Food Inc. 2 of 2

For those of you who watched Food Inc. 1 of 1 a few days ago, here is part 2.  I hope you will all take time to watch, learn, take the actions you can as an individual to make better choices when you purchase your foods, and then share this video with others.  One person and one purchase at a time we can make a difference in our health, the quality of our food, our communities and our planet.

Important Video: Food Inc. 1 of 2

I hope you will all take the time to watch this video, Food, Inc. 1 of 2.  It will change the way you eat; it will change the way you shop.  Remember, everytime you spend your dollar at the grocery store you are casting a vote.  Your choices are not just about what you are putting in your own body and how it will affect your health.  Your choices affect our community and our planet.  Remember, we are all connected.

What Kind of Yoga Should I Do?

 Today I received an email asking:  "Can you advise me as to the type of yoga I should begin? I have wandered from my path of spiritual health and am finding my way back. (I have a tendency to neglect myself in my care for others)."
     These are questions and challenges I am often asked about. Any yoga, in my opinion, is good yoga! Yoga dates back more than 5,000 years and at that time there were not all the different styles of yoga we have today. Now we have so many choices! Find a style and instructor that fits your needs and that you feel comfortable with. This is an ideal time to try different styles, classes and instructors and find out what you enjoy the most. Embrace trying new things.
     It seems so easy, and is common, for us to neglect ourselves in favor of taking care of those around us. However, in order to be our best and have the most to offer those around us, it is essential that we take time for ourselves. You must take time to nourish yourself in order to be able to provide the greatest value and nourish those around you. When your keep this in mind you will realize that taking time for yourself is, in reality, the most generous and giving thing you can do not only for yourself but for those around you!
     As you know yoga will help you re-connect with that part of yourself that you indicate that you feel you have lost touch with. Yoga has been used for thousands of years to enhance all types of spiritual practices and connect us with our essential selves. Meditation is another practice that helps us to remember who we really are at the core of our being.
     The Law of Giving & Receiving from the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra reminds us "I am the Nourisher of the Universe and the Universe Nourishes Me."  We are always in dynamic exchage with our environment and everyone around us.  Take time to nourish yourself, and remember the following affirmation:  "I always make the most positive choice to nurture my mind, body and spirit."

Is Yoga a Religion?

Earlier this year I spent several days at a Trappist Monastery just outside of Atlanta. During my visit I had the pleasure of speaking with Father Tom Fransis on several philosophical and theological topics. Now a spry young man in his 80’s, he has practiced yoga for decades. He has also written about centering prayer in his books.  Centering prayer is also known as contemplative prayer or meditation. When I met Fr. Tom he asked me, “Do you teach Christian Yoga or Hindu Yoga?” I thought that was a strange question coming from such a spiritual and well read man! I am often asked, “Is Yoga a Religion?”

Yoga has its roots in the ancient wisdom teachings of India which date back more than 5,000 years. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit root, “YUJ”, which literally translated means “unity” or “to yoke”. Yoga has always been used as a way to purify the physiology and quiet the mind. In recent years there is a renewed interest in Yoga to enhance fitness and to reduce stress. If the only reason you practice Yoga is for the physical benefits, that alone would provide ample rewards. However, the essential purpose of yoga is to integrate all aspects of our being – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual (Mind, Body & Spirit). Yoga offers a tool to not only release stress but to help us remain calm amidst the chaos of life.

So is yoga a religion? No, yoga is a philosophy and a way of life. Yoga can enhance your spiritual practice regardless of your religious beliefs. There should never be any conflict between the practice of yoga and your belief system. Yoga was around before Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, or the other religions we think of today. Yoga integrates all aspects of our being by purifying our physiology and quieting our minds. When that happens we have the tools to not only stay calm amidst the turbulence of life, but to access the silence within us. It is in that silence that we have the opportunity to connect with our essential selves, our creativity, our spiritual nature, and to the Divine.

Whatever your reason for trying a yoga class, it is a great reason. Whether your goal is to enhance flexibility, improve strength, or to reduce stress, it is a great reason to come to a yoga class. Yoga does however have some hidden and perhaps unexpected gifts. If you are open to them you will find them. You don’t have to go digging, just practice; they will find you. I know I found those gifts, and that is why I teach yoga today.

*The Monastery of the Holy Spirit is located in Conyers, Georgia. It is a Catholic Monastery of the Cistercian Order. Cistercian Monks, commonly known as “Trappists”, live a contemplative life (mostly in silence). If you are interested in visiting the monastery, I will be taking a group there soon, date TBA! Contact me and let me know of your interest.

You Are What You Metabolize

You are what you metabolize from all five of your senses. When my children were toddlers they watched the children's show, Barney. I remember that big purple dinosaur saying, "You are what you eat from your head to your feet!" He was encouraging children to make good food choices. Indeed making healthy choices in what we eat is important, but we are so much more than just what we eat. We metabolize every single experience we take in from all five of our senses! Therefore, the quality of our experiences and our ability to metabolize them determine the quality of our health and the state of our wellbeing. In addition, our mind and our physiology do not distinguish which experiences are "real" from those that are "unreal".

Recently I had the opportunity to speak at one of Loral Langemeier's Big Table Events. Several of the audience members expressed that the idea we must metabolize our experiences from all five of our senses was a completely new concept to them, but it made sense. Deepak Chopra says, "If you want to know why your body is the way it is today, look at the quality of your experiences over the past 10 years; If you want to know what your body will look like 10 years from now, look at the quality of the experiences you are having today." I was asked if I could tell them more and give them some examples of how this concept might be affecting their state of health and wellbeing.

First, our minds do not distinguish the "real" from the "unreal". Close your eyes and imagine you have a plump, juicy, yellow lemon in your hand. Feel the texture; observe the smell. Imagine yourself cutting the lemon into several wedges and see the juices being released. Now imagine taking one of the wedges you have cut and bite into it. What would it taste like? Mmmmm! Did your mouth water or salivate? Most likely it did, but where was the lemon? There was no lemon, but you still had a physiological response to the imaginary lemon.

I often ask students in my yoga class to become aware of unmetabolized experiences they may be carrying by doing the following exercise. At the beginning of class we sit quietly and observe our breath. As we observe the inflow and outflow of the breath our bodies and our minds begin to settle down. I will then ask them to give their body a scan and just see what they notice. They may notice an area of tightness somewhere, perhaps in their shoulders or back; there may be tension in those muscles. This tension may be from experiences they had in their day or week that they are still "carrying," and now they are "holding onto" those experiences in their body. Once there is awareness of this tension, the breath can be sent to that place and we can have the intention to release whatever we are holding on to.

The first step in learning to metabolize all of our experience is awareness. Once we become aware that we must metabolize all of our experiences we will naturally make more conscious choices about how we live our lives and the experiences we choose. In addition, we will be more aware of how our experiences affect us and learn how to metabolize or let go of things that are unhealthy or that do not serve us.

Affirmation: "I always make the most nourishing choice to nurture myself and to support the daily renewal of my mind, body and spirit."