The Heart of Compromise

Today I am contemplating compromises.  I am not one to be known for my abilities to compromise. My strong sense of independence prevents me from what I see as "giving in," but my yoga practice has been teaching me this art gradually and slowly as yoga is like to do.

I decided today that I would enjoy some free time by sitting in the quiet of the backyard, and by quiet I mean with the sound of the cicadas and the chipmunks and the buzz of the bees in my vines, my tea in my hand and my cats wandering the yard shaking the dew from their feet.  Instead what I got were the garbage trucks, an overwhelmingly noisy Tuesday morning ritual in the neighborhood. Once they were gone, I realized the tension I was holding in my body due to the loudness of the motors, the squeals of the brakes, the rattle and then shattering of the trash cans being dumped into the trucks.  
I was reading a lovely article by Lama Surya Das at the time and perhaps this inspired my thoughts, because instead of the frustration that usually accompanies a plan thwarted by external forces (my quiet contemplative morning down the tubes), I found myself thinking of gratitude.  I was grateful, I am grateful, for those working the trucks.  How do they hear that noise all day every day that they work?!  I thought about the alternative to having one overwhelmingly loud morning a week - garbage lying around stinking up the place, or like my dad, loading up the car and hauling the garbage myself to the dump.  No, I am deeply grateful and I can compromise this small amount of noisy time for the luxury of having my trash hauled away.  I am grateful to those who do the hauling.

I also found a sense of compromise in the constant yammering from my neighbors.  My neighbors hold a constant conversation with some aspect of the household at all times.  Even when in separate rooms of the house or one indoors and the other out, they are hollering the conversation with many, many "what?s" and "pardon me?s" mixed in.  If they aren't talking to each other, they are talking to the chickens, the dog, the plants.  Yup, the plants.  Now I don't know about you, but if I was talking to the plants, and I might be found to do so, I would do it quietly.  Maybe a low whisper.  Not so with the neighbors.  Full, normal volume.  Even when saying "night, night" to the chickens.  It's like a Waltons episode in the garage/chicken coop every night without John Boy, but instead Norma Rae, Rachel, and others.  Now, this I would keep quiet, but not my neighbors!

But, I am grateful they are there.  They help me care for the cats when I take off for a few days.  They help with the garden.  We share ideas, dreams, and laughter.  Surely I can handle the loud conversations?  Surely I can smile and even laugh about the talks with plants and animals?  I can be grateful for the smiles and the laughs even!

And so today, I realize that to compromise, is to also be grateful.  Yoga teaches me every day, even when I am not focused specifically on gratitude, to be grateful, to take a deep breath and love the life I live.  Yoga teaches me to compromise, to give in, to enjoy, to love life and all those around me with a deep sense of gratitude.

What has gratitude taught you?

Sweat Away?!

I recently read an article written by a woman who was making it a goal to rid her home of chemicals.  She was switching over to chemical-free everything - clothing, cleaning supplies, cooking items, personal care, etc.  She found after 6 months of work that her body's chemical profile which she had tested early on went from high, even for the average American, to almost nothing.  Impressive!  She closed out the article stating that she does use bleach on occasion as she lives in damp Seattle and her husband has a compromised immune system and she's switched back to traditional antiperspirants.  I was so disappointed!  I wanted to phone her immediately, email her, alert her to a wonderful solution.  Instead, here it is for you all to read....

I highly recommend that you watch this clever and entertaining 2 min. video on sweat.  It explains that it is not our sweat that causes odor, but the proteins with which the sweat comes in contact.  Therefore, we do not need to stop the perspiration (which is what antiperspirants do, thus the name), we need to stop the sweat from mixing and mingling with the smelly proteins (which is what deodorants do).  If you want to get chemicals out of your body, then keep away from antiperspirants.  The body's natural system for detox, includes sweating.  It is not only OK to sweat, but really good for you!  Some health experts recommend using a sauna for a weekly sweat to help clean out the system.  The problem with deodorants is that the the antiseptic agents, which kill odor-causing bacteria, are not all that affective.

In comes my solution!  I have used this for years- decades, actually.  Salt crystal deodorant (see my brand here).  Unlike other deodorants, there is no scent trying to cover, the idea is to simply neutralize the odor causing proteins.  The website has a dollar off coupon and an FAQ for directions.  I also found that the manufacturers said a typical crystal will last about a year.  I have had mine for much, much longer than that.  Which, obviously, means fewer dollars being spent on deodorants and antiperspirants and less plastic waste.  If you want to give it a try, then buy the travel size and see what you think.  I apply after my shower when my skin is still wet or I wet with a wash cloth and then apply.

Any other money-saving, chemical reducing ideas do you have?

Weeds? Looks Like Food to Me!

One day in the front yard garden I was complaining to my neighbor about a rather prolific weed that was crowding out my beets, collard greens, kale, and chard.  She said she thought is was purslane.  We asked a particularly knowledge-able neighbor and he said it was!  He also identified another common weed to my garden as lamb's quarters, also known as wild spinach.  Both of these "weeds" are way more nutritious than what I thought were some of the most nutritious foods I could plant.  To see photos of lamb's quarters click.  To see photos of purslane click.

So, I weeded once again and here is the edible pile of purslane and lamb's quarters in the sink.  Hosed it down and separated leaves from stem and I have a whole crisper full of healthy greens!  I ate both yesterday.  I had a salad prepared with a marinated tofu and peanut dressing.  This was meant for some collard greens, so I combined the small purslane leaves with the collard greens.  Was delicious!  I do not know if I would like the purslane on it's own.  It is small in size and thick, kind of like a jade plant's leaves, but not quite so thick.  Not sure about that texture, but willing to try anything that nutritious! Mixed to the right ratio in any salad would be great. I assume they would be delicious in a green smoothie, as well.  Not recommended for cooking, but try it if you like okra.  There's a slime factor to okra and the same is true of the cooked purslane.  Here's a close up:

My true favorite weed so far is the wild spinach or lamb's quarters.  This is supposed to be 10 times more nutritious than regular spinach varieties and if that is the case, I find it to be 10 times more delicious as well.  My favorite recipe for anytime of year is Spanakorizo - a Greek rice dish with lots of spinach.  My version also has beans and sometimes a scrambled egg for protein.  This dish is filling, comforting, tasty, and super nutritious (with the lamb's quarters 10 times more so it seems!).  Here's the recipe:


SPANAKORIZO

in Greek: σπανακόριζο or σπανακόρυζο, pronounced spah-nah-KOH-ree-zoh

This is the traditional recipe for this delicious dish that is a warming and hearty meal in itself or it can be served as a side dish with a light entree. Try topping with a sprinkle of crumbled feta or some Parmesan.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 pounds of fresh spinach, chopped, washed, drained
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1/3 cups of olive oil
• 1 1/3 cup of water
• 1 1/3 cups of long-grain rice
• 5 1/4 cups of water
• sea salt
• freshly ground pepper
• juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)

Preparation:

In a stock pot, sauté the chopped spring onion in the oil over medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Add spinach and 1 1/3 cups of water and cook until the spinach wilts, about 5-7 minutes. Add rice and 5 1/4 cups of water, bring to a boil, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice and salt, cook for another 5 minutes and remove from heat. Stir, cover, and let sit for 20 minutes until the dish "melds."

Serve with wedges of lemon and freshly ground pepper.

Here's a picture of the final product:

Now, you might not be ready for harvesting weeds for the kitchen, but the idea is to get out there and try new and healthy foods, because they're readily available, if you get creative!  How will you create something new, healthy and delicious this week?

Promo new blog!

Today I am promoting my new blog, co-written with my neice as we venture into a new area of creativity - Yoga4Girls!  Please check it out!

yoga4girls.blogspot.com

Morning Time is the Right Time

When we wake up in the morning, the prefrontal cortex or the part of the brain that has some rational and logical thinking skills, plus much of our verbal abilities, is often foggy or still somewhat asleep.  What this often causes for many of us who function in a pretty anxious or stressed state of being 24/7, is that we wake with our survival brain in worry mode.  We wake with our too full schedule in mind, worrying about how we can make it through the day.  We wake with the anxiety-causing conversation/client/meeting/event in mind, on our way to a panic attack or shutting down and tuning out our emotions just to survive the day.  Or, we simply wake up dreading the day, wishing we could stay in bed a little longer or alot longer!

I have spoken about starting the day with an intention before and this is taking that deeper, to a more holistic level.  I say holistic, because it is focused on mind, body, and spirit.  First, the body.  When you wake in the morning, do a body scan immediately.  Start at the toes and go up checking in with each area.  If there is tension, say something relaxing, breathe a long slow relaxing breath and let go of the tension.  If there is discomfort, do the same.  Sometimes there is discomfort that won't go away just with a breath and a thought.  In this case, tell yourself not to linger there, not to let that discomfort or pain ruin the morning or the day.  Continue until you have gotten to the top of the head - this could take 5 minutes or 15 minutes, you decide.

Next, the mind.  Notice where your mind was when you woke.  Maybe after the relaxation exercise, you no longer remember - great!  However, if you do remember and the mindset was a negative one, then say to yourself, "I release that thought."  This morning, I woke with fear and anxiety about a bomb dropping and getting my family and a slew of children that came from who knows where into the basement and all that this terrifying event entailed.  I could have carried that emotion with me into the rest of my day, even after forgetting the dream, instead I released it.  It is especially effective to say the release statement out loud if you are able.  Then, with your brain still a bit fuzzy and pliable, choose a statement or an intention to think for the day, a mantra for the day, if you want to call it that.  Make it something your brain will buy into.  For example, if you say, "today I intend to be happy!"  and your brain says, "yeah, right." somewhere in the background, then pick something more in the middle ground.  Rewiring your brain in a positive direction takes baby steps, not leaps and bounds.  Inhale, take in what you need for the mantra or intention, and exhale release what you don't need.  For example, I inhale confidence and I exhale fear.

Finally, the spirit.  Whatever or whoever you believe in comes in here.  If you believe in God, then say a prayer and ask for guidance, angels, guides, whatever, ask for what you need or send out gratitude for what you have.  If you believe in energy and the attraction of energy, then start attracting that energy, open your palms and your heart and bring it in!  If you believe in a self source, then go deep and find what you need and let that rise up within you, strong and radiating out to the space around you.

Then, when you are ready get yourself up and out of bed. You have taken a step in the right direction to rewire your brain and your nervous system, to connect to a source of peace and joy.  Done daily for a few weeks, this is guaranteed to change your outlook on life and with a new outlook will change your life as well!

Clearing up the Smoke Screen Around Sunscreen

Every summer I am overwhelmed by the information regarding sunscreens.  So much so, I just want to give up on them altogether.  But, then again, I am fair, prone to freckles and moles and because of this, at greater risk.  So, what to do..... I have read through the best information sources I know (Environmental Work Group, WebMD, and Andrew Weil to name a few) and come up with the following:

 

As you buy sunscreens this summer do not bother to buy any sunscreen over SPF 50. The FDA is actually saying that sunscreens over that amount are not proven to be any safer and asking (because they can't require) that labels be changed. Again, it will be a while before this happens, definitely through 2012. SPF 15-30 is most likely all we need for adequate protection.

However, it's more complex than just the numbers. The reality of sunscreen use is much more complex.  Choose one that is PABA-free and oxybenzone-free. These are the nastiest chemicals often used, although becoming less common, now that they've been exposed. Look for Parsol 1789, effective and, so far, a healthier alternative. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, once only white in color, are now available in colorless form. The EWG recommends products with these minerals as the basis of protection. Look for them on the label as well. They are effective at blocking all types of rays.

 

Don't read the label claims! Read the ingredients! There is no regulation over sunscreens, lotions or any beauty products.    The labels are filled with claims of all sort, often misleading and even false.  It is up to you to make sure what is healthy and effective is present in the product. And, it is up to you to re-apply after swimming, sweating, and every 2 hours of exposure. No matter what a label claims, the effective ingredients break down after 2 hours or so.

Some extra tidbits: Get SOME sun exposure! Allow the sun to get at your skin for 30 minutes a day without sunscreen. You need the vitamin D! In the winter in the northern areas of the country, take a supplement.  The sun is too far away to get at our skin and make the vitamin.  Don't bother with products claiming they have healthy vitamin A. It may be risky and it does no good externally for protection.  There really is no conclusive evidence that sunscreen protects against the most common and deadliest forms of skin cancer, but most agree, it most likely does and most recommend using sunscreen if you have to be exposed to sun.  Otherwise, I say stay out of the sun when it's rays are the worst from noon to 3PM when you can, shade yourself with a hat, a tree, an umbrella.  Sunscreen DOES protect against sun burn and those of us who have had burns know it's a good thing to avoid!

 

I hate to say it, but fork over the extra money for more expensive brands like Neutrogena, Jason, and Kiss My Face. The EWG has a guide which requires a donation but you can type in your brand and see if it ranks. Also, you can find a list of some recommended by EWG in the past on WebMD.   Also, don't let the sunscreen confusion stop you from enjoying fun in the sun! 

This is Why I Meditate

I was reading a book about the research done here at the University of Wisconsin in partnership with Tibetan monks and the Dalai Lama.  The main focus of the initial research were 2 aspects of Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice.  The first is to focus, to be able to control the mind and choose it's focus and stay there.  The second is to create emotions from internal space rather than allowing emotions to be controlled by external stimuli.  I guess I knew this in a way, but to see it so succinctly written in a research paper really hit me.  Yes, I want that!  Yes, this is why I meditate!  Sometimes I forget.  Sometimes I just do it, because, well, I should, or it's important, or it's good for me..... But, what I really want is to train my brain toward states of focus I control and toward states of emotion that internally come from joy and peace, no matter what goes on externally.

This seems poignant as I see people around me here in Wisconsin get so emotional and so focused on a state election.  This election, yes, is a big deal with big consequences.  I keep thinking about how much emotion people are putting into this and wishing that it would happen for other things as well - like outrage over water quality on our planet, or the plastics seeping into every aspect of our lives and our bodies, the killing of innocent people that seems to occur every single day somewhere on the planet for what seems to me to be no reason, the slavery of children and adults all over the world.......I could really spiral down into a pit of despair here and often I do, if I let my mind go there.

The point is, horrible things are happening all around us and we could fall into despair or as a friend posted to me on FaceBook, "I want to quit. Just quit."  I get that feeling.  I think we all do.  So, the answer is, in my mind, to do what Gandhi said, "Be the change you'd like to see in the world."  He didn't say DO the change, although that may be the result somewhere down the road, but BE it.  In order to BE the change, we must create it within us.  How can we do this with so many rotten things going on around us?  Well, there are many wonderful and amazing things going on around us as well!  This isn't about a Pollyanna mentality of unaware and uninformed, this is about where I focus and how I regulate my emotions.  When I see the wonderful, create the joy, I am then being what I want to see in the world and then I am able to do what needs to be done.

If you agree with this thinking and I know some of you won't and that's OK, then keep reading.  This is not for everyone, but I know that it works, because the research at the UW is proving it and because my own practice is changing me, each and every day.  I once was irritated, outraged and expressive in a way that I thought was necessary for the changes I wanted to see.  But you know what?  Nobody wanted to hear me from that state of anger and despair (except those just as angry and desparate).  Plus, I was miserable and I didn't want that!  So, what to do now?

Begin!  Create a routine:  Every day find a time that works and set aside an amount of time that works.  There's no prescription for this in my opinion.  Do what works for you!  Breathe:  Focus on the breath.  Always focus on the breath first.  This can change.  You can later begin to focus on a thought, on a mantra, on a visual, but start with the breath.  Why?  Because the breath focuses your mind and calms your body.  Use the breath for focus and to turn on the relaxation response.  That's it?:  Yup, you can stop right there, if you want.  Do this every day for the rest of your life.  Or, when you feel ready, start to experiment with other routines.  Create a sense of joy by thinking of joyful things, people, events and then cultivate that just by being it through meditation.  Create loving-kindness by practicing metta meditation (google it, there's lots out there).  Create a mantra of love and warmth and meaning and focus on that.  So many things!  Take classes, read books, follow audio books, podcasts,.....Find what works and stay with it - yes, for the rest of your life!

Seems daunting now, I know, but once you feel the wondrous effects, you won't have to talk yourself into it.  Yes, you'll miss some days, just like you do with your flossing, you'll notice and you'll come back to it, someday when you realize that you are sick of being angry, frustrated and depressed about the state of our world.  You'll decide to change the world within and then you'll find the world without can begin to change bit by wonderful bit.