Mindfulness

Mindfulness has been coming up a lot lately. Within all of the breaking up of old thought patterns, fears, anxieties, stories there are moments of mindfulness. Thankfully! This shedding of old skin is no picnic, but I think it can be or that my acceptance in the process can be.

I'm in a store shopping with my sister. I start to sense a "strange" sensation in my body, immediately my mind races to understand it, define it. I've been experiencing a bit of anxiety lately, "Here it is again, I'm slipping!" Then the thought arises ~ just be with what is, apart from judgement of thought. Just observe what is in front of me, in the moment. I see a shelf, there is a blue and white box on it, next to it are other boxes, I am in a body walking around a store, I feel my feet in my shoes move on the ground....thought becomes simplified. I am in the moment, it feels timeless. I am aware of echoing thoughts categorizing, even judging, the items on the shelf - "oh that is used for this and I would never take that, it is a bunch of chemicals, bad for you". I acknowledge they are not my current thoughts but a previous identification. Somewhere there is relief that I have taken a step back from the uncomfortable chatter of judging something as negative. The negative chatter feels constricting. I feel liberated witnessing this, spaciousness...and strange at the same time. This feels like unknown territory. My worrisome mind is in wait ...waiting for the ball to drop. "Something must be wrong" echoes.

This has been happening to me more frequently lately. Intense bouts of strange, fear of loss of self counterbalanced by clarity and calm presence with what is, joy and excitement...all whilst I have been consciously cleaning out the cobwebs of my unconscious patterning. Can that be done consciously with the unconscious? Its like sensing something behind you and saying "ya, I want to move that out, I know its in there somewhere" but you never actually see it or are able to direct it in a clear way, you have to trust it will move with your focused intention. Maybe my blind spot is up for review ;) At any rate, letting that old stuff go. It is so overdue! Bring on the self-love and self-forgiveness. There is still some resistance to feel into. I'm thinking a structured routine of mindfulness meditation will help nurture this process.

I am happy to say that I have some allies to reflect back that I am OK. I also have some wonderful teachers I've been listening to...Pema Chodren, Thich Nhat Hahn, Kirstin Kirk, Adyashanti, Mary O'Malley. Thank you to them and the venues of YouTube and Batgap! My belief system is being expanded. Growing...oh, and thank you Jason Mraz for sharing your own transmutation of emotions in your songs - you've been my soundtrack!

In mindfulness.

Sensitive

Mimosa Pudica

The Sensitive Plant

It grows on the ground in fields and open grass, it is prolific on parts of the Hawaiian Islands.

Touch its leaves and it closes up immediately. It has a little pink pom-pom of a flower with extended delicate petals. Its fruit is pineapple-like in shape.

I like to stop and say hello when I see these plants. They remind me to be mindful of the ground I walk upon.

Talking to a friend

One thing that strikes me in my life is witnessing the unfolding awakening of a friend. In essence it comes from completely relating to what the person is going through, remembering my own walk and struggle through "it" and the realization that "this is what it was for", when there didn't seem to be any good reason at the time! It is exciting as the one observing to know that the opportunity for expansion and healing is happening but it is also humbling remembering how scary it was to walk through and how everything felt as though it were falling apart and breaking down into oblivion. Finding someone to share the experience with  in a safe way feels like coming up for air when the tidal wave of emotion has seemingly taken you under. We wrestle in our minds to understand our emotions but our intellect has no place there, our hearts do. We open to ourselves, our authenticity here. To cope we stayed on the surface but now we are being pulled to dive to the depths where we fear losing ourselves, when really we are being guided to be found. The degree to which we resist this change is the magnitude of our struggle and we must let go. Let go of "out there", "what if", "they", the stories we've woven over time....observe, accept, forgive, love. Most importantly - LOVE - every part of ourselves that we have hidden away, shunned, ostracized. FORGIVE ourselves for carrying the pain around so long. We play old internalized tapes that we picked up from parents, peers, society that still run the show. Let them go. It is not your job to hold and harbor these, they truly only scar yourself. Leave them to play on the beach somewhere without a care in the world, let them go so they can heal. This is YOUR journey, take a deep breath in and say THANK YOU for awakening to this realization. Allow the illusion that what is "out there" has power over you... to dissolve. Allow your focus to feel the pulse of your own existence, guiding it away from what others have done to you or the disappointment of how things haven't turned out the way you would have liked. Allow yourself to be SEEN, nurture and become present with those places longing for attention. We can hide away parts of ourselves and then place huge expectations on others to find them for us...when with courage we can pull those parts forward, accept them ourselves and share them as part of who we are. Value yourself, you're worth it, and we want to see you shine! <3

Kona Crab

Kona Crab! Who knew? I had only seen the small palm sized black crab on the Hawaiian islands until recently. It has been recommended to lightly sautee the meat in a pan with butter, a splash of white wine, and a drizzle of lemon juice. Yummmm - Bon Appetit!

Madras Sambar with Broccoli and Kale served with Savory Coconut Rice

Recipe Serves: 2-3


Ingredients

Madras Lentils:
1 can Madras Sambar - Toor Dal with Vegetables - by Jyoti Natural Foods
1 cup Broccoli, chopped
5 big leaves fresh Kale, chopped
1 Tbsp Olive oil

Coconut Rice:
1 cup White Short Basmati Rice
1 cup Coconut Cream (not coconut milk)
1 cup Vegetable Broth
1/2 bunch of Cilantro, chopped
1/3 c Almonds, roasted & chopped
1/4 Lime, zest
Salt to taste

Directions

Madras Lentils - heat olive oil on medium, add broccoli and kale, saute until broccoli softens 10+min, stir occasionally, just before broccoli is done add in Madras Sambar, stir until heated approx 3min.

Coconut Rice - place coconut cream, vegetable broth, and lime zest in pan on high, briefly bring to boil, add rice and reduce heat to low. Simmer until rice cooked, approx 20min., stirring frequently, then cover 1/2 way through. When rice is done remove from heat and stir in cilantro and almonds. Add salt to taste. Serve with lentils and veggies - enjoy!

Savory Coconut Rice and Madras Sambar with Broccoli & Kale

Grilled BBQ Chicken, Zucchini Spaghetti with Avocado Pesto, Mixed Greens Salad with Feta

Recipe Serves: 3 -4


Ingredients

BBQ Chicken:
6 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
Your favorite BBQ sauce

Zucchini Spaghetti w/ Avocado Pesto:
2 Med Zucchini, julienne sliced like spaghetti
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
Dash of salt & pepper

1 c loosely packed basil leaves
1/2 avocado
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 c water
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt (to taste)


Mixed Greens Salad:
3-4 cups mixed baby greens
2 Tbsp. Feta, crumbled
1/2 Medium Cucumber, halved & sliced
1/2 avocado, cubed
Favorite dressing - Recommend Annie's Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette 



Directions

Chicken - coat chicken thighs with BBQ sauce and grill on BBQ until cooked on both sides, flipping frequently (about 20min.)

Zucchini Spaghetti - heat olive oil in pan on medium heat, add garlic and cook for 2min until slightly brown, add zucchini and saute for 3 min, stir frequently. Add olives, salt & pepper and cook for 1 more minute. For Avo Pesto - combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth, add salt to taste. Top zucchini with pesto.

Mixed Greens Salad - add greens to large salad bowl, mix in feta, add cucumber, avocado and toss with dressing. Voila!

YUM!

Natural Decadence Gluten-free Graham Crackers ~ Support a great bakery on the rise!

Some friends of mine, Rosa Dixon and Milia Lando, started a gluten free bakery called Natural Decadence 1 year ago in Northern California. Rosa, a baker at heart, was quickly learning about gluten free cooking after her young daughter was diagnosed with Celiacs disease and multiple food allergies/sensitivities. Co-owner Milia also found herself with a number of food sensitivities that she was struggling to figure out and transform her diet around....as a result Natural Decadence was born. The response to their products has been astounding in such a short amount of time. They started with a small bakery and now their products can be found in numerous Whole Foods stores nationwide! Due to their dramatic growth they are currently in need of a new sheeter for their graham crackers - a top selling product. Please follow the link below and donate to their kickstarter campaign if you support gluten free foods or visit their website to order goodies, http://naturaldecadence.com. Donations of $25 or more receive a reward of their delicious baked goods!

Natural Decadence Gluten Free Bakery

Rosa Dixon and Milia Lando of Natural Decadence

Donate: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/naturaldecadence/natural-decadence-gluten-free-grahams

photos courtesy of NaturalDecadence.com