In a continued effort to downsize my stress, I went in search of websites that could offer some guidance.  I happened upon YogaVa, a great site geared toward online yoga classes but featuring a blog where the author shares useful information and simple practices to keep your whole body balanced. One post in particular called Grounded Through the Feet reminded me of one of my favorite poses, legs up the wall.

She writes, “Legs Up the Wall works wonders for tired, achey legs and feet. Great for reversing the blood flow and bringing a fresh supply of blood and oxygen to the brain. It works better than a nap as you will feel more energize and restored.”

Sounds good to me. I spent a few minutes last night with Legs Up the Wall.  I quickly winded down and slept I like a baby. You may recall this pose from my previous post during the 30 Day Fitness Challenge. That was a while ago, 18 months to be exact. Wow, how time flies. Interestingly enough, I am wearing the same pants.

They’re Notre Dame pants by the way. The All-Star hates them. Go Irish!

Hey folks, it’s me, Laura, and I’m stressed.

But aren’t we all?  It’s just part of life.  But that doesn’t mean I should ignore it. My body has been telling me that I’ve got to do something now to manage it.

The obvious idea came to me yesterday while I was having a particularly difficult moment with myself. I felt like there was something that I needed to be doing to get my brain back in balance with my body. The type A’er in me decided I needed to come up with some sort of plan. I’d map out my day, add scheduled activities, journal my process, clear the road to success! And I’d start it all tomorrow.

“Wait, that’s not right.”

I realized that I’m constantly trying to create routines for myself, tasks to follow, a gauge for my progress. More often then not, I fall short of my goals and feel guilty about my failures.  More stress! I’m don’t want to do that this time. I’m need to downsize my angst, not create more.

So then and there I put down what I was doing, set a timer for 15 minutes and closed my eyes. I was met with a lot of resistance at first. My mind wanted to wander, my body wasn’t relaxed. I thought about the timer and wondered where I was at. Then I remembered the breath. I started to count.

“1…in…2…out…3…in…4…out.”

Suddenly, without realizing it, I was at 23.

“Was I just meditating!?” I switched to a mantra.

“Ommmm….Ommmm…..”

My mind was beginning to get quiet.  My body softened and I shifted naturally into a half lotus pose. There was stillness. Then the timer went off.

“Fifteen minutes already? That was actually pretty quick.”

When I opened my eyes, I felt renewed. There was a silence in my body and my mind was at ease. I had a clarity that I hadn’t felt in days and I was ready to continue.

It’s amazing how something so simple like closing my eyes and breathing could make such a difference. It’s also amazing how difficult it can sometimes be to remember to take a few moments to do so. Reminding myself to practice, forgiving my failures, and celebrating my triumphs are all part of my struggle and part of my journey. Life isn’t a routine, it’s an opportunity. Every moment of everyday is a chance to grow. So until then, I strive forward. I continue to cultivate my wellness, this time unscripted and with a little spontaneity.

I think I’ve mentioned this before but I want to take the opportunity again to emphasize the importance of positive energy. It is a truly powerful tool that if used wisely can encourage great things to happen in your life.

What does it mean to cultivate positive energy and what true effects can it have? It isn’t just about telling the universe what you want and expecting. It’s about striving towards your goals and living out your desires. It’s about taking charge of your universe and letting it revolve around you. Not in a conceited way but in an actual way. Being the center of your universe simply means being in balance with all that is around you, not teetering on one side or the other. When you find the balance between what you want and what you have, you can better achieve what you need.

Over the past couple of months I’ve been getting a little depressed. My body hurts. The weather was bad. I don’t have enough patients, “bla bla bla”. And I have had every excuse in the book not to be proactive. I felt like I was in a downward spiral and every day seemed to be a bit more challenging. Finally I decided to put an end to my wallowing and move towards a positive change. It wasn’t that easy. Getting started never is. But I took the initiative and began to rearrange the things in my life that I believed were bringing me down. I cleaned up the apartment, started running, doing more yoga and practicing creative visualization.  Everyday still has its ups and down but I’ve continued to work towards positive change. Today I am really seeing the results of my shift and not just in the way that I feel but in the things that are happening to me. I am another step closer to achieving my goals.

That’s what I mean by positive energy. It isn’t magic that drops presents on your doorstep. It is a energetic momentum that that you create that leads you towards what YOU decide. You set the tone and allow the universe to follow. Of course, you can’t just ride the wave. You have to continue to make positive choices and move forward with that energy. When you are feeling good, that can be an easy task. When things are bad is when it becomes more tricky. Just as positive energy can propel us forward, negative energy can pull us back.  Allowing this to happen can lead to a series of bad days or weeks or even years. It can even have a detrimental effect on your health. Being aware and conscious of the energy we create can prevent this from happening. The choice is ours and the choice to turn a bad day into a good one can have a profound effect on our life and our happiness.

If you feel like life isn’t going your way, take a second to see if there are any negative aspects that you could change. You can start with the small ones, they are usually the easiest. But use the momentum to continue moving you forward. I promise you will start to see the difference.

I picked up this recipe at the Windbell Wellness Center after a great qigong class. Another delicious way to enjoy fennel!

Fennel Slaw

• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/8 tsp each salt and pepper
• 1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded carrots

Mix first 6 ingredients. Toss with sliced fennel and shredded carrots and ENJOY!
More information about the benefits of fennel and my experience with qigong.

I often talk to my patients about the importance of meditation. The benefits can be ground-breaking but for many the task is easier said than done. The most common frustration I hear and am often faced with myself is, “I can’t shut off my brain.”  A common idea around meditation is that you must travel within the silence of your mind in order for it to be effective, in order to discover your hidden self, unlock the doors to chronic pain, or solve a looming dilemma that haunts you. While it is true that many amazing experiences can occur while visiting the quiet hallways of your conscious, meditation doesn’t always have to be that mysterious. If thinking is what your brain wants to do, give yourself permission to do just that. You may find that there is more to your thoughts than just meaningless chatter.

This past Sunday, I attended a fabulous seminar on Recollective Awareness Meditation. The class was led by Linda Modaro, a licensed acupuncturist and teacher with the Skillful Meditation Project.  She has been teaching groups, workshops and meditation retreats since 1987. The 8-hour workshop was held at Linda’s office in Santa Monica where we embarked on a journey to go beyond the structure of meditation and reflect on what our inner voices were saying.

The instructions given were very simple. “We’re going to sit for 30 minutes. You may sit on a chair or the floor, close your eyes, feel free to adjust your posture if you feel uncomfortable…” That was about it. No, “focus on your breathing, and if your mind wanders, bring it back to the breath.” No mantra or chanting. Just simple sitting.

When Linda rang her small singing bowl to start the first 30 minute sitting, I was filled with fear and nervousness. I didn’t know how I could possibly sit still and content for that long. I would certainly get bored, restless and tired. I stayed with this feeling for about a minute. When I assumed a minute has passed, I told myself that there were only 29 more to go and figured it wouldn’t be so bad. From there I just went with it.

After the 30 minutes, which actually seemed to go quite fast, we were asked to spend 10 minutes reflecting on our sitting and journal our experience. We did this three times throughout the day. We learned that reflection is an important part of the practice. It helps you to increase your awareness of what happens when you meditate. I’d like to share one of my reflections with you…

“Again fear of time. Short lived. Thought about active vs passive and participate vs  observe. Which of these do I more often do? Can I combine the two successfully?

Thought about dialogue. The words “will, would like, can, can not, am, have.” Active words. No more “should, could, would.”

Thought about me, mind, body, and the connection. How do I experience life? Physically or mentally. What effect does the physical have on my mind and my mind on my body?

Some headache, am I getting sick? Feels like I am.

Focused on the back of my neck. Felt calm. Almost like the ocean. Flow. Pulse.

Thought about choosing happiness. Why do we explore our pain but not our joy? I would like to do this more.”

As you can see, nothing monumental occurred. I was not enlightened in any profound way. But as I look back on this reflection I can recognize desires I hold within and places my mind tends to go. Each meditation sitting was a little different from this, but certain themes recurred. It was definitely a learning experience.

I encourage everyone to try this way of meditating, even if you have a meditation practice that you know and love. Find a quiet place, set a timer, feel the heaviness of your body, and sit. You can incorporate any previously learned methods into your sitting, but let your experience unfold naturally. When you are finished, spend some time reflecting on and journaling your experience.

If you want like to learn more, I recommend reading Jason Siff’s new book, Unlearning Meditation. It’s very insightful. Linda will also be holding another class like the one I attended on November 14th in Santa Monica. This class is a continuing education workshop for acupuncturists and therapists. She also holds classes for the community. You can contact Linda through the Skilled Meditation Project.

Namaste

I’ve been spending so much positive time and energy with my nutrition these days, but I’ve neglected to also focus on fitness. My excuse is that I’ve been too busy and unmotivated.  But while picking and choosing the aspects of health that are most convenient will work for a while, its not the way to wellness. The way I see it, nutrition without fitness is like putting premium gas in a car with bald tires…eventually you’re still going to get a flat.

My biggest challenge with incorporating a healthy exercise regime into my schedule is time. Of course!  I’m sure many of you can relate to that.  With my commute and work and shopping and cooking, then digesting and reading and spending time with my significant other, where can I fit in fitness?  I’ll tell you where…in the morning, before I do anything.  That’s how it works for me. And if I’m diligent and committed, I’m okay. If I give myself even a little bit of slack, I’m bound for laziness.

Waking up earlier than I have to is the key to my success, and the hardest part. I really have to drag myself out of bed in the morning. Not because I can’t do it, just because I don’t want to. My covers are warm and my pillow is soft, much more forgiving than the cold, cruel world. But alas, I am an adult, and my days of sleeping in need to come to an end.  There’s just way too much a.m. daylight that I’m missing.

I made a commitment to myself this week that I would start waking up earlier than absolutely necessary and that today I would re-visit my yoga practice. So, bright and early, 7am, I was up and ready to stretch!

I found a free demo video from Myyogaonline.com. I’m seriously considering buying a year membership to this website. It’s only $9.95 a month. That’s cheaper than a yoga class. This 12 minute video was just what I needed to get started. I continued with another 1/2 hour or so of my own routine and I feel great.

Here are just a few of the benefits I experienced from yoga in the morning:

• reduced muscle stiffness and joint compression that occurred during sleep
• an awakening of the senses and the ability get my mind going without caffeine
• a feeling of calm and rejuvenation.

Take some time to examine the challenges you’re facing in regards to fitness. Are you busy like me? Is it a financial reason? Are you injured? Are you just not sure where to start? I hear a hundred excuses everyday from patients who want to be well but can’t seem to overcome one major obstacle, themselves. You are the only real thing standing in your way. Of course time and money and injury are factors, but those can easily be overcome with a little initiative and creativity.  If you want to grow, you can and you will.  Sure you may need to modify, but you are always capable of trying and with a little effort you can be even more than able. You just have to start with the basics.

For me, it’s yoga, then I’ll advance to running. I may even buy some roller-blades. For you it could start with a walk around the block and some light-weight bicep curls. Before you know it, your new routine will be set and you’ll be cruising along on your own path to wellness.

Namaste

So, do we want recipes, do we want info? How a about journal entry first. I haven’t posted much personal for a while.

The weather has warmed. Also windy here on the West Coast! Don’t forget to protect your neck when it’s windy!  Here are a few quick things I learned and practiced today.  Let’s start with the learned part…

I’ve learned…

…this April sun is strong and plants are soaking up their water quickly. I must remember to water mine properly.

…I shouldn’t say “later” to most things. “There is no time like the present.”

…Eating lots of vegetables does not warrant eating lots of dip.

Okay, that’s enough learning. What have I practiced?

hmmm…Okay!

Today I practiced…

…Driving the speed limit. I’ve increased my gas mileage while reducing my carbon footprint. Stress level decreasing.

…in my scope of practice! I helped three patients!

…making creative soups. See below.

Today’s kitchen creation…Asparagus Soup with Ginger. (broth, asparagus (cooked and pureed), lemon, ginger, carrots, celery leaves, salt, pepper, oh and heirloom tomatoes!) Not bad for just using what I had on hand. My fridge is looking a little empty though.  I served it with some guacamoli from scratch and a cucumber salad. Lots of green. Nothing wrong with that.

Have fun when making soup. Just throw stuff in! All you really need is some liquid, veggies and a few herbs and spices and you’ve got yourself nutritional wellness!

Let’s learn a little about asparagus…

Asparagus are almost at the peak of their season in California! States further East can expect to see them as late as July.  They are a major source folate, which assists in cardiovascular health, as well a natural diuretic.  According to WHFoods, woman suffering from premenstrual bloating could benefit from adding asparagus to their meal.  Don’t worry about the strange odor when you pee. That’s just the result of a natural chemical breakdown. What may be a concern is for those who have kidney problems, as asparagus contains purines. Excessive amounts of purines can lead to an excess of uric acid in the blood. Excessive uric acid in the blood can lead to gout, kidney stones and kidney failure. We don’t want this.  If you are unsure about your blood levels, you can always request a blood-work panel from your primary care provider. The best advice I can give, always pay attention to how you feel.

There’s a zen calender on the front desk at The Healing Sanctuary.  Most days I find the time to read these little quotations of enlightenment.  Some day’s they are too long or far out there to contemplate at work, but today’s sparked a moment and I feel it’s worth sharing.

Right on Alan Watts!

Just yesterday I was describing how sometimes when I go to new places, I prefer to quietly soak in my surroundings instead of trying to figure out what century the architecture is from or what kind of mushroom I just stepped on. Not to say that education isn’t valuable, I love to learn. But sometimes I’d prefer to just be a part of it. This saying reminds me of that. I hope you all enjoy “feeling life” today!