Compliments of the Season

Friends,  

May you have wonderful holiday season.  I wish you much happiness, love and peace in the New Year.  

Thank you for your support.

Strategies for Holiday Eating…and other times, too

    One of the best strategies for eating this festive season is to eat mindfully.   Eating, in spite of its ‘ordinariness’, can also become an activity with several benefits:

·         it can help keep us healthier and trimmer

·         can become the gateway to discovering more about ourselves

·         can become a meditation practise

           

Eating for a Healthier You

     Eating mindfully helps as a weight-management strategy, and aids in making better eating choices. For most of us, we rarely eat when hungry.  In societies where access to food is easy, we become unconscious about the tendency to overeat.  Eating is a habit used to deal with unwanted feelings as we cram food to stuff emotions. And every time we eat, our attention is usually split, so we don’t really taste the food we are eating.

     However, when we eat meditatively, we consciously decide that the action of eating is what we are doing in the present moment, and we won’t rush through it to get to more “important” things.  We practise being present in mind, body and moment with the intention of noticing and enjoying each bite.

     To truly savor each bite, requires you to chew the food a number of times.  This slow chewing and tasting begins the digestive process in the mouth.  The intestines are then better able to absorb nutrients from the food which helps you be healthy.

     Slow chewing also signals the brain that the satiation point is being reached.  As you begin to feel fuller sooner, your appetite decreases.

     Another benefit of slow chewing is that you really begin to notice the taste of food and whether it agrees with you or not.  We may discover that what we eat is based on habit and access and not so much on preference.  This may influence future food choices. 

Discovering Yourself through Eating

    When you eat slowly and consciously, you grow awareness of what’s happening in your mind and body.  The slowing down of your physical body helps you to notice what’s transpiring in the mind. Your thoughts and ideas about food become clearer:  you are better able to recognize the ‘voices’ that cause you to overeat, the thoughts you have about self image, and fears you have about not having enough food etc.    

Learning to Eat Meditatively

    We notice all that is happening and we do not criticize ourselves.  Our task is simply to become aware of the interplay between thoughts, feelings, and our actions.  Being compassionate is important as eating is meant to be enjoyable and relaxing.   

Here’s how you eat meditatively:

    As you dish up your food, pay attention to your thoughts and feelings.  Are you worried there won’t be enough for seconds?  See what reaction this thought creates in your body – do you automatically reach for more food?

•  Sit down at the table.  Try not to read, listen to music, or talk. 
•  Before eating set an intention to enjoy the food, or to be mindful of each bite, or to thank the people who made it possible to have the food.  This act helps create a space between the preceding activity and what you are getting ready to do.

With eating meditation, you use all your senses:

o   First look at the food – see textures, colours, shapes. 

o   As you pick up the food, feel it; is it dry, hard, cold?

o   Smell the food as you bring it up to your mouth.  Notice what’s happening in your mouth and in your body.  Is your mouth watering?  Stomach growling? Does the smell trigger memories?

o   As you chew, pay attention to the changes the food undergoes.  From solid to liquid, tasty to bland.

o   Notice if you are already preparing your next bite even before you’ve finished swallowing. 

o   Become aware of what you do when the food begins to lose its intense flavor – do you automatically spoon more food into your mouth to prolong the pleasant taste?

·         If you are entertaining:

o   practise being aware that you are eating, talking, and laughing.  You are cultivating the habit of awareness. So try to be as present as possible noticing all that is happening in and around you as you enjoy the food, and the company of your friends and family.  

o   Chew your food and when you are done swallowing, put down your cutlery and then speak to guests.  This way you get to enjoy being with friends and with eating mindfully. 

    Be gentle with yourself.  You task is simply to notice.  As this habit deepens, you’ll grow your awareness and attitudes regarding food, and of the forces – earth, sun, bees, farmer, grocer– that go into making the food possible.  This awareness will increase the ability to see and appreciate the inter-connectedness of all things in life.

    Being present and enjoying our food is how we express gratitude for our good fortune to have food, this moment and life.

May you be healthy and happy.  

Building Immunity this Cold and Flu Season

In preparation for this winter’s colds and flu, here are some tips on naturally boosting immunity by using home remedies, herbs and spices, and fruits and vegetable. 

Home remedies –

Hydrotherapy – good water treatments for colds - soak in hot tub with eucalyptus oil, drink lots of fluids, rest in a pre-warmed bed, keep yourself warm throughout the day – do these 1 to 3 times a day.

Herbal Steam treatment – good for chest congestion - boil water, remove from stove, add essential oil (sage, balsam, eucalyptus), cover your head with a towel and breathe the steam for 5-10 minutes; repeat 2 to 3 times until symptoms subside.

Coughing – flushes out toxins in mucus from the body. Expectorants loosen mucus.  For coughs with hoarse voice – mix ¼ tsp black pepper with ghee/clarified butter; take on a full stomach.  For coughs without hoarseness, mix ¼ tsp black pepper with honey (also take on a full stomach).  [If coughs persist, see a doctor right away].     

Sore Throat – antimicrobials and astringents to fight infection and for gargling - Echinacea, Golden Seal, Garlic, Myrrh, and Red Sage, Balm of Gilead, Thyme and Eucalyptus [available at health food stores].

Herbs – especially good for strengthening immunity and fighting colds and flu:

Basil – good for fevers, colds, flu, headaches, nausea, vomiting.  Use in soup or as a tea.

Black Pepper – helpful for colds and sore throat; is an antifungal and antiparasitic.  Add to food.

Cardamom – warms the body.

Cayenne – benefits in fighting colds, flu and headaches. Use in soup.

Cinnamon – warms the system; treats coughing and wheezing. Use in cereals, teas.

Cloves – stimulating and relieves nausea; use in tea or soups.

Coriander leaf – relieves fever, aids digestion.  Use in soup or stew.

Cumin – warms the body; use in beans, soups and stew.

Fennel – soothes digestion, treats coughs and expels mucus. Use in tea or soup.

Garlic – antiparasitic and fights infections.  Fights colds, flu, sore throat, fever, coughs.  Use garlic oil for earache.  Add to soups, stews, salads.

Ginger – warms the body; strengthens digestion and circulation.  Excellent for colds, flu, bronchitis, coughs, pneumonia.  Use in soup and tea. 

Parsley – relieves fever; use in soups or stews.

Rosemary – treats headaches, nausea, and fever.

Sage – useful for fighting colds/flu in early stages; drink sage tea for easing sore throats

Thyme – Helps with bronchial problems and laryngitis – make into a tea.

Turmeric – breaks up congestion, benefits circulation, reduces fever

Cold/Flu Fighting Fruit and Vegetables – (avoid eating cold foods)

Apples – high in vitamin C; blood purifier and benefits the lympathic system. 

            Apricots – help strengthen the lungs.

            Artichokes – high in calcium, iron, vitamins A & C to fight off infections.

            Asparagus – blood builder

            Beets – blood builder, benefits digestive and lympathic systems, high in Vitamins A and minerals.

            Broccoli – high in vitamins A & C

            Cabbage – high in vitamin C, stimulates immune system, fights infection; high in calcium, potassium, minerals. 

            Celery – high in minerals, vitamins A and B1, cleanses blood.

            Cherries – blood builder, high in Iron; antibacterial.

            Collards – rich in calcium, good source of vitamins A & C; benefits respiratory and lymphatic system 

            Dandelion Greens – high in vitamin A, liver cleanser, stimulates the glands and detoxifies the body.

            Endive (narrow leaf) & Escarole (broad leaf) very high in vitamin A, iron, potassium, helps body fight infection.

            Figs – good laxative effect for cleansing toxins from the body.

            Garlic – (raw) is an antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, and antiviral; stimulates the immune system.  Has favorable effect on mucous membranes of the throat, air passages of the lungs, is decongestant and expectorant; great for bronchitis and hay fever.

            Grapes – high in iron, good blood builder.

            Grapefruit – powerful liver cleanser and high in vitamin C; eat pulp and bitter white pith for best liver cleansing effect

Green Peppers – high in vitamin A for building resistance to colds and infection; high in vitamin C

Kale – high in vitamin A, iron and calcium.

Leeks – good for throat disorders and acute nasal discharges; good for respiratory system.

Lemons – high in vitamin C, which cleanses and aids liver function. Treats sore throats and colds, increases elimination through the skin which cools body and lowers fevers. 

Lettuce – high in vitamin A & C.

Limes – high in vitamin C.

Mangos – blood cleanser and reduces fever.

Melons – good source of minerals; high in beta carotene.

Mushrooms – high in niacin, protein & germanium which increases oxygen efficiency.  Stimulates immune system.

Mustard Greens – high in calcium and other minerals.

Onions – antibiotic, fights bronchial inflammations, colds and cleanses body of toxins.

Oranges – high in vitamin C, fights viral infections.

Papaya – rich in vitamins A, C, E and iron.

Parsley – rich in iron, copper and manganese and is a blood builder.

Pears – high in vitamin C and iron.

Pineapple – high in vitamin C, breaks down mucus.  

Potatoes – high in vitamin C, potassium, iron and vitamin B1; fight viral infections.

Pumpkin – high in vitamin B and C.

Raspberries – good source of vitamin A and C; cleanser of mucuous membranes and for removing toxins.

Spinach – source of vitamins C and A, iron, potassium; good for lymphatic system.

Strawberries – antiviral and high in vitamin C

Swiss Chard – high in vitamin A and C, potassium, sodium and calcium; wards off colds.

Turnips – high in vitamin C, treats bronchial problems.

Watercress – stimulates glandular function and strengthens liver and purifies the bloods.

Yams – antioxidant.       

                  

Please Note:  these suggestions aren’t intended as a prescription or diagnosis.  Be sure to visit your doctor for appropriate medical advice.  

References: 

Cituk, Kathy & Finnegan, John.  “Natural Foods and Good Cooking.”  Elysian Arts: Mill Valley, CA, 1989.

Gottlieb, Bill Ed. “New Choices in Natural Healing: Over 1800 of the Best Self-Help Remedies from the World of Alternative Medicine.”  Rodale Press Inc. 1995.

  

Difficult Opportunities

SQUEEZED

    This summer my sisters, from South Africa, visited.  We (my other sister who lives close by) were very excited, and expectations were soaring for fun outings and creative, bonding time.  Two weeks into the holiday, I noticed I was growing increasingly irritable.  I was tense and snappy to the point I found it hard to even smile at my sisters.

     Throughout my day, I kept asking myself “what’s going on here?”  I discovered I was hurt and disappointed that my sisters hadn’t come to stay at my place.  From the time they’d arrived, they’d settled in at my other sister’s home and had become comfortable there.   These feelings of disappointment and hurt became a story of rejection; that I was being rejected.  And rejection became expressed as anger.  After realizing what was going on, I talked with them.

     Often when we are in pain, the anger we express is an attempt to stop the hurt, and to feel better about ourselves.  Anger isn’t the root; it’s the fruit.  The root is the bone deep pain, which leaves us bleeding and vulnerable.  Rather than viewing this space of pain and vulnerability as bad or by reactively shoving it aside, we can see it as full of potential.

     Such moments of ‘weakness’ help us see where we are stuck, or where we have a blind spot.  Our habit is to surround ourselves with things, people, and situations that bolster us and stroke our egos, which isn’t necessarily wrong or right.  It is just that as long as everything is hunky dory, we never take the time to learn about ourselves,and to discover where we still need to grow.  We only want to see ourselves as strong and holding it all together; we don’t like seeing our weaknesses.

      The gift we are given when our fallibilities are exposed is like a wake-up call to notice what’s happening.  It is the sign that this is an area where I need to be more open, flexible, and kind or whatever. 

The intention isn’t to overcome all these ‘neuroses, or failings’ to become perfect.  Instead it is about training to refrain from indulging in habitual reactions born out of pain and which increase our and others' suffering.

     Rather than shutting down or repressing uncomfortable emotions, we can choose to sit with the discomfort: anger, fear, worry, and hurt.  We pay attention to what happens in us as we remain with the feelings.  We notice how the mind weaves a story to justify the hurt or fuel the anger.   We see how the body – the chest and stomach harden, and the facial muscles tense up.  We observe all this, and do so with kindness for ourselves and the other person/people.

     Compassion and non judgment of what’s occurring is important because the tendency for some would be to retaliate against oneself rather than someone else.  Such retaliation would still be playing out old patterns of reacting.  The aim here is to grow awareness of how we react when we are exposed and hurt, so in such future episodes we catch ourselves sooner and thereby lessen our and others pain. We practise in this way to recognize what’s happening in the moment and within us to avoid reacting in ways that hook us and keep us repeating unhelpful patterns. 

      So with kindness and gentleness we notice what’s happening and we cultivate the attitude that despite the situation being embarrassing, frightening, or distressing, it is a learning opportunity.  

    Obviously this is a lifetime’s work – awareness and clear seeing is required each moment in life.  And each moment also presents the opportunity to start fresh. 

     May you be happy. 

Sensing the Time to Change

    My nephew asked me how do traffic lights know when to change color?  I replied “they’re on sensors and timers.  If the road is a busy one leading to a freeway, then it is usually given priority for traffic to flow especially during busy hours.  Quieter roads with fewer cars have to wait a little longer for a light change because they won’t cause traffic jams.” This answer seemed to satisfy him or maybe it just confused him into silence. 

    His question, though, also seemed pertinent to life.  Do we know when to change? Do we have some internal sensor alerting us that a habit or behavior is causing us to be stuck?  

    Recently I was a passenger in a car.  The driver was in a frantic mood because a truck driver had stopped a little too close behind her on two occasions.  She mumbled a curse and rapidly leaned back and forward to scout out his position in her rear view mirrors.  When she thought I wasn’t upset at him too, she exclaimed, “he’s really scaring me the way he’s driving.”  The tone of her justification strongly rebuked me. In that moment, it became apparent when fear takes hold it leaves little room for any other emotion.  It makes everyone and everything in its scope an aggressor or a danger.  The fact is I shared her concern for our safety.  And I also knew there was nothing much we could do about controlling the other driver’s bad driving. 

     So what are the options?  As she was clearly incapable of changing the other driver’s driving habits, the only thing within her power was to change how she responded.  Reactivity is always mindless. Whenever we react, we mistakenly believe the other person is causing us to feel pain or fear, but we are replaying old patterns from similar past experiences where such feelings were awoken in us. So then by reacting, we are not present to what's happening in the moment but are actually in rote operation.  This increases our distress.  It is also how habits become entrenched.   

     Ironically, when we react, we are trying to gain control, but in fact we are relinquishing control.  Reactivity is the loss of control because we are being triggered by subconscious impulses, thoughts, and emotions. The difference with responding is we are exercising control because we are choosing how we would like to be, think and feel in a given moment.  We will still feel the fear, worry or pain but we won't increase the emotions by lashing out and we are still able to clearly see what's happening.  With this understanding and acceptance, we recognise we can't escape or control all the things that scare and worry us.

      If reactivity is robotic, then awareness is sensory.  Awareness provides the space to see, decide, then act.  We do this first by slowing down: breathing deeply. Second, we notice what is happening in and around us without judgment of self or the situation: being mindful.  Then we decide is it within my power to change or not, choosing to act or not: that's responding.  

    May you respond to life today.

we all benefit from learning...but growing self knowledge will change your life

Join my class  Mindfulness: Practices to Grow Self Knowledge

Visit the Campbell Adult Community Education website or catalogue

to sign up for this class (7026).  http://www.cuhsd.org/domain/29

 Learn:

what’s in your control

about internal stressors

your coping ability

Mindfully Expanding Awareness helps to:

calm the mind,

develop new perspectives,

notice thoughts & emotions,

 recognize impulses & sensations,

tap into feelings,

practice acceptance,

 GROW SELF KNOWLEDGE and wisdom…

Email Casey at acceptancehealing@gmail.com with any questions.

 Self Discovery in every activity

Poison Medicine

     Even though my allergies were acting up in the spring they were very mild compared to previous years.  This change was brought about by eating local honey.  Upping the ante, I then started taking local bee pollen with the intention of building up a stronger immunity to pollen. 

     The first time I took the pollen grains, I took too much. Immediately I noticed my throat and eyes started itching and my nose began running.  The next day I took fewer grains (about 5) and there was very little reaction.  The result has been amazing!  Since beginning this regimen, I’m suffering almost no hay fever symptoms. 

     So this got me thinking.  To decrease the histamine reaction that my body automatically produced whenever I was exposed to the allergen, I was ingesting the very thing that triggered a reaction.  This is the homeopathic approach to healing.  The idea being that by taking milder doses of the “poison or allergen,” the body builds a resistance to it, and over time the body would become immune.  I wondered if this approach could be applied to life’s ‘allergens’?

     In fact, it can.  To build up an ‘immunity’ to those big and scary episodes that we’ll inevitably face in life, the instruction is to use the minor everyday upsets we encounter as training ground to help us become less afraid.  I suppose this would be the homeopathic approach to developing equanimity.  The idea of cultivating equanimity is we can then, even in the midst of chaos and upheaval, remain present, aware, connected and calm as life unfolds.  

     The fact is we can’t always control what happens to us in each moment, but we can prepare ourselves to respond well.  Wisdom is being ready to deal skillfully with the unsettling changes we’ll inevitably face in life – the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, the onset of an illness.  It is true these difficult situations will cause us sadness, but they also help us grow.  

     Developing equanimity isn’t about shutting off our feelings and becoming ‘unaffected’ by life’s pain and tragedy.  Equanimity is the ability to remain connected and aware of what’s going on while keeping calm and not reactively shutting out the painful experience. This discipline builds endurance, strength of mind, self knowledge, and calmness.  And we achieve this by changing how we view what is occurring in our life.

    Everything we face, irrespective of whether we define them as good or bad, can be viewed as a teaching to help us become wiser and more skilled in handling life’s challenges.   We start by viewing those incidents that we’d normally consider an irritation, setback, turmoil, disappointment from this new perspective.  Seeing them in a new light: they are helping us discover inner strength and grow our coping ability -- is like taking mild doses of ‘poison’ to help us grow strong against the effects of the full strength poison.

   What small dosages of ‘poison’ are you ingesting this day?

Being Present to Your Reactions

I’m watching a wasp buzzing around trying to find a place to build a home in the umbrella under which I’m sitting.  Immediately I notice I’m anxious.  I’m worried that every time I open the umbrella, I could get stung.  I do nothing, however.  I just watch it move from spot to spot. 

Suddenly I hear a high pitch whine.  It sounds like a very large insect whirring in the afternoon heat.  The pain in my ear is the first thing I notice, followed by the thought I don’t like that sound, and then the wish that it stop. 

We operate in this way – receiving and evaluating stimuli, thoughts, feelings, sensations all the time, to which we react unconsciously.  And our reactions are multilayered.  For many of us and much of the time, our moment-to-moment reactions are unknown to us because our mind is usually split.  In effect, we are often distracted and we therefore react mindlessly.  When we react, we increase our stress. 

To reduce stress, we can choose to respond to situations after noticing the choices available to us.   Discovering the available options is possible only when we are fully present to what’s happening. 

So to help us become more present to what’s unfolding in the moment, and to train us in becoming aware of the impulses that cause us to react, we begin by paying attention to subtle signals.   These are the signals we are experiencing in our mind and body. 

For instance, when I saw the wasp zooming in to investigate the umbrella, these were the thoughts and sensations occurring in me:

Thoughts –

·         the anxious thought that the wasp was going to nest there,

·         then the fearful thought that I could get stung,

·         then the angry thought, I won’t be able to sit under the umbrella and enjoy the back yard anymore. 

Within nano seconds, all these thoughts came crashing through my mind.  What follows then is a story fabricated by the mind to justify these anxious, fearful and angry thoughts.  When or if we brood upon this story, we increase our stress levels.

And as the mind and body are deeply connected and profoundly influence each other, our thoughts have a physical manifestation.  These are what occurred in me:

Body Sensations – 

·         I flinched as the wasp flew close by me, (manifestation of the judgement 'it's dangerous and don't t like it being there"),

·         then a shivery sensation started up in my belly (manifestation of a fearful thought)

·         then the shivery feeling quickly hardened into resentment (manifestation of an angry thought)

Such physical sensations arise and change from moment to moment based on our thoughts and sensations on the body . 
          Learning what thoughts and feelings are coursing through your mind and body as you’re encountering situations, will clue you up on how you become triggered to react.  To do this you can sit still and ask yourself “what am I feeling in this moment?” or “what am I thinking right now?”

Later on that day I sprayed the umbrella to deter the wasps from making a home under it.  In so doing, I acknowledged and acted upon what was within my power to do.  This is central to mindfulness – recognizing that we have a choice in responding instead of reacting in a habitual mindless way.

I hope that you are now better able to be present and to notice the subtle triggers that cause you to react instead of respond. 

Seeing is Being

      The instant our eyes met, it was as if I became a solid human being.  Then when he smiled and returned my quiet “hello,” it was as if I came to life.  The person seeing me, as I was seeing him, is a world famous and widely revered spiritual teacher.  In our 5 second or so interaction, it felt like I had become a substantial being in a most elemental way (ironic given that I’m an earth sign Taurus, and bulls just don’t strike me as being too insubstantial).

     Joking aside though, in the moments leading up to our encounter, I had no idea that I felt non-substantive or even invisible really.   So what did this meeting of eyes and a simple greeting do, to make me feel like I had become; like I was being.  What happened in that flash of a moment? 

     Perhaps I could illustrate the feeling of the experience this way.  Imagine a blow-up clear plastic balloon shaped as a person.  The act of his just ‘seeing’ me felt like earth or sand was being filled into this balloon being.  And suddenly I was becoming visible; I was actually being seen.  His greeting was the acknowledgement of my aliveness --both of the life coursing through me and of my right to be on this earth.  

     On my daily walks around the neighbourhood, I see many people who are also enjoying the day by walking.  Very few people however, will choose to look up from their musings, cell phone or Ipod.  For those who do, I will usually smile and say hello to them.  The other day, I saw a heavily pregnant woman walking on the other side of the street.  It was a blisteringly hot day.  And she appeared hot and exhausted from bearing the weight of her hugely distended belly.  She was frowning and seemed determined to exercise.  As we passed each other, from across the street I waved to her. 

     Realising that I was greeting her, she transformed before my eyes.  She immediately became animated.  Virtually half of her face became a huge grin, her eyes lit up, her body movements became freer and less burdened, and the energy she exuded suddenly became lighter and more joyful.  There is something in our ability to connect with each other in this fundamental way that is deeply meaningful to us as human beings. 

     Our ability to be fully present in the moment, and to be deeply connected to the person with whom we are sharing that moment, is how we remind ourselves of the fact that we are living beings.   When we are acknowledged, when we are seen and not just looked at, then our sense of worthiness and dignity is awakened.  Our essential nature is being recognized.  And our basic nature is goodness.

     Learning to acknowledge our own basic goodness and worthiness to be alive, aside from our failures and accomplishments is admittedly challenging, but it is the foundation for creating a society and world where people can live in harmony with each other in spite of differences. 

     We do this first by learning to be with ourselves and to be in the moment without judgment.  We then practise growing our acceptance of self as we are and not as we’d like to be.  From this place of calm inner acceptance, we become better able to be fully present to ourselves and those around us. 

Interpreting our way to greater happiness

      Some situations in life aren’t taught to us, and yet when faced with them, we assume we should somehow know how to deal with them.  How do you handle the situations in your life?  How many shoulds, coulds, woulds do you impose on yourself?  And how much of the interpretations of “should have done”, or “would have to do,” influence how you feel about yourself and the situation you are facing?  

The interpretation we ascribe to situations directly contributes to how much or little stress we’ll consequently feel.  We can ask ourselves: “are my interpretations of occurrences in my life beneficial or harmful to me?  Do they ease or burden my life? 

  All of us had to, at some point, learn to walk, drive, interview for a job, cross the street, answer a research question – we weren’t born knowing these.  In the same way, we also have to acquire and practise skills for many other common occurrences.   

For example, do we understand the crucial difference between taking offense versus being harmed?  An incident, from many years ago, made this clear to me, and it also awoke my inner critic “how could you have not known this before?”  One day, a friend said to me: “you take things too personally.”  I immediately defended my position, but later on I pondered her odd remark. Even though, I reacted by righteously defending my interpretation of the situation, I will always be grateful to her for that comment.  Her remark showed me -- another interpretation or response was possible.  I hadn’t known this.

Reactivity by nature doesn’t allow room for any other perspective to emerge – the unconscious instantaneous birth of reactivity automatically swallows up the gap of space to breathe, be present and reflect on what’s occurring.  Reactivity shuts down possibilities. 

So let’s return to the difference between being offended and being harmed. According to Lou Marinoff in his book, “Plato, Not Prozac,” the difference is essentially one of interpretation.  He explains it this way.  If someone slaps you in the face, then this is being harmed.  There’s only one interpretation possible.  If, however, someone said you were lazy and useless, here there is more than one possible interpretation.  You will have to do some self reflection and then determine how close to true the remark is or isn’t.  In this instance, you CHOOSE whether to be offended or to shrug off the remark.  The latter is largely dependent on your interpretation of the accuracy of the remark, whereas the former is determined by the physical pain you experience, which isn’t subject to interpretation.

While this lesson may have been self evident to many of you, it wasn’t for me.  When we approach situations with the attitude we should know how to deal with whatever is going on, then we are setting ourselves up for high stress.  

The disadvantages of applying the “should know” interpretation is that we –

·         fail to appreciate and tap into the essential experience of the moment,

·         expect perfection from ourselves,

·         become combative with and judgmental of ourselves

·         don’t learn from the situation or about our coping ability,

·         don’t allow all possibilities to come to bear in the situation.

My friend’s comment helped me see an option existed to respond in ways that would benefit me and possibly others.  Reactivity is so primal that it functions at a binary level of survive or die.  Because it occurs in an environment where we coexist with others, it can cause us to become competitive rather than cooperative.  And competition doesn’t allow for compassion and consideration of self or others. 

With mindfulness, we use ourselves as the ground to practise kindness to self first; we begin with learning to accept ourselves, as we are.  The training is to remain aware and open and not to react.  Over time, this grows our ability to be more mindful and less reactive in life.  When we are able to acknowledge and accept all aspects of ourselves, we enter the path of compassion. And self-compassion is a stepping stone to being a happy human being in the world.  And happy people make a happy world.

      May you, too, benefit from this reminder. 

If you'd like to learn techniques for being mindful in your work, relationships and life, I have a workshop coming up this weekend (20-21 April) and another one on (18-19 May).  These are weekend intensive workshops on "Mindfulness:Strategies for Daily Living to Reduce Stress".  Please email Casey at acceptancehealing@gmail.com for more info.   Or check out the link (top right) on Upcoming Workshops.

WASHING DISHES MEDITATION

Washing dishes is an activity that most of us engage in every day.  This routine act which we most often engage in mindlessly can also be an opportunity to practise being fully present and mindful. 

Typically our attitude when doing such tasks like dish washing, sweeping, cleaning, cooking is to get it over with as quickly as possible, so that we can get to more important things.  The mindset we have then is that the job at hand is an obstacle or necessary evil in the path of the thing that we really want to do. 

Our evaluation or judgment of the task makes it difficult for us to see the value such mundane tasks possess – the ability to put us back in the moment, to practise contemplation, and to awaken us.  When we are fully available to the moment, no matter what we are doing, then we can’t worry about the future or yearn for the past.  We can only be present in the present. 

The skill to bring our attention to whatever we are doing makes it possible to keep our thoughts from running away with us and we become better able to manage our anxiety.  Paying attention or being mindful of what the body is doing and where the body is in the moment, slows down and calms the mind and body.  And when mind, body and moment unite, we are alive and present. 

This is how you practice dish washing meditation.  The intention is to use one or all the senses to become present in the moment.    

Sensations of dish washing (paying attention to all the senses – sound/sight/feeling)

You can choose to pay attention to the sensations of the weight of the bowl in your hand, the sound of the water running, the feel of the water and soap on your hand, the squishiness of the sponge, the smell of the soap, the sight of the caked on food on the utensils, and your feelings and thoughts about what you’re seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling.  Try to look at a fork, cup, pot as if you’ve never seen one before, and then “see” the fork, cup, pot.   

When your mind wanders, try not to judge yourself.  Keep returning to the object of your attention – the plate, the spoon you are washing. 

Or  there’s my favourite dish washing meditation…

Sounds of dish washing: (paying attention to just one sense – sound)

Listen to the sound of the water pouring onto or slopping over the utensils, the sound of the sink filling.  Hear the sound of the scourer scraping over the plates – notice the difference in tone when the scourer rubs over plastic, metal, glass, rubber.   Pay attention to the change in sound when the scourer has soap on it and when it doesn’t, listen to the cutlery clinking against each other and in the dish rack, against the pots, glass, wooden bowl. 

Washing dishes becomes so enjoyable, when I remember to wash them with this kind of “musical accompaniment.”  Try it and you might find this is true for you too. 

May you be awakened in this moment.  

More Health Tips : Preventing Colds/Flu

Thank you for sharing these great links on preventing colds and flu. 

Here they are:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/02/04/zinc-garlic-vitamin-d.aspx?e_cid=20130204_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20130204

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/15/cold-flu-prevention-natural-immune-boosters_n_2474430.html

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/15/Good-Bacteria-Fight-the-Flu.aspx

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/11-tips-prevent-cold-flu

May you be healthy and strong.

My Home Remedies for Flu and Cold

Drinks/Hot Teas

• Boil ½ cup water with ½ tsp turmeric, stick cinnamon, ½ tsp whole black pepper, crushed ginger and garlic.  Boil and reduce to ¼ cup liquid.  Add some honey to taste, 2 tbs brandy (optional), fresh basil.  Drink while hot.  This drink will raise body temperature.
•  Make a tea with fresh ginger slices, cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds –strain and drink with honey to soothe the throat.
•  Drink lots of warm water, hot peppermint or thyme tea, room temperature citrus juices.

To calm hard coughs with pain and for a productive cough: 

Use extract of Mullein Leaf – about 30 drops to a glass of warm water – 2 to 3 times a day

To relieve congestion:

·                     Boil water, pour it in a bowl, add a few drops of Eucalyptus Oil to the water.  Bend over the bowl with a towel over your head and breathe in the warm scented steam.

·                     Place a warm towel or compress (add a few drops of eucalyptus) on your chest to relieve congestion

Chicken or Vegetable Soup:  

Make soup with extra fresh chopped garlic and ginger, and fresh herbs like thyme.  You can also add cayenne/chili, coriander and cumin powders.  Cayenne helps raise body temperature to kill infections and cleanse the body.  Cumin is an antiseptic and raises body temperature.  Coriander is calming to the body.  Ginger increases body heat.  Garlic is antibacterial.

These will boost your immune system.  Take 2 times a day.

Zicam Zinc Tablets

400 mg Echinacea

500 mg Vitamin C

EmergenC

Additionally:

Eat lots of citrus fruit

Keep yourself warm

Rest as much as you can

Of course, if your symptoms persist, please see a doctor.

Visit these links for Tips on fighting colds and Flu

http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/donna-cardillo-rn-ma/cold-and-flu-home-remedies

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/8-tips-to-treat-colds-and-flu-the-natural-way

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTL8BGUz23U

May you be healthy and well this season!

Gasping in the New Year

So I ushered in the New Year gasping – not in wonder and awe that we’d survived the world’s ending as predicted by some, but – for lungs full of air!  Some mysterious agent,  all the usual suspects were ruled out,  laid me out for close on two weeks.  The only thing I knew was that for the first time in memory, I had to get help to breathe. 

In the days leading up to the Urgent Care visit, I lay in bed acutely aware of my body’s struggle for oxygen.  The changes - physical, mental and emotional - brought about by this lack of oxygen were astounding.  

My face had shrunken and had become grey. I was weepy. Speaking was almost impossible (a nightmare for someone who started talking before her first birthday).  The times I did try speaking, my voice was weak and filled with huge ‘hollows’.  These hollows were only rivaled by the ever increasing dark circles and sink holes that were appearing around my eyes.  Each morning as I leaned over the sink to wash my face, I would straighten up to notice my eyes growing glassier as if a little light was receding far back into a darkened room.  The windows of my eyes were like foggy black glass at a smoggy dockyard.  Too fatigued and mentally incapable of forming a coherent thought, all I could do was lie in bed and watch what was happening in my body and mind, as it happened. 

The little air I could draw in to my body fought an uphill battle to get to my lungs.  It ran an audible obstacle course through mucus-filled bronchi; the air would bubble up and then a curious little ‘clicking’ sound would begin.  It would dissipate when I exhaled only to appear again on the inhalation. Because of the sound, I could track the oxygen as it made its arduous journey to my lungs.   

This struggle highlighted how free and easy breathing normally is, and how much I take it for granted.  Other insights came later – body and mind are intricately intertwined in the delicate dance of life.  Getting to know this balance or even just paying attention to it from time to time is well worth the effort.  We don’t have to wait for something to go wrong, or for the systems to begin malfunctioning before we appreciate what a wondrous thing breathing is.  Can we afford not to notice this ‘everyday miracle?’

After all, everything we do in life is by courtesy of breath.  So being mindful, even for a few minutes a day, is beneficial in so many ways.  Scientific Meditation research is showing that even spending 12 minutes a day meditating improves short term memory, increases attention, and decreases distractibility.  In as little as 8 weeks, Mindfulness meditation brings about structural changes to the brain: new neural pathways and connections develop, grey matter increases, and different parts of the brain are activated to respond to life situations.  And as the brain likes repetition, doing this everyday for a few minutes will make a big difference to our brains and how we negotiate life from moment to moment.  If you are interested in the brain changes brought about by mindfulness, check out the links to  "Your Brain on Mindfulness" and "The Neurobiology of Mindfulness" on my website.    

In this New Year, may you do some healthy gasping in awe of life’s wonders!