Loving What Is!

When I was in my 20's and started to practice yoga daily I was stifled by the idea that everything had to be perfect to have a good practice. The room have to have soft lighting. Incense and candles were a must. The environment had to be quiet or, playing softly on the record player, the latest yoga music.  There could be absolutely no interruptions. And  most of all I had to be perfect. Perfectly flexible, perfectly balanced, perfectly focused...then I had kids. So I modified my expectations but I still longed for the ideal yoga practice. Then I read, Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life, by Byron Katie. In it she writes, “The only time we suffer is when we believe a thought that argues with what is. When the mind is perfectly clear, what is is what we want.” Though the inquiry process in the book, I learned to really enjoy pretty much any yoga practice. So blare the rock 'n' roll, turn on the flood lights, and send in the pets, I am practicing yoga and loving it! 
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Forks Over Knives!

This weekend we watched a provockative documentary, Forks Over Knives. The film showed through clinical and scientific research that many chronic diseases are caused by the foods we eat. On their web site, http://www.forksoverknives.com/, they write:  

What has happened to us? Despite the most advanced medical technology in the world, we are sicker than ever by nearly every measure. Two out of every three of us are overweight. Cases of diabetes are exploding, especially amongst our younger population. About half of us are taking at least one prescription drug. Major medical operations have become routine, helping to drive health care costs to astronomical levels. Heart disease, cancer and stroke are the country’s three leading causes of death, even though billions are spent each year to “battle” these very conditions. Millions suffer from a host of other degenerative diseases. Could it be there’s a single solution to all of these problems? A solution so comprehensive, but so straightforward, that it’s mind-boggling that more of us haven’t taken it seriously?

This documentary also elucidated that by avoiding animal-based and processed foods many of the degenerative diseases, caused by eating the typical american diet, can be controlled and sometimes reversed. An amazing film worth watching. And it's free on Netflix's!

Clean of the Day!

One of my new years resolutions this year was "the clean of the day". The idea was each day clean or organize something in the house. When I made that resolution I thought it would be difficult and my original intention was to have a cleaner more organized home. The focus was totally on the results and all that I was going to accomplish. 
Then I read this passage in The Miracle of Mindfulness, by Thich Nhat Hanh: 
While washing the dishes one should only be washing the dishes, which means that while washing the dishes one should be completely aware of the fact that one is washing the dishes. At first glance, that might seem a little silly: why put so much stress on a simple thing? But that's precisely the point. The fact that I am standing there and washing these bowls is a wondrous reality. I'm being completely myself, following my breath, conscious of my presence, and conscious of my thoughts and actions. There's no way I can be tossed around mindlessly like a bottle slapped here and there on the waves.
Wow, what a revolutionary idea! Being completely present while doing chores. Who knew that focusing on the process instead of the results would make doing housework more meaningful and more enjoyable. So here's to the clean of the day, with mindfulness, and to the clean master bath toilet!
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