Diet Advice for Your Soul

Many years ago I worked as a nutrition counselor. My clients were those wanting to learn healthy eating habits in order to loose weight. When they would come to me with their craving dilemmas I frequently gave the following two pieces of advice: when a craving for (insert bad for you food here) hits you, #1. go brush your teeth. It is unlikely that you will still want the taste for (above craving) when your mouth is minty fresh. We are all familiar with the bad combination of a freshly clean mouth and orange juice! #2. if #1 fails, follow up with a cup of tea, not only can the preparation of a cup of tea distract you from your boredom (big-time contributor to food cravings), but filling your belly with hot tea can make you feel as full and nourished as if you had had a meal there-by eliminating the need for a snack.

Recently I have found that these two bits of wisdom can be transferred to dealing with unhealthy thoughts.

When you are faced with brooding thoughts of (insert negative bad-for-you feelings here) go wash your face, take a shower or better yet a candle lit bubble bath. This cleansing act can help refresh your mind by literally washing away the negative energy. And, I am pretty sure it is scientificly impossible to be in a bad mood while you are soaking in sweet smelling suds.

For super duper thunder clouds of (above thoughts) for which the above alone cannot solve, drink tea. Not only are there many herbal tea remedies for boosting a bad mood (ie: St. John's Wart) but tea, and the making there of, in and of itself, can be very uplifting. There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea. ~Bernard-Paul Heroux.  

Red Doughnuts

INTRODUCTION TO MIRACLES:

This is a course in miracles. It is a required course. Only the time you take it is voluntary. Free will does not mean that you can establish the curriculum. It means only that you may elect what you want to take at a given time...

I have been studying the Course in Miracles, or rather I have been listening to the CRASH Course in Miracles pod-casts hosted by my beloved most favorite yoga teacher in the whole wide world, Philip Urso (http://www.liveloveteach.com/philip), because, as I disclosed in an earlier post, I have not quite developed a strong enough relationship with patience to read through the 500+ pages and lessons; and this is what I have learned so far: I have issues with the word god, and my “red doughnut” is delicious and cozy.

First my issues with god. Even though my god is that bright shiny thing in the sky that gives us light, warmth, life and protection from all the scary night predators, when someone says the word god I can not help but think of that imaginary white haired bearded man in the sky and I cringe inwardly at the audacity of all that he implies. I do not have any tragic fear inspiring memories associated with the church. For all intents and purposes I grew up rather agnosticly. The reasons for the involuntary flinch that occurs in me each time I hear it uttered may require some investigation... more on that later.

Right now, I am eating doughnuts. Delicious, warm and soft, food that hugs you, red doughnuts of fear. I mean really, when life gives you doughnuts the only thing that you can do is eat through them, binging on all that greed, lust, suffering, rage and ego until you are so engorged with your own sense of self that the only thing left to do is purge. Stick your finger down your proverbial throat and face the truth. None of that is real. The only thing that is real is love. When you eat through to the other side of the barrier you might even realize that not even your indulgence caused stomach ache is real and all that is left is, well, god... also known as joy, love, spirit, trust, forgiving, peace, wholeness, stillness, knowledge, healing, etc...  

* Photo is from Philip Urso's Crash Course in Miracles which can be hear on iTunes as well as his live recorded yoga classes (my favorite is the floating turds class, don't ask, just listen!)

*PS I did not ask permission to use his photo or his name so I hope he doesn't mind!

per·se·ver·ance

A very good Yogi, Massage Therapist, Reiki Healer, Reflexologist, Cranial-Sacral Goddess friend of mine is fond of quoting old Chinese proverbs saying, “if, and only when, you are ready the right teacher will be presented to you.” My quandary is often I find that I am presented with teachers, and consequently their lessons, that I am not ready to learn. The universe thereby responding by presenting the lesson again and again in some sort of karmic Groundhogs' Day forcing me to re-live similar situations with the same results over and over.

per·se·ver·ance [pur-suh-veer-uhns] 

noun

1. Steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

2. Continuance in a state of grace to the end.

It would be fair if you were to say that I was a runaway. I have been known to, without much warning, hightail it out of there, and run from any given perceivable to me difficult situation, be it a less than fabulous job, not-so-great relationship, home, etc. You name it, I have quit it.

When I first met my husband 15 years ago I had been in just such a situation where everything that could have, did go wrong; people died, I was shot at, I was homeless (or would have been had it not been for the beautiful angel who let me sleep on her couch), and I was out of money. I had told him that I was buggin' out and goin' home, explaining that there was a very fine line between the Gods testing you, and the Gods sending you clear as a neon sign message that you have made the wrong f*cking choice somewhere along the line and it is time to turn the hell back.

And so my lesson has always been: how do you know where that line is? How do you know the difference between a situation that requires perseverance and the realization that as the Turkish would say “no matter how far you have gone down the wrong road, turn back.”

It is interesting to me that as I looked up the definition of the the word for the purpose of writing this post a second definition was offered. Perhaps I have been asking the wrong question? Perhaps whether or not I can endure is not in question, but maybe the lesson that I have been missing is not just getting through it, but continuance in a state of grace until the end...

I would like to thank my husband for not letting me run away 15 years ago, and if you ever find yourself in the lush mountain top town of Monteverde in Costa Rica do yourself a favor and look up the amazing Karen Gordon at Revive Healing Arts Studio (http://www.facebook.com/Revive.KarenGordon).

Livin' La Vida Loca

The unlikely yogi, Ricky Martin said, “It is useless to label things as either good or bad. The key is to see everything as a lesson.”

This morning I received news and I find it a difficult effort to not put a label on it. The reality is that I am no worse off than I was before the news and while the news was not exactly what I wanted to hear it is in fact a step in the right direction. I had been expecting this news, or rather some news, and I had tried not to have expectations regarding the news but I would be lying if I said that I didn't have high hopes for the news.

So, what was the lesson, you ask? Well, I haven't figured that part out yet. For now I’m gonna go dance around my living room to some live Ricky Martin tracks and see if he has any other words of wisdom to impart!

Mirror, Mirror!

Of all of the lessons that I am learning from tea cups, tarot cards, horoscopes and Buddha quotin' yoga teachers, the one lesson that seems to constantly allude me, is patience. And while I will admit that I am WORLDS better than I used to be, (before living on Tico Time) I still find impatience rearing her ugly head up into the middle of my tranquil yogic life. What is it with instant gratification that we find so, well... gratifying? And not only is it my own impatience that I find to be frustrating, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING, bothers me more than the impatience of others! What is that saying about seeing clearly the faults in others that we don't like about ourselves? Or as a dear friend and old boss of mine used to say “Spot it? Got it!”

Oddly enough idle empty time or what I like to call “the art of doing jack-shit” has no ill effect on me. I can laze around all day, in a hammock, curled in bed with a book, watching complete seasons of a mini-series... you get the point, but just as soon as you add to that equation the idea that I am waiting for something the art is lost and all that is left is the frantic wondering of the when if and how the thing that I am waiting for is going to occur!

My friend Impatience is not pretty or well behaved. And she makes the poor habit of hanging out with the likes of Dependency, Addiction, Vanity, Jealousy, Judgment and Desire; the Seven Dwarfs of my personality. No matter how I strive the be the Fairest Behaved of All these hoodlums just wont seem to leave me alone. They have bullied me into nurturing, caring and feeding them, and they never fail to leave me in their wake with their mess to pick up. Not even my Prince Charming can rescue me from my short-comings, him being one of those frustrating impatient types, no- this is a job for the Evil Queen, ironically enough. Don't look so surprised, she's not really evil, just miss-understood. I mean really, all that “mirror mirror on the wall” stuff was just a metaphor for self reflection.

And so I take my cue from the Queen and look into the magic mirror, also known as, still water: We cannot see our reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see... ~Taoist Proverb.

The Queen teaches me that this waiting time is a blessing, it provides for me the opportunity to learn and grow, to know myself and the Seven Dwarfs better. Perhaps one day I may master the art of waiting, in the meantime I can at least let that trouble-making-no-friend-of-mine know that I am not allowed to play with her until she can behave better!

Take Your Medicine

I have a friend, a fellow yoga teacher, who always says, “yoga is medicine”. But when you are sick the last thing you want is to choke down some cherry or grape flavored spoon full of elixir; and yet just as your mother knew best and forced it down your throat when you needed it most, I am here to tell you that when you don't feel like going to yoga class is when you need it most and even if you feel like you are forcing it down, it will make you feel better.

It is hard to imagine that breathing in, breathing out, bending, twisting, folding, breathing some more, holding chair pose, hows your breathing?, oh my god are we still holding chair?, keep breathing, don't bite your lip!, really! we are still holding chair!?, don't forget to breathe, and Thank GOD! he finally said forward fold... inhale... exhale... could be medicine, but like my favorite yoga teacher says (usually right before asking me to do some Cirque de Sole pose) “imagine the possibilities”. Imagine if you could let all that was bothering you before class roll off of you like sweat on to your mat. Imagine if you could feel the sensation of the burning in your thighs and without making a judgment about it just be. Imagine if you could let go of all that you think you can or can't do and come into crow without fear. And if you could do all of that for the 90 minutes that you spend on your mat, imagine what that could mean for your life when you step off of it.

So, go take your medicine!

Nutty Methods

I have taken to reading my horoscope at the end of the day as to not be influenced by what I may find there. Often times I find that for me, reflection is more valuable than anticipation...

Besides, “There are many methods for predicting the future. For example, you can read horoscopes, tea leaves, tarot cards, or crystal balls. Collectively, these methods are known as "nutty methods." Or you can put well-researched facts into sophisticated computer models, more commonly referred to as "a complete waste of time.” ~ Scott Adams.

And “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” ~ Alan Kay.

but I do read it, being the sucker for good news and motivation that I am.  This is why I love fortune cookies and Yogi Tea. 

There is value in taking note of the planetary alignment.  It is not a good idea to start new projects when the moon is void and when Mercury is in retrograde, however it is also important to remember that the only thing that can trump the stars is human will.  At the end of the day responsibility falls on us.  One cannot simply say that the stars made them do it.  Rather, we should try to succeed even if the stars tell us that it is unlikely.