3 Important Aspects Of Building Your Spirtual Life

Several years back I made the commitment to develop my spiritual life.  I am going to start including lessons, struggles, and stories about my journey in hopes that they will inspire, empower, or simply entertain you. As I promised last week, this weeks post is about one of the most important lessons I have learned thus far- how to cultivate your own spiritual practice.

On the final day of my trip to India we had a small ceremony to close our training and time together.  It was simple, beautiful,  and turned out to be one of the most important lessons of my life.  As we were finishing up and getting ready to return to our homelands, Saji our teacher gave us this sage advice,

"Most importantly remember the 3 S's - Sadhana, Scriptures, and Service". 

It's been nearly a year since I received those words but I took them to heart and my spiritual life has continued to change and grow dramatically.  I have mentioned this probably a millions times so far, and will probably mention it a million times more (maybe some of you will get the fullness of this message) but until you experience a thing can not truly know it in it's totality. If you want a spiritual life you have to make conscious effort to make it a part of your experiences. I have spent the last year with these parting words ringing through my soul. Because they have made such an important impact on me, I want to share them with you in hopes that someone out there in cyber land  also takes them to heart and begins to transform their  own spiritual practice and life. 


1) First S - Sadhana
The word Sadhana in Sanskrit means, "endeavoring to obtain a particular result".  When you decide you want to grow your spiritual life it takes work.  It doesn't just happen over night but with time and effort things start to change.  For me my Sadhana includes daily prayer/mantras and meditation, my physical yoga practice on the mat, and walking.  I would be lying if I said I do all three of these daily, but I aspire to.  I do however do at least one of the three daily.    The Sadhana has three main aspects- choice, commitment and aspiration. 

What you do for your Sadhana is your choice.  There is no particular activity that is required to fulfill a Sadhana the idea is just a continual practice that is regular.  An example I once read was to light a candle then blow it out every night for 90 days.  Your mind will find all sorts of reasons why not to light the candle. That alone is the practice.  On a personal note I would suggest an activity that is edifying, meaning choosing something that will improve your moral or spiritual character.

The second aspect of this piece is commitment.  Of course you are the only one who is making the commitment to this practice.  It is often suggested to do the practice at the same time or in the same place everyday. This is the idea of regularity and commitment.  I have done practices where I was committed to doing a certain meditation  three times a day at the same time for ninety days.  At this period in my life my commitment is to do the practice.  It doesn't always work for me to do each of my practices at the same time every day.  For me it is more important to do them than to get worked up about the time or place.  But once again - do what works for you.  That is most important. I would suggest starting small like the candle idea, or 20 minutes of stretching, or 5 minutes of deep breathing- and committing to a time of day and a length of time, say 90 days.  It's in the action with intent that you start to get to know yourself a little better. You will get to see how much the mind will fight you over the simple stuff. 

The last aspect of Sadhana is aspiration.  If Sadhana simply meant repetitive action that means brushing your teeth could be considered a Sadhana.  The Sadhana means that you have to put a conscious intention behind your action.  It is not something you simply do everyday. You have to aspire to do something that is out of your norm.

2)Second S - Scriptures
 Studying of the scriptures is the second major aspect of your spiritual development.  Yoga is considered a Spiritual Science.  Do certain activities and you will enhance your soul and be in more accordance with your spirit.  Ancient Yogis thousands of years ago figured out there are certain things you can do to awaken the spiritual being within.  That's why it is not considered a religion because any religion or spiritual aspirant can use this Spiritual Science to grow.  Most Yogis do however believe in a monolithic God- meaning there is only one God with many ways of expression and worship.  With that said, whatever your spiritual teachings are study those scriptures.  Weather it is The Bible, Bagavad Gita, Sutras, Vedas, Torah, Koran, I Ching etc. -  study your scriptures.  Daily.  Even if you don't know where to start.  Pick up the Great Book, open to a page, and start there. Eventually you will find yourself searching out all your questions and inquires.  The fact is we were given instruction manuals to living, but you have to study them in order to really learn and understand what they are truly teaching.

What I want to mention about studying the scriptures is that you can not read them like you would the news paper.  They need to be studied and meditated upon. I would suggest getting commentary and study books to help search the deeper meanings.  For example, there are study Bibles out there that have references in that back.  So certain words will be underlined and then you can look them up and get even deeper meaning  in the original language. Then the Spirit of the word will be revealed unto you. "The letter of the word kills, but the Spirit gives life"- 2Corintians 3:6  Once you have studied a scripture spend some time meditating on it.  Understand it from the heart, the Spirit within, instead of the mind and intellect.  Revelation is the only way to truly understand.

3)Third S - Service
"If you knew what I knew about the power of giving, you would not let a single meal pass without  sharing it in some way." - Buddha (563 BC- 483 BC)

Really, this quote by Buddha says it all.  Infact, it is said that when Buddha would give a speech to others than his devotees he would always start with the lesson of giving.  After that he would continue his teachings on morality, renunciation, the 4 Noble Truths etc.  This is because service and giving is a foundation to all of your higher development.  

 Find ways, big or small to be of service to others.  What you will soon realize is that you think you are out there helping others but in reality you are the one who is also gaining greatly from your service.  I have mentioned in pervious posts according to psychology every single person on this planet has 6 human needs  - Love &connection, versatility, certainty, significance, GROWTH and CONTRIBUTION.  The final two are the only needs that are part of our spiritual being.  Sadhana, Scriptures, and Service (aka Contribution) are human needs that promote growth of your Spiritual Being.  Your Highest Self. 

Giving and being of service is not just about giving money, gifts, or time - it's also about your internal personal quality and disposition.  Maybe you just bless each person silently.  Or maybe just being in your presence picks a person up or inspires them.  Your presence should add to every situation, not take away.  Sometimes all you give is a smile and that is of great service.

What I have learned, as my honey so eloquently puts it, "You can't out do God giving".  You never ever lose giving or being of service.  You always gain -always.  With that said I must make one distinction.  Do not give or be of service  if your heart is not in it or if you expect something in return.  Then it is neither a gift or of any real service.  You are better off working on the first 2 S's, Sadhana and Scripture first.  The true gift or act of service can only come from a genuine heart.

The only way out is in

We can never obtain peace in the world if we neglect the inner world and don't make peace with ourselves. World peace must develop out of inner peace. Without inner peace it is impossible to achieve world peace, external peace. Weapons themselves do not act. They have not come out of the blue. Man has made them. But even given those weapons, those terrible weapons, they cannot act by themselves. As long as they are left alone in storage they cannot do any harm. A human being must use them. Someone must push the button. Satan, the evil powers, cannot push that button. Human beings must do it.

The Dalai Lama

In yoga we believe that there can be no world peace without inner peace.  "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he."- Proverbs 23:7.    Every action begins with a thought. If you want peace in your world, schools, malls, neighborhoods, and home YOU MUST become that peace. Individual by individual we can change the collective consciousness.

“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.” 

Mahatma Gandhi 

God is Divine intelligence, consciousness, the creator of everything.  Each and everyone of us has this intelligence, this divinity within.  But we were also given free will.  Our consciousness can be used towards good or evil- the choice is ours. In the yoga scriptures, The Yoga Sutras by Patangali, the second sutra (instruction) states,  

YOGA CITTA VRITTI NIRODHAH

 

This means, the restraint of the modification of the mind stuff is yoga.  In plain English, one way to look at this is that our mind is our biggest enemy, because it is subject to evil and idle thoughts. Once we begin to take over the whims of the mind and start cultivating a practice of inner peace and harmony the world as we see it begins to change. Ultimately this is also how we connect to the God within by quieting the mind (ego) and in the space of inner peace we yoke up, unite, become one with God.  It is also in this place that we are able to see the God in everyone else.  If  you recognized the divinity within yourself as well as the divinity within the other person, would you could you blow them to pieces? You can not know this divinity within unless you experience it for yourself.  At this point you might be saying to yourself, "Sure that sounds like a nice idea but all this horrible stuff that is happening in the world is reality.  This inner peace crap is not reality, innocent people are dying."  

 

I'll use the example of an orange.  Squeeze an orange and what do you get? Apple juice?  No you can only get orange juice.  Squeeze a person who is grounded in inner peace are you going to get violence?  No, only peace.  Squeeze a person who angry, frustrated, fearful, greedy or mad, will you get violence- absolutely.  

 

Lets be real for a moment.  Have the wars, or guns, or weapons produced a safer more peaceful world?  Are we really free when our public spaces have now become targets for massacres?  Really how different are we than those in war torn countries? How else are we going to achieve peace?   There is a lot of controversy given all the  recent violence here in the U.S. about gun control. Some say get rid of all guns. Some say everyone should be required to own a gun, but really guns are not the main issue. The issue is that way too many people are spiritually bankrupted and their inner worlds are chaos. When the inner world is violent, anything can become a weapon.

 

That is why it is sooooo important to cultivate a spiritual practice in order to have inner peace, joy and happiness. Spirituality is action.  To just simply say you are a spiritual person, maybe go to church, and pray when you want something is not a spiritual practice.  Your spiritual practice must be worked upon daily.  Every action creates an equal and opposite reaction.  And every action comes from a thought.  It is crucial to start taking control of your thoughts. Even more now than ever, in our plugged in world, lack of control of our own thoughts has led to many destructive behaviors.  Daily prayer and meditation is a great place to start.  Even if it's only 5 to 10 minutes a day. Consistency along with desire to grow will do wonders for your mental well-being.  It won't change over night but it will begin to change.

 

I am going to start doing some more spiritual posts under the label "this spiritual life".  Please note I am simply sharing my experiences and do not claim any authority.  The only true authority is your personal experience.  Until you experience a thing you can not know it's truth.  Next week I will do a post on how to start to cultivate your own spiritual practices.  Until then, peace be with you!

 

Love is.....

This post is a tribute to my dad who was the embodiment of  Love and the one who taught me what it really means to love.

Love Is Patient- it is long suffering, it endures much wrongdoing or provocation without retaliation. It will put up with many slights from the one it loves and will wait patiently for the effects of it's love.
Love Is Kind- it want's to be useful and searches out ways and opportunities to do good.
It Does Not Envy- love does not complain nor is it bothered by the good of others. Envy is ill-will, love is good will. Love will never wish ill to anyone.
It Does Not Boast, It Is Not Proud-  Love does not puff up, it does not need flattery, but esteems others.  It does not disturb, is not cross or contradictory.
It Does Not Dishonor Others- Love is always on time, and does nothing out of place.  Love is courteous and honors and has good will towards others.
It Is Not Self-seeking- Love is the exact opposite of selfishness but embodies self-love first. Love thy neighbor as thyself. Love knows how to love self first then shares that love with others. But love doesn't seek out it's own to hurt others.
It Is Not Easily Angered- Perfect love casts out all fear - anger is just a manifestation of fear. Anger can not exist in the presence of love. If we burn with love in our hearts we can not kindle the flames of anger at the same time.
It Keeps No Record Of Wrongs- Love does not get revenge, nor does it cherish malice. Love does not keep tabs. It forgives and moves on. To forgive is to not be angry anymore. Love moves on lovingly.
Love Does Not Delight In Evil But Rejoices In Truth- Not only does love wish no ill to others but it certainly does not take delight or rejoice in harm or misgivings. Love is compassion for all in all situations. It delights in your joys and is saddened by your sadness.  Love rejoices and enjoys much satisfaction when truth prevails.
It Always Protects- Love will not display or announce others faults but is free to tell those faults to the other in private.
Always Trusts-  Love knows that love always wins and trusts the process, knowing that love endures.
Always Hopes- Love believes in the goodness in all and will make the best of everything.
Always Preserves- Love is always working to multiply, protect, keep itself continuing on. Love is never ending. Love lasts above all else.
 

Namaste -I Salute You!

The light inside of me bows down to the light inside of you- Namaste
The God within me salutes the God within you- Namaste

What would happen if every encounter you had with another person you first honored the God, the Divinity, within that person? And what would happen if you also honored the God within yourself as well?  How would that change how you interact with people?  How would that change how you felt about yourself? 

10 Ways To Prevent Yoga Injuries.

As a yoga therapist it's my job to help people feel better and teach people all the ways in which yoga heals. The yoga world is surrounded in mystery, and for many that is part of it's allure.  We know that ultimately we feel better after our practice but can't always say why that is. Many in the yoga world tout yoga as being the ultimate health practice, safe for everyone. In fact, many people including myself, turn to yoga for all of it's health benefits and healing capabilities. While yoga is capable of many health benefits and healing aspects, the truth is that yoga can also hurt people.  Many people get injured doing yoga asanas (poses).  As a community most teachers and practitioners choose to overlook or downplay this fact because of our love for the practice and all the benefits we get from our practice. Part spiritual, part physical, and part emotional the love for the practice runs deep. Though we might not be able to explain exactly how it works we know that something amazing is happening.  Yoga changes a person,  from the inside out.  It's because of this that yoga injuries most often go unmentioned. 

It's not that the practice in and of itself is extremely dangerous, although like anything it can be if done improperly or inappropriately.   In fact there are many reasons why yoga injuries are on the rise. As a yoga community we have lost our way.  Actually  with the gain in popularity the tendency is to puff up it's benefits and down play it's dangers.  

What we have largely failed to grasp, especially in the West, is  like anything there is a process.  Have you ever watched and old kung fu movie?  Almost always there is a young student who begs the old wise kung fu master to be his student.  The old master will refuse him many times before he even accepts the youngster as a student.  Then when he is accepted you see him washing the floor or holding two buckets full of water for hours on end, or doing some menial task and not doing any kung fu fighting at all.  Why is that?  The master is building a foundation.  The young eager student can't just start fighting with advanced techniques and technicality without having a foundation in the practice.  Why is it in yoga you can learn the basic flow of a sun salutation within 2-3 classes then be in and intermediate to advanced class without any other foundation? You wouldn't take one French lesson and say you spoke fluent French.  That would seem ridiculous.  Yet we apply that same principle to yoga all the time!

Therein lies the disconnect.  Yoga is ultimately a practice of awareness.  If you were to do nothing but sit on your mat for and hour concentrating on your breath you would be doing an advanced yoga practice.  But most people think,  where's the fun in that?  As Westerners we are goal oriented folks.  We like to push our limits, show our strength, perform, succeed and compete with ourselves and with others.  Ultimately that is what we bring to the mat.  And unfortunately, this is one of  the root causes of  yoga injuries- Ego and Obsession.  As Glen Black is quoted in the book The Science of Yoga, by William J. Broad, "You have to set your ego aside and not become obsessive.  You have to get a different perspective to see if what you are doing is going to eventually be bad for you."  In general most yoga poses are safe when practiced safely but often times ego and obsession take over the practice and safety flies off the mat.

Another factor that contributes to a vast majority of yoga injuries is what I call physical deficiencies.  As a nation, Americans are overfed and under nourished.  This malnourishment leads to being physical depleted and can cause serious weaknesses. In general we live sedentary lifestyles and for some the only activity they may get is on the yoga mat. Layered with being stressed out and sleep deprived. Then on top of it all, add the fact that most Westerners don't begin their yoga practice until they are well into adulthood. Many people take up yoga because they are already stiff.   Combine all these elements together plus our obsessive perfectionist culture and that is just a recipe for disaster.  A yoga teacher can't necessarily tell if their student has high or low blood pressure, or if they are diabetic, or fatigued.  In truth most students either deny, evade, or simply don't know their own health issues.

Many yoga asanas are a practice for the healthy individual who has built a foundation, gone through the steps, and cultivated mind-body-breath awareness and practiced  all of these elements for some time.  They also live their yoga off the mat. A true yoga practice is not finished when you say Namaste.  In truth physical asanas should not be the focus of your yoga practice.  Instead they are a tool to help cultivate the true practice of awareness.   Most people think we use our bodies to get into a yoga posture but in reality we use the yoga postures to get into our bodies.

Obviously, this is a big topic and I have a lot to cover.  There is no doubt that the safety of a student is both the responsibility of the teacher and of the student.  Following is a list of 10 simple things you can do to help increase the safety of your own practice.

1) The Power of Awareness. Have you ever noticed that an accident or injury doesn't happen when you are very concentrated and in the moment, they happen when you are not paying attention or lost in your thoughts.  By cultivating a practice that is focused on awareness and being in the the moment rather than physical accomplishment you are more likely to protect yourself in your poses.
 2) Breathe! The breath is the language of the body communicating with the mind.  When the teacher is queing breath really check in with your breathing and be aware.  Often times it is easy to let the breath and queing of the breath become mechanical without any awareness.  Also, if you are holding your breath or struggling for a breath more than likely your are either not present in what is happening in the body or you have gone too deep and need to back out.
3) Less is more. Try practicing restraint vs. accomplishment.  This can become a beautiful practice of awareness in itself.  Sure you can go deep but can you also back off and play your edge?
4) Trust yourself. Listen to the teacher within.  A teacher can only que proper alignment.  They do not have an x-ray machine to see if everything is lining up exactly or pushing beyond it's limit.  But you do.  It's your internal knowing that you tap into with your breath and awareness.  If you can safely close your eyes and go in, often times you naturally align yourself just by checking in.
5) Trust your instincts.  This works on many levels.  If you don't feel safe you probably are not.  If you don't trust the teacher, trust yourself and either find another teacher or do a posture you feel comfortable with even if that is not what the rest of the class is doing.
Often times we give others way too much authority.  Sure it is important to respect one another including the teacher, but more often than not the teacher is your neighbor not your guru.
6) Your ego is not your amigo, especially in yoga class. Kick that ego to the curb.  That goes for obsession as well.  In yoga we use a term called Santosha- contentment.  Be content with your practice and your body. Be kind and gentle with yourself.
7) Take your practice off your mat. Practice awareness in your daily life.  Simple things can include meditation, breathing exercises (pranayama), and mindfulness during your daily activities.  For example, practice Ujjayi pranayama for the entire time you are cooking diner or any specific activity.  Or be completely mindful while eating an apple.  Think of how you can take the lessons you learn on the mat into your daily life and ultimately this will come full circle back to the mat.
8) Honor the process. Build your foundation. The alphabet has 26 letters not just 2.  Most of us want to get from a to z without going through all the other steps.  Though a teacher might offer various stages of a posture that doesn't mean you have to take it to the farthest point.
9) Be honest- with yourself and the teacher.  If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, are pregnant, stenosis of the neck, a torn rotators cuff, or a bum knee (to name a few) - these are all things a teacher should know about.  Even if the injury is old it is helpful that the teacher be informed.  If you feel uncomfortable about mentioning this in class simply tell your teacher one-on-one before class starts.  
10.) Be proactive.  If you know you have a particular aliment, injury or health concern look it up yourself.  The internet is a wealth of knowledge.  For instance you can google, "contraindicated yoga poses for _________"  Also, if you are uncertain about something don't be afraid to ask or sit something out.  Learn your limits. Yoga is a practice of self-discipline.

Phillip Askew & Lydia Walker - Variations On Surya Namaskara (Music by J...

Stop Coughing Home Remedy: Vamana Dhouti Kriya

It's the first snowfall of the year here in Minnesota which means it's cold season.  Actually, cold season is all year long for some folks but I have been noticing quite a few people in class coughing lately so I thought it was appropriate time to do a post on how to stop coughing naturally, easily, inexpensively and effectively, all in the comfort of your own home.

In Naturopathy the sister of yoga therapy, it is believed that all illnesses are toxins in the body that need to be cleansed. In yoga there are body cleansing techniques called Kriyas.  To some extent we all do kriyas everyday when we brush our teeth and take showers but ancient yogis developed techniques to clean the inner organs as well.

There is no real polite way to say this, Vamana Dhouti is cleansing the esophagus, stomach, and upper chest   by vomiting saline water. Still with me?  Now I realize I have lost many of you the moment I said the word vomiting but trust me, it's not at all like the vomiting from being sick or hung over.  If you can believe such a thing exists, this is a much more gentle vomiting.  More importantly it works like a charm!  Vomiting is the bodies built in natural way to rid itself of toxins and saline solution is a natural cleanser. Have you ever noticed when you are sick you almost always feel better immediately after you vomit?  Vamana Dhouti is a cleansing technique where you drink warm saline solution on an empty stomach and then immediately bring it back out.  It's a relatively gentle, fast an effective way to rid a cough naturally so you can move on with your life and stop interrupting your yoga classes :)

The reason why this works so quickly and effectively is because you are literally washing out the pathogen (virus/bacteria) that is causing the cough.  Most medicines focus on suppressing the cough but not really getting rid of the cause. Vamana Dhouti is going straight to the source of the cough and getting rid of it.  If you have ever had a cough last longer than a few days you know how annoying they an be. So you take cough suppressant medications and suck on lozenges until the darn thing passes.  All the while you are feeding the pathogen (check out my post Stop Feeding the Freeloading House Guest) and just waiting for it to run it's course.  Vamana Dhouti is a way of kicking that pathogen to the curb! 


Instructions for Vamana Dhouti:
1) Drink about 32oz or 1-1.5 liters lukewarm saline water.  Very little saline is needed only about 1% (1/4 teaspoon)You should just barely be able to taste the salt.  Sea salt is best.

2) Drink it very quickly! Drink on an empty stomach. Best to drink first thing in the morning when you wake.  Drink until you feel the need to vomit.  Drink it fast.  If you drink slowly or just sip the water you will just end up bloated unable to get it back out.  Guzzle the water as fast as you can.  This will help bring it back out quickly.  Also, it MUST be on an empty stomach!  This does not work if there is any substance in the stomach and besides it is really much more unpleasant to vomit food/drink stuff back up.

3) You can churn the stomach a few times or do twisting exercises to help the process.

4) Stand with feet apart, bend the trunk forward about 80 degrees .

5) Using one or two fingers you can tickle the back of your throat until the water begins to come back out. Continue as much as necessary to get all the water out.

6) Relax for 15- 20 minutes afterwards

7) Eat a very bland breakfast about half an hour afterwards. Something easy to digest like oatmeal or kichadi is best.

8) If slight cough remains repeat the next morning until cough is gone.

The World's Best Mac & Cheese Recipe- btw it's vegan!

Mac and cheese- the quintessential comfort food.  A few years ago I began searching for my perfect  go-to mac & cheese recipe that didn't come from a box. I have to admit I grew up on Kraft mac & cheese from a box and there was something so satisfying about it.  First it was the powdered neon cheese that you added milk to, then I graduated to the squeeze cheese from the package. Gooey carb and fat loaded processed deliciousness. Several years back I started eating healthier and cooking more food from scratch and I dropped eating mac & cheese all together.  Then the craving hit and my quest began.

I was always intrigued with the idea of making healthier mac & cheese.  I know it sounds like an oxymoron like jumbo shrimp or fighting for peace, but I really wanted to make vegan mac & cheese.  The first time I made it was a total flop. In fact my husband made me promise never to do that to him again.  But I couldn't help myself.  I tried a few more traditional recipes using real cheese but they were just ok. I never felt satisfied like I did from the overly processed fake stuff of my youth, and being so high in fat it never seemed worth it for just ok. Then I came across this recipe in Isa Chandra Moskowitz's vegan cookbook, Appetite For Reduction, and I just knew I had to try it. So despite my promise, I made it one night and I conveniently omitted the fact that it was vegan when I served it. Of course my husband knew right away it was vegan, but to both of our surprises it was sooooooo delicious we devoured it! I have been making the vegan Mac & Greens ( I added kale and broccoli just to up the nutritional value) regularly ever since.  In fact it's the only mac & cheese we will eat now.

The recipe calls for nutritional yeast as the cheese base.  If you are vegetarian or vegan this stuff is a staple but if you are new to it, nutritional yeast is a powerhouse of nutrition (it's even in the name!). 

One ounce of nutritional yeast  has 14g of protein (plant based protein that is easy to digest), 79 calories, fat free, has 18 different amino acids, 15 different minerals, rich in B vitamins and especially B12 (it's one of the only sources of non animal based vitamin B12 available), rich in folic acid, high in fiber 7g/oz, low in sodium, gluten free and is non-yeast forming.

The rest of the recipe is good for you too!  I make mine Mac & Greens by adding both kale and broccoli and  I also use quoina pasta.  All in all it's about a healthy mac & cheese you'll ever get.  Here's the recipe. I hope you enjoy this version of  guilt free mac & cheese as much as I do!

Mac & Greens Recipe-
-8 oz pasta (I use Ancient Harvest Quinoa elbow noodles)
-1 bunch kale, washed, stems removed and chopped (or you can finely chop the stems for added crunch)
-1 head broccoli chopped

 Cheese Sauce
(Adapted from Appetite For Reduction,  Moskowitz p.173)
-3/4 cup nutritional yeast
-1/4 cup all purpose flour
-2 teaspoons granulated garlic
-2 teaspoons onion flakes
-1/4 teaspoons salt
-1/8 teaspoon turmeric
-2 tablespoons broth powder
-1 1/2 cups water
-1 teaspoon yellow mustard
-hot sauce (I use Siracha) optional

In a small pot start the sauce by mixing the nutritional yeast, flour, garlic, onion flakes, salt, turmeric, and broth powder (no heat yet).  Add the water and mix well to beat out any clumps until mostly smooth. Turn the heat on to medium-high and cook stirring regularly until it starts to boil. Once boiling some turn the heat down to a slow boil.  The sauce should thicken.  Cook for another 5 minutes or so stirring constantly to prevent sticking. It should get a thick, smooth melted cheese consistency. Turn off the heat and add in the mustard and optional hot sauce.

It is very easy to cook this all at once so that everything is done at the same time if you work in steps. This is how I usually do it.
1) get the cold sauce ingredients ready in a pot
2) In two separate pots start the water to boil- one for both the pasta and one for the greens, adding salt to the pot that will cook the pasta.
3) once the water is boiling in the 2 pots I turn on the heat for the sauce (medium high) and dump just the kale in one pot, and wait a minute or two before I put the the pasta in the other pot.
4)while the greens and the pasta are cooking you can focus on the cheese sauce and turning down the heat once it starts to boil
5) While stirring the sauce I let the kale cook alone for 5 minutes then add the broccoli and cook the greens for 2 more minutes and drain (total of 7 minutes kale, 2 minutes broccoli)
6)  pasta generally takes 8 minutes and by this time both the greens and sauce are done. Drain the pasta add it all together an viola vegan Mac & Greens!

Reeeeelllllllaaaaaaxxxxx: How yoga can help resolve anger part 3

 Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny. -Bhagavad Gita

For this final entry in resolving anger I want to address the importance of addressing the mental chatter and relaxing the mind.  It all begins with our thoughts. No one can make you feel a certain way without your permission.  Squeeze an orange and you get orange juice.  Squeeze a person who harbors anger and no matter how hard they try to cover it up anger is going to come out in some form or fashion.  Therefore, no one can make you angry, anger starts with your own thoughts.  Change your thoughts and ultimately you change your destiny.

According to human needs psychology there are 6 human needs that every single person on this planet has. These needs can be filled positively or negatively.  Most people will focus on at least  2 of the 6  needs above all others.  Ultimately this focus will direct your life patterns. These needs are:

1) Certainty - the need for stability and comfort
2) Significance- the need to be special and worthy of attention
3) Variety- the need for stimulation and change
4) Love & Connection- the need for connection with others, ultimately to love and be loved
5) Growth- the need to develop and expand
6) Contribution- the need to giving beyond self
(As taken from Robbins Madanes)

Generally speaking if we are angry it is because we feel uncertain or insignificant (fears).  And the quickest way to feel both certain and significant  is to get angry.  When you are angry how certain and/or significant do you feel (1-10)?  Anger is a quick fix. If you recognize this and wish to change, ask yourself this  "What thoughts am I having that are making me feel insignificant and uncertain?" (observation, witnessing, awareness) If you can understand exactly why you are getting angry you can take responsibility for the reason you are blaming someone else. (Robbins Madanes)

In yoga this is dealing with the manomaya kosha. The mind layer of our being.  Generally speaking it is our mind stuff that drives our physical (anamaya kosha) and energetic (pranamaya kosha) bodies.  Once you have sat down and observed, asked, and become aware of the problem then you can begin to address it from a place of truth- and that is what will ultimately set you free. 

After you observed yourself and answered the question begin by changing your physiology- change your body.  Changing the physical way we are representing ourselves in the world also changes our neurological pathways.  Doing a non vigorous yoga practice with awareness and breath can be a great release (the back bends, heart openers ans twist are an added bonus!).  However if you take the anger to the mat or any other exercise and do them vigorously you might just be adding fuel to the fire so be careful.

Second change your mental focus.  Rather than spending all this time focusing on what makes you angry (feel bad, frustrated etc) shift your mind and make yourself think about one thing or several  things that make you joyous, happy, feel ecstasy, and pleasure. Don't just think about it for a second then say "well that didn't work" and move back to anger.  You have to really spend some time there.  Feel it in every cell of your body have the experience all over again. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he"-Proverbs 23:7  We are what we think.

Third, watch your words.  Change your language.  I am referring  to cognative restructuring that I mentioned in the last post.  Not using colorful language and dropping the "F-bomb" but really being more creative and thoughtful with how you express yourself, is another way to begin to change your internal dialogue.

Fourth, get over yourself! Focusing on the first four of your needs (certainty, significance, variety, and love & connection) will only take you so far and, unless you are very aware of yourself,  focusing on these needs will often take you in the wrong direction (i.e getting angry to feel significant).  However, if you shift your perspective to focusing on growth and contribution (spiritual) the other four needs will automatically get taken care of! Giving of yourself and growing/evolving as a spiritual being will give you certainty, significance, variety, and love & connection! It's awesome how that works!

Finally, be flexible! Yoga is about growing, being open, exploring, and ultimately union.

To be angry is to suffer: How yoga can help resolve anger part 2

Anger is suffering.  If you are angry for any reason you are choosing to suffer. Pain is a natural part of life but suffering is a choice.  I know you really don't want to hear this, especially if someone has done you wrong,  but if you are holding on to anger towards someone or something, for any reason at all, you are the one who is suffering the most.  Don't believe me?  Check in with your feelings, how does that anger feel? How well do you sleep at night when you are angry?  How does your family act around you? And how does your body feel- your blood pressure, your digestion, headaches or backaches? How about sharp pains in your side or the lump in your throat?

Anger shows up viscerally - it produces very real physical reactions in the body.  In fact when you are angry your body has a two stage production of the neurotransmitters called catecholamines (aka adrenaline).  Basically these neurotransmitters are the gasoline to the rage fire.  You get an initial surge of these neurotransmitters for immediate action then the second surge can lasts for hours to days.  And that is just from one anger response.  What happens if you are angry a lot? That means you are constantly pumping adrenaline into your body and I have talked before what that does- breaks down the immune system and causes pain. Secondly, anger is the emotion tied with high blood pressure. It's a result of the ongoing "fight or flight" response.  Studies show that "hot headed" people or people who suppress their anger suffer the most heart attacks.  It's as if you are continuously attacking yourself.

There are 3 main ways to deal with anger- expression, suppression or calm.  Generally, healthy expression is the best because it actually releases the physical and emotional reactions.  If you are able to express your anger without causing physical or emotional harm to the other person that is a very healthy way to deal with anger. Other forms of expression are physical releases and artistic release.  Physically taking a few moments to close yourself in a room and scream, shout, shake, dance, beat a pillow, jump around  and let loose is a really powerful release for the nervous system (I talk about this in my post"Shake it off!- Living stress free part 2"). Of course a non-strenuous yoga practice can be a great way to physically release as well!

Learning to calm the anger is also a powerful way of dealing with anger.  This is where meditation and relaxation practices come into play.  A regular practice of prayer and meditation can change your internal dialogues and understandings so those things that used to make you angry no longer bother you.  However if you do face a challenging situation and anger wants to come up on you knowing how to relax and calm yourself by eliciting the bodies natural Relaxation Response can also diffuse the physical reaction in the body as well (check out my post " Relaxation is Action!") .

Suppression of anger is one of the worst ways you can deal or not deal with your anger.  Acting as if  life is great on the outside but boiling up on the inside is just asking for trouble. As Yoganada states, "To control the external expression of anger while seething within creates an inner vibratory heat that cooks the brain like a baked potato."  Suppression of anger is a slow cooker for the nervous system  Let alone what it does for your personal and spiritual growth.

Trust me when I tell you this, anger always gets expressed in some form or fashion.  You can choose to deal with it through healthy expressions and /or calming relaxation techniques and move on with your life. Or you can suppress it for a time and take your chances for it to show up as a violent outburst, an illness or dis-ease, failed relationships, depression and sadness or an accident.  Either way it is going to come out some how.  The choice is yours.  You can choose to be an active participant in you growth and healing or you can leave it all to chance.  You can choose to suffer or you can choose peace.

How do you choose peace?  Here are some basic steps you can take so anger doesn't overtake you.
1). Choose love over fear- acknowledge what in the situation you are afraid of
2). Tell the truth- "Tell the truth to yourself about yourself and the truth will set you free."-Iyanla Vanzant
3). Shake it off- besides doing your internal work your nervous system needs a release as well. Shake, scream, dance,  take it to your mat, create, move, let loose!
4). Begin a regular prayer/meditation practice.
5). Have a sense of humor-  take a long hard look at yourself then have a good ole' laugh at yourself.  We all have silly outrageous parts and if we can laugh at our own silliness we have taken a huge step towards healing.
6). Cognitive Restructuring- anger produces words like  "always" and/or " never".  It also tends to curse and use highly colorful terms to express itself.  Instead of saying things like "This #*@! machine never works" Start by changing your language.  Realize that the whole world is not out to get you and remind yourself that getting angry is not going to fix anything.  Then start choosing more positive ways to communicate how you feel. For instance, instead of telling yourself, "oh, it's awful, it's terrible, everything's ruined," tell yourself, "it's frustrating, and it's understandable that I'm upset about it, but it's not the end of the world and getting angry is not going to fix it anyhow." (paraphrased from webmed- http://www.apa.org/topics/anger/control.aspx#)
 7). Ask the Divine to heal your perception.  Often times it's not the situation or the other person that needs to be fixed but our perception. "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and  ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you". Matthew 7:7   By asking to heal our perception is to release fear and awaken our true nature.  Always whole always loved.

Love > Fear: How yoga can help resolve anger part 1

In the next few posts I am going to explore the topic of anger.  I sat down to write a post about anger and how yoga can help but I soon realized that this was a topic far bigger than a single post so we'll just have to see where this goes.

It has been said that all emotions can be broken down into two basic fundamental emotions:  Love and Fear.  All positive emotions are an extension and expression of love, and all negative emotions are an extension and expression of fear. It's part of the ultimate dichotomy, Light/Dark, good/evil, yin/yang/, sun/moon, love/fear. etc.

Anger is a tricky emotion.  Whether you are angry at someone or someone is upset with you, the issue never seems to be black and white.  From the surface a persons anger can often seem justified and make sense.  However, if we dig a little deeper more often than not the means do not justify the ends.  Anger can show up violently as outbursts or physical altercations, and at worst sometimes leading to death.  But it can also be much more subversive and mask itself as judgement, criticism, resentment, alienation, hurtfulness, or unjust blaming to name a few. The people who are angry almost always feel justified in their anger and the people who the anger is directed towards are often left wondering,"what did I do to deserve this?"

Where there is anger there is fear.  What is important to recognize is anger is always based in fear. As Louise Hay says, anger is fear defending itself.  In general there are a few basic fears that can lead to anger. Fear of not being worthy, fear of loss (of someone or something),  fear of attack (on the ego),  fear of not being in/or losing control, and the fear of acknowledging the truth. When it comes right down to it anger is never about the person or situation it is being directed towards but is always about the fears of the person who is angry.

The Bagavad Gita states, Anger breeds delusion: and delusion breeds loss of memory of the Self (God within). II:63  Anger doesn't make sense.  Try telling that to an angry person :)  Anger can make us do things that we normally would never do. It begins to tells stories and create senerios in your head and before you know it your anger has taken you far beyond the initial situation.

So how do we flip the script from anger to compassion in ourselves and others? The answer is always the same.

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

If you are angry and don't want to be ask yourself, "what am I afraid of ?"  Then tell yourself the truth- the whole truth. Often times just telling the truth will dissipate the anger.  If someone is angry at you rather than responding back with anger recognize that person is operating in fear and treat them with compassion. If you are the one operating in fear and you choose to acknowledge that, treat yourself and the one you are angry with with compassion.  The fear can not exist in this the presence of compassion and love.  This is where that quote from the Baghavad Gita comes back to play- anger and fear are really a delusion of our true selves.  If we knew who we truly are we would know that we are whole, worthy, loved, and already have everything we need just as we are.  We just need to know....

It comes down to a matter of  healing our perception. We are perfect love just as we are, it's our perception that gets distorted, is sick and/or wrong.  Not only are we perfect love just as we are but the other person is perfect love as well. As it says in A Course in Miracles, Wrong perception is the wish that things be as they are not.  Wishing things to be different is wrong perception because our wholeness is the truth- that is the reality.  As stated in the 1 John 4:18 scripture, fear hath torment.  If we are experiencing torment it is coming from fear and fear is a liar!  At any moment we can choose love over fear.  Did you hear me? The choice is yours- AT ANY MOMENT YOU CAN CHOSE LOVE OVER FEAR. First make the choice then follow your actions with that choice.

To begin this process Louise Hay gives this affirmation, "I am not my fears. It is safe for me to live without guarding and defending myself all the time.  When I feel afraid  I open my heart and let love dissolve the fear."

Live like a lotus

May we live like the lotus - at home in muddy waters.

Crap happens. Ugly filthy yucky stuff happens in our lives.  Stuff that hurts and makes us uncomfortable. Crap that we don't want others to see and filth that we don't even wanna look at ourselves shows up in our lives and sometimes keeps showing up in our lives.  We try to avoid the filth, suppress it and cover it up but the minute you are not watching -oops there it is again more crap! 

Here's a radical idea- what if we embrace the filth?  What would happen if you began a practice of gratitude for all the ugly in your life? Stick with me here.  Do you know why the lotus is a symbol of enlightenment in yoga?  It's because the more filthy the environment the more beautiful the lotus flower becomes. Why do you put manure-crap- in your garden?  It produces the best crop.  And how is it we get diamonds from coal?  Pressure.  See it's the hard times, the ugly crappy times and the times of pressure, pain, and hurt that produce the most growth, the most beautiful aspects of our being. Or at least it can if we allow it to. 

 As Sadhguru says, "Do not carry the experience of life as a wound. Let it become wisdom. This is a choice you have. Out of every experience of life, you can make a wound – or you can make wisdom out of it. The harder life has been upon you, the sooner you should become wise."

That sounds all good and well, but it's learning how to transform these situations most of us need help with.  First and foremost you have to realize you have a choice.  So something bad has happened to you- Congratulations! You're human! Now are you have to choose whether you want to carry around all the wounds of your humaness, and continue to pick at the scab so that it never fully heals. Or do you choose to grow and gain wisdom and allow the wounds to scar and move on.  First you make the conscious choice to grow from your experience.  Then to begin that process you choose to be grateful.  Every time life throws me a challenge my first response has become "Oh thank you God."  And when the challenge is particularly difficult I am even more grateful because I know that the possibility of my growth is that much greater.  All we are doing is healing our perception and in doing so we begin to heal our lives.

You should try it.  Start small at first. The next time a challenge occurs in your life respond with gratitude.  Trust me after awhile it almost becomes fun as you watch your beautiful lotus begin to bloom!

DIY Raw Chocolate Recipe- easy and amazing!

Raw Chocolate Fruit and Nut Bar

Chocolate chocolate chocolate chocolate! Who doesn't love chocolate?   As we know not all chocolate is made the same.  Most of us try to limit the amount of consumption because of the sugar and fat in chocolate, let alone whatever the chocolate might be covering up.  What if I told you that chocolate can be a healthy superfood, made without any sugar and very easy to make yourself.  Sound too good to be true?  Well, it's not!  I have been exploring raw foods for a little while now and while I have had some great meals the true blessings have been raw deserts. However the greatest find yet has been raw chocolate.  I eat it plain when I just need a nibble of sweet and I also make some really rawmazing treats with it as well.

Why raw chocolate instead of regular old chocolate? Raw cacao is a superfood with amazing health benefits.

Raw chocolate contains many important vitamins and minerals including: Magnesium, and other essential minerals including calcium, sulfur, zinc, iron, copper, potassium, and manganese. Polyphenols called flavonoids, with antioxidant properties. Vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B5, B9.  Essential heart-healthy fat: oleic acid a monounsaturated fat. Protein and fiber

  Raw Chocolate can also lower blood pressure & improve circulation, can promote cardiovascular function & health, can neutralize free radicals, can improve digestion, can enhance physical and mental well-being.

In today's post I am going to include three raw chocolate recipes that will change how you view the sweet stuff forever. 1) Basic Raw Chocolate 2) Raw Chocolate Fruit and Nut Bar (pictured) 3) Raw Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls. The first two recipes are from Judita Wignall's raw uncook book Going Raw.  I have found some really great recipes in this book and it's a good place to explore raw food for the adventuresome.  The third recipe is one I created after I saw how much my husband loved the not raw version made at our local co-op. Of course I knew I had to try making them myself and decided I would attempt to make them raw. Not only did they turn out amazing but I can feel good about eating and serving them!

Ingredients note:  I purchase all my ingredients at my local co-op.  Raw cacao is different than bakers cocoa.  Cacao is the purest form from the source.  The brand I use is "Ojio" and in comes in powder form. The cacao butter I find in bulk in the health and beauty section of the co-op.  Yep , it's the same stuff you rub on your body for beautiful skin.  Heck, if it works so good on the outside why not on the inside too!  There are food grade cacao butters ("Now" brand carries one such version).  The stuff I buy is not labeled food grade even though it is perfectly fine to use as food grade.  It is the highest quality purest cacao butter you can get.  Just don't use that yellow tube stuff you get from Walgreens.  If you can't find food grade cacao butter make sure it is 100%  cacao butter, no funny stuff, and you should be ok.

Basic Raw Chocolate- (as taken from Going Raw by Judita Wignall p.147)

1 cup cacao butter, shaved/cut into small pieces

1 cup cacao powder

2-4 Tbs honey, agave (less for bittersweet chocolate)

2 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of sea salt (optional)

1. Melt cacao butter in saucepan over very low heat (it should be warm not hot- you can still be able to touch the pan and cacao without pain)
2. stir in cacao, honey, vanilla extract, and salt. Combine well
3. from here you can make what you want with the chocolate. For just plain chocolate freeze to harden 30 minutes. If you want to make fruit nut bars or peanut butter balls keep chocolate in liquid form and continue on to next step.

Raw Chocolate Fruit and Nut Bars (As taken from Judita Wignall's Going Raw p.148)

-1 recipe Basic Raw Chocolate (melted)

-2 Tablespoons chopped almonds or nut of your choice

- 1 Tablespoon dried blueberries

-1 Tablespoon  dried Zante currants (I used raisins)

-1 Tablespoon finely chopped dried cherries ( I used dried strawberries and/or cranberries)

      1. Stir all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and pour into candy bar molds (ice cube trays).                  Let set in freezer for at least 30 minutes before removing.

Raw Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls 

 -1 recipe Basic Raw Chocolate (melted)

-½ cup smooth peanut butter

-½ cup medjool dates, pits removed

-2 tsp vanilla extract

-1 Tbs almond flour (finely ground almonds) OR maca powder

-1/4-1/3 cup peanuts crushed

-pinch of sea salt

-Peanut Butter inside and assembly:

1. place the dates and peanut butter in and food processor and blend to a thick paste. Add, vanilla extract, almond flour or maca, and salt. Blend to mix all ingredients. Transfer mixture to separate bowl. Fold in most of crushed peanuts (save a little to sprinkle on top)
2. in small ice cube trays or chocolate molds put a dab of chocolate on the bottom.
3. Make a little ball of peanut butter filling and place in each cube
4. cover with chocolate and sprinkle with peanuts
5. Freeze for at least 30 minutes to harden. Keep refrigerated or frozen in airtight container.

Meditation chanes everything

Meditation has changed my life.  Dramatically changed my life.  I first sat down to meditate 12 years ago.  Let me tell you, for the first 10 years meditation for me was like trying to bag two dozen cats.  I would try to sit for just 5 minutes and all I wanted to do was jump up and run from my own skin.  In fact it was near torture and I could could barely keep my eyes closed for longer than a minute with out having to open them to see what was going on.  On good days sitting for a whole 10 minutes was a miracle.  I wanted so desperately to be a "good" meditator but I didn't know how. So I prayed for a way. Ask and ye shall receive. One day I was coming out of the Wedge  a man handed me a flyer with this guys face on it....

There he was, Sadhguru, this beautiful man with an answer to my prayer.  The flyer was for a 7 day meditation course called Inner Engineering.  I didn't know who he was or what this Inner Engineering was, all I knew was that this I had to take the course, and so I did.  In the Inner Engineering course we learned the Shambhavi Maha Mudra. A 21 minute meditation to do daily.  And I have been doing it daily (sometimes more than once a day) ever since.

In yoga we say our spiritual journey is like trying to reach God at the top of a very high mountain.  We all have different paths to the top.  Some prefer to zig-zag, some like the rough terrain, and some like to camp out along the way.  Prayer and Meditation is like jumping on the the Autobahn- it gets us to our destination faster.  Since I have began a regular meditation practice I can say with confidence everything in my life has changed for the better. Sadhguru calls it Inner Engineering because we have no control over the outside world.  The only control we have is on our internal world.  So what better way than to engineer an interior world that is peaceful and content.  Then whatever happens on the outside world we are able to approach it from that place of peace and contentment.

Most people sit down to pray to God for all the things they want, need or desire then say their amen and move on with their life.  They never give God a chance to respond.  "Dear God, I need this, this and this, Amen" We ask in prayer, but it's in meditation that we receive.  And you don't even have to be a Yogi or a Buddhist to meditate.  Even throughout the Bible it talks about prayer AND meditation. Heck, meditation is for everyone, even those whose paths are unnamed.Meditation is finding oneness with our highest truth.

There are many many many ways to meditate. There is not one way in which you are meditating correctly.  If it works for you then it's working.  Yoga means Union.  The Union of self with the Highest Self- God. Oneness.   The following is a video of Sadhguru talking about this union through meditation.

For more information about Sadhguru and his work you can check out his website ....

ishafoundation.org

On this website there is a link to a meditation called Isha Kriya.  It's free to learn but you do have to sign using your email address which will be used to keep you updated via email about different events.  But it's a good place to start if you need some guidance.

For the time being I hope this inspires a desire for your own meditation practice. Meditation changes everything.  I will do a little more research and get back to you in a future post with other resources for cultivating a meditation practice of your own. Whether I give you resources or you find them on your own, all you have to do is try (even if it is bagging cats) and have the desire and your practice will find it's way. Also, please feel free to leave a comment if you have resources or suggestions or even questions about meditation.  Namaste.

Besse Cooper- wise beyond her years!

RIP Besse! 12/4/12

This is Besse Cooper and on August 12 of 2012 she became the world's oldest person according to the Guiness World Records.  Besse was born in 1896 which makes her a cool 116 years in age!  Even cooler than her accomplishment of longevity  is that when she was asked her secrets to longevity Besse's answer was quite simple yet extremely profound, "I mind my own business and I don't eat junk food."


 That's deep and yet so simple- if only we could just put her secrets into action in our own lives. Worry, control, and nosiness are useless activities that cause our own suffering.  How often do we worry about people or situations that we have no control over? Or even worse try to control people or situations we have no control over? And what about making other peoples business our business?  USELESS!  Worry, control, and nosiness cause the most suffering to those who are worrying, controlling, or nosy.  The truth is, our internal experiences are more changeable than those we perceive through our senses (than the external world).

 In fact Besse's secret is so spot on that it is one of the main goals of all yoga practices.  Thousands of years ago the great yogi sage Patanjali wrote a set of instructions  for yoga.  The first set of Patajali's  yoga sutras states,  YOGA CITTA VRITTI NIRODHAH.   This essentially means "The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is yoga".  When we really get down to it, isn't Besse right?  When we mind our own business isn't that essentially what we are doing, modifying and restraining the mind-stuff. And when we mind our own business are we not then inclined to start working on our own personal improvements and development?  Really how can we get to know our highest Self (yoga = union of self and highest Self ) - God within, if we are too busy caught up in what other people are doing?  Think about it.

Believe it or not, the second part of Besse's secret, "and I don't eat junk food" is just as profound as the first.  The interesting thing is Besse was probably eating "Superfoods" before the term ever existed. Foods that were organically grown from the earth that were farmed in her backyard.  Talk about local and all natural.  She lived in the times when that's all that existed and it was just called food back then. There weren't the added fats, sugars, sodium and chemicals that plague today's modern Western diets.  Just good wholesome food the way God intended.

So as you move throughout your days and years just remember Besse's words "mind your own business and don't eat junk food" and you are well on your way to following in her foot steps of a long healthy life.

Relaxation is Action!

As most of you know I teach several Restorative Yoga classes.  I once invited a friend of mine  to come to one of my classes,  she said to me, "I would like to but don't have the time.  I only have so much time to work out during my week and I don't want to give up one of my workouts for relaxation."  The irony of this conversation was that this friend of mine had just been diagnosed with stage 4  breast cancer.

As I explained in my last post stress is acceleration.  Chronic perpetual stress reeks havoc on the body.  Not only does it accelerate the aging process (by decades!) but it compromises the immune system, causes poor digestion, can cause you to retain weight, be moody, poor sleep habits,  poor sexual function, and it can even prevent  pregnancy.  That is in addition to creating a toxic internal environment (acidic pH) perfect for dis-ease and illnesses to thrive in the body (plus all the symptoms and side affects that are associated with those dis-eases). Chronic stress is no good ya'll!

But thankfully this post is about relaxation and all the benefits relaxation has for the body.  Herbert Benson, a cardiologist and a professor at Harvard Medical School has determined that the body has a response that is the exact opposite to the stress response.  He coined this the "Relaxation Response" and this is the function of the parasympathetic nervous system.  So as we learned in the last post there is the "Fight or Flight" response of the sympathetic nervous system and then there is the "Relaxation  Response" of the parasympathetic nervous system.  Both of these responses are part of the autonomic nervous system which keeps the body in balance.

When the body is relaxed and calm it is operating in the parasympathetic nervous system , also known as "rest and digest". The functions of this system include decreased heart rate, increased metabolic rate (meaning that your energy is now focused on your internal organs and your digestive actions go to work),  elimination,  suppression of the production of adrenaline (keeps us mellow), stimulation of the vagus nerve, and has a role in sexual arousal and reproduction functions.  This system is your bodies restoration mode where it cleans, heals and builds. Ideally, we should be operating in this function most of the time.

What my friend had not yet realized was the Relaxation Is Action!!!! So much is happening in your body when you are relaxed that it is vital to keeping  it healthy and functioning at an optimum level.  Mind you, the body is indented to operate in this relaxed mode all the time except when it  is faced with an emergency or danger.  However, as I mentioned before we have conditioned ourselves to be operating in the "fight or flight" mode the majority of time which is not normal or healthy.

Getting people to slow down and relax is a hard sale.  I often tell my classes they are cross-training.  In fact if you exercise regularly, adding relaxation to your routine will actually increase your performance!   Let alone what it can do for your relationships (uhmmm sexual arousal), immune system, sleep, digestion, mood, healthy reproduction and over-all sense of well being.  Not only that, but giving yourself time to relax is a natural high.  You should see my students after 75 minutes of relaxation- everyone is so mellow and happy- it's great!

You have to be pro-active in your relaxation routine.  Relaxation doesn't just happen and nobody can do it for you- Relaxation takes action!  Make time for yourself to relax.  Even just sitting and being quiet for 5-15 minutes a day can have monumental effects on your overall well-being. Relaxation is not a luxury but a necessity! Stay tuned and I will continue to offer simple ways to include regular relaxation into your life.

Real or imaginary?

Hi everyone- forgive me for such a lengthy span in between posts, but the truth is I just have not been inspired to write lately. To be inspired means that we are operating "in - spirit". Rather than post junk just to post something I figured I would wait to be be inspired for this next post. Thank you for you patience and please look forward to my weekly postings every Monday.

This post is about what it means to truly relax. I asked in one of my previous posts what folks do to relax and the answers included activities such as cooking,  biking,  watching t.v., and reading to name a few.  See here's the deal, while most of us think those activities are relaxing the reality is that they are not actually relaxing for the body.  You are still doing something in each of this activities.  And while the mind may feel relaxed because it is not concentrated on the stresses of daily life, the body is still not getting to relax.  In yoga therapy this is called "sensory diversion". To most people allowing the senses to be diverted from what is deemed normal activity (I call it perpetual over-stimulation)  is considered relaxing according to our modern definitions of the word. Believe me, these activities are still very important because they are part of the stress releasing aspect of relaxation.  However, commit this next statement into your being....         
 Total Body Relaxation is the Best Antidote to Stress.

Stress is an accelerated poison to the body.  An antidote is something that can counteract a poison. When we are stressed the body goes into survival mode.  It's called "fight or flight" and it is a function of the sympathetic nervous system.  When this system kicks in adrenaline and other hormones are pumped in to the blood stream and create a chain reaction to prepare us for the ensuing battle or flight from the situation.  Breathing  gets short and rapid to supply the muscles with quick oxygen, the heart rate increases to supply the blood that carries the oxygen to the muscles, our metabolic rate changes and the body gets flooded with adrenaline and cortisol to aid in the reaction. This physiological reaction is critical to our survival in situations of danger or emergency.  However, today reacting like everything is an emergency or dangerous has become the new norm.  Screaming at the car infort of you to "MMMMOOOOOVVVVEEE IT!" so you don't get stuck for another 2 whole minutes at a stop light is considered completely normal behavior.  Even more importantly to realize is that even this type of reaction causes the exact same physical reaction as if you were being chased by a saber-tooth tiger!

Over time of constantly having increased blood pressure, short oxygen intake, and adrenalin and cortisol pumped into the body it begins to take a major toll on the body. Stress is acceleration and the long term effects are linked to all of the major dis-eases and illnesses present today.

For this next week I ask that you pay attention to how many tigers chase you?  Every time you feel your heart rate increase, or have a feeling of urgency, or impatience, or outburst of anger or anxiety, or feel you are all bound up in a ball of stress- ask yourself is the tiger real or imaginary?

Check in next week - I'll start to address how to combat these imaginary tigers!