Peace / Health / Strength

5 minutes

Inhale: Peace / Health / Strength for Self
Exhale: Peace / Health / Strength for my Family
Hands: Vitaka Mudra

While getting situated outside for my morning meditation I spotted the Feeder Guard. I hung hummingbird feeders out a few days ago and already have a little feathered protector of the nectar. He chases away the other little hummingbirds all day long and never strays far from my backyard. I'll have to keep the feeders full, he'll need much energy to defend his territory all day long.

The 5 minute meditation passed quickly again this morning. At first I had to still my mind by thinking "Inhale Peace / Health / Strength for Me" "Exhale Peace / Health / Strength for my Family." I visualized their presence, worked on opening my heart and on projecting colors onto my closed eyelids (mostly *yellow: heart and *white: spirituality). The hand mudra I used today was comfortable, resting gently on my knees with thumb and middle finger lightly touching. It felt like they melted into one another and became one. I could hear the guard chirping throughout the duration of my stillness but could not spot him when I came out of meditation.

My knees are feeling good today.
I noticed tightness in my traps from my Wednesday workout.

I'm finding it difficult to meditate everyday but am inspired after Thursday nights class each week. I really enjoyed the Eastern Philosophy documentary I watched in class last night.

*I didn't know what the colors signified until I looked them up.

Happiness / Peace

5 minutes

Inhale: Happiness for Self
Exhale: Peace for Aunt
Hands: Dharmachakra Mudra

This morning I focused on breathing in happiness for myself. On my exhalation I offered peace and tranquility to my Aunt Bonny.

It took longer for the 5 minutes to pass and I asked myself how long it had been a couple of times. The hand mudra I used today was a bit uncomfortable since they weren't resting but were active the entire time. Again, I could hear the birds singing and the soft roar of morning traffic.

My knees are still achy.

I am going for a 2 mile run and then an intermediate yoga class.

Resolve to be Strong

Today I will be loving, compassionate and understanding with my husband.
Today I will be patient with people.
Today I will smile and say hi to one stranger.

Today I will eat nothing cooked.
Today I will drink juice and water only.
Today I will be strong against temptation.

For lunch today I had 10 oz of freshly juiced fruits: Mango / Strawberry / Blueberry / Grape. Ten oz of juice yeilds so much 'waste!' My solution to it is to pour it into an air-tight container and eat it later!

2 oz of fruit 'waste'
2 oz of yocheese
1/4 oz of soaked walnuts
Mix, enjoy.

Yummy!

Morning Meditation

5 minutes

Inhale: Love and Patience
Exhale: Strength
Hands: Vitaka Mudra

This morning I focused on breathing in love and patience relating to my husband and the people I come in contact with today. On my exhalation I focused on strength against temptations.

I could hear the birds singing and the soft roar of morning traffic. I was surprised at how quickly 5 minutes passed.

My knees were a bit achy.

Tempted

Chocolate cake with Chocolate raspberry rum filling...

Today is a co-workers birthday and there will be delicious cake from Cathy's Rum Cakes served for everyone’s enjoyment. Everyone except for me. I'll be singing "Happy Birthdayyyyyy" with a big ol’ smile on my face and then sitting and watching everyone enjoy their cake - shoveling it gently into their mouths. *sigh* I do adore cake. On top of the sitting and NOT having cake, I may have to endure the comments about how one bite "isn't going to kill me." I'm not conquering the food obsession today.

Home for Lunch

Went home for lunch today and had my spinach / apple juice (yes, organic - yes, fresh). My husband was home enjoying some delightful fast food that filled the entire kitchen with smells of some delight. SO, I just had to have some cheese, followed by my peanut butter / yogurt mix, and some dried fruit and nuts. *good grief* I still wasn't completely satisfied by the time I was done but had to call it quits. *just*stop*eating*

*arrrrgh*

Tomorrow is Friday. All or nothing. *stop*eating*

I'm so weak. *sigh*

Half a slice of cake later, I sit here with my tummy all upset.

(not) Juice Fasting

Taught my 6 a.m. aerobics class this morning and felt pretty good. No bonking - had lots of energy.

Drank 16 oz of spinach / apple juice for lunch today along with some "cheese crackers." I really went all out last night by endulging in a salad and some cooked corn chips and salsa. I didn't feel guilty while I was eating them, but felt gross this morning. I just felt all bloated from so much sodium. *blah*

After I taught class tonight I came home and had 1 oz of peanut butter mixed with 1 oz of yocheese and a dash of cinnamon. So yummy. I couldn't resist having a few raisins and a dried slice of pineapple.

I'm supposed to be juice fasting. *arrgh*

Master Cleanser / Raw Eating

"Man lives on one quarter of what he eats.
On the other three quarters lives his doctor."
Inscription on Egyptian pyramid, 3800 BC.

Master Cleanser Journals
WEBlog: Jim Garland
10 Days To A Healthier, Leaner, Detoxified Body
Forget Magazine - The Master Cleanse

Master Cleanser
Master Cleanse Worksheet
The Amazing Health Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water

Fasting
Introduction To Fasting
Maintaining Nutritional Balance
Nutritional Program for Fasting
Therapeutic Fasting
My First Water Fast
Fasting and Calorie Restriction
Gain and Loss of Weight During Fasting
Overview of Different Fasts
How and When to Be Your Own Doctor: Fasting
MoonDragon Health & Wellness
The Health Benefits of Fasting

Breaking a Fast
How to Break a Fast
ChetDay.com Breaking the Fast
HealthRecipes.com Breaking the Fast
About.com Break a Fast
Google Search: fasting how to break

Raw Food
Rhio's Raw Energy
Burn Fat Faster By Eating More Raw Food
Raw Food Recipes
Living Food and Raw Food Recipes
Vegetarian Site Raw Food Recipes
Shazzie.com Recipes
Raw Times.com Recipes
Chocolate and Zucchini.com (Some Raw)

Raw Muscles
Raw Bodybuilding Food Recipes
Vegan Lifting Nutrition Basics
Interview With A Raw-Food Bodybuilder
Muscles Maintained

Raw Food Articles
Living and Raw Foods Articles and Information

Phibi's Juicer
Breville 800JE

Juicing Recipes
HealingDaily.com
FreedomYou.com
Living-Foods.com
Mercola.com
HealthRecipes.com
PaleoFood.com

Dehydrator Recipes
RecipeZaar.com Dehydrator Recipes
HungryMonster.com Dehydrator Recipes

Say No to Artificial Sweetners
Sweet Misery--A Poisoned World (free video)
Aspartame: Diet-astrous Results
Perilous Pathways: Environmental Chemicals and Environmental Illness
Splenda Exposed
The Lethal Science Of Splenda

Say Yes to Natural Sweetners
Sugar Alternatives: Six All Natural Sweeteners

On a somber note

Unfortunately we had to make a tough decision and let Smokey go on Monday, Sept. 4. I hadn’t been prepared to make the decision so soon. We found out the Friday before that he had cancer in his spleen and liver. The cancer in his spleen was causing bleeding into his stomach. I asked my boss if I could bring him to work to keep an eye on him and she said yes. He slept in his doggy bed or in my lap for those last few days. It was so calming to have him with me everyday. Such a sweet little man. Everytime I'd get up he'd lift his frail body out of bed and follow me around, wagging his tail whenever I looked at him. I got to spend a lot of time with him that week. *sigh*

He started not feeling well and began bleeding into his tummy sometime Sunday, Sept. 3 – he’d been sleeping on the floor instead of the bed, very uncharacteristic of him. We figured out that he was sleeping on the floor because he didn’t have the energy to jump onto the bed. His little tummy was all distended and he hadn’t eaten for a few days, so we knew it was most likely blood. We had been told that IV fluids and a blood transfusion could be an option (before) but the emergency vet said that with the blood transfusion, he’d simply continue to bleed the new blood into his tummy and that it’d only extend his life for a few more hours. His little tongue was colorless and his heart was beating 1000 miles per hour since it had no blood to pump through it. He was too weak to walk or even hold his little head up - it was terrible. We arrived at the emergency vet around 9:30 and stayed until almost 4 p.m. trying to come to terms with the decision that had to be made. Sven held him in his arms and I nuzzled his head when it was time. We were both crying like crazy…

I'll have to write a Smokey story when I'm feeling up to it. Right now it makes me so sad.