Thankful - ever thankful

Usually as another year comes to a close I am so filled with hope for the new year that I don't really reflect upon the closing year - well at least not in a positive manner.  I generally think "good riddance - that was a painful year".  Then I saw that one of my favorite yogi (@kathrynbudig) jumped out of a plane for her first solo skydive as a thank you gift to 2011.  That got me thinking.....

At first I was pretty convinced that it would be much easier to write my intentions for 2012 than it would be to find much to be thankful to 2011 for....NOT SO!!!

I found so many big - huge - things that happened this year that made me so filled with joy and hope and inspiration.  I took joy from friends having excellent years - getting new jobs, having babies, buying their first home (some doing more than one of these in 2011).  Then I realized that there were as many small things to be thankful to 2011 for - including being able to sit outside in the warm sunshine while I wrote down my thoughts!!

I hope this is an exercise that you will consider.  It was a very uplifting experience.  Gratitude is so precious and as 2011 ticks away, I am profoundly grateful for so many people, experiences and opportunities to learn.  I defined this year, when all was said and done, as the year that I moved more fully into who I am.  I am calling it metamorphosis.  So to each of you - many thanks for 2011 and continued blessings for 2012.

Namaste,

Julie

This is not the way forward

On the anniversary of women be "given" the right to vote - Christine O'Donnell sets the women's movement back 40 years.

Dear Ms. O'Donnell:

In my opinion, if you publically speak out against masturbation and your support of abstinence for teens you have opened the door for debate on these views.  I find it reprehensible that this woman is claiming that someone asking her about topics - that she herself brought into the public arena and has recently written about in her new book - is creepy.  I find it creepy that you, Ms. O'Donnell went on an MTV show and discussed masturbation.  Really creepy actually.  Like incredibly creepy.  How dare you get upset when someone asks you about your position - especially when you are out trying to get publicity for yourself - I mean your "book".  Let me just tell you something...you can NOT throw around words like "sexual harrassment" so casually.  Many women face true harrassment in their work and lives.  You suggesting that this interviewer was bordering on harrassment is naive, slanderous and childish.  YOU spoke about these topics.  YOU bring them up in your book (supposedly - but of course I won't be reading and supporting your "literary" effort).  YOU are out in public doing interviews.  YOU can not dictate how the public treats you.  Piers Morgan was asking you to define your current positions on these topics.  That's his JOB. And any interviewer worth his or her salt will hone in on the topics the interviewee is trying to wiggle out of.  Which for you, seem many. This woman has no place in business or politics.  She has set the women's movement back 40 years and made it even harder for women who face true harrassment to be heard and believed.  I am offended and appalled by this woman.  Please don't support her in any way.

O'Donnell: Morgan's questions were 'creepy': http://on.today.com/oJwfqL via @todayshow

Health Benefits of Yoga

An article by Deepak Chopra, MD on the health benefits of yoga.

http://www.thevisualmd.com/expert_panel/deepak_chopra_md/weekly_health_tip_yoga%E2%80%99s_health_benefits

Special-needs students use meditation to control behavior - Philly.com

Practicing meditation is a great stress-reliever and has been shown to have physiological benefits as well. It's no wonder that applying these techniques have also provided relief to the growing number of children with ADHD and ASD.

Special-needs students use meditation to control behavior - Philly.com

Yoga Journal - Yoga Ayurveda - Yoga for Your Dosha

Yoga is one of the four pillars of health and wellness in a balanced Ayurvedic lifestyle. And although many people have tried yoga, most are unfamiliar with the holistic approach to wellbeing that Ayurveda can bring to their life. So although the practice of yoga is a fantastic body/mind/spirit exercise, you should factor in your particular dosha to help you determine the best form/style of yoga for you. All yoga is not created equal when it comes to supporting your particular dosha. Although "hot" yoga (Bikram) is currently very trendy, if you are predominately Pitta, this form of yoga would actually be detrimental to you as it increases the fire in your system and puts you even more out of balance. Some of the symptoms you may find after attending a hot yoga session are skin erruptions, heartburn and even anger - all signs that Pitta is too high. However, Kapha people would do well to ignite their core in this manner so it would be an excellent option for them. So use your dosha as a guide and select the yoga style that is most supportive to keeping you in balance. And remember that by incorporating Ayurveda into your "off-the-mat" practice you can increase your vitality even more.

Yoga Journal - Yoga Ayurveda - Yoga for Your Dosha

TEDxAustin Robyn O'Brien 2011

The video of Robyn O'Brien's TED presentation is an eye-opening account of how our food supply, and the subsidies that support it, have created an American crisis, not just a health crisis, but an economic one as well. Using her industry analyst skills, Robyn investigated food allergies and why they are climbing as such astronomical rates. Some of her research is presented in the video below. It is an engaging, and frightening, presentation.

Did you know that if a person moves to the US their chance of getting cancer goes up 4-fold?!? And that organic farmers not only do not get subsidies from the government, they have to pay additional fees to go through the certification process? No wonder organic food is more expensive. But is it? The rise in healthcare costs associated with environmental disease costs 16% of our GDP. And if 9 out of 10 cases of breast cancer are environmentally-linked as opposed to genetically - doesn't that mean we should be funneling resources to improve the quality of the environment and food supply? As Ayurveda teaches, it is not about treating the SYMPTOM, true health is achieved by determining the root of symptomatic discomfort and restoring the body to balance. It seems that by addressing the food supply issues in Robyn O'Brien's talk we would finally be focusing on the root of the healthcare issue in our country.

Natural Beauty | Ayurvedic Beauty Rituals

Ayurveda believes that looking good is a reflection of health. It makes sense really. Glowing skin, strong nails and luxurious hair are all outward signs of internal health. But so too taking care of our outward health can improve our internal health. Topical applications of essential oils and herbal poultices can provide a tremendous boost to our internal functioning. In that vane, here is an article from Yoga Journal regarding some of the natural beauty rituals of Ayurveda. Try out some of their suggestions and let me know how you feel.

Natural Beauty Ayurvedic Beauty Rituals

Shopping Cart

I am working diligently on creating a shopping cart so that reorders will be easier for my clients.  I'm not exactly a programming whiz, but I'm getting the hang of it and should be able to unveil it prior to the Lake Mary Farmer's Market this coming Saturday.  So stay tuned!!

Yoga halves irregular-heartbeat episodes: study | Reuters

Yoga halves irregular-heartbeat episodes: study Reuters

Ayurveda

Ayurveda is Sanskrit for “Science of Life” and is a holistic system of breath, movement, meditation and nutrition.  Based on a 5000 year old tradition of healing, Ayurveda seeks to help each individual live in balance with their own unique constitution.  When a person becomes unbalanced from their natural set-point, symptoms and disease present themselves as an indication to re-align their lifestyle to be in harmony with their true nature.

 The main tenet of Ayurveda is in that the human body is composed of the exact same elements as the Universe and each unique individual has varying amounts of these elements within.  This unique combination of elements makes up our constitution (or dosha).  There are five elements:  Fire, Water, Earth, Air and Space.  Space or Ether is probable one many of us are unfamiliar with. Space is the openness within which matter can exist or the emptiness in which the other elements can exist.  It can be thought of as vibration and is represented by sound.

According to Ayurveda, we are all born with all five of these elements in different strengths and combinations. This natural and unique setpoint is called our constitution or dosha.  When we are predominated by Fire and Water, we are said to be the dosha of Pitta.  Air and Space is called Vata and Earth and Water predominated people are Kapha.  Since we all have each of the five elements, most of us are combination of the three main doshas:  Pitta/Kapha, Vata/Pitta, Kapha/Vata.  True wellbeing, with the absence of disease, is achieved when we maintain balance of the elements according to our unique doshas.  Symptoms of unbalance manifest themselves in different ways based on the dosha that is out of balance.

In a more simplistic manner – have you noticed that when certain people get upset they have intestinal distress when others break out in hives or others start sweating profusely?  We all have different ways that we manifest unbalance.  Some people scream and yell.  Others get very quiet. Some cry, some laugh.  Many times we attribute such things to “human nature” and that is partially correct.  It is more accurate to say that we behave in such a way based on our dosha.

Throughout this blog, we will talk about doshas and how to determine our own and what we can do to identify what throws us out of balance and what can help us remain in balance.  It is not a “one size fits all” approach.  It is about getting to know ourselves and using the techniques that will balance us – not everyone, just us.  Not the fad of the day, or the low-fat/carb/taste diet of the moment.  It is about getting to know how our bodies are made and allowing them to live in balance according to our unique needs.  We will talk about taste and movement and mediation and smell and sleep and sound.  It is a holistic approach because health is not achieved in a vacuum.  And we will explore how purpose can impact the outcome.

With that…

Namaste,

Julie

Farmer's Market Success!

Well Saturday marked my first adventure at the Sanford Farmer's Market and it was so much fun!!  I've spent the past 2 months at the flea market but the demographic is not quite right for an organic/natural bath and body product line.  But the experience was valuable in helping me prepare for the farmer's market.  It is an incredible little market with such amazing products!  I've already made friends and found many new clients - and that was on the first day!  I can't wait to be considered a regular fixture there!! 

The farmer's market is located in the courtyard area off of First Street in downtown Sanford.  http://www.sanfordfl.gov/events/farmers_market.html

If you are interested in the products I produce, you can check out my website at http://www.pranaholistic.com/.  The shopping cart will be functioning soon, but in the meantime, you can email me at info@pranaholistic.com if you see something you like.

Real Food

Prana is abundant in “real” foods, especially foods that are cooked fresh and consumed right away.  Not only does that tomato you just picked in the garden have more taste than the ones you buy at the grocery store that have been picked prior to being ripe to endure a long-distance journey to your local supermarket, they also have more Prana.  More Prana means that your body will be able to process the food more proficiently and benefit even more from the nutrients the tomato possesses. Although we have all been told “you are what you eat”, in Ayurveda it is actually “you are what you digest”.  Bottom line, we digest food with more Prana much more efficiently.

So you live in the middle of New York City and can’t grow your own tomatoes?  OK – I’ve been there.  But with a little creativity, I was able to manage to get my hands on really fresh vegetables all year long.   Here are some options….

Use indoor growing mediums such as hydroponics to grow small vegetables and herbs at home

I loved walking into my living room to pick fresh lettuces for my salad!  And the full-spectrum lighting that is used to grow plants indoors is a great mood enhancer if, like me, you suffer Seasonal Affective Disorder from the long, dark winters.

Take advantage of community gardens to grow your own food

In my neighborhood there were multiple gardens to choose from. These are great urban oases that are doing a tremendous job in bringing agriculture into the inner city.  Google “community gardens” in your city for a local listing of options.

Work with a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group or co-op and get in-season fresh vegetables each week

Buy shares in a working farm which entitle you to a certain amount of produce each week.  Some co-ops and CSA’s have a work requirement as part of their membership, such as so many hours working in the co-op.  In New York, another option is to try Urban Organics for fresh organic produce delivered fresh from the farm to your door each week.

Shop at the local farmer’s market

Of course New York’s Union Square is a fantastic market, but local communities have many of their own markets to choose from.

For a list of local farmer’s markets and CSA’s, check out:  http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/

Real food is one of the easiest ways to increase Prana. We all eat.  So if you start making food choices that increase your Prana you can make a profound impact on your wellbeing.

 Start incorporating real food into your meals and see what affect it has on you.

With Purpose and Prana,

Julie

Prana

Prana – or “vital life” – is found in the air we breathe, the food we eat, the vibrations of the music we listen to, the aromas that surround us and the circulation of our blood through our body as we move.  It is energy and the force of life.

Increasing Prana is a major component to a healthy lifestyle.  Many of us have been told to increase whole foods in our diets, reduce processed foods, increase activity levels, and reduce stress.  This “increase-this-and-reduce-that” mentality can really be summed up very easily by saying – Increase Prana.

So today, think about this…

Observe your actions during the day.  Take a moment to determine if the actions you have taken or are about to take will increase Prana or not.

Some examples:

As you wait for the elevator, would it increase Prana more to take the stairs?  And is it realistic to do so?

As you put a frozen entrée into the microwave for lunch, ask if it is increasing Prana or not.  Would adding a salad of mixed greens increase it more?

At the grocery store, do you bypass the carrots with the stems for the neatly processed and packaged “baby carrots”?  Which do you think have the most nutrients intact and would increase Prana more?  The ones straight from the ground with minimal processing or the ones that have been through a gauntlet of equipment to shave and cut them into unnatural “baby” sizes and package them?

On Saturday morning, would it increase Prana to take the family to an open-air farmer’s market?

These are but a few examples of how when you take a moment to think about your actions, you can make more purposeful choices to increase Prana.  It does not have to be a radical re-design of your life.  It is simply making an effort to be more conscious of what you are doing and recognizing where you are increasing Prana and where you are not.

With Purpose and Prana,

Julie

The Launch!

I am very excited to launch the Purpose and Prana blog!  Welcome!

Why Purpose and Prana? 

Well I have found that being a "Type A" personality with "new age" tendencies often appears to be oxymoronic.  How does one meditate or enter a state of deep relaxation but yet be motivated by purpose?  Doesn't that put too much pressure on the meditation session?  Wouldn't you just sit there "thinking" the whole time?  And can't that stress you out even more????  Well sure.....but.....

Purpose also allows us to set our intentions more firmly and stay grounded in the present moment which is a key component of maintaining the "gap" of meditation and the ability to stay calm and relaxed during the day.  By applying purpose consistently I have experienced more joy and success than if I leave purpose out of the equation of my life.  Purpose is not at odds with adopting a more holistic approach to living.  It can and does compliment and reinforce this approach.

This blog is dedicated to helping us all achieve a more holistic lifestyle, increase prana in our lives and purposefully make decisions that bring us balance and wellbeing.

So now....let's take a deep breath in and exhale slowly.  That is the most basic of all ways to increase your Prana.  Breathe in and out with purpose for a few breaths and see how great it feels to have the energy and oxygen circulate through your body.

Welcome to my blog!  I hope you enjoy it and we can all learn from each other.

Namaste.