Expanding Our Views: One Month at a Time vol. 23 No Images? Click here
 
   
 

Jul - I - Am

 
 
 

The theme for July is "I am!"

So this month's newsletter is a compilation of quotes and ideas, ending with a long personal story, because that is what I am.  A culmination of the teachings and theories that have crossed my path throughout the years, adding up to a unique life journey. Join me.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Release to Find Balance & Harmony

This is an excerpt from a book by Dr. Vasant Lad called "Ayurveda - The Science of Self-Healing". Ayurveda is a system of healing and keeping the body in harmony that came out of India and has been practiced for over 5000 years:

"Toxins are also created by emotional factors. Repressed anger, for example, completely changes the flora of the gallbladder, bile duct and small intestine and aggravates Pitta, causing inflamed patches on the mucous membranes of the stomach and small intestine. In a similar manner, fear and anxiety alter the flora of the large intestine. As a result, the belly becomes bloated with gas, which accumulates in pockets of the large intestine causing pain. Often this pain is mistaken for heart or liver problems. Because of the ill-effects of repression, it is recommended that neither the emotions nor any bodily urge, such as coughing, sneezing and passing gas, should be repressed. 

Ayurveda recommends that emotions be observed without detachment and then allowed to dissipate. When emotions are repressed, that repression will cause disturbances in the mind and eventually in the functioning of the body."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Impermanence

This is the nature of reality. Nothing is permanent. What we resist persists. We are consciousness, and where we project our consciousness will determine our experiences. When we believe our thoughts or emotions are permanent states and either cling to or resist them, we create suffering for ourselves. We can let our thoughts and emotions toss us around - or we can ride them like a surfer riding waves on an ocean. Our thoughts and tumultuous emotions, like the waves themselves, pass. Our mind, like the ocean, remains untouched.  

                      ~Diana DelMonte, Why You Should Listen When Your Animals Don't: How Your Animal's Behaviour and Health Mirror Who You Are.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

On why I try to speak so positively, even if I'm not exactly feeling that way:

Because if that's what I think about, then that's what will appear in front of me.

                                 ~Me

 
 
 
 
 
 

Sometimes we grow most through suffering, loss, and betrayal. The unexpected breakups that befell us deepen our capacity to lead an authentic and free life.

Often by working our way through our difficulties, our ability to love and feel compassion deepens, along with the wisdom that will help us through similar problems in the future.

And learning how to survive our own difficulties is one of the few things that will help us to know the right things to say and do when others whom we love suffer as well.

                                     ~ From this beautiful site: Mystic Mamma

 
 
 
 
 

A Little Light Reading 

~Take From It What You Will

The pattern of the universe is based on a system of cosmic physics which is gradually being revealed to man as he develops the faculties to use this wisdom in his daily life.

Sir Isaac Newton expressed one of the most important of these universal axioms when he stated his Third Law of motion: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." This is a primary postulate of physics which every high-school student has had to learn in the course of his or her studies.

Some occultists call this same concept the Law of Karma. More fully expressed, it means that the creative force of life reveals itself through a continuum of events propelled through time and space by desire.

 
 
 

This desire is for self-expression and results in actions which cause reactions of the same intensity and type as those of the original stimuli.

In other words, when applied to man, the Law of Karma is embodied in the biblical maxim, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." It is vital that Man, in order to reap abundantly of the harvests of his desires, be made more conscious of his methods of sowing.

If his seeds are pure and he plants at the right time, he will have plenty for himself and others. If he tries to satisfy his hungers, no matter what form they may take, by going against the laws of the cosmos, the resulting Karma, the resulting crop, will be such that he will feed himself and others on the poisonous nature of his created negativity.

~Complete Astrology, Alan Oken

 
 
 
 
 

That which we wish to retain is retained better with less expenditure of effort.

~Anonymous

 
 
 
 
 

A Personal Story

I've spent years going to the gym, doing "hard core" workouts and experimenting with different cleanses and ways of eating. I've done 45 day Paleo challenges, The Master Cleanse, juice cleanses, fruit cleanses, and many things in between.

For example: this time last year I had been on a 4 month gym streak of 4-5 days/week and was eating really well as I'm known to do. The scale didn't budge. Then I did the Master Cleanse and lost 8-10 lbs (I'm 5'2", so that's fairly significant). However, I was incredibly tired by the end of it and never quite regained my strength, having headaches all through August and finally crashing in September, spending a solid week in bed and 3 more to finally feel strong again. (Only now after studying Ayurveda do I understand that fasts are not actually good for my body constitution, and definitely not in the middle of summer).

After that experience I realized I needed to stop (working out so hard, running around so much, putting so much pressure on myself with the whole acting career). Instead, I started focusing on Reiki and the energetic healing work that up to that point had just been my "survival job".

Fast forward to January. I looked back at the last few months and thought "wow, I've been really happy these last few months."

 
 
 

In November I had started working out again and basically kept injuring myself. I would take several days off to heal, and then as soon as it did something else would get injured. It was ridiculous because I wasn't actually doing anything dangerous or hard. It was as if my body was playing a practical joke on me. So I finally listened to what it was saying, surrendered, and stopped doing anything except yoga, once in a while.

Then I took a 50 hour yoga teacher training focusing on Ayurveda. It was every weekend for 4 weeks. The most significant thing I changed was making sure I ate a good meal around noon and cutting down on meat and dairy, which miraculously curbed my cravings at night. I was also drinking a concoction of hibiscus & neem powder in the morning with aloe vera juice (this will be different for everyone based on their individual constitution). I also did a yoga class maybe 3 times a week. DURING THOSE 4 WEEKS I WATCHED THE SCALE GO DOWN. It was incredible. I have never lost weight so easily in my life.

Some bodies LOVE vigorous exercise, however some bodies do NOT. There is no one size fits all. My point in telling this story is that I had been exercising and dieting the wrong way for years, thinking I was being healthy when in fact I was actually doing more harm than good.

 
 
 

Once I started listening to my body, instead of trying to impose what I thought was good for it, (2 workouts a day are great! Right??? Cut calories to lose weight for that film project! Good for my career, right???) it finally started releasing the excess weight. I bet that excess weight was stress from everything I was imposing on it...

That 8 -10 lbs I lost during the cleanse came back by January. However, I am now at almost the same weight I was at when I finished the cleanse, except this time I feel amazing instead of drained. Learning about Ayurveda and how to keep harmony in my body answered years of questions and now informs my choices on a daily basis.

One last example: This time two years ago I was (again) in a diligent regime, but with yoga, sometimes doing 2 classes a day. After a week of Bikram (hot yoga), I broke out and proceeded to have the worst acne I had ever had in my life. I didn't recognize myself when I looked in the mirror. It was a tough 8 months. I now understand that the fire in my body was fed way too much, (hot yoga, middle of summer, running around from class to class carrying my mat, AND working and shooting a feature film on top of that). While doctors wanted to feed me antibiotics and face exfoliates, what I really need was to cool down internally.

Listen to your body. Heed it's message. It will make life a lot easier.