Is there fear of anything that this world has to offer right now?  Anything in your wildest imagination…..anything?   Maybe you can fill a journal, maybe you have to really search as chances are RIGHT NOW you are completely safe.  

If something comes to mind, try not to run from it.  Sit with it like a small misunderstood child and breath.  Whether it is public speaking, a relationship ending, a terrorist attack or a health concern, it is worth your attention in small spurts.  You can bring it to mind with full color and detail and sit with the physiological feelings that it would bring.  Sit with the social affect it may have and cause.   Sit with the pain that could come emotionally.  Take 20 breathes as you sit soaking in these possibilities.

Now, raise your hands up above your head, inhale, palms firmly together, sense your moment right now, sense your true reality right now while holding that inhale.

Exhale with purpose and quickly sweep your hands down and out making a large upside down V  – holding your exhale for a short time plug your fingers down into the earth, floor, yoga mat….lengthen your neck, grounding to your shoulder blades, reach further ‘plugging in’.

These fears we have live in us, behind the scenes especially when we try ignore them with work and popular stimulants.  We fear our fear.  Sit with them individually and then let it out, plug in and breath in the present truth.

“The more we practice, the more we are gentle with our fear and are able to embrace it, the more the fear goes away.  It is possible to live a life in the present moment completely without fear.  Without fear, we are able to see more clearly our connections to others.  Without fear, we have more room for understanding and compassion.  Without fear, we are truly free.”   

Thich Nhat Hanh,   ‘Fear’

On this day we dedicate to amore, I want to share thoughts with you about the outer armor we sometimes wear as a means to protect our inner world…

Armor as a noun

• the metal coverings formerly worn by soldiers or warriors to protect the body in battle.
• the protective layer or shell of some animals and plants.
• a person’s emotional, social, or other defenses.

Seeing past what a person may project socially can assist us in understanding emotions and, therefore, one another at a deeper level.  A person may look hard, but be fragile on the inside or the opposite, looking very happy but fighting a sadness or other challenge internally.  This is sometimes difficult to read and digest.  Truly the only way to know what lives beneath the surface is to spend time in observation and better yet, conversation should the opportunity arise.

Keep in mind that what you see externally may simply be a protection of a person’s internalization of their experiences.  These are likely to have been in formation for years.  Please persevere to bless the souls of others for whatever they may be carrying.  Embrace the moments presented to you when you can offer a safe haven to another person, allowing a vulnerable state to become an accepting one too, so that those in interaction with you can trade in their armor for amore!

 

I have heard that one of the healthiest things you can do for your body and digestion is to take 3 deep slow breaths before you begin eating.  Within those 3 breaths there can be a view, an appreciation, a calming of the day and even the meal preparation.  This also lends itself to prayer before eating, no matter your faith.  Whether it is thanking God or farmers, ranchers and factory workers for all of the support that is given to keep you ALIVE.

Breathe it in.  Look, your beautiful food which is NATURE wants to be seen.  Eat, Enjoy.  Breathe again.

Germs are everywhere!  My own family just got through a week of congestion and cold which seems quite annoying to be honest.  No matter your preventative rituals, sometimes IT happens.  Your immune system has to be in SUPREME shape this season to never get sick.  When it does happen, we can think of all of the things that we are not getting done and all of the social events that we have to cancel – this is so natural it seems.  I, personally, had to switch my thinking very quickly to what wasn’t wrong with my kids and myself last week.

• what symptoms am I not having to manage, look at the HEALTH. 
• how can we CONNECT during this forced down time.  
• like a vacations what lazy times can we enjoy together or apart while we heal; fun/educational TV shows and movies, books, slow paced games, comfort food, etc. 

Pick Up sticks is one of my kids favorite new games.  They each love to try new techniques and practice breathing while they WOW us with their skills.  This is something that often we don’t take time for within a healthy and busy schedule.

So when the germs get the best of you, make the best of them.

“Don’t compromise yourself.  You are all you’ve got.”   – Janis Joplin 

Many of us feel a need to please others.  We want others to like us.  If we move beyond that need to feed the ego being expressed through wanting others to like us and doing good at the surface being guided by this same need, we may move deeper into pleasing because we actually want others to feel good.  This can play into a routine of subjugating the self to please another and maybe also finding that the other is still not pleased!  What an exhausting cycle.  Sometimes, we do need to sacrifice the ego to please another.  It can be a very good practice.  However, there is a balance to this as with all things.  If you are being rolled over, dominated by another in order to have them pleased, I hope you will find the strength to stand up.  I hope you will find the words to speak your mind and truth.  I hope you can give a voice to your experience, no matter the emotional residence.  If we are always directed at pleasing another, the sense of self can be totally lost.  A high price.  Taking time to nourish the self first (and this is not to mean egotistical needs but healthy habits and spiritial practice) is vital in being anywhere close to the realization of successfully pleasing another.  If you are present with yourself and your own needs, your presence will naturally please those who are in line with your vibration.

 

 

Culturally we tend to put more importance and thought toward dinner.  We have recipes,  planning, we set the table and take the time to look for a colorful, balanced and nutritious plate.  Our lunch, on the other hand, can tend to look very boring, brown and often microwaved.  It’s the busy part of our day and we just want to fill our stomachs and get our work done.  The problem with this imbalance between meals is that lunch time is a prime time to continue to bulk up your immune system, fuel your body for productivity to finish the day with JOY verses exhaustion and a brain fog.

Cortisol flows through your body on a daily rhythm keeping your blood sugars in good standing to help with a productive day flowing into a good sleep.  Foods assist in this Cortisol flow.  When your food works against cortisol your body can feel chronically tired, with the added symptom of poor sleep at the end of an exhausting day.

To help with this, we start the day with protein (lean meat, nuts or nut butters, bone broth, protein smoothies, eggs) and wean the protein off as the day goes with the least amount of protein at dinnertime.

LUNCH is the perfect time to enjoy healthy proteins mixed with greens, fiber and fresh or frozen fruit to that our blood sugars stay on track and the fog never sets in.  Once we come toward dinner time we can continue with a colorful, happy plate with healthy carbohydrate and minimal protein to bring our bodies and minds naturally flowing toward sleep.

Help create a Lunch that feels like a daily PARTY for your body instead of a boring packaged detail to your work day.  It will help your afternoon choices, productivity and your sleep at night.

 

The way you feel the moment you wake up is an important part of setting a good vibe for your day.  Take a moment when your eyes first open to say, “Thank you for this day”.  It can be inside or outside of your head.  That’s up to you :). Next, to become aware of your body, wiggle your toes under the covers and feel the delight there.  Roll your ankles and flex them back and forth. Give thanks for the movement and the warmth you feel. Complete the simple exercise by wiggling your toes again.  This is a quick way to ground yourself before your feet ever hit the floor. Happy thoughts, happy feet, and thankful heart first!

What may reveal itself to you, if you approach the coming days like this tulip, with a humble, yet brave openness and vulnerability?

 

 

 

Food and eating are a glorious, sensual part of life.  Food appeals to our sense of touch, taste, and smell.  Many even enjoy the sounds associated with food: sizzling, a wooden spoon running across the sauté pan, the water rushing over the vegetables in the colander, or the knife against the cutting board in it’s percussive precision.

I don’t know about you, but I love to eat!! I like the entire creative process.  I like to organize, chop, cook or bake, present, and then sit down to eat and enjoy!

With all of this love of food buzzing around inside of me, I find that it can be directed in one of two ways – towards indulgence or towards mindfulness.  Both are pleasurable for different reasons and with different outcomes depending on the measures taken to balance the two.

I like to embrace whichever direction I’ve taken and also listen to my body so that I can balance with mindfulness if I’ve too long enjoyed indulgence.  When you find it’s time to reset, a cleansing soup can be a helpful tool.  You can go head on, committing yourself to eating this primarily and drinking the broth for two to three days or you can go lightly and replace a meal or two in this fashion.  If you go head on but find yourself needing something additional, consider adding whole fruits, vegetables, and perhaps almonds and cashews.  In the past, I have cut caffeine when cleansing, but would at this time leave it in place.  A cup of coffee in the morning is one of life’s treasures!

The soup can be made of leeks, onions, celery, fennel, garlic, lemons, or spinach.  You can use any combination of nonstartchy greens and alliums covered in water and set to simmer.

Begin by drinking the broth, and when you are hungry take out the greens and alliums to eat.  A drizzle of olive oil on top of the vegetables may help to stay solo with the soup for a longer time period. In the photo below I added herbs for flavor and avocado for a midday boost in nutrients, fiber, and protein.  Some herbs I would recommend are thyme, oregano, and rosemary.

This soup is good for the mind, body, and soul!

I am currently reading a text entitled “Cognitive Coaching” by Arthur L. Costa and Robert J. Garmston.  This aims at creating self-directed leaders and learners in the field of education, however, I feel that the passages apply to us all and our life choices.

Quotes from Cognitive Coaching on Behavior, Values, and Identity:

• “under certain conditions, repeated behaviors may affect beliefs.”
• “values, beliefs, and behaviors are related to identities, which reinforce and sustain identity adjustments.”
• “identity is always a moving target”
• “as we transcend the self and become part of the whole, we do not lose our individuality but rather our egocentricity.”

I especially like thinking of identity as a moving target, for the position that offers in making desired improvements to ourselves and not being confined to a narrow existence.  We can always adopt a new way of thinking, choose to nurture positive internal lingo, and honor the best parts of ourselves.  In this, we can evolve to become more fully who we are at the core and integrate our unique individuality into the whole thoughtfully.