Louise Hay leads the way in guiding us all to becoming the person we want to be.

saying "be in the moment, be in the now" is very well and good,

but it is not a roadmap to how to do it. how to do it is still a mystery.

louise hay lays it out like apples, peaches and pears on a golden kitchen table flooded with golden light. she teaches, gently, how to think. how to forgive and how to heal.

these things are hard for most to comprehend. i was for me.

but louise shows the way. this is just one of many of her magical, accessible recordings.

don't judge, just listen. give it a chance. it works!

mindful action

 

yesterday's post included the word lazy. "don't be lazy" was the message.

and although this is the point, i believe the way i presented the information was incomplete. but also the way our culture perceives laziness, and busyness is loaded with trap-doors. there is a "you gotta win" thing connected with everything these days. happiness is associated with winning, which implies being better than the next girl or guy. but life is not a race. it is a path.

there is a finish line, but it is not owning the biggest house or being on the cover of Vanity Fair. no, the finish line is death. our task, if life is a task, is to find purpose and passion along the way. life is about connecting with ourselves so that we can better connect with others. (first take the thorn out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.)

it is easy to let thing get complicated. it is difficult to keep thing simple. simplicity is the key. but don't get confused. simplicity is not being lazy about how you think or what you do, rather, it is being diligent about taking mindful action.

the body+mind+spirit is one. meditation does not always mean sitting on a pillow in a quiet dimly lit room, it may mean saying yes to the right things to eat while letting go of the urge to satisfy one's "love me now flavor sensation of corn chips and chocolate". not being lazy means doing your homework, shopping and chopping, walking out the door with a 2, 4 or 6 mile goal on your mind. it's not only knowing what you should do, but taking the action to do what you should do.

mindful action. being present in the moment. moving more & eating less.  simplicity.        connecting with others.   taking risks, doing new things. becoming our bigger selves. sharing our gifts.

wabi-sabi weight loss

Wabi-sabi is not only a style, but a Japanese philosophy based in Zen and built on three principles: nothing lasts, nothing ends, and nothing is perfect. “Wabi” means a deliberate humility, a lack of materialism, and a deep connection with the environment. “Sabi” is different. It literally translates as “bloom of time.” Taken together, Wabi-Sabi is a worldview that perceives beauty in roughness, elegance in imperfection, and serenity in the natural process of decay. Wabi-Sabi is homespun and homemade, the chip on the lip of a pot, the patina on a copper box, the new colors and textures objects take on as they age. More than just aesthetics, wabi-sabi extends into all parts of life. It’s a philosophy that believes enlightenment comes with the acceptance of material impermanence.

So how does Wabi Sabi come into weight loss? For me, calming down and accepting things (and myself) for what they are helps me stay focused on what is true. Thoughtless commercial food consumption is an extension of materialism (and probably hoarding). It is that haunting need to have more. To have the bright shiny thing that comes in a package: a big mac, a snickers, a deep-fried happy hour special that comes piled high on a plate. Wabi sabi is not like that. Wabi Sabi is quiet. It is humble, like an ordinary apple, a bowl of black beans or a handful of green beans. Wabi Sabi is pure, and intentional, and imperfect.

i am worthy, grateful, mindful and strong.

knowing i am on the right path in my head is one thing. knowing it in my body is another. i struggle sometimes, so i am dedicating today's blog post to the ideas i need to internalize. i am about to begin the process, a new one for me, of quieting my mind. some call this meditation. i will call it my "practice". please share with me and others exeriences you have had with meditation in the comments area below. and if you haven't done so already, join our community by signing up for email at the top of the column on the right. peace!