Something that was scribbled down on my resolution list earlier this year was to spend more time in meditation.
It seems to be one of those things that slips my mind until I reach over at night to turn off my lamp. By the time I lay my head down on the pillow, I'm too tired to get up and situate myself to meditate.
I know all the reasons why I should, but it seems to be something that is hardly an aspect of my life. But I want it to be-so for the next 21 days, I'm setting aside 5 minutes (5 minutes!!! barely any time at all) and then graduating to 10 and to 15 minutes to quiet my mind, and let the voice within speak.
One of my favorite meditations is called a monkey mind meditation. It's a basic meditation, but great to show how your mind hops around like a monkey. So here's how you can practice it:
Find a comfortable seated position-better if your hips are a little elevated with a meditation pillow, regular pillow, or block. This makes it much easier to sit for an extended period of time. (something else that makes it easier-YOGA! For real-ancient yogis practiced yoga so that they could sit for hours at a time in meditation so they would be able to reach enlightenment. Your body has to be in pretty good shape for it. Don't believe me? Try it :))
Close your eyes and breathe your normal everyday breath.
On an inhale, think rising.
On an exhale, think falling.
Continue this for a few breaths, and then begin to count backwards from 100 on the exhale.
Rising...100...rising...99...rising...98...etc.
As soon as your lose track of your number, start back at 100. I did this last night, and got down to 75, then skipped 74 and 73, and went straight to 72.
Give it a try the next time you meditate and see what you think.
Now for a delicious recipe.
Applesauce:
5-6 lbs. Paula red or macintosh apples
cinnamon
nutmeg
allspice
water
Peel the apples and cut the fruit away from the core and place into a pot.
Add in spices to your delight! Above are 3 of my favorites.
Add in a little water to the pot so the apples don't burn. Remember you can always add more, but you can't take any out. Start with 1/2 a cup and go from there.
Cook apples on stove top on Medium-Hi heat until the apples are broken down.
I like really chunky applesauce so I turn off the heat when there are still lumps in the sauce. If you like really smooth sauce, you can put it through the blender.
Here is a website that categorizes apples and if they are better for baking or eating. Not all apples are good baking apples. Good baking apples should have a mealy inside-it means the sugar content is high enough for baking, and that the apples will break down nicely in sauce or even a delish pie! (both apples named above are my favorites for baking)
This apple sauce is yummy and could even be eaten for a healthy dessert. Also great for breakfast!
Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
A yummy recipe for you!
Here is a recipe for you that looks healthy and delicious! From the Whole Living Magazine. (and altered a little)**
Avocado, Beet, and Orange Salad
1 small bunch beets (1 lb.), trimmed
2 TBSP olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP orange juice
2 avocados
2 navel oranges, peel and pith removed, segmented
2 cups spinach
2 TBSP nut of your choice (not peanut-those are not nuts but legumes)
Salt and pepper for seasoning
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Wrap beets tightly in foil and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Once cool, remove the skin and slice. 2. Whisk vinegar, orange juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over beets, avocados, oranges, and spinach. Top with nuts.
So maybe you think you hate beets. But give them a try-I used to think I hated them, and then I tried them and have loved them ever since. Anything that has that rich of a color is really good for you!
**Original recipe has bread, which I left out of this for the 21-day challenge participants during their fruit and veggie fast.
Avocado, Beet, and Orange Salad
1 small bunch beets (1 lb.), trimmed
2 TBSP olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP orange juice
2 avocados
2 navel oranges, peel and pith removed, segmented
2 cups spinach
2 TBSP nut of your choice (not peanut-those are not nuts but legumes)
Salt and pepper for seasoning
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Wrap beets tightly in foil and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Once cool, remove the skin and slice. 2. Whisk vinegar, orange juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over beets, avocados, oranges, and spinach. Top with nuts.
So maybe you think you hate beets. But give them a try-I used to think I hated them, and then I tried them and have loved them ever since. Anything that has that rich of a color is really good for you!
**Original recipe has bread, which I left out of this for the 21-day challenge participants during their fruit and veggie fast.
Change
Do you ever find yourself looking forward to a new season?
Especially living in Texas, I always find myself ready for summer to be over and for fall to begin. I look forward to the temperature steadily dropping, days beginning to get shorter, and all the delicious things the earth has to offer in the fall- apples for applesauce, and pumpkins and squashes for a variety of amazing dishes.
I am often ready for the seasons to change before they actually do.
When I was in 6th grade, I learned the phrase "Change is inevitable". They pushed us to learn and accept the phrase and try to understand what it meant. Plus inevitable is a really good vocabulary for a 6th grader to learn.
This concept isn't always easy to understand. Especially for most adults, who as we grow older, lose that flexibility that we once had as children to adapt to different situations. We like things a certain way, we like certain foods and habits, and it gets more difficult to change them as we age.
The easiest kind of change is the kind you are ready for. Not something forced upon you by the cosmos, but something you picked for yourself. Maybe it's a new haircut, car, or realization that something negative in your life needs to be removed and you are prepared to remove it.
Our culture seems to lack a tremendous amount of self exploration. And by this I mean sitting down at the end of everyday, or week, and taking a good hard look at yourself and everything that makes up your life. People eat unhealthy for years upon years and are then surprised when they wake up with a myriad of health issues. This is one thing I love about yoga. Yoga makes me more aware of my body, and the thoughts I think about myself and others. It makes me want to put good and whole foods into my body, so that I can perform all the things I want.
Are you ready for change in your life? If so, embrace it! you have more power than you realize. If you aren't ready for a change, be ok with admitting it. Be there for those around you who are ready for a change and support them.
Especially living in Texas, I always find myself ready for summer to be over and for fall to begin. I look forward to the temperature steadily dropping, days beginning to get shorter, and all the delicious things the earth has to offer in the fall- apples for applesauce, and pumpkins and squashes for a variety of amazing dishes.
I am often ready for the seasons to change before they actually do.
When I was in 6th grade, I learned the phrase "Change is inevitable". They pushed us to learn and accept the phrase and try to understand what it meant. Plus inevitable is a really good vocabulary for a 6th grader to learn.
This concept isn't always easy to understand. Especially for most adults, who as we grow older, lose that flexibility that we once had as children to adapt to different situations. We like things a certain way, we like certain foods and habits, and it gets more difficult to change them as we age.
The easiest kind of change is the kind you are ready for. Not something forced upon you by the cosmos, but something you picked for yourself. Maybe it's a new haircut, car, or realization that something negative in your life needs to be removed and you are prepared to remove it.
Our culture seems to lack a tremendous amount of self exploration. And by this I mean sitting down at the end of everyday, or week, and taking a good hard look at yourself and everything that makes up your life. People eat unhealthy for years upon years and are then surprised when they wake up with a myriad of health issues. This is one thing I love about yoga. Yoga makes me more aware of my body, and the thoughts I think about myself and others. It makes me want to put good and whole foods into my body, so that I can perform all the things I want.
Are you ready for change in your life? If so, embrace it! you have more power than you realize. If you aren't ready for a change, be ok with admitting it. Be there for those around you who are ready for a change and support them.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Remembering
Today we remember a day that changed the course of history in our country.
Recently there was an article in the Yoga Journal (I think) about how yogi's pulled together after the Trade Towers collapsed. They came together to gain a sense of peace during an otherwise frightening time , and out of the ashes yoga studios popped up around New York. Lying in savasana at the end of class suddenly had a new meaning.
10 years has passed and many things have changed. Our children won't grow up in the same world that we grew up in, and around every corner there seems to be lurking paranoia, hurt, and fear.
Gandhi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world". What if instead of talking about how our country and the world could be better, people actually lived out the changes we should take?
Everyday we have options and decisions to make. Do you always choose peace, happiness, and joy? Or do you take what seems to be the easier option of anger, mistrust, and hate?
What will you choose today? When somebody cuts you off, flips you off, hurts your feelings, or does something you disagree with, choose peace, happiness, or joy. You cannot control others actions, but you can control your reactions.
Be the good in the world, and maybe, if enough people pitch in, our grandchildren and great-grand children can grow up in a better world than we could ever dream.
Recently there was an article in the Yoga Journal (I think) about how yogi's pulled together after the Trade Towers collapsed. They came together to gain a sense of peace during an otherwise frightening time , and out of the ashes yoga studios popped up around New York. Lying in savasana at the end of class suddenly had a new meaning.
10 years has passed and many things have changed. Our children won't grow up in the same world that we grew up in, and around every corner there seems to be lurking paranoia, hurt, and fear.
Gandhi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world". What if instead of talking about how our country and the world could be better, people actually lived out the changes we should take?
Everyday we have options and decisions to make. Do you always choose peace, happiness, and joy? Or do you take what seems to be the easier option of anger, mistrust, and hate?
What will you choose today? When somebody cuts you off, flips you off, hurts your feelings, or does something you disagree with, choose peace, happiness, or joy. You cannot control others actions, but you can control your reactions.
Be the good in the world, and maybe, if enough people pitch in, our grandchildren and great-grand children can grow up in a better world than we could ever dream.
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