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Book of the Month
  • Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga
    Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga
    by Rolf Gates, Katrina Kenison
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Saturday
02Jan2010

Journaling Into the New Year

DateSaturday, January 2, 2010 at 02:20PM

Happy New Year!

Though I say it every January, it's hard to believe that another year has come and gone.  Of all the intentions I set for myself, the one that is most consistent is my promise to myself to do a little bit better at my daily journaling practice.  For me, journaling is incredibly therapeutic.  It's a way to ensure that I'm acknowledging my deepest feelings and emotions; that I'm taking time out of a very busy lifestyle to honor what is most important to me or to address those things that are deeply troubling me.  Journaling is also an historical record of sorts - a way to look back at my own personal and physical growth throughout the year. 

To start my year of journaling, I like to spend the first week in January just getting quiet.  I turn off what little bit of television I do watch and I consciously remove myself from all means of social networking.  While Facebook and Twitter are a lot of fun and it's great to reconnect with people who live so far away, I find it incredibly difficult to "hear" what's going on in my own mind when I'm so tuned into what's going on in others.   When I'm in this period,  I read inspirational quotes, work on unfinished poems, spend time creating collages or other visual art, and I also crank up my yoga practice.  All of these things help me to accomplish that one singular goal, which is to reconnect with my Spirit.   I can't think of a better way to start the New Year.

Journals don't have to be complicated.  They can be as simple as a marble notebook (the kind you had to buy in kindergarten or first grade) or as intricate as a leather bound little number with parchment pages.  You can buy a simple spiral and decorate one yourself or you can buy one ready made at any bookstore like B&N, Borders, etc.   Some people keep multiple journals that focus on certain topics, goals, or ideas.  For me, I choose to have multiple journals.   I have a day to day journal in which I record random thoughts and ideas, keep inspirational quotes and pictures etc;  I have a joy journal for which I record any event or happening that brings me incredible joy.  This journal is incredibly useful as a reference for those inevitable dark days in which I find myself like Chicken Little - feeling like the whole sky is about to come tumbling down.  In those moments, I pop open my joy journal and instantly feel myself lifted up and out of my descending funk.  I used to maintain a gratitude journal (inspired by Oprah) in which I just recorded everything I was grateful for each day but that was replaced by the joy journal for obvious reasons.   I know people who have vivid, interpretive dreams and maintain dream journals.  I can imagine how useful those can be.

In any case, all that is important is that you take time to be quiet, to get inside of the happenings of your own life -- step in and see what's there, see what messages are trying to find themself your way.  You'd be surprised how many of your answers are already there. 

Here's a nice piece on journaling and ways to keep it interesting and fun.

 

Author[One Dharma] | CommentPost a Comment |
Friday
16Oct2009

Living Well - Part 1

DateFriday, October 16, 2009 at 01:18PM

Lately I've been flooded with questions about how to stay well this winter. Friends and family who know me to be the "Natural Nurse" have called asking pretty much the same thing: "Should I or should I not get the H1N1 flu shot."

Well, to be honest, I've had the same question myself and have reached out to friends and colleagues in the public health sector to ask the same. Though we have differences of opinion, one core principle we all agree on is promoting wellness.

So, I decided to start a series on just that. And since I'm a firm believer that true health and healing start on the INSIDE and work their way outward, this series will include notes on not only the science of body but the science of mind as well. I will clip and paste the good things that I find (giving credit to whatever source it may be) while also, from time to time, including my own reflections and ideas.

Here is the first installment -- a principle I firmly believe in -- which comes from today's Daily Om.


=================================================================== 


October 15, 2009
Enjoying a Snail's Pace
Doing Things Slowly

Life can often feel like it's zipping by in fast forward. We feel obliged to accelerate our own speed along with it, until our productivity turns into frenzied accomplishment. We find ourselves cramming as much activity as possible into the shortest periods of time. We disregard our natural rhythms because it seems we have to just to keep up. In truth, rushing never gets you anywhere but on to the next activity or goal.

Slowing down allows you to not only savor your experiences, but also it allows you to fully focus your attention and energy on the task at hand. Moving at a slower place lets you get things done more efficiently, while rushing diminishes the quality of your work and your relationships. Slowing down also lets you be more mindful, deliberate, and fully present. When we slow down, we are giving ourselves the opportunity to reacquaint ourselves to our natural rhythms. We let go of the fast forward stress, and allow our bodies to remain centered and grounded. Slowing down is inherent to fully savoring anything in life. Rushing to take a bath can feel like an uncomfortable dunk in hot water, while taking a slow hot bath can be luxuriant and relaxing. A student cramming for a test will often feel tired and unsure, whereas someone who really absorbs the information will be more confident and relaxed. Cooking, eating, reading, and writing can become pleasurable when done slowly. Slowing down lets you become more absorbed in whatever it is you are doing. The food you eat tastes better, and the stories you read become more alive.

Slowing down allows you to disconnect from the frenzied pace buzzing around you so you can begin moving at your own pace. The moments we choose to live in fast forward motion then become a conscious choice rather than an involuntary action. Learning to slow down in our fast-moving world can take practice, but if you slow down long enough to try it, you may surprise yourself with how natural and organic living at this pace can be.

===================================================================

Not only does slowing down allow you to enjoy your life, it actually helps reduce your risk of illness. When the body is in overdrive, in active mode more than it is in rest mode, you are using valuable energy stores that are needed for repair and defense. When you are up all night, night after night, you are not allowing your body the "down time" it needs to regenerate critical cells in your body. And since disease begins with unhealthy cells that grow into unhealthy tissues that invade otherwise healthy organs, it is wise to do all that we can to make sure we are generating healthy ones.

So start slowing down. Fall and winter are perfect seasons for just that. Take note of the creation around you: even the animals are starting to pull inward, creating little sanctuaries for the cold, long winter to come. Using a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson "finish each day and be done with it. you have done what you could. tomorrow is a new day." Enjoy each moment as it comes.

 

Author[One Dharma] | CommentPost a Comment |
Tuesday
16Dec2008

Curing And Healing Are Two Different Things ...

DateTuesday, December 16, 2008 at 11:05PM

A Revolution in Health Care 
Integrative Medicine offers the promise of living a good life, even though it may not be an easy life, or even a long life.

By Rachel Naomi Remen, MD

For the past hundred years the goal of health care has been the curing of the body. Restoring the concept of healing to the heart of health care is no small thing. It requires rethinking the assumptions on which medical relationships are based, rethinking the goals of every health care interaction. It will require a revolution.

This is what the newest movement in medicine, Integrative Medicine, is about. This field, which hopes to synthesize the best from alternative and conventional approaches, actually goes far beyond these techniques to recognize the potential for wholeness in everyone. Integrative Medicine is a call for all health professionals to commit to strengthening the wholeness in their patients by all means possible.

Curing happens at the level of the body, and it requires expertise. Healing is what happens at the level of the whole person, and it requires collaboration with the innate movement towards wholeness which is constant and present in everyone.

Healing is not the outcome of an interaction between an expert and a problem; it requires a relationship between two whole human beings who bring to a situation of suffering the full power of their combined humanity and all of its potential. When this happens many things that cannot be cured can still heal.

The hope of healing is always present. Even faced by an incurable disease, a person may still grow in such a way that, over time, the wound of their illness becomes a smaller and smaller part of the sum of their lives.

Read more 

 

Author[One Dharma] | CommentPost a Comment |
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Saturday
13Dec2008

Imagine That - A Non-Profit Pharmaceutical Company !

DateSaturday, December 13, 2008 at 11:33AM

What would a pharmaceutical company look like if its primary focus wasn't profit but people and health?  Answer: the Institute of OneWorld Health.  Founded in 2000, the Institute of OneWorld Health is the first non-profit pharmaceutical company in the United States.  Because the company is not profit-driven, it spearheads a revolutionary focus on the neglected infectious diseases that disproportionately affect the poorest people in the developing world, and it develops new, affordable medicines.  Founded by visionary and entrepreneur, Victoria Hale, the organization is grounded in her belief that entrepreneurial, humanitarian, scientific, and pharmaceutical groups working together through a new paradigm can create effective, affordable and practical solutions to resolve unmet global health needs.  

 

How beautiful is that?  Read more about the company here.

Author[One Dharma] | CommentPost a Comment |
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Tuesday
18Nov2008

Soup's On! Keeping Warm This Winter

DateTuesday, November 18, 2008 at 01:29PM
Scarves, hats, mittens, and gloves ... it's beginning to look a lot like winter.  There's nothing like a warm fire and a good, hearty bowl of soup to keep the inner fires stoked too.
Soups are a delightfully simple way to make sure you get your daily dose of veggies and are also a simple solution to that never ending question, "What's for dinner?"  Not to mention the sustainability factor.  Soups are also a good way to "recycle" your leftovers.  
    
Here's one of my favorite soup recipes for this time of year:
  
  
  
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
  

This recipe makes approximately four servings.
  
  
2 tablespoons lightly salted butter
2 cups peeled and diced boiling potatoes (about two to three medium sized)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups milk
3 cups broccoli (chopped florets and thinly sliced stems)
2 cups grated sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese (approx 8 oz)
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
  
  
  
To Make the Soup:
  
  
1.  In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.   Add potatoes and onion and cook, stirring, until onion is        tender, about 5-7 minutes.  
  
2.  Add flour and cook, making sure to keep stirring, for two minutes longer.
  
3.  Gradually stir in chicken broth and milk.  Bring to simmer and cook until potatoes are nearly tender, about 5        minutes.  Add broccoli and cook until broccoli is tender, about 5-6 minutes longer.
  
4.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese.  Add lemon juice and season with pepper and salt (if desired).
  
5.  Serve with warm bread and enjoy !
  
  
  
Nutritional notes:
  
  
  
Broccoli - low in calories, broccoli is one of the most nutrient-dense foods.  Rich in vitamin C (which is important for immunity this time of year) and an excellent source of vitamins A and K, as well as folic acid and fiber (important for colon health).  It is also a very good source of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and the vitamins B6 and E.   Broccoli also contains glucosinolates, which are the phytochemicals known for its anticancer effects. 
  
  
Onions - like garlic, onions are a member of the lily family and are a very good source of vitamins C and B6, biotin, chromium, and dietary fiber.  Onions are also a good source of folic acid, vitamins B1 and K.   Like garlic, clinical studies have shown onions and onion extracts to decrease blood lipid levels, prevent clot formation, and lower blood pressure.  Onions are also believed to have significant blood sugar-lowering actions due to a substance named allyl propyl disulfide (APDS).
  
  
  
Potatoes - native to the Andes mountains of Bolivia and Peru, potatoes have been cultivated for more than 7,000 years.  Over the years they were taken to Europe by Spanish explorers, and later became a hit in Ireland in the 1800's.  Brought to the United States in the early eighteenth century by Irish immigrants who settled in New England , potatoes are a rich source of many nutrients, including potassium, vitamins B6 (the anti-stress vitamin)  and C (the immunity vitamin), niacin, pantothenic acid, and dietary fiber.   It is important to note that most of the nutrients, fiber, and proten are found in the skins.
  
  
Enjoy !!
Author[One Dharma] | CommentPost a Comment |
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