Ahhhhhh

Organic, dark chocolate, almond milk. Need I say more?

My life is a mirror

Ah, what a beautiful Monday. We're expecting a lot of snow in my part of the universe. I'm looking forward to it. I know it will be beautiful

Today's reflection comes from Louise Hay's Power Thought deck. "The people in my life are really mirrors of me. This affords me the opportunity to grow and change."

I take this to mean I give to others what I believe they want and in turn, take from them what I feel I need. Complementary giving and receiving of love, nurturing, and laughter. We should all surround ourselves with the type of people we want to be. Everyone has a gift to share. What's yours?

A purpose

When I quit my job last year, I didn't have much of a plan except to go to school. I loved what I did as a group counselor, I loved my clients, and I loved my co-workers. I became unfulfilled and knew what I was teaching and learning with my clients was fighting against the grain of what our mental health system pushes. I often questioned myself and pondered with my husband: What am I going to do with another degree? Why can't I find something and stick to it? What do I want to be when I grow up? I know that I am in a very fortunate and blessed situation. Yesterday, I read how the world needs more people to take the teachings and the research and begin their journey so they can spread it and teach others. And so I feel as if I have purpose in my journey. I no longer feel the urge to rush through and do something; I am doing something. This is the purpose.
-Don't just do something, sit there!

Passion

(From the deck, "Self-Care Cards," by Cheryl Richardson)

I have a wonderful life and in these past few weeks I've restarted down the path, influenced by my classes, to begin going further. And, I'm loving it.  I was talking to my husband earlier and started crying for no particular reason. I was trying to explain how my feelings can sometimes be a little overwhelming and the tears just started to pour. How does it get this good? How can I give this to the ones I love who I watch struggling? And then I pull the passion card; "Let your passion take flight." What I'm doing for myself has a purpose for others. I'm sure of it. I may not know how it will play out but I for this moment, I will keep learning, smiling, and spreading the love!

Unit 4 Loving Kindness Practice

I’m not new to mediation but because I’m a wee bit out of intended practice I honestly had trouble the first few minutes. Somewhere during the last portion of sending health and joy to strangers I lost awareness that I was even listening to the CD. Breathing definitely influenced this. As my breath became deeper, I was gone. When the voice came back, I came back.

I did find it beneficial and would recommend it to others. I don’t think it was difficult. In fact I felt it to be much easier than others I’ve done in the past. Meditation itself is something you need to get used to and that comes with practice. I plan on doing the recommendation of twice a day for a week.

Dacher (2009) points out if we want to learn something, we study. If we want to be strong and fit physically, we exercise. The concept of a mental workout is simply devoting the time, effort, and energy to thinking a certain way. Studies are showing the transformation of the mind aids in increased “resistance to mental distress and physical disease,” (Dacher, 2009). In addition, it increases “our healing capacities, and promotes well-being.”

Implementing this type of practice to foster my own psychological health is easy. Dacher recommends a mere 15 minutes at least once, preferably twice, a day to practice loving kindness. The positive intentional thoughts combined with breathing awareness are the perfect beginning.

Reference

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health: The Path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic    Health Publications.

My daily reflection

Being lovable taken from The Language of Letting Go deck. I believe we don't choose the cards, the cards choose you. That being said, today's card is the reaffirmation that I am lovable even when there are people who don't love me for who I am. I believe people change and this change is seen in their intentional words and behaviors. However, because others remain fixated on their old perceptions, they cannot move forward to see what has evolved. Relating this to my mom, I can relate to her in a way that allows me to continue being who I am without the need to PROVE to her how I am. I can also relate this to others from my past with blinders on to who I have become. And, today, it's okay. I'm good.
Enjoy the beauty in the moment!

Approving of myself

Good morning everyone! What a glorious day! Today's reflection comes from the Language of Letting Go deck and it deals with acceptance and approval. Funny. In my stress management class, we've been journaling so issues with my mother have been on my mind. I've always been the trouble maker, the black sheep of the family. They (being my mom, step father, uncles, etc) still treat me as if I'm 12 and always wrong. Nothing I have ever done has ever been good enough. Now, don't get me wrong, I have been a trouble maker. I've lied, stolen, done drugs. But, that was an Ellen a long time ago. The Ellen now is pretty damn awesome, if I do say so myself. They don't see it. What I am learning is how to let go of the need for their approval. I am being true to myself now and leading a good and true life. The people who really know me see that and those are the relationships I will continue to cultivate.
Enjoy all your moments today everyone!

Definition of success

I'm really loving Louise Hay's power thought deck so today's affirmation comes from it again. "Everything I touch is a success."  Now, I define success as happiness within myself and my intentions. However, once in a while, I struggle with it. Usually I struggle when I'm around people who define their (and others) success on material goods and through career advancement. I don't have many of those people in my life but there are a few. If we are all unique why can't we understand success for one may not be success for another? I think I'm a successful person. Why? Not because I'm wealthy or live in a big house or drive a new car. I'm successful because I accept where I am right now, right here. Everything I have done has brought me right here.
How do you define YOUR success?

Power of the present moment

I had a busy day today. I worked from 3:30am - 10:30am, then off to brunch with friends, and then a birthday party for friends 3 year old twins. To be honest, I normally would have talked myself out of practicing yoga (day 12 of yoga journal's challenge) or doing anything else productive. However, if intentional actions are paramount in healing and each action or activity we take should have meaning, then the present moment is the place to start. That being said, I practiced yoga for 30 minutes and pulled another card from Louise Hay's deck, "Power Thought Cards." And, what card did I pull? "The point of power is always in the present moment." HA!
Like dreams, these cards can be personally interpreted to fit the individual. I'm reminded every moment counts, every moment means something, is the directional force of the next moment. I have the power to be present instead of absent from the moment. I hope that makes sense. :)

Divine wisdom guides me

That is the card I pulled for today. It is taken from Louise L. Hay's deck, "Power Thought" cards. Again, it is connected to this journey I am on recently. The Universe guides me to make the right choices toward my goals. I know when I listen, I can find the right answers. I only have to open myself up to see what those choices are and know that I am safe. That's a lot to think about.
Hope all is well out there in cyberspace.

Just breathe

Today's card was from the deck, "The Elemental Forces of Creation Oracle." It's an interesting deck. 

Today's card was focused on the element of Air and breathing. I'm learning a lot about breathing lately. In my yoga practice, we are taught to make our inhales equal to our exhales. When we want to lower our blood pressure, we exhale for a second more than our inhale. This is helpful for anxious moments, anger, and sleep. I will take time to be mindful of my breath.

Today I will see myself the way I'd like to be.

Today's card comes from Dr. Dyer's "10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace" deck. I pulled the 8th secret - Treat yourself as if you already are what you'd like to be. Hmmmm. Interesting considering this has been on my mind lately. Add last night's meditation exercise into the mix and I really believe the Universe is trying to tell me something. I've been in the community mental health field for over 10 years, working with people who suffer from chronic mental illness and addiction. The people I'm used to working with are the people most avoid on the street. They are the ones on public assistance, that always look disheveled, that have borderline IQs, etc. And, I love them. I was doing good work with my group until changes in the system made it impossible for me to do my job the way my clients (and I) needed. So, I left and decided to go to school (again). And, I've been struggling with what I was going to do with another degree. Where did I want this to take me? How can I heal the people I'm passionate about helping outside the realm of diagnoses? I've been pondering that question for a year now. Then I started this class. And, I feel as if I've found a home. I'm not sure where this path is going to lead yet but I'm going to actively pursue this interest until I'm there.

Reflections on my mind-body-spirit

This weeks relaxation exercise was very beneficial. I had to restart it twice because I really wanted to be in a place with no distractions. And, honestly, in the beginning, I found it a little difficult to focus. Soon, however, I was there. The colors were vibrant. Particularly when I was envisioning yellow radiating from my third chakra, the solar plexus. It was as if my body was filled with shock waves. This is interesting because the chakra located here is associated with self-confidence, one's ability to choose direction, and make (and mean) decisions (Pond, 2008). These things have been on my mind recently. Particularly the direction this path is taking me on. It has only been in the past 2 weeks that I've been given a glimpse of where I may be going. This exercise was a bit of an eye opener; telling me I need to continue looking down this particular road.

Now to answer a few more questions about where I am, what my goals are, and how I'm going to achieve them.

Physically, I would rate my well-being a 7. I have made tremendous strides in eliminating foods from my diet that make me sick and cause me pain. I exercise (almost) daily and I also know I need to put more effort into my yoga practice. Yoga is a continuous journey and there is always room for improvement. I want to be as flexible as I can possibly be.
Goal: Yoga to be natural every day occurrence.
Plan: I'm going to continue my 21 day yoga challenge (for those interested see www.yogajournal.com) and build my yoga library so I have a different sequence every day to avoid boredom with routine.

Spiritually: I would rate my well-being a 6. Although I think a lot about it, I don't actually do a lot about it. This class has sparked something in me and I believe the path may prove to be the right one. I want to dedicate more time in this area.
Goal: Spend time each day with a daily meditation card.
Plan: I must have 15 boxes of daily meditation cards sitting on my bookshelf from when I was a counselor. I will start putting them to my own use.

Psychological: I would rate my well-being an 8. This is the area I feel most successful in but with everything, there is always room for evolving to the next level.
Goal: Spend 30-60 minutes daily, learning something new in Ayurveda.
Plan: Buy a comprehensive book on Ayurveda, a new journal, and begin learning how to incorporate this model into my life.

When I look back at what I wrote I wonder if my goals and plans are reversed.
I look forward to input from others and more ideas on what I can do to make my plans successful.

 Reference
Pond, D. (2008). Chakras for beginners: A Guide to balancing your chakra energies. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn.

Mindfulness in adornment

I read an article a month or so ago (I believe it was in Yoga Journal) about the pride and care women in India take in preparing themselves for the day. It was written by a visiting American yoga student and made her think about the personal time and effort we should value when it comes to our outside adornment. And, how this can be a practice in mindfulness allowing our minds to fully concentrate on ourselves for those few precious moments we have before we take on the rest of the world.
Some who know a little about me know I am an advocate for health at any size. Part of this health and wellness outlook requires we appreciate how feel inside because this reflects how we look (and feel) on the outside.The onslaught of the emphasis on youth and beauty can have affects on anyone, even one that tends to fight against the grain. I consider myself healthy, inside and out and yet I am 42 years old and there are changes I take notice of and need to pay attention to. Making a mindful practice of my daily beauty routine has really allowed a fuller connection to my personal idea of what makes me beautiful. And, when I believe I look beautiful, I feel beautiful. This feeling radiates out.
Ayurveda recommends, as part of your daily morning routine, an oiled foot massage. Choosing an oil, spending 5-10 minutes indulging in pressure points and aromatherapy can activate circulation and awaken the senses. Throw your socks on over your feet and you may be surprised how good you feel. It is something I make time for every day.
Thanks for reading my ramblings.

Starting new habits

Although this blogging is new to me, I see the point of an online journal. So, why not? I hope my ramblings do not offend or bore.
My sister and I had a breakthrough with my mother yesterday. My mom is 72 years old and a chronic dieter. My two sisters, my mom, and I exchange emails on a daily basis as a way to keep in touch. We started discussing integral health and wellness and media influences on body image. She finally admitted she is obsessed with food but doesn't quite know why. My mother never admits things like that so this is progress.
This is important because I do care about what I look like. I think taking pride in how you look is healthy but I'm not the "ideal." And, it's taken a long time for me to learn to be comfortable with that. Partly because weight was so drummed into my head growing up. Partly, because, well, it's difficult to be ok as an extra large in a vast majority of smalls. Maybe this extra large 42 year old can teach the 72 year old medium to be good with herself as she is. It's a goal anyway.
Be well.

Reflection on meditation

In just the first week of class I realize how much I have neglected practicing meditation. I practice mindfulness and often feel I'm getting what I need from my walks in the woods or the beach. However, upon returning from this guided meditation exercise I realize how much I have missed this type of peacefulness. This purpose driven practice of relaxation.
I almost seemed to have forgotten what it was like to be able to control my body by simply telling it to do something. Funny how surprised I was when my fingers warmed immediately upon telling them to do so. Funny how they cooled and tingled when I told them to do so. That's what this is all about. Controlling the body. Letting the body know and understand that my mind wants nothing more than to have it reflect the happiness I feel inside. I have been experiencing the beginnings of arthritis in two of my fingers of my right hand. This meditation exercise may be the extra help I need in learning to counteract the wonderful signs of an aging body.
I believe everything happens for a reason. Sometimes we may not recognize the reason immediately but there is always a purpose.

Hello everyone!

And welcome to my new blog. I've never done this but love the concept. I hope everyone enjoys reading what I have to say and I welcome comments and constructive criticism.
As you can tell by the title, I am a beach bum. I will start posting pictures of what I refer to as my beach although I am forced to share it with others. :)
Of course, I don't mind sharing it as long as it is respected for the beauty it offers.
I'm excited about what insights I will gain from this experience!
Have a wonderfully fantastic day!