing, teaching, coaching, writing, & radio programming. I use the tools of the traditional earth-based healer, and my experience as a metaphysician, massage therapist, Reiki Master/Teacher, counselor and educator in this pursuit.

            As I’ve spent years journeying down this healing path, I have a better understanding of the myriad gifts of Earth Mother. And of course I can’t keep it to myself—my throat chakra energy nudges me to continue to create and express myself fully, and that’s what I will do. So what’s on the menu for my Mind, Body & Soul Food Meanderings? I’ll serve up suggestions for maintaining health and wellness through a number of natural means, dish out holistic health news and commentary, and spill the tea on personal experiences from the perspective of me, Tonya, Throat Chakra Shaman, formerly known as Crunchy Granola.