The Power Of Pajamas

It seems that over the past decade there has been a rise in interest in super heroes with many a comic-book character coming to life via a big screen movie and all the accompanying add-ons from action figure/dolls to co-promotions with varying corporate entities.  Or, maybe there has always been an interest in super heroes but it stayed under the radar without the big marketing machine around it.  In any case, I’ve never been too excited by a caped crusader or super powers, per se.  Well, that is until I discovered The Power of Pajamas.

Mind you, I’m not saying that all pajamas are powerful.  But, all of mine are.  I’ve been testing this theory out for the past year finding much delight in both the necessary research and uplifting findings.  There is something that happens when I climb into a pair, whether it be to signal rest time and that sleep is soon to come.  Or, my uniform—of sorts—on the becoming-more-often-rather-than-occasional- Sundays when I trade my overnight pair in for a day-time-lounge-wear pair.

When I’m one with my PJs, it’s fetal pose-like.  Self-soothing, deeply restorative, introspective and delightfully warm and cozy.  There is a release in my physical, emotional and spiritual self that is on par with very little else.  And it’s this physical exhale-like component that seems to activate my own personal pajama goddess.

While wearing my pajamas, I think creative thoughts, am able to have laser-like focus when working on a task, move more gracefully, slowly and languid.  I’m present and more purposeful, in the most laid-back, lost-in-my-own-time/space-pattern-way,

I’ve spent time researching this seemingly off-the-radar pajama clout that I’ve been bestowed with and here is what I’ve come up with:

1.    Professionals often wear a uniform that physically symbolizes their career choice.  So, like a police officer, a car mechanic or a doctor, I don my flannel /cotton gear in representation of self-care.  I can proclaim my sartorial splendor choice as part of one of my career platforms of wellness coach from the perch of any chaise lounge or chair with matching ottoman.

2.    The turtle wore and carried his shell proudly and always made it to the finish line with slow-moving grace and assurance.  Yes, I’ll compare my pajama power now to that of a turtle shell.  Keeping the turtle snug and protected so that he/she could put one foot in front of the other, always forward moving, never hurrying.  Moving slowly behooves all of my processes from the creative to the task and deadline-driven.  Wearing pajamas keeps my speed level at bay.

3.    Pajamas make me happy.  For some it’s shoes and for others it’s handbags; and, there are the jacket and coat people.  Heck, for those super heroes it’s the capes.

        
It took me awhile to sort it out, but my superpowers aren’t all activated by the donning of the PJs. It’s the feeling I have and the states I’m in while wearing them.  Good stuff.




        

An inquiry about kindness, derived from a random act of unkindness

I really like the word kindness.  Not just the word itself, though it is a fun word to say aloud and even write.  I really like its’ meaning.  Kindness:  The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.  It’s a word I’ve been pleased to experience much of the time.  I appreciate it in whatever form it comes from…. personal exposure, friendly anecdotes and voyeuristic sightings, through to various other creative means of story-telling.  To me kindness is inspiring, enjoyable, and comforting.  It can be welcoming, surprising and entertaining.  What I have noticed most about this standard recently is its’ alarming decrease since last November’s presidential election in the US.

Much has occurred over the past few months that has caused me to pause, mouth ajar. Though where I finally hit the straw that broke my personal camel’s back was when my friend relayed an incident within the past month.  She witnessed a random act of way-more than unkindness in midtown Manhattan. In what appeared to have occurred in the proverbial blink of an eye was one Caucasian woman running up to a Muslim woman and pulling her hijab off.  This was extraordinarily unsettling for me to hear.  My friend and another went over to the woman after this attack and asked if she was all right.  With dignity she replied yes and relayed that “this happens all of the time” before her voice broke in distress.   As I tried to make some type of connection or sense of this ,my own highly sensitive nature kept coming back to the fact that in its simplest form it was an abrasive lack of kindness that I couldn’t and, frankly still cannot, comprehend.  But, really, that is putting it mildly.  For these last several weeks,   I have been haunted each time I thought about it.  And I’ve thought about it a lot. 

To have such a vehement disrespect for another’s difference. And, even more so, to have a desire to cause such hurt and shame and violation…where does it come from?

When someone reaches out, in prejudice, and feels that they somehow have a right to cross over into someone else’s personal space in such a way as to demean, it is many things, for sure.  At a very holistic level, through my wellness and yogic and—at this juncture—living life “training” I believe it is evidence that this person does not feel whole.  When we don’t have the self-respect to honor ourselves fully—owning our shadows, inconsistencies, emotions—and FEARS—it is challenging to provide that to others, especially those who appear different from us.  It’s sometimes easier to treat others better than we treat ourselves, particularly when our own self-hate rears its’ ugly head.  However at this level of disregard, when it moves into the space that causes a scene such as this one to occur, lashing out toward someone else seems like a better answer than lashing in toward ourselves, which also doesn’t work.  This is a possible explanation but in no way an excuse and, sadly, no way a solution.

This next inquiry is not rhetorical. Is it possible and plausible to ask ,before things get much more out of hand, what might it take to go forward—not further backward—and simply be kind to one another?

 

 

The Garden of Patience, Presence & Inspired Thinking

What brings you inspiration? I was asking this question of myself as I raced to plant some flowers early a few morning’s ago, before the sun came up over to the side of the house where the deck is located. Summertime and all that it brings--the ability to walk outside barefoot, hear wind chimes making music with the rustle of the trees; longer days, the ability to float in a pool or play in the waves at the ocean—is inspiring to me. It brings me so much joy and a clear space to both relax my nervous system and fire up my creative spirit. Gardening, though, doesn’t normally fall into my general Top Ten list of warm weather activities. Though I suppose it is beginning to rate somehow and somewhere for me today, as I am devoting a blog post to it.

Now, I love flowers, herbs, vegetables and fruits. I love indulging in the harvest and I have a deep appreciation for sitting next to a space where peppermint and basil are growing and flowers decorate with abundance. It’s getting the aforementioned to grow and tending to the many needs these living, growing creatures have throughout the season that tends to roadblock me some.

For example, I had a little “incident” last week with some sunflowers I was working on growing from seeds. (Before I go any further I want to state that last year at this time I planted both tomatoes and sunflowers from seed—the first time ever—and I was successful. Whether it was beginner’s green thumb or not, I did it so I actually have proof that it is possible. Just sayin’.) When it came time to water, I had gotten lazy. While I usually first take recycled water that collected in the tub in the dehumidifier, put it in a metal sprinkler can and water ,on this particular morning I just poured the water from the tub on to the beautifully early sprouting sunflowers. And then I walked away. Several hours later I came to admire the sprouts that would miraculously grow to be my very favorite flower. To my horror they were now horizontal, uprooted and laying in mud. Horrified that I murdered the sprouts, I went into immediate denial, walking away and adding insult to injury, let the soon-to-be dead sprouts fry in the sun. I wish I could tell you that I was kind and compassionate with myself. To anyone else I would have likely said, one of many things that would have held the space for the potential of quick redemption and comfort. I went directly to “Bad Mela!” Not-very-inspired….or kind.

After I moved through bad-you-woe-is-me, I reached out to two friends who happen to not just have green thumbs but, really, green skeletal systems. I believe one was a flower in another life and the flower kingdom would welcome her back in a heartbeat. The other is the poster child for co-creation and I’m convinced could build a breathtaking garden in a garbage can.

The friend who I believe is part flower, said it seemed as if it was about looking at things another way, upturning and upheaval for something different and working with what is, The flowers had a message for me. Wow. Kind of like being in an inversion in yoga, it’s interesting to look at stuff from a different angle. The other friend simply asked why I just didn’t put the sprouts back in the earth, at the time of the drowning, so that they could continue to root and grow. This floored me. I never thought of that, as I heard the first friend’s message in my head, once again, about looking at things another way. That might have been inspired thinking but it was out of my realm on the fated day the sunflowers died. I wasn’t able to see past my own story, and mine didn’t have a happy ending.

So, this morning when I asked myself about inspiration, I was actually putting an additional three sunflower seeds into Mother Earth. These sunflowers take about 70 days to grow. So, I’m excited, hopeful and, yes, even a bit inspired to see what might occur by late summer as I tend to my garden of presence and patience along the way.

Accountability Buddies

I have this amazing dog, who at 13 ½ years subscribes to the older and wiser school of thought. As he gets older, he seems to get wiser when it comes to me. Or, at least I think he does. Here we are in the middle of February, definitely poised into the flow of the New Year. And, what’s the one thing I made a promise to do more regularly that I have totally and absolutely negated until right this very second? Writing regularly is the clear intention that I made myself, him, all my guardian angels and spirit guides and even a few patient and supportive friends as the New Year ball dropped. So on this cold Sunday afternoon, when I’m preparing to settle in to watch a movie in my cozy living room, Troy Alexander Stevens decides to stare me down. He knows that enough is enough and if he doesn’t take a stand yet another day will go by keeping me from my main portal of communication, the one that will be moving me forward in a more brilliant light. He’s my accountability buddy.


Now, you might think that what I have here is simply a vivid imagination. However, I attempted to distract myself not once, but twice, in the half hour since the first stare down. There were dishes in the sink, you see. And, really, how am I supposed to concentrate on writing with dishes screaming at me from the kitchen? Then, there was the chicken. Truthfully, with me, many stories begin, end or feature a climatic bridge involving a roasting chicken in the oven. Troy loves roasted chicken. However that is another story for another day, save to say I had to get the chicken in the oven—for him—and, well, you know, that took a little time.


But, now, here I am writing. And Troy seems pretty darn happy about it. He continues to stare at me, lounging with comfortable ease from one of his two beds, this one just a few feet from where I’m typing away. His big brown eyes lock directly into mine and his ears are back, in relaxed satisfaction. Never mind watch dog, I have an accountability dog and I’m really happy about it.


We all need support in order to achieve our dreams and since one of mine involves writing at its’ epicenter getting down to it regularly is the task at hand. The human spirit is so interesting. While we often have our eye on the prize, taking the steps to walk right over and claim it takes a recipe comprised of intention, spirit, discipline, fervor, with a sprinkle of courage in there too. We’d likely fly right over to it, if we would just manage to take those first few steps bringing momentum and eventual fluidity.


The distractors, stories, excuses and drama that take us away, rather than closer, to our truth, authenticity, fun factors, exciting endeavors and dimensional adventures are our security veils. The irony is that we are protecting ourselves from, well, ourselves. Are we really that scary?


Who is your accountability dog? The one who doesn’t bark but gently nudges you with his wet nose into the direction you need to be guided. The one who sits and gently holds the space for you to step into it, hoping you’ll eventually get up off the sofa and get down and dirty on the floor to play. The higher self may say “Someday I’ll be able to do this all on my own.” Maybe that’s the goal. Or, at least, that’s the story being believed today. But until we get to that higher self- place, having an accountability buddy—whether it be of the two or four legged variety-can lead us forward with momentum and community. Achieving goals that are close to our heart don’t necessarily need to be all alone endeavors. I learned that in gratitude today. Thanks, Troy!! 

Why Not?

I recently walked by a woman leisurely reading a pop-culture magazine as she gently sat in a white wicker rocker moving slowly back and forward. It was on a particularly hot afternoon during the July heat wave. It wouldn’t have been something to even note except for the fact that this scene took place in an outdoor furniture display area at the supermarket Stop and Shop. Her shopping cart was patiently parked about a foot away in recess from the initial task at hand. The scene caused me to grin and I next stopped to congratulate her on her brilliance. With the heat it made perfect sense to spend some time reading in an air conditioned setting. She explained that as she walked by pushing her groceries the display looked so inviting that she thought, “Why not?” I was inspired by several elements of this scenario. First, that she was able to be so in the moment that she temporarily divorced herself from the task of grocery shopping to indulge in some rest and relaxation. Second, she gave herself something she needed and wanted without stopping with excuses as to why she shouldn’t go forward with it. Third, she didn’t care where she was, who saw her or how it might look. She followed her feelings, took care of herself and reveled in self-care in a way that was with effort, yet effortless. The episode was the ultimate example in the FUN of self-care. Not everything needs to be planned out and orchestrated to the ninth degree. Bravo to being present, indulging in some rest and relaxation and just stopping long enough to be a human being instead of a human doing . After all….why not?!

A whole different world right in front of my (our?) eyes

A few weeks back I was out of town visiting friends. I awoke before them and, although I’m a tea drinker in the morning, I wanted to make coffee for them so it would be ready when they got up. I looked in, what I believed to be, all the usual spots where people might store coffee: the cupboard above where the coffee maker sat, the cabinet underneath, the refrigerator and the freezer. Feeling perplexed I then, I thought, very systematically, looked in every kitchen orifice I could find searching for anything that resembled coffee. I wasn’t dramatic. I felt I was being present and thoughtful—both in the endeavor at hand and in my intention. I failed at the task at but decided to relax in the semi-confusion of it. I let it go. About an hour later when my dear friend awoke and I found her in the kitchen—making coffee, I told her that I had wanted to prepare it but failed to find where they stored the coffee. She just looked at me in the way she has since we were both 13 years old and I told her that the only way I was allowed to go out and watch the 8th grade basketball game (a very cool thing to do when you are in the 8th grade, by the way) is if my father attended with me. (Not so cool, in case you were wondering.) I guess the look is a combination of compassion, incredulousness and semi-shock. Then she responded to me that the coffee was stored directly next to the coffee maker, in a tall, white canister that is (clearly) marked with the word: COFFEE. Things like this happen to me more than I’d like to admit. I tend to be better at the challenging, not-so-right-in-front-of-my-eyes stuff than, well, the obvious. For years I’d beat myself, get immersed in the embarrassment and laugh it off with others, but deep inside actually feel shame sprinkled with some anger toward self, and humiliation too. The practice of ahimsa—Sanskrit for non-violence-is the part of my yoga practice that has provided me with the biggest shift, because it’s the biggest challenge. It starts with non-violence toward self. Just like trying to find the stash of coffee, being really kind to myself and having compassion around learning me—what makes me tic and currently do things as I do them—might be right in front of me but seemingly beyond my grasp. While I would immediately want to relieve the suffering of someone else, I would marinate in my own angst over something I did or didn’t do…for hours and days. Through my practice , I slowly learn there is room for all the feelings to process through and even some room left over to hone the gift of my own sense of humor, allowing me to laugh over me and what’s obviously right in front of my eyes…that sometimes I just can’t easily see. I learn my own true nature circumspectly, and that’s okay. Everyone has at least one story, just like mine. And I know from the work that I do that many are also not so kind to themselves as they maneuver through a situation. In the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali, he writes in the second chapter, sutra 35: “In the presence of one firmly established in non-violence, all hostilities cease.” If each and every one of us started to be kinder and gentler with just ourselves right now, what might the world feel like a month, year and decade from now? Is a whole different world right in front of our eyes…there for the taking, with jut a little more humanity to and for ourselves? An extraordinary and non-rhetorical question to discuss with further practice.

Sufferin' Succotash

I pushed the wrong button on my TV remote recently and the screen went haywire. I lost the signal, couldn’t get the screen to stop jumping or the snow to leave the monitor. So I turned off the set. A few days later I turned the television back on and the problem was still there. A few hours after that I tried again, thinking that the situation was going to change from the minimal and repetitive action I was taking. It didn’t.

As I mused about this later I found humor in both my level of denial and the fact that even though I intellectually knew that I was going to have to do something different in order to get a different result I kept hoping the problem would rectify itself with, well, the push of a button. (And believe me I pushed every one of them on the remote and within me.)

To see my own pattern of behavior is a good start. But the bigger question that comes to mind is how long does one have to live and play in suffering before you really do something about it?

I pondered this as I raced to the train station for the third time in as many weeks. The train I often take to Manhattan was changed to a 10 minute earlier arrival time. I needed to do something different in order to not miss the train. For those first three tries, I attempted: driving faster, running over to the track once I parked the car, and stressing out considerably. In addition to this doing nothing for my adrenal glands, the train pulled away from the station without me.

As I sat in the depot, waiting for the next Amtrak coach I thought of an Einstein quote noting the definition of insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Then, what came to mind as I began writing this post is a teaching in the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali, that has to do with avoiding pain that has not yet come. Basically, the choices that we make for ourselves can have some effect over whether we are in a state of happiness or suffering.

Well, I had demonstrated the suffering mode over the course of nearly a month with the train and over a week with the television. Then one night as I was setting my alarm thinking about the dreaded race to the tracks the next morning it dawned on me that what I hadn’t yet tried was setting my alarm 15 minutes earlier. In that true Thomas Edison light bulb moment I avoided pain that had not yet come. I caught the train and let go of the suffering. And like what happened when I (finally) called my TV satellite provider and they walked me through the necessary steps, I re-booted my system to create a shift.

So, as we are still in the month of January, here’s to a new year of new shifts!

Shopping Time

Not being a “shopper” when a friend asked me to go with her recently when she wanted to get a bathing suit I was intrigued. You see, it was during the first week of August and we were in Manhattan.

Even without the shopping gene I knew from years of living in the Big Apple that when you go for retail therapy in August it is not bathing suits that you find gracing the clothing racks, it is sweaters, in autumn hues.

However, I am a huge believer in possibility. So, I happily followed along excited to see what we might find. As we stepped into the retail outlet my eyes immediately went to the large round table with the orange, taupe and brown sweaters on it, stacked in all their “Fall-will-be-here-in-a-heartbeat-glory.”

My friend, unmoved by the cool-weather fare surrounding us, sweetly asked the shop clerk if there were any bathing suits she could look at. He said no. They were gone now. Never mind that it was mid-way between Fourth of July and Labor Day, 80 some-odd degrees and sun blazing outside. If she wanted to look at bathing suits they could be viewed on line. Ah, on line where you can literally, virtually find anything at any time.

Now my bone to pick with real time and how it relates to retail time is not news. It’s something I’ve written on, well, time and time again. While I love that it’s easy enough to go on line and purchase a bathing suit it is still a wonder to me why they can’t hang around the stores until Labor Day. Really, they don’t take up half the space of the sweaters.

In a true practice of mindfulness we stay in each moment because, really, that is all that is. To think toward the rust-colored turtleneck then has my mind move to the fall wellness programs I haven’t yet chosen dates to run; the time when my flip flops will need to be placed in the back of the closet, and, well, soup, among other things that begin to swim through my head. Not the kind of swimming I want to be doing during the first week of August.

Do I really believe that the decision makers who wheel away the bikinis, tankinis, halter and strapless one-pieces will suddenly do an about face and keep the beach attire around with the outdoor furniture, citronella candles and grill utensils? Well, maybe. Hey, I said I believe in possibility back in the beginning. So, I’m putting it out there into the cosmos for some others to ponder too. I’m also making the commitment to keep present within myself noting the pleasure of walking barefoot in the grass, floating in a pool and reading outside among the sounds of the cicadas—all because it is August. Being in the moment during the moment will make summer last just a little bit longer. THAT I’ll buy.

Everything Yoga

When I took my first yoga class—over 20 years ago!-there were no tag names to the classes. No Vinyasa Flow, Restorative, Beginner, Open, etc. It was just called: Yoga. And you walked in, no matter what “level” you were and you just got on the mat and began practicing. There wasn’t any fanfare. Heck, there weren’t even any props except for the infamous sticky mat.

The beauty of yoga back then is that you quickly came to understand that it was all about your own practice, not the person on the next mat. It was easy to not compete! The person next to me was inverted faster than I was able to move out of my last pose and see what everyone was doing as a follow-up. Compete? It was all I could do to not sit and gawk, mouth ajar. There was no way to feel this because I was too busy feeling other things as I learned to maneuver the language. Oh, and I’m not even talking Sanskrit. Following the English took a few classes. Downward Dog? Cat/Cow? Baby Cobra? Hmmm……what is the deal with all the animal poses?

Yes, yoga brings up many questions. It also provides answers, sets up shop as a sanctuary, offers an ability to better know and be true to thy self. Yoga offers challenge. It creates space. It shares community. It is heart-opening. It is breath-taking and breath-providing. Yoga is joy. Yoga is healing. Yoga stretches, flexes, holds and releases. Through its’ eight limbs it offers an opportunity to shed, gain, understand, accept and radiate--among many other things that are both simple and not, yet always divine.

Now if anyone had provided me with the soliloquy of that last paragraph as I debated stepping into the studio for that very first class…..well, I may not have ever gotten there! However you are always where you are supposed to be. And since that maiden voyage I’ve had the opportunity to practice in many places.

While practicing in India was, I suppose, predictable, taking a yoga class in Lisbon was an adventure and a delight. Not able to speak Portuguese I copied down the address of the studio and had the hotel concierge arranged a reservation for the class. Upon my arrival I was escorted into the owners’ private back office, offered a seat on a beautiful sofa and provided with a cup of tea. When a co-owner came to greet me, we were both confused. She couldn’t understand why I—an American on holiday-wanted to take a class at her humble, neighborhood studio. I couldn’t understand why I was getting VIP treatment for a lunch time, weekday yoga class. It was a highlight of my trip. So, yes, yoga can take you to new places!

The road to yoga is long and winding—if I may borrow from John Lennon. Two years ago that wondrous little voice inside me (that I sometimes don’t hear/listen to as well as I’d like ) spoke loud and clear that I was going to be teaching this practice that I had come to revere. I am now clear that my journey both teaching and learning yoga will be life-long. Hmmmm….perhaps longer.

For the person ready to take those first steps on to the mat I would easily provide the same directive that I now give to my students when setting the foundation of any pose. Ground yourself evenly, check your alignment and remember to breathe. Good words on and off the mat.

Meditation

The alarm goes off at 5 AM, but I’m actually awake a few minutes before it. I paddle around the house in the dark in my pajamas trying, hard, to not do too many things first. The goal is to sit in meditation sooner rather than later. Some days though, the call of e mail and the checking of text messages on my phone finds me walking past my sitting area, candles on my altar unlit.

Maybe I’ll make some tea first and read….no hot chocolate. Hot chocolate! What is the weather? The computer knows. And from there it is a click on Facebook and People.com only to find that 30 minutes or more have already elapsed.

Meditation. Yes...…meditation. I walk back into my room and light two candles Then…my seat? No, I make the bed, pet the dog, brush my teeth, put my contact lenses in, brush my hair and change into gym/walking the dog clothes. More time has passed. How is it that I’ve been awake and up for more than an hour already? How is it that I’ve been so “busy” and it is barely 6 AM? Why is my mind so very equally quick and inquisitive, thoughts running at the speed of a car fast moving on a parkway?

Sit. All you have to do is sit. I oblige, setting the timer for 30 minutes. My back straight, legs crossed in a half lotus pose, fingers in a grounding mudra I begin to breathe, watching my breath go in and out in a long, deep fluid motion . Then I notice it. My head is itchy. My head is so very itchy that it is all I can do to not reach up and smack the top side with high force and great speed. Wait, I’m no longer focused upon my breath…now it is all about the prickly feeling that I simply want to scratch…s-c-r-a-t-c-h…..SCRATCH. I don’t.

I breathe and begin to add mantra to the breath to take my mind off….everything. All else that is rivaling me to lunatic proportions of distraction. Ah, wait….it’s working. Is it working? Am I one with my breath? Has my mind subsided? No, there it is again. What does the day look like? It will be a good one. I look forward to walking the dog. We can go more than two miles today. Troy will like that. What was the temperature? I forget. If it is below 30 degrees I’ll put his lighter coat on him.

Wait…..follow my breath…inhale through my nose. Exhale through my nose. Deep, long, fluid breaths. Ah, there is that itch again. Wait the dog is up. He is standing in front of my face breathing on me. Can I follow his breath? We didn’t brush his teeth last night. We need to do that today. Inhale, two, three, four, five….exhale two, three, four, five….inhale two, three, wait…the timer’s going off? Already? How did 30 minutes go by so very quickly?

I stand. The end. Or, really... the beginning.

It's beginning to look alot like.....

On the morning of Election Day I was taking my Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, Troy, on our daily two-or-so mile walk. I took a different road as a change of pace. As we passed one home I did a double take in a combination of disbelief and confusion. There, in a window, I saw a brightly lit Christmas tree. A CHRISTMAS TREE. At the time it was November 2. As if to color in the point further, later that night I was driving past a property that had a huge pine tree covered with multi-colored holiday twinkle lights. It was STILL November 2. Then in a few days, as a seal to the deal, I was flipping through radio stations and there it was. Bruce Springsteen singing, "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." Really? Much as I love to hear the Boss sing anything we had not yet left the first week in November, folks. What was the rush?!?!

I admit that my reaction was and continues to be a bit Grinch-like. It's a combination of things. First, as someone who tries to live free and in the moment, tangible reminders that the mainstream flow averages a few weeks ahead makes me frustrated. When I attempt to let go some, and not have a relationship to it, I find I'm still holding on and a wave of sadness washes over me. Sigh.

How about a focus on the time at hand? Thanksgiving=a national celebration around gratitude. Collectively, if everyone centered in on this element I can only imagine the co-created effect. I believe that reverberation to be extraordinary.

So here is my Thanksgiving wish upon a star. Take a few moments to stop and actually smell the evergreen tree. Stand in the appreciation of all in this very nano-second. THAT becomes the gift.....not those things purchased and wrapped and delivered and generally stressed over for one reason or another. Showing up in each moment is the present. Literally!

Fruitful Farming

I’m not much of a fruit eater….save for my beloved bananas--until summertime. This is a pretty on target statement if you are eating with the seasons because here in the northeast no fruit grows in the wintertime. Yet even as a nutrition counselor who believes in whole, clean foods and who loves to eat locally I admit that I don’t know a lot about the fruit growing process. In other words, I’ll tell you why to eat a blueberry and where to buy a blueberry. However I can’t tell you how to grow a blueberry….or asparagus, Swiss chard, pea shoots or a beet, for that matter.

Though, I know a farmer who can tell you. About the fruit and a couple of vegetables, anyway. He tells me and has taken me through the process more than one time. However I haven’t had my notebook and while it makes sense in the moment…..I have not retained enough information except to say that you can begin to pick blueberries in July and finish in early August. I do remember that they are best eaten in the field. However that information, along with a Metro Card, gets you on the subway and not really any other place!

I do want to focus on the food growing process though. Most people don’t think about it enough. They get into their cars, head toward the supermarket, walk through the parking lot and in through the automatic door, get hit with a blast of air conditioning and pull boxes off shelves and out of frozen cases. They then drive home and place the boxes on their pantry shelves and in their refrigerators and say they have bought food.

The farm stands and farmer’s markets are beginning soon….some as early as this weekend. The food buying process through this venue is a bit more colorful and dimensional. An added plus is that you actually get to speak with the farmers. Really. Most of the time those selling you that bunch of arugula, the dandelion greens, the celery root and/or the free range chickens really are part of the entire process.

The farmers get up at, or before, dawn. The logistics of creating and sustaining a viable crop would make the average event producer shudder. The “to do” list of things includes turning the soil and irrigating the plants. Then there are a range of “fires” that may need to put out at any time, having to do with weather and wind patterns, among other things. The number of scenarios that can come up during a typical “day at the office”, a.ka. in the field, would make the average corporate executive quake from anxiety.

While our government places cash subsidy in crops such as corn and wheat, where is the help for the fruit and vegetable growers? Why does a large company, such as Monsanto get to affect farmers and long.-standing techniques? And when the average family sees that purchasing a head of broccoli in a supermarket is more expensive then a hamburger, fries and drink at a fast-food restaurant something is wrong.

Sigh. It’s food for thought for today. And while the blueberries won’t be ripe for the picking for a few more months, remember that they are high in antioxidants and are great in a muffin.

Here’s a recipe for some blueberry muffins. If it’s too hot to use it soon, remember those blueberries can be frozen so that you can have a taste of summer in the dead of next winter.

Happy Blueberry Muffins

2 cups blueberries

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1/3 cup brown rice syrup

1 ¼ cup of spelt/almond or brown rice flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup of olive oil

Pinch of Celtic Sea Salt

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees

-Use olive oil or butter inside your muffin tins.

-Add wet ingredients to a medium side bowl with blueberries

-Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl

-Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients

-Fill muffin tins.

-Bake for 30 or so minutes/until toothpick comes out dry.

Healthy recipes, and nutritional values of foods that are healthy and taste great are just some of what is covered when clients work with me. If you’d like to learn more or schedule a nutrition consultation with me please refer to my website www.wholebodyworks.net

A dog owner grows in Rhinebeck

It's growing season. The true signs don't revolve around the inordinate warm weather that showed up in the first weeks of March in upstate New York this year. Or even the notices from the CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture) announcing the selling of farm shares for the upcoming season. I know growing season is officially off and running when my dog Troy begins eating newly grown spring grass as we take our precious morning walk together.

Most dogs eat grass when their stomachs are upset. Mine just simply loves the taste of the fresh leafy greens. When I first adopted him a few years ago I just thought that he was trying to gain points as he listened to me telling clients about the benefits of eating leafy greens. I would ask them to liken the greens to a feather duster going through their bodies (sweeping out all those toxins and moving the digestive process along well...) While I sometimes wonder if he ever got the meaning behind the visualization, and impressed as I am to have a dog that eats leafy greens daily, I mostly marvel at the overall adventure each morning walk brings.....greens both included and aside.

Troy notices every new scent, every flower that has come up out of the earth and all baby critters that scatter by. We make our way up a country road that is in a constant state of bountiful transformation. Trees, bushes, barns, horses and even mailboxes are illuminated in a show-stopping way because of the light, an element that makes the Hudson Valley so special. I notice the growth through Troy's eyes that are gently yet intently training my own to simply notice and appreciate. Breathing in the progression each day brings.

The phrase "take time to smell the flowers" is one that Troy takes very seriously. Once his sniffer is placed on something making its' way out of the earth he's like...well, a dog with a bone. However Troy actually cares more about the smell of the spring earth after a rainstorm, the aroma of a patch of grass after a baby bunny hops off of it and the fragrance of a flowering tree then that of a bone, ball or treat. He would be a great naturalist as he loves to spend time in nature exploring and sharing his finds with you, from a deep place of admiration and knowledge. He is never calmer or more at peace then after time outdoors, curiosity satisfied after recognizing the value and beauty of growth.

So as the days get longer and the leafy greens grow, I note my cravings for kale . (By the way it has the most calcium of all the leafy greens.) For my canine it's the roadside grass glistening with morning dew. Soon the farmer's markets will open their "doors" and we can stand in positive reception of the harvest magic that is made. I will.

If you want to know more about which (leafy) greens will best support your own body and/or if you choose to focus more on your health via your stress management aids, and would like some support, you can contact me via my website: www.wholebodyworks.net.

(organic) Popcorn and Tequila

Sometimes you just need to crunch.
Usually I’m a sweet, creamy person when it comes to food and texture. When I’m looking for comfort or company or entertainment or fun it’s about the sugar. However every once in a blue moon I need to crunch. My crunch doesn’t have to be salty but it has to be plentiful (aka: LARGE bowl). I needed to crunch tonight. Oftentimes crunch is something we do to quell anger, abate anxiety….relieve tension. But it’s not often recognized as such. I recognized it though. It's that state of awareness I'm always talking about. Me attempting to walk my talk.

I wrote all of the above a week ago. At the time I stopped writing I hadn’t mentioned the tequila. You see I had made myself a large bowl of organic popcorn, popped in my favorite pot with some beautiful extra virgin olive oil because I just needed to crunch. Back in nutrition school they taught us what the crunch “craving” is representative of. I mentioned it above. Since I’m usually aware of the reason I turn to food, I understood that on that evening last week I was pretty darn frustrated about a plethora of things. Stomping around the house was doing me no good. And, I didn’t want to take my own wellness advice to go off and journal, run a bath, manicure my nails, watch a movie or call a friend. All of these activities oftentimes do make me feel better , give me the same sated feeling as the food would provide , and give me a chance to separate the forest from the trees, so to speak, in understanding where I was at.

So while I was waiting for the pop to occur to my corn I put a little tequila on ice and began to drink it. Yep, I was pretty frustrated. And I did think…hey I should at least try and blog on this while I’m in the moment. But by the time I got through the large bowl of popcorn and the (tiny, really) bowl of tequila—well, needless to say the blog post didn’t get completed.

So what makes us turn to food (and drink) when things get intolerable? Usually it’s a combination of not wanting to feel the feelings that are coming up inside of us and being uncomfortable, in general, with those feelings. So, we stuff them with food. We wash them away with drink. We numb and we veil.

What we really need to do is twist and shout. Yes, literally moving our bodies will help relieve emotional stress and strain. This can be done as The Beatles intended in their song…..by dancing an (aggravating) evening away. Or, it can be done by literally twisting/tightening our bodies and then releasing them, which will alleviate strain and strife.

And, really, nothing beats actually shouting. It took me a long time to use this one myself. I withdrew from anger for years and years because I witnessed the negative consequences of it growing up. But expressing anger in a pure and honest way really moves it right out of your body. What I will sometimes do is take my car to a quiet spot, turn it off, close all the windows and scream at the top of my lungs. I scared myself the first few times I did this. I’m generally not one to yell. Then once I got the hang of how GOOD it made me feel I started recommending it to clients. Try it next time you’re hopping mad. You’ll see.

Now the night of the popcorn and tequila I wasn’t mad. It was pure nuisance because I had a problem I had been attempting to solve for awhile and nothing I tried was working. The popcorn really was for my irritation. While the crunching moved me through the exasperation I really didn’t like the way I was feeling. In the moment I felt in the state of failure, malfunction and pure stoppage. I felt ashamed and shame is definitely a feeling that I haven’t learned to embrace. It’s a shadow. You know that saying about being afraid of your own shadow? Well, there it was. We all have ALL feelings. Those we are not in touch with and/or reject don’t go away. They lurk in the shadows, sometimes just waiting to pounce. So, I had some tequila which made the shadow evaporate for awhile. And I ended up having a relaxing night and a solid wellness blog post too. In the light of the morning things appeared much more encouraging. I felt optimistic and more assured.

Now before you stop reading this and go off to make your own bowl of (organic) popcorn and tequila and start telling people that the nutrition and wellness counselor recommended the combination as a sure cure for wiling away the worries please let me finish with two key elements: awareness and choice.

I was really clear about what I was feeling (like it or not) and choices that I had to deal with the feelings the situation brought about. In this instance, I chose the popcorn and the tequila. And I’m self-satisfied enough to write about it. More than a decade ago I may have made that choice but without the understanding and full comprehension of other options to connect and how food/drink can be used to fill a void. I also know that I do not have an addictive personality (a bit obsessive, yes, addictive...no.) And with a number of friends and clients in 12-step programs, I have a deep respect for the choice to not drink (or drug) they make each day. If a similar situation were to occur for me next week, I may make that same choice with the same knowledge again. Or, I might choose the warm bath and conversation with a friend instead.

Staying in the moment—even when the moment sucks—affords options regarding next maneuvers. It also provides a more direct road of wellness in knowing yourself. I find that’s delicious.

If you'd like some support around cravings...be it sweet, salty, one that is texture driven, etc., I offer telephone sessions and can be reached via my website: www.wholebodyworks.net

Talkin' Bout A Revolution

I've come two weeks late to the "Food Revolution" that British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is in the midst of staging in a reality-based television show based on something I've over-the-moon passionate about--helping people understand that the food they eat affects every physical part of themselves as well as their thoughts, feelings and actions. Also that the US food system needs a complete overhaul. And, unless we wake up NOW and not only give up processed foods for non-genetically modified fresh foods but also have a keen interest and understanding of where our food supply is coming from it won't matter what health care reform Washington is able to put into place. It won't be enough to help the amount of people (and specifically children) who will be chronically suffering from Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, and other physical, emotional and mental dis-ease.

Okay, that was a bit of a rant and rave. But I couldn't help it. I recently watched the first two installments of the ABC-TV reality series back-to-back. At various junctures, it had me laughing, crying and mostly cheering Jamie Oliver on. In fact at one point I was so excited that I fantasized I had joined Jamie on his Food Revolution. When my breathing got back to normal I realized I had......only I was doing it through this blog, through my website, through my teleclasses and teleworkshops and all my in person groups and one-on-one work. I left the television series to him!

Anyway, the premise for this show focuses on the success Oliver has had in reforming the British lunch system in schools. His changes convinced the British government to spend one billion dollars to overhaul the school meal programs. His task at hand here in the US is to start a similar Food Revolution beginning with the town of Huntington, West Virginia, a city that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has deemed as one of the most obese cities in the nation. The main challenge is to work on having fresh meals cooked--and even more challenging--eaten by the children on one elementary school. These kids, between the ages of 5-11, have taste buds already so trained on chemicalized, white-flour and sugar-laden meals that don't include many vegetables (unless you include french fries cooked in non-healthy oils) that these addictive, nutrient-depleted meals are the basis for their food/energy source 180 or so days of the year. And they like it. We learn that what they are eating outside of the school meal programs aren't getting much better points for quality. In tandem to this situation, Oliver is also working privately with one family comprised of a mother, father, two young boys and a four year old girl--all extremely overweight from their processed food diet.

From boxed potatoes (that have an inch of so more ingredients on the box after the word potatoes--most unpronounceable) to the serving of only sugar-filled chocolate and strawberry "milk"and including the ridiculous, militant USDA guidelines for things like two servings of bread to be included in every meal served at schools, it is a sad wonder to watch. My first thought was questioning how more people "in charge" aren't correlating hyperactive, attention-deficit and other learning and behavioral issues to all the foods made in a lab that the children are eating. Of course this questioning was rhetorical. The reason I believe that these correlations aren't being made is because the decision makers are eating poorly themselves. Simply, they no longer think clearly so they are not able to appropriately put two and two together. This is the stuff that really does bring me to tears. It's NOT rocket science, folks. It's common sense.

A few months back I blogged about an amazing documentary called "Food, Inc." (Which is now out on DVD and available for rental through Net Flix and your local video store.) Food Revolution is another step in this wake-up call regarding what we classify as food. The show is available to anyone with the ABC-TV network or a computer (You can stream episodes.) I urge you to check it out and expect it to be of particular interest to parents of school age children. But honestly it is my prayer that it is of interest to everyone who eats food and who shops at conventional supermarkets in the USA. It clearly and succinctly show where we collectively as a nation are headed if something huge doesn't change. A key needed change is in the way we are feeding our youth.

In the March 15th issue of Time magazine writer Vivienne Walt wrote a piece on French schools and the amazing time and care given around meal time. Her son, at age three, was being served meals that include an hors d'oevre, salad, main course, cheese plate and dessert. In addition, parents were sent home menus so that they were aware of what the children were eating--with no repeat dishes over a 32 day period. Included with this were suggestions to the parents for evening meals to better balance out the nutritional values encompassed within a day. Voila!

This is the stuff that gets me excited regarding what I have the privilege of doing for a living these days. Jamie, I've not braved the school systems, I'm leaving that to you, many of my colleagues and First Lady Michelle Obama as she takes on the cause of childhood obesity. While I have a handful of young men and women that I work with, I am mostly taking on the adult population. It's my hope to continue to be the alarm clock waking up the decision makers today. Let's make a nation of healthier folks that aren't relying on pharmaceuticals to change their health status. Everything you eat becomes your tissues, blood, organs, thoughts, feelings and actions. Quality counts.

Before I step down from my soap box today, here are a few things you can do to easily make a change or two for yourself:

1. Make leafy green vegetables a definite menu choice in one, if not two, meals a day. They are like a feather duster going through your body, clearing out the toxins and keeping your body running efficiently and smoothly.

2. Stop the white stuff insanity. This means all the white flour items --pasta, rice, breads, cakes, cookies, pies. There are amazing brown rice, quinoa and other multi-grain pastas on the market. Brown rice and alternative flours--coconut and almond to name two--make for a more nutrient-dense and delicious baked good.

3. Eat real, live food that doesn't come in a box. This is bottom line. It doesn't get any clearer than this.

4. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I never can resist that one.

If you are interested in any of my in person or teleclass-driven workshops on common-sense driven nutrition and wellness, if you have a group you'd be interested in having me come and speak to on ways to shop, cook, eat and feel better and/or if you'd be interested in setting up a one-on-one in person or phone consult, please contact me through my website: www.wholebodyworks.net.

And now a word from our sponsors.......

Oh, we don’t have any sponsors. It’s just that before the end of this post I’ll be mentioning some brand names. That prompts my thoughts to tv shows that have brand name sponsors. It also makes me think of the TV show “Betwitched” and of two of its’ characters-- Larry Tate and Darren Stephens-- and how they might view mention of their clients on a blog if they were practicing marketing in 2010 instead of TVLand circa early 1970s. They would probably go out for martinis, those mad men. But…I digress and I haven’t even begun.

I have the pleasure of teaching some movement classes a few times a week, mostly yoga, in a sweet studio in the town over from where I live. The proprietor keeps energy bars around for clients who, I suppose, want a quick pick me up between working out and doing the rest of their lives. When I’m in this studio space I’m a movement teacher and not a nutrition/wellness counselor. So my impulse to pick the basket of bars up and toss them right out the door needs to be restrained. Though the other day I could barely stop myself. I took one. It’s sitting right here next to me all smug and happy, thinking that it got me and I’m actually planning on consuming it. Ha! I admit I want to smash it to smithereens.

Instead I am going to out it. It is a Special K bar from those folks at Kellogg who want you to believe that you can control your weight, even lose some, by eating their products. As you have heard me mention before, my platform is whole foods eating. This means that for the most part the food is fresh, does not contain many ingredients—if packaged at all, perhaps five to seven—and all of them are able to be pronounced and recognized. Most of the time whole foods do not come in a box or package. So, this—and most “energy bars”-- drive me crazy because they are laden with not whole, clean ingredients. And the consumer is being sold a bill of goods that is as phony as the artificial coloring put in them. The Special K bar, that is the bane of my existence in this blog post, has nearly an inch–long listing of ingredients with various forms of (refined) sugar noted throughout with some crummy oils thrown in too. I started to list them here for you but I got so bored that I lost interest and didn’t wish to read what I had written. So, the likelihood that you would wish to do so was pretty much slim to none. You are welcome.

So this concept of an energy bar as a snack that will take you forward is something that, for the most part, I don’t buy….literally or figuratively. In my opinion, here’s why:

1) If you want long-lasting sustainable energy the way to get it is to eat a whole food—something that doesn’t come in a box or a package. Something with five to seven ingredients in it where all of the ingredients are whole, complete, easy to pronounce, spell and define. If you are struggling through the ingredient list imagine how your body feels trying to digest it.

2) You really don’t want sugar to be a part of the ingredient list of the foods you are consuming if you are making an attempt at eating healthily. And, if there is a sweetener, having a natural one (i.e maple syrup, honey) not something white/refined is the ticket. Also, if there is a sweetener, you’d ideally like it to be at the end of the ingredient list because ingredients are named based on the most content found in the product, first, and the least product in the content, second.

3) Eating bars like this commercially sold one do absolutely nothing positive for your body. The amount of sugars and not great quality oils alone will slow your metabolism down, sink your energy (after an initial sugar high), possibly bring your spirit/mood down and make you want to eat more because of the addictiveness of the ingredients.

So what’s a gal or fellow to do here? Well, on the run foods that work well run the gamut from bananas, raw nuts, and baked sweet potatoes to hard boiled eggs, roasted chicken breasts and olives, hummus, guacamole and raw/cooked vegetables to dip too. Try them and see how you do. It all travels well. I know because I often travel with some, if not all, of the above noted items.

But let’s say you’re traveling by plane, wanting to keep something other than nuts in your bag or the glove compartment of your car and every so often just want the “treat” of a bar.
Well, hold on to your hats, folks. If you managed to follow along this far you will be surprised and possibly shocked that I’m actually going to recommend two versions of energy/protein bars here Yes, even after everything just written. I know, I know. You didn’t know that was coming. Surprise! .I LOVE BOTH OF THEM because they are truly products that will keep your energy sustainable, assist in keeping blood sugar levels even, provide solid nutrients , satisfy hunger and snack attacks and they taste great too.

The first, if you are in the New York City/five borough area, is an amazing product called NOSHIES. It was started by a fellow nutrition/wellness counselor, who is also a top notch personal trainer. She was determined to come up with a version of an “energy bar” that really filled the bill on all levels, NOSHIES ingredients are organic, nutritionally balanced, and taste beyond delicious. And, to boot, creator of NOSHIES—Deb Duby—believes that our health and also that the health of the environment are mutually dependent on one another, so packaging that is PCB free and recyclable. Some of it is biodegradable.

NOSHIES are rich in protein, complex carbs, omega 3 fats, fiber and antioxidants. They are also wheat free, soy free, flour free, refined sugar free, artificial sugar, color and flavor free, preservative free AND three flavors are nut free . There are seven flavors and all I’ll say is my favorite is peanut butter chocolate chip. They come in round truffle-like, bite-size balls. So, saying that eating them truly IS a ball, is not out of context here! Orders can be taken by contacting Debra Duby, 917-968-8288, debra@soulsaladltd.com. I bet if you can’t get to Brooklyn or Manhattan she’ll ship to you. Tell her I sent you.

The second recommendation , YOU BAR, lets you create (and name!) your own bar. I get a silly kick out of this because growing up with the name Mela I didn’t often see key chains, kiddie bicycle license plates or stickers with my name on it. So the idea of a Mela Bar of sorts tickles me. I do like seeing my name on the wrapper.

YOU BAR was borne in 2006 by mother-son founders, Ava Bise and Anthony Flynn. They had been making their own “protein bars” at home to meet their taste, health and allergy needs. They loved eating their own bars so much that they took a chance that there was a market of folks out there who would appreciate clean, high quality bars that customers’ could customize according to their own taste/needs. YOU BAR provides ingredient choices that are whole, clean, many organic and quite nutrient-dense . As you order via their website, they provide you with an opportunity to know both the caloric intent and (way more important to note, folks) the nutrition value of the bar before placing your order. Each individually wrapped bar also reiterates all of this nutrition information. The company has expanded into shakes, cookies and trail mixes too. However their original product of the “energy” bars are where I’d like you to place your effort at this point. Like NOSHIES they, too, are hand-made, fresh-to-order.
And to conclude, thank you Kellog for providing me with a platform to mention true food products that really serve the consumers health and well being. Take note, will ya? Maybe hang around Deb, Ava and Anthony for awhile and take note how it’s really done. That’s the ticket.

My nutrition/counseling work covers healthy snacking and eating on the go among other areas that folks usually in need of getting some support with. My work is in person in the New York area and by phone everywhere else on the globe. You can contact me via my website: www.wholebodyworks.net, via this blog or by e mailing Mela@wholebodyworks.net

Speed Racer

Okay, it’s confession time. Everyone has a dirty little secret. Today I’m admitting mine. I’m fast. Now, before you go and start lining me up some hot dates for the next few Saturday nights, let me explain. What I mean is: I speed. And I’ve got the fines, points on my driver’s license and extra surcharge on my car insurance to back up my statement.

It started about eight years ago when I began weekending in upstate New York. My 15 years in Manhattan certainly had me attempting to race around via subway, taxi and on foot. All that really got me was stressed out. I didn’t have a chance to really earn my speeding chops until the first few jaunts up and down the Taconic State Parkway. The speed limit on that highway is 55 miles an hour. In Queens and Long Island, NY--where I put many a mile on my initial driving career,-- 55 means 70 miles an hour and that is just that. It honestly took me about five or so tickets (two actually within 24 hours of each other) to learn:

A) 55 miles an hour means not quite 65 miles an hour on the Taconic State Parkway in New York State and that is just that.

B) There is a button on my car that activates something called cruise control and I needed to learn how to use it.

C) When I wasn’t present and operated, instead, on my own “automatic pilot” (yeah, yeah…my own cruise control….) I would speed and it, got me nowhere pretty darn fast.

If you haven’t already guessed, this post is placing a major focus on “C” See?

It’s a wellness post prompted by my latest speeding ticket a week ago today. I need to regroup and slow down and I’m taking you with me.

Now in my defense (Oh, and speaking of defense, yes, I took the defensive driving course that keeps you mindful of driving habits and is looked upon kindly by vehicle insurance companies… And it was, I believe, close to a year before I got another speeding ticket) I reformed. Yes, I did.

I now get speeding tickets every 18 months. You can just about set your clock to it. Oh, and I don’t get them on major highways anymore. Nope, not me. My new bad habit is getting them speeding through small town speed limits of 25 to 30 miles an hour. I average 20 miles an hour faster and I blame it on the fact that I can’t use my cruise control when romping through the scenic towns of Rhinebeck, Red hook and Tivoli (Ticket, ticket and, yes, ticket.)

Really, does this sound like the gal who received an Excellence medal in the third grade for no days absent? Does this sound like the gal who is always talking about the healing properties of vegetables, the glory in being properly hydrated and how honoring what you place inside your body is important because everything you eat becomes your tissues, your organs, your muscles, your blood, your thoughts, your feelings and your actions?! No, it doesn’t. I know, I know, I know.

I’m not going to blame anything I ate, did or didn’t drink or the amount of sleep I have or haven’t been getting. I’m ‘fessing up and taking full responsibility in the fact that much as I try I have bouts of time when I’m simply not present because I’m either literally racing around town and/or figuratively racing because my mind obsesses on and on and on.

In my human experience, I “forget” to slow it all down by breathing. Some long, deep breaths down to my belly (not up in my throat and chest) and more quiet time in my mind (heart and soul) is what’s going to stop my driving insanity. NOT another ticket, defensive driving course, insurance notice or those darn state trouper/local town police cars and their glaring spinning red lights.

So, what’s your speed? What’s the tangible “thing” that has a hold on you where you subconsciously act out and stay in the drama instead of the delight of your own co-created life? I’m asking if you are present enough to know your own dirty little secret. And I’m inviting you to bring it out into the light so it can’t pull you over and fine you any longer.

Lest you wonder how it is that as part of my practice I TEACH breathing, the importance of slowing down and the practice of awareness know that one often teaches what one needs to learn. This one does anyway. I’m always right there learning with the rest of you.

“Tis the season for many things, many of them somewhat frenetic and hectic Slow yourself down with breath. Here’s a breathing exercise that I used while the nice police officer was checking my license and registration:

-Inhale deeply and slowly from way down in your belly for a count of five.
-Hold that lungful of air for an equal count of five.
-Exhale long, hard and deep for a count of six or, if you can, seven or eight.

Repeat the breathing exercise three to five times, thinking of the image of inhaling as that of receiving in what you need and want in your life. As you exhale, let that be the letting go of any and everything that doesn’t serve you. Take note of how you feel after you practice this.
Think of it as your own personal…….. cruise control.

If you are interested in learning more about my practice for nutrition/wellness counseling or in my in person or teleclasses on slowing down/breathing/awareness contact me via my website: www.wholebodyworks.net.

Over the River and Through the Woods

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. But, honestly, give me a reason—any reason-- to celebrate anything and I’m there. Pollyanna-like? Well, perhaps. But I have more and more reason to enjoy Thanksgiving as the years go on. Mainly, though, as a nutrition counselor I’m in heaven because when else is there so much conversation, preparation and consumption of and about vegetables?! Also, as someone who is pretty darn grateful every day, I love having a ceremonial date around the concept of gratitude. Yay.

Whether you are traveling to grandmother’s house or beyond for the holiday, having folks coming to you, or opting to spend the day in some quiet time, here’s the skinny, inspired by the holiday, from a wellness and nutrition perspective….mine.

The wellness part. How many times a day are you aware of saying thank you? Sure there is the “polite” side of us who responds with those words when someone has held open a door, picked something up that we dropped or has demonstrated another act of kindness. But it’s the “thank you” for the parking space that is open in the shopping center when we pull in,; the check arriving in the mail on the date it is supposed to do so; the rain that didn’t fall on the day of the big move,;the smile from the stranger in the street on a day when you’re feeling blue , or just the gratitude for getting up physically being well enough to get out of bed each morning, that resonates a bit differently. Appreciation feels good. It feels really good.

Here are some ways to soak it in:

-Using the holiday for traction, stroll into today with awareness of things you are grateful for. If you like, you can wait until the end of the day, looking back and seeing what stands out as either perfunctory thanks or atypical, extraordinary appreciation. It could be something as simple as no one in front of you on line at Starbucks. Or, it could be something as significant as receiving a phone call//text /e mail from someone you deeply care for.

-Do something for someone else without looking to receive anything in return. If you have some extra change and feel grateful for it, pay the toll for the car in back of you when going over a bridge. Or, whatever your inspired version of that is.

Human connection, when deeply rooted with some thanks, is a wonderful thing.

The nutrition part. So let’s talk a bit more about those vegetables Say what you want about the turkey. Yes, it is perhaps the literal centerpiece of most holiday tables. However it is the side dishes that really shine. Sweet potatoes, pumpkins, string beans, asparagus,, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, squash, onions, spinach, cabbage, collard greens….the list goes on and on. Even if not every vegetable is a favorite, more than likely you will find several that float your boat and that take possession over part of your plate. Can you say that over the course of most other meals throughout a typical week?

There is something about the revelry….the pomp and circumstance around the vegetables on this particular day that is different than most others. As you take vegetables from the serving dishes notice what your favorites are and ask yourself if you eat them regularly. If not, why not? If it’s for lack of recipes, now is the time to stock up. Most newspapers and neighbors are sharing vegetables recipes this week. Or, type your favorite vegetable into Google and place the word “recipe” next to it and hit search. You will have at your fingertips, literally, delicious options spanning easy beginner to chef’s choice/options.

Or, if it’s the lack of energy toward cooking, focus on the beautiful concept of cook once, eat three or four times. The idea is in fine play the day after Thanksgiving when leftovers are the stars of the show. Revel in your fridge for the next few days. If you were a guest rather than a host then simply demand some doggy bags!

If you found that too much pumpkin or pecan pie was ingested ,remember the cleansing vegetables of cucumbers, radishes and onions (leeks, shallots, scallions too) and any of the leafy greens (Think of them as a feather duster going through your body) will help with digestion so that less “bloat” occurs faster. Lots of water too. (Seriously, you knew there wasn’t really going to be a post without the mention of hydration, right?)

So….what if every day were Thanksgiving? What if we would each stop at least once, if not more times through the day, and express some gratitude. What if we would eat several different vegetables with each of our meals? Would life look and feel any differently? Just asking…..

In deep appreciation and gratitude of this blog 's followers, here’s a recipe you might want to try next week…or anytime, really: Disclaimer: I’m not maintaining the recipe as my own because I don’t remember where it came from. It is every man (woman) unless/until someone wants to declare it. For now I’m just, you know, grateful for it.

Sweet Potato and Cranberry Bake
3-4 medium sized organic sweet potatoes
1 cup cranberries, chopped 1 apple
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of cardamom
¼ teaspoon of Celtic sea salt
3 tablespoons of organic unsalted butter
Slivered (or chopped) almonds (raw, not roasted)—to taste
Tablespoon and a half of Agave nectar

-Peel sweet potatoes and chop them into chunks

-Add potatoes to a pot of boiling water and cook until tender but not flaky (20-25 minutes or so) Drain and set a side.

-Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.- In a nonstick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in with peeled, cored and cubed apple. Sauté for five minutes. -Add ½ teaspoon of butter. When it is melted, add in the cranberries for 1-2 minutes.

-Then immediately take mixture and add with sweet potatoes to a shallow baking dish, and add in sea salt , nutmeg and cardamom; mix thoroughly

- Take slivered almonds and quick sauté them in 1 tbs butter and then drizzle with Agave, put mixture on top of sweet potato cranberry mix

-Add final ½ teaspoon of butter and bake in oven for 15-20 minutes.

Serves: 6

If you need some one-on-one help with overeating, not eating well/emotional eating and/or feeling blue through holiday season , you can contact me for a session at: Mela@wholebodyworks.net. I'll also be holding a teleclass for support around holiday eating on Tuesday, December 8th. E mail me for more details/sign up.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

It is well into October. Okay, it is the last week of October. There have been mornings where it has been necessary to wear gloves while walking my dog, Troy. However until last week, I still had an array of different color flip flops lined up, near the front door, in a last stand against the ensuing winter.

The pool cover went on nearly three weeks ago, truly marking the end of the season. When the car pulled up and two young men got out to begin tending to this task it felt the way it does when you are at a funeral and the pallbearers slowly and solemnly step into the room and surround the body. There they are-a sea of dark suits and grave, albeit respectful, stances-marking the fact that the time is up. Yet, I still look longingly at the pool each day as I pass by, as if, miraculously, it would become a sunny, hot July day and the cover would be off it, seductively inviting me to come in for a float.

This seasonal change has occurred every single year of my life because I choose to live on the east coast. Yet every single year I deny that summer is over. Why can’t I simply accept the fact that it’s seriously fall, and enjoy the changing leaves, crispness to the air and all the apples? (Well, I do admit that I enjoy the apples.)

This is not a rhetorical question. The answer here is resistance.

Webster’s online dictionary defines “resistance” as a psychological defense mechanism.
My observation is that everyone uses resistance at one point or another, particularly in relation to self care. We resist so much. I don’t care what is right in front of me. I’m simply going to ignore (RESIST) the gold lame clad elephant in the room and stay in the land of denial.
We all know denial is a beautiful place. The weather is always warm and sunny. They serve drinks with sweet little paper umbrellas in them. But what does denial—in the day to day format of resistance—really do to one’s overall WELLNESS?

Sure, one might know that going to bed half an hour earlier will assist in waking more alert and being able to think on one’s feet. And, it isn’t a surprise that regular movement in the form of some kind of exercise or another, will bring on a forward motion in terms of health, assisting metabolism and other body systems. Of course, we’ve heard long enough that adding whole grains into our diet will help keep blood pressure and cholesterol numbers down.

And, lest we forget, keeping the tank filled with gas, getting up when the alarm first goes off, being honest in relationships and work-related confrontations, not going after the unavailable guy or girl, doing what it takes to complete a task from beginning to end……basically staying in our integrity…..will help keep stress levels down, which naturally helps with overall wellness.

Ah, but this human form we are packaged in is a conundrum of mixed messages, procrastination, brain rather than heart processing (or brain fog rather than heart opening) and…most of all FEAR. Because what would happen if we just took some deep breaths, rolled up our sleeves and moved forward on things we could, would and should do? In the short term there might be confusion, chaos and some crankiness. Long term we would move forward in fluidity, strength and motion by stepping into our potential. We’d all be healthier and feeling better, people.
So, how do you know if you are in denial about something in your life that needs forward movement?

· You basically do the same thing daily, expecting and waiting for things and circumstances to shift, without taking any action toward shifting them.

· There is a subtle numbness around you, the way you move through your day and the interactions that you have with others….something, as understated as it may be, just isn’t right.

· When friends and family ask you about a particular situation/occurrence/thing you provide them with a general shrug of the shoulders, objective, non-commitment-driven statement that doesn’t give any tangible credence to the matter at hand.

None of these bullets, by the way, is a sure sign that you will know that you are in denial. It will sometimes take a swift kick from someone you know/love/respect to “hear” the inference of what needs to be dealt with. Oftentimes it simply won’t shift until you are ready for it to do so…whatever this means for you.

So, what can help with the shift within you?

The nutrition aspects that will help this include drinking more water. (Really, this is a base answer for nearly everything). And eating root vegetables will help ground us. Oftentimes we have to stop and regroup before moving forward. What is put into our bodies aids in this entire process. I tout the root veggies a lot. Now they are in season and in high abundance. Beets! Carrots! Onions! Squash! Burdock! Potatoes! All my idea of grand fun!!

The wellness aspects that will help this include having people around you who support, encourage and—where necessary—give you that loving kick forward. Talking it through with someone both objective and compassionate is an aid.

The key is knowing what it is that you are resisting? How does the resistance show up in your day to day and reverberate throughout your entire life?

Journaling free form for five or so minutes, with the initial answers to these questions being the ones that you take heed of, can reallly help you both accept changes that are occurring around you and make the changes that need to be made .

I can’t tell you how many times each week I hear the words “I don’t journal” from clients. Journaling is a strong portal to move you from point “a” to point “b”—to showcase a real change in your world. Just set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes and sit still with notebook and pen in hand. Write down any and everything that comes through your mind….even if you find yourself writing “the silly woman on that blog suggested I do this and I’m coming up with nothin’ !!” It’s good practice and will eventually lead you directly into your truth . Because when you are writing in free-form, without pre-conceived thoughts rattling about, your true voice emerges. It’s as plain, simple, and frightfully scary, all at once. However it is amazing what you can learn spending a few honest minutes daily with yourself.

With that thought, I officially retire my flip flops for the next few months. Actually, I had better go and pack them. Did I mention that I’m moving to a new place—just a mile away, but still—in less than two weeks?!

Ah, that statement had me knock over the sumptuous cocktail I was sipping on the island of denial. The drink went overboard and that darling little paper umbrella floated away. Sigh. I had better go and get my journal.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes. Embrace them.

In my nutrition and wellness practice I work one-on-one in person and/or via telephone sessions with individuals to assist them in making changes in their overall health and wellness. This includes larger scale issues such as weight, managing chronic health issues, and stress management. I also assist with home/office/kitchen organization, as well as shopping/cooking equally delicious and nutritious meals. Through working with precision on food intake, movement in the form of exercise, sleep patterns and fun/joy factors and using tools…like the journaling spoken about in today’s blog post, individuals can make changes that will shift their life into a better/happier/healthier place. And yes, we work on how to journal too! If you’d like to take this step you can reach me via: www.wholebodyworks.net or Mela@wholebodyworks.net

Long Lasting Sustainable Energy

I walked into my laundry room the other day and I saw a brown liquid hovering on one of the knobs of my washing machine. Glancing slowly upward I saw the slow drip from the shelf above the washer/dryer area. Upon further inspection, I could see a puddle of brown covering an entire portion of the shelf.

On this shelf I keep a large bottle of white vinegar I use for cleaning. Nope. Stored in this area currently are also some bottles of natural sparkling water. Nah. Then I saw it! The one lone dark item with the adjective dark taking on a more pervasive meaning as I realized what had occurred. It was a can filled with an “energy drink” that I had been given as part of a favor bag from an event I attended about four years ago. I kept the aluminum-clad item because I do talks on energy drinks/ energy bars from time to time. And, since my main platform is whole foods eating the energy drink in question proved to be a perfect prop to distinguish something that is marketed as something in the healthy realm that doesn’t prove to be so at all.

The fact that the liquid had successfully corroded a pin hole in the aluminum is great fodder for future talks. If it can seep through aluminum just think of what it can do inside your BODY?

As I spent some time wiping up the mess that was before me, when all I had really wanted was to throw in a load of whites, I berated myself for not dumping the contents years ago and just keeping the darn can. It was the ingredient list noted on the can that I was most interested in. And as I continued to work on the clean-up I recognized that no amount of scrubbing was going to get the deep brown stain marks out of my formerly painted white, wood shelf. It was forever marred by the attack of the tall can of energy drink. Ah….more fodder for the talk. If it can stain a wood shelf so markedly just think of what it can do inside your BODY?

By now even I was curious about the contents of the darn drink. So, I put my cleaning rag down and picked up my reading glasses. Here is what I read:

· water (Well it was a good start, I admit)
· high fructose corn syrup (So not only was the second ingredient a form of sugar, but a highly refined, made in a lab (with genetically modified corn) processing system)
· sodium hexametaphosphate (Really, I have no idea other than the fact that we know what sodium is),
· caffeine (And, along with sugar, we can see what puts the energy in energy drink…nice),
· citric & pantochenic acids (Do we think the acids aided in burning a hole through the aluminum?)

…..and a host of other ingredients that I simply don’t have the energy to note here.

There are several points I wish to make from telling you this tale.

One is that I’m going to have to re-paint the shelf in the laundry room.

Two, for true long-lasting sustainable ENERGY: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. This has been my mantra for years. Anyone who knows me will attest to this. Water in its plain and simple form, provides balanced energy, clarity of thought and assists in the regulation of bodily systems including nervous and digestive. Oh, and it doesn’t stain when it spills. We are not talking long-lasting stainable energy!

Third, it is really important to have a look at the ingredient label when you are deciding to purchase and ingest any item but especially any touted to give you energy—generally a good thing that we all want to have. Honestly, it’s important to read the ingredient label whenever you are eating/drinking something packaged , particularly if you are working towards a whole foods-based diet.

My ingredient label rule of thumb is as follows:

1. There should be no more than five ingredients noted on the packaging.
2. Sugar, in any form, should not be one of the first three ingredients
3. You should know what each of the ingredients is.
4. You should be able to pronounce each of the ingredients.
5. The ingredients should each be whole themselves.

So, to elaborate on point two, if you are eating a dessert-related item, obviously there will be a sweetener in the ingredient list. And yes, it will most likely be one of the first three ingredients. So, desserts do get a caveat here. In true whole foods eating you would be aiming to have that sweetener be more naturally based…….honey, molasses, maple syrup as top examples because of the no processing aspect here.

And, to explain point five I’ll use a packaged coconut macaroon that I love. The ingredients are as follows: Unsweetened coconut, honey, egg whites. Each of those ingredients are whole and complete and unprocessed unto themselves.

Hmmm, I think I’m now going to go and have a few. And I do believe that I will wash it down with a glass of water. Then, maybe I’ll go and re-paint that shelf.