monday moment of zen

"student says ' i am very discouraged. what should i do?' master says, 'encourage others.'"

~ zen proverb

when we encourage others it causes us to be encouraged. what simple thing can you say to encourage another person today? namaste

image credit ici

monday moment of zen

we experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. this delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.

~ einstein

image credit ici

and i'm off...

to the carolinas!

i am heading out with my dear friend lela to the carolinas.

first stop, charlotte, nc

and then onto sunny myrtle beach, sc

i'm excited to be traveling with my friend and even more excited to travel to two places i've never been before.

so, dear friends, i have a few questions to pose to you...

is there anything MUST-SEE and MUST-DO in these cities? anyone know of a place to get my yoga on? any tried & true places to eat? anything i must see before i leave?

thanks in advance for your comments! i promise to have pics of my own up before you know it!

until next time, i bid you ado. hope your tuesday is tranquil and the rest of your week wonderful. hugs!!

image credit ici & ici

monday moment of zen

there are thousands upon thousands of students
who have practiced meditation and obtained its fruits.
do not doubt its possibilities because of the simplicity of the method.
if you can not find the truth right where you are,
where else do you expect to find it?

~ dogen

image credit ici

stop and smell the flowers

when is the last time you took the time to stop and smell the flowers?

earth day

i spent earth day walking around my neighborhood and soaking up mother nature's beauties. how did you spend earth day?

spring

again the violet bows to the lily.
again, the rose is tearing off her gown!

the green ones have come from the other world,
tipsy like the breeze up to some new foolishness.

again near the top of the mountain
the anemone's sweet features appear.

the hyacinth speaks formally to the jasmine,
peace be with you. and peace to you lad!
come walk with me in this meadow.
again there are sufis everywhere

the bud is shy, but the wind removes
her veil suddenly, my friend!

the friend is here like water in the stream,
like a lotus in the water

the narcissus winks at the wisteria,
whenever you say.

and the clove to the willow, you are the one i hope for.
the willow replies, consider these chambers of mine yours. welcome!

the apple, orange why the frown?
so that those who mean harm do not see my beauty.

the rindove comes asking, where, where is the friend?

with one note the nightingale indicates the rose.

again the season of spring has come and a spring-source
rises under everything, a moon sliding from the shadows.

many things must be left unsaid, because it's late, but whatever
conversation we haven't had tonight, we'll have tomorrow.

~ a poem by rumi
~ translated by coleman barks

monday moment of zen

"living your epitaph may be the most important ingredient for inner peace and serenity. when you actively align your choices with your life's purpose and goals, you live more honestly, more courageously, and with greater integrity, and these virtues bring with them a powerful kind of freedom."
~ zoe weil

please feel free to share what your goals are and what action steps you are taking to reach your goals? namaste

image credit ici

if every morning could be like this

oh how i wish every morning could be like this...

i woke up naturally at 6:30am and felt completely rested (for once).

i was able to do my mantra and meditate.

knowing that ryan has to get up around 7am to get ready to go to work, i decided to surprise him by making him breakfast. in which he promptly told me that when he went to bed everything was normal and when he woke up - he woke up in the twilight zone (he completed this act with song from youtube - insert my "meh" here lol).

we shared a lovely breakfast of eggs, toast and fresh strawberries & blackberries, orange juice, coffee (for him) and green tea (for me).

it was a lovely morning.... i wish all mornings could be like this. now off to walk the dog.

image credit ici

artist's date picnic

i've been enjoying kimberly wilson's tranquilista e-course very much.

i've also been having a blast playing with my visual journal.

if you know kimberly, then you know she's a big fan of 'omwork.' omwork is what kimberly coined is homework with a yogic twist. so, it's beneficial and fun!

during our most recent class, part of our 'omwork' was to go on an artist's date. i realized that i haven't gone on an artist's date in a very long time.

so, i gathered my gear and headed for my backyard

a nice lunch

a nice view

and a good companion for a lovely afternoon. (now, i realize that an artist's date is supposed to be solo, but i don't think i'll get any complaints for my date)

and let the creativity flow

of course there was much snuggling

and kisses

(and yes, that is a roll of toilet paper you see there... between all of the allergies & recent nose bleeds i figure i'd better be prepared -boo!)

cadyn and i had a wonderful artist's date - just the two of us.

monday moment of zen

watch your thoughts; they become words.
watch your words; they become actions.
watch your actions; they become habits.
watch your habits; they become character.
watch your character; for it becomes your destiny.
~ the upanishads

everything in life starts from a simple form. take a moment today, watch your thoughts, and see what you find. namaste

image credit ici

monday moment of zen

"when you follow your bliss...
doors will open where you would
not have thought there would be doors;
and where there wouldn't be
a door for anyone else."

~ joseph campbell


what small thing can you do today to follow your bliss? namaste

image credit ici

visual journal

here's a sneak peak into my visual journal that i've been doing for kimberly's tranquilista lifestyle e-course. i'm having a wonderful time creating. i have so many more ideas & can't wait to create more. just love it when the creativity starts to f-l-o-w!!

monday moment of zen

"if you don't like the way the world is, you change it. you have an obligation to change it. you just do it one step at a time."
~ marian wright edelman

what can you do to change something you don't like? what about simply changing the way you react to something? this simple step can make all the difference. namaste

image credit ici

ay chihuahua

i just got back from an impromptu visit to my parents to see their new puppy. i'm sure you all remember the heart break when they lost popcorn. while this pup is certainly no replacement it does help to fill a big void in my parent's hearts. this is her... big ears and all :)

now dear readers, i have a favor to ask... this little sweetie needs a name. any suggestions would be much appreciated. :)

update: i appreciate all of the suggestions for the little one (i especially loved pepita), however the parents have decided to name her lucy. i think it's pretty fitting :)

so, how's it going?

just wanted to give an update on my morning routine & cleansing. some days have been good and others not as much.

tuesday - the day i started the morning routine and cleansing and both went wonderfully.

wednesday - all chances of my morning routine were thwarted by a massive headache. so needless to say, i didn't get up at dawn but when i did make it out of bed i preformed my morning routine as best as i could due to the headache still being around.

thursday - morning routine wasn't as strong as tuesdays but was much better than wednesdays

today - got up on time, did my mantra, took a child's pose for about 5-6 mins & did a short seated meditation before heading right back to bed. got a bit of a headache again today - boo!



as far as the cleanse it is going well over all.

i have been taking the tiao he cleanse as recommended and i've had good results so far. i've been watching what i eat. cutting down on my portion sizes & eating more veggies, fruits & whole grains.

i do have to confess, i've had a little bit of dark chocolate with cacao nibs. it's been my indulgence for sure.

a dear friend & blog reader send me a copy of marilu henner's food combination chart which is pretty easy to follow. i also have been pursuing through the copy of eat - taste - heal: an ayurvedic cookbook for modern living which i really love. if any one else knows of any good food combination information out there please share.

have a wonderful weekend!!

image credit ici & ici

morning routine

morning rituals are so sought after. well, today i started my very own.

~ i rise just before dawn

~ i light a candle

~ i repeat my mantra 108 times using my mala beads

~ i drink a mug of warm water w/ a slice of organic lemon

~ i do some yoga to get my body awake

~ i do a seated meditation

~ then i eat a healthy breakfast and sip on some green tea

it really makes for a zenful start to my day.

today just also happens to be the day i started my cleanse. no, nothing crazy like the master cleanse. my body just doesn't handle extreme cleanses well. i am keeping it simple...

~ tiao he cleanse (the only supplements i am currently using & according to the box it is supposed to last 15 days)

~ drinking more water with lots of organic lemons

~ eating more sensible meals (watching portions)

~ cutting out red meat, coffee (maybe a sip or two here and there but i'm more of a tea drinker anyways), alcohol, sugary & processed foods, and fried foods.

~ eating more fresh fruits & veggies and more whole grains

~ learning more about combining food - specifically in ayurvedic tradition (if anyone can suggest anything here i'd be most grateful)

~ getting more exercise

~ and taking better care of me

i will be sure to keep you all up to date about how my morning ritual and cleanse is going. tell me, have any of you ever done a cleanse, what were your outcomes? also, how about those of you who have a morning ritual... do tell :)

image credits ici, ici & ici

little lovely melita

introducing the little lovely melita

this amazing piece of art was done by a chica very close to my heart. connie, i love you!! you are the coolest chica i know!!

watch the making of the little lovely melita



check it out on her blog

AND

you can get a little lovely of your own

i truly love my little lovely and i know you will love yours too!