Opening Your Heart – A Rose Meditation

 

 

On this Valentine’s Day, treat yourself to a few minutes of inner bliss with this rose meditation adapted from Swami Saradanada’s Chakra Meditation book.  First, find a cozy room to sit in, light a candle and either print the rose or bring your computer with you.

Sit in a comfortable pose with cross legs and consider that your Heart Chakra (energy center within the body) which is located at the heart center.  The heart chakra, also called the Anahata, is key to our ability to be able to fully love ourselves and others.

Place the rose in front of you and look at it.  Take a few deep breaths and then allow yourself to breath gently.  Inhale and imagine the fragrance of the rose and exhale simply release and reflect on the beauty.  Notice how the petals spiral out from the center of the flower. Each petal represents a part of your life, a part of you.  For a few minutes reflect on the symbolism of the rose and how it stands for continuous, unconditional love.

Then, close your eyes and allow yourself to visualize the rose in your mind’s eye recapturing the beauty you have witnessed.

Then, call into your mind all those whom you love and send them your love.  Recall the beauty of the rose.  Be aware of your breath. Continue to focus on loved ones and gratitude and then take a deep breath in and exhale.  On your next inhale, turn that love you feel for others inward and allow yourself to fully feel the love inside.  Feel the love, feel the beauty inside of YOU.  Continue to breathe gently.  Tell yourself, “I love you.”  Tell yourself this from your heart.  Know that you are surrounded by divine love.

Breathe gently and continue basking in your love for several minutes.  Allow yourself some time to bring your awareness back to the room.

Wishing you a wonderful Valentine’s evening!  :-)

Amy

11-Year Old Explains What’s Wrong With Our Food System

What a bright and inspiring brave boy! He did a great job of breaking down the reality of our current food system and the importance of eating real clean food. This is truly a must watch AND must share!  See the video below.

 

Quick & Easy High-Energy Salad!

Sometimes it’s fun to grab, go, and create a tasty meal at home building on existing dishes!  I created this yummy, yummy lunch by grabbing a bit of the indian squash, indian chick peas, and garlicky kale from the Whole Food hot and salad bars.  I then added fresh organic spinach, and topped with pomegranite and shredded organic carrot!  A great way to load up on protein, antioxidants, iron, fiber and more!  It was fantastic :-)

2012: 5 TIPS TO JUMP START THE NEW YEAR!

There are many theories about the significance of 2012 which range from predictions around possible pole shifts dating back thousands of years that could result in dire consequences including the end of the world, to major shifts in global consciousness and a new enlightened world where people actually care for themselves, each other and all living beings.   The former sounds a bit ominious and the latter sounds promising.  The way I see it the new year and 2012 is a time of renewal and an opportunity to learn, grow and contribute to positive changes in the world, starting with ourselves.

As we look at what we can do, one area where we can make an immediate impact is our health.  Here are my top 5 tips for jump starting your health this year:

1.  Drink lots of filtered water:  The body is made up of 2/3+ water, we must have water to survive.  When the body becomes dehydrated, we may get confused, have trouble thinking, feel lethargic, and our entire body is struggling to operate.  If you do nothing else this new year, treat yourself to good, filtered water and lots of it.  Drink half your body weight in ounces per day, e.g., if you weigh 120 lbs, drink approximately 60 ounces a day.  It’s best to start with water first thing in the morning and drink consistently throughout the day versus drowning in big doses.  Besides helping your brain, your skin and vital organs will be much happier and you will likely have less cravings and will be flushing toxins out of the body

2.  Consume living, whole food:  Focus on consuming fresh fruit, veggies, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains – lean into plant-based protein versus animal protein – plants provide good quality, low-fat, high nutrient fuel for the body and the mind.  Eat 7-12 servings of fruit and veggies each day – the RDA says 5, but most wellness professionals will agree we need more than that as a result of our decline of soil quality and ultimately the nutrients.  Focus on organic fruit, and dark leafy greens and vegetables of bright colors to bring in more antioxidants to help fight the free radicals in the body.

3.  Eat mindfully:  Slow it down and enjoy your food and the experience of eating.  Keep in mind that digestion actually begins in the mouth, so take a breath before you eat, smell your food, chew your food slowly and enjoy every bite.  Your body will better digest the food, be better equipped to notify you when you are full (helping you to eat less) and you may find a whole new awareness around eating, including your overall connection and relationship with food.

4. Move that body:  As the Reel to Real’s song goes, “I like to move it, move it” – if you want to feel good, get that chi (energy) moving!  There are many benefits to physical exercise.  According to the Center for Disease Control and the 2008 Physical Guidelines for Americans, adults ages 18-64 need 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity such as brisk walking and 2+ days of muscle strenthening activities such as lifting weights or resistence strengthening, i.e., push ups, sit ups, or yoga to improve your health-aerobics and muscle-strengthening. Physical activity will help support cardivascular health, release endorphins, your “feel good hormones”, help to burn calories and improve your overall outlook.  So, get out there and find something fun to engage in, perhaps dancing, pilates, Zumba Fitness, or yoga.

5.  Live through the heart:  Nothing changes your perspective faster than bringing your awareness back to your heart and there are health benefits as well.  According to Emmons, a psychologist from California, and his research on gratitude, people who live in gratitude take better care of themselves and engage in healthy behaviors such as regular exercise, and a healthy diet. So, consider making it a daily habit to live from the heart -each morning thing about what you are grateful for, pause for moment before responding to friends and family and filter through the heart and listen with compassionate ears. Notice how starting your day in gratitude and heart-focused living impacts your response and relationships and life overall.

If you would like additional support to jump start your new year, feel free to reach out to me directly at amya@vitalself.com for one-on-one support or consider joining my Jump Start Cleanse beginning January 7th.

Holiday Splurging: Prep & Recovery

Holiday parties and tempations are everywhere you look and it’s only a matter of time that something will call to you and invite you to partake.  You know it’s going to happen, so the best defense is a great offense!  Arm yourself with action items to support your body and health through the holidays.

Here are my prep and recovery tips:

PREP
1.  Get Hydrated:  Be sure to drink extra water on party days or nights to ensure your body is hydrated,
and drink an extra glass of water before you splurge.  This will help fill you up as well ensure you are well-hydrated as you move towards your temptation.

2.  Focus on healthy foods:  Focus on eating lighter and healthier the day of a holiday party such as fresh veggies, salads, soup, greens. Be discriminating with your splurges – lean into homemade treats to avoid perservatives, chemicals and other additives that won’t serve you.

3.  Don’t worry, be happy:  You know the splurge is coming, embrace it rather than worrying about it, just go and enjoy (within in reason of course) – ’tis the season.

RECOVERY

1.  Hydrate and cleanse:  Drink extra water, water with lemon and/or fresh green juices following your splurge to cleanse the body: 1 cucumber, 5 celery stalks and a handful of kale, spinach or chard.  If you don’t have a juicer, there is a new green juice called ‘Just Greens’ by Columbia Gorge that uses only organic greens.  This concoction will not only cleanse the body, but tastes great, is loaded with nutrients and helps to balance your electrolytes.  Obviously, it’s not as good as making it fresh, but it will work in a pinch.

2. Focus on healthy foods: Focus on eating lighter and healthier the day after the holiday party such as fresh veggies, salads, soup, greens (amp up your cleansing power with dandelion & mustard greens if you can find them at your local natural food store).

3.  Get moving:  You splurged, you enjoyed, and now it’s time to burn off some of those calories – get in the gym, go on a powerwalk, take a Zumba class, something fun that will get the old heart rate up, get you sweating and melt that splurge away.

4.  Don’t worry, be happy:  The spurge is done, so don’t obsess, simply reflect on the fun with friends and colleagues.  Focus on the merriment of the holidays and know that you are now empowered with tools to help you sail through the holidays!

It’s all a balance ~ enjoy the holiday season!