Week Three: Equanimity

I learned something pretty enlightening this past week.  

In week 2, I craved sugar like crazy and I couldn't figure out why.  As I was reading through the lesson for week 3, I learned something incredibly powerful, having to deal with equanimity, or accepting things and letting them go.  It was like Baron Baptiste himself read my mind - because he targeted sugar cravings specifically in week 3.  

Equanimity has to do with our reactions, both internally and externally.  When we are dealing with a stressful situation, our body and our minds react, and this week's focus was to begin to acknowledge those reactions and determine how we might react differently to better our lives.  In week 2, I was dealing with a particularly stressful situation.  I felt that I had been wronged by someone and wasn't sure why, so it was eating me up inside.  I tend to take it very personally when I feel I didn't do anything to deserve being "attacked."  

In week 3, there is a strong focus around our bodies reactions - one being that when we are dealing with a stressful situation, our bodies subconsciously begin to crave comfort, most times taking shape in the place of foods, either sweet or salty.  I have always had a passionate love affair with sugar, so of course I craved it like crazy.  When I read this, a HUGE light went on.  I never once figured that stress and my sugar cravings were so closely connected!  Once the connection was made, it was easy to turn "off" the craving by simply acknowledging it, breathing through it, and letting it go.  Amazing!  

I have continued to deepen and enjoy my yoga practice this week, and I'm still struggling, but trying to do each meditation.  I did have my first "out of body" experience - it was strange!  It only lasted for a very brief moment, because my ego came right in and realized what was happening, so of course it stopped.  But I am continuing to focus on quieting my mind - I'm finding that daily meditation is helping my life in so many ways.  I am not so focused on what needs to be done as I am enjoying the present - to an extent.  I do realize I have priorities, but I'm able to let the little things wait, and that's a nice feeling.  I am deepening my relationships, and opening my heart to more love.  It's truly beautiful!  

Here are some of the pics from week 3.  I discovered a new timer app for my iPhone that I've been having a lot of fun with so there are more pics this week - Enjoy!

Utkatasana - Chair Pose

Salamba Sarvangasana - Shoulderstand

Bridge Pose - Starting to deepen my backbends!

Dancer - Feeling the LOVE on Valentine's Day!

Open Your Heart - Let Possibility In

Our Valentine's Day Dinner - A rare red meat day, but it was delish!

I tried my hand at pan-searing steaks for my honey for Valentine's Day.  I went with organic steaks since it's been so long since having red meat, and they turned out really well, except for the oil all over my kitchen!  I paired it with caramelized onion mashed red potatoes and roasted asparagus, with chocolate covered strawberries for dessert.  It was a lot of work but he loved it.  I will be updating the Foodie Love page with some new recipes shortly, and I will be sure to include this one.  

Until next week!  

Week Two - 40 Days to Personal Revolution - Vitality

Week Two:  Vitality  

Man, this week was interesting!  I found it easy to do the 30-minute practice, and in fact, I looked forward to it each day.  But the meditation got harder!  It is now up to 10 minutes, and it's so hard to focus!  However, I have found that it's easier to meditate at night versus morning. I'm loving the little things I'm noticing and learning.  

The diet this week fell right in line with the way I love to eat - fresh foods first!  I took the time to prepare most meals fresh this week, and I enjoyed making a connection to my food as the book suggests - to think about where it came from and appreciate it's vitality.  I always feel better when I eat fresh, vital foods!  

Here are the biggest takeaways from week 2:  

1.  Backbends.  I love love love that I'm gaining more flexibility in my back - and it sure feels good to open the heart up!  

2.  I'm finding a rhythm in my practice - it's becoming a habit to get up every day and do it and I look forward to it.  I said in week one that time has been my enemy - this new schedule is helping me feel more grounded and it starts my day off the right way.  

Here are some pics from week two, including some of the yummy meals we ate:  

Chipotle chicken tacos with jack cheese, green peppers, guacamole and salsa

RECIPE: 

Slice fresh chicken into bite sized pieces, saute with garlic, olive oil, green pepper, and chipotle seasoning until chicken is no longer pink.  Warm corn tortillas in pan and shred jack cheese.  Add prepared guacamole and salsa to taste and enjoy!  Takes about 15 minutes to make.  

Veggie fajita salad with fresh mango red pepper salsa

RECIPE: 

This is one of my absolute favorites.  For this I used a trio of peppers (picture below).  Slice peppers and saute in minced garlic and olive oil.  Add some southwestern seasoning if you like lots of flavor.  Slice and chop fresh head of romaine lettuce and shred desired cheese.  Crumble a handful of tortilla chips on bottom of plate, top with lettuce, peppers, and cheese, and top with sour cream or a small amount of ranch dressing, and salsa if desired.  Total time:  15 minutes. 

Reverse Warrior - Deepening Backbends :)  

These colors make my mouth water.  Yum!

Protein oatcakes with fresh strawberry compote

RECIPE: 

These are so easy and versatile, and I make them for breakfast most mornings after my yoga sesh.  Whisk one packet of organic instant oatmeal, 2 eggs, and 1 scoop protein powder until well mixed.  You can also add glutamine and flaxseed - I did for this particular meal.  If the consistency isn't quite what you like for batter, just add water until it is. In a food processor, chop about 5 freshly washed strawberries to desired consistency.  Add half strawberries to batter and reserve the rest to top the oatcakes with. Cook oatcakes over medium heat until lightly browned on both sides.  Top with remaining strawberries and sliced banana if desired.  Total time:  15 minutes.  

I'm looking forward to week 3 and can't wait to report back!  Until then, NAMASTE!

Week One of the 40 Day Journey...

Week one was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be - I found it hard to commit fully to my practice, and to meditate!  But by day 4 I got into the groove of things.  I found that by being aware of the 12 laws of transformation, I was being open to more - more joy, and more pain.  I went through a sort of cleanup, if you will.  

I was able to take a look at my relationships and decide if they were nourishing to me, or more one-sided.  It wasn't surprising, but one relationship I've had was very one-sided, and it hurt me to finally acknowledge it.  You see, I needed to be willing to take a look at myself and determine if I was being treated as I wanted to be, but more than that, I needed to know that this person was helping me grow as a person, and it was the exact opposite.  Letting go of a relationship is hard, and especially harder when you've gone through so much with that person.  But I fully believe that people come into our lives for a reason, and sometimes for a season - and when that season is over, sometimes that person can sour the progress you're making, and so you have to let them go, and appreciate them for all they've done for you, love them for who they are, and let them enrich another's life with another purpose.  So that is what I intend to do.  

In journaling my week one excavation questions, I also learned that my time is my biggest enemy right now - and I need to start managing it more effectively, so this week my goal is to set a schedule for each day and keep it to the best of my abilities.  I think being more accountable to myself will really help me grow.  

I also found myself making gains in my yoga practice, which was surprising to me - the week one yoga practice was relatively simple, and only 20 minutes long.  Moving the body daily is so beneficial to mind and body, and I can feel that release.  When I taught my Sunday yoga class, I felt a lot more connected to the asanas and was able to pass that on to my students.  It was a beautiful experience, and reminded me why I teach in the first place.  If at the end of class I can look at my students and see a stillness within them, I have done what I intended to do.  

Here are a couple pics from week one, and I'm off to week two!  Enjoy!

Getting Used to a Daily Meditation Practice

Parrvitta Crunchasana - Favorite for the Week

My Puppy Loves to Practice with me :)

Yummy Veggie Pasta Pie - I got the idea from Dr. Oz and it was great!

A 40 Day Journey

A couple of months ago I was catapulted into a transition period.  It took me a while to figure out what was happening - but when I realized that my mind, body, and soul were screaming for change I decided to take a look at my life.  

What I found was an incredible imbalance.  Over the past year, I have devoted the majority of my time and energy to my career - which is something I think we all do at one point or another.  A big slap in the face came when my husband referred to 2012 as the worst year of our relationship.  And I realized it was true.  We struggled emotionally, financially, and physically.  It was awful.  But thankfully we both have the ability to acknowledge and move on - and we both feel that 2013 has some amazing things in store for us.  

It was about this time I started having very vivid and disturbing dreams, and I began using www.dreammoods.com to analyze them.  It has been an amazingly helpful tool and what I found was pretty enlightening.  My dreams were telling me I needed to make a change.  For my life, my health, and my marriage, as well as financially.  My subconscious was screaming at me to find balance, because the road I was traveling down was a treacherous one.  My dreams/subconscious also let me know that this journey would be a very emotional one, should I choose to take it.  

I have to say it was a scary time - and led me to make some incredibly hard decisions.  I was running my own insurance agency, and while it gave me a great sense of pride, I was worried about my clients first and foremost.  I am committed to my clients - and I absolutely did not want to do anything that effected them negatively.  I spoke with my husband and my closest friends regarding making a change, and surprisingly I was met with support, but they all strongly felt I should stay where I was at.  So I continued along the same path for a while.  The crazy thing about change is that once it enters your heart, it refuses to leave until you make the right choice.  I knew I had not.  

Going against every fiber in my brain, I decided ultimately to follow my heart.  HARDEST thing I have ever done, and I am willing to bet it will remain one of the hardest decisions I've ever made.  I walked away from my agency - but not completely.  I worked an arrangement, or "partnership" with another agent.  We combined our agencies and I now work as a producer.  So now I am doing the same thing I have always done, but I have simplified it a LOT, allowing me more freedom and balance for other areas of my life.  

After doing this, I sat down and made some goals for the year.  I looked at 5 areas and set priorities for each one - based on what was most important to me:  

1.  Family/Relationships.  
2.  Spiritual
3.  Physical Health
4.  Career
5.  Financial

Of course, these all need to be balanced equally, but I prioritized them based on what needs the most work.  The previous year looked more like this:  

1.  Career.  
2.  Career.  
3.  Career.  
4.  Relationships.
5.  Physical Health.  

Everything else was ignored completely, and in October I was slapped in the face by my body screaming out to me.  It made me stop - for a minute.  But I did not begin to find true healing within my body until I made radical changes.  Being a yoga instructor, I feel I have a good handle on balance and what it means.  I am pretty intuitive to what my body needs, but I ignored it all so much in 2012.  Hence the need for major changes in my life.  

I am a firm believer in the Universe's power.  Once you put your mind or your thought process in a certain direction, if it's the right one, the Universe conspires to make things happen for you.  Once I made these goals, I came across a book by Baron Baptiste called 40 Days to Personal Revolution - A Breakthrough Program to Radically Change Your Body and Awaken the Sacred within your Soul.  I honestly don't even remember how I came across it - only that it spoke to me and I ordered it right away.  

When I received it in the mail, a sentence in the introduction affirmed to me that this is what I needed: "You're not here by accident - you opened up this book at the right time, in the right space."  Those words were powerful!  

And so I have decided to take a 40 Day Journey - to the same me I have always been, but a me that needs healing and balance, and the me that is looking forward to a brighter future with more balance.  

In the book, he asks that we keep a journal, so I am going to make weekly updates on this blog - not only for my own record, but if anything I learn can be an inspiration to others, then that is my goal.  If you'd like, you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram as well for daily updates and photos, @mylivenatural on Twitter, and livenaturalgirl on Instagram.  

By committing to updates, I am committing to this program, and committing to myself.  So I thank you in advance for your support!  

~NAMASTE~