Peace and Fitness

Two Simple Words

May 19, 2012 by bonni 2 Comments

Every inhalation we think LOVE. Every exhalation we think GRATITUDE. Animation of a diaphragm exhaling and inhaling (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Having participated in other GO GRATITUDE group “experiments,” in the past, I always find their very simple meditations to be too easy and too good to pass up being a part of. The newest project is so simple and focuses on only two words…two of my favorite words. Love and gratitude. Beginning May 20th, the GO GRATITUDE people are suggesting we take time to do some deep breathing daily, for 42 days, focusing on the word LOVE with each inhalation and GRATITUDE with each exhalation. Imagine the beautiful energy that can come out of huge numbers of people around the world breathing love and gratitude? If you can, perhaps you would like to participate, too. With a loving heart and and an attitude of gratitude, all things are possible. For more info, go to the GO GRATITUDE link right here at peaceandfitness.com. or visit them at gogratitude.com

Filed Under: health and happiness, Meditation, On the peaceful side ·

You’re Getting Sleepy….Sleepy

February 16, 2012 by bonni 1 Comment

Image via Wikipedia

The other day I mentioned something that has been helping me get back to sleep in the middle of the night. It’s a lot like counting sheep, but seems to be working much better. While many suggest meditation, we all know during the night it is even harder to quiet all the chatter in our brains. There is a back story to what I have been doing. Always interested in the possibility of having past lives, years ago I read all the Brian Weiss books…Many Lives Many Master and the ones that followed. Dr. Weiss would take people through “regression” therapy, allowing them to become present in their own past. One technique he would use was to suggest his patient was walking in a a field and upon finding a door, they would enter and become in touch with their own selves in a previous life. While I did try this many times on my own, it never worked.

Fast forward to a week or two ago when I found myself watching an episode of the Twilight Zone (not the original series, but an updated one, from the 1980s). A therapist who was successful regressing her patients, was frustrated she couldn’t regress herself and though none of what happens in the episode matters, I found myself thinking about it, as well as an interview Oprah had done with Melissa Ethridge, post breast cancer. Melissa said the one thing that got her through the worst of times was meditating herself into a black hole. That stuck with me and I have used that black hole meditation during a couple of vertigo attacks and it worked to get my mind so far into the hole that the spinning stopped and I managed to sleep through the attacks.

In bed last week, I combined all this into a meditation where I am facing a black hole and each time I go through, I try to think of a big (but never sad) event from the first the current decade, (I cut off all my hair) than the past decade, (I got a tattoo) and continuing going back in time with the goal that I may trick my brain right into remembering a past life. The outcome…sleep. Every single time. Even though I use the same events each time I do this, keeping it very simple and focusing on traveling through the small black hole, I have NEVER made it to my childhood. Sleeps takes over and next thing I know, I am awake.

Because I am so interested in regression, I am drawn to this meditation nightly and have had some of my best sleep since before menopause! If I wake up, I am actually anxious to try again, blocking out all other thoughts, with ease. Since sleep is such an important part of our overall well being, and our weight and stress management, and I know so many people are struggling with getting enough, I thought I would share what is working for me. Of course, if you wanted to try something like this, you need to find something that YOU are very interested in and tweak this “exercise” so it works for you. I suggest keeping it simple so that your thoughts don’t drift too far from the black hole. Somehow that dark spot keeps me focused and I can almost feel myself slipping into it.

Image via Wikipedia

Perhaps the 4-7-8 breathing that I have been doing once a day is helping, too. Thanks Dr. Weil for sharing that one. My students and I are definitely practicing that one!

I have to take a moment to look upward and say thanks to my brother, Mike, who left this earth several years ago, but ironically evoked my interest in the Twilight Zone after he used to scare the life out of me, making me watch it as a child. Just another case of everything happening for a reason. What once kept me awake at night is now what has inspired a great sleeping “pill”. No wonder the mango tree we planted in his memory is finally blooming like crazy.

What alternatives to medication do you use to help you sleep at night? Many of us need all the suggestions we can get!

Have a happy Vegan Feast Thursday. My dinner menu theme this week is “if it’s not in the house already, it’s not gonna be on the table.” Creativity is calling in the kitchen, but first, one bigreddog and some sunshine are beckoning me outdoors and I am there.

Filed Under: Meditation, This and That ·

Another Tuesday in Paradise

April 12, 2011 by bonni Leave a Comment

I dont wear goggles but I do wear earplugs!

Here it is, Tuesday. The temperature where I live is expected to be in the low 90s. This doesn’t bother me at all as I see it as a great way to heat up my pool naturally…especially important since we do not have a heater for our pool. Today, after training with my morning client, I do plan on getting in my swim. I am increasing the number of laps much more rapidly this summer, than I did last, partly thanks to muscle memory and partly because last year I actually became a much more efficient swimmer. Now I am trying for about 25 laps on heavier work days and at least 30 on the days that are easy or no work days. The water feels so good on my land exercise beaten body and so good for my head as there is something about being beneath sound that is very meditative.

Speaking of meditation, yesterday, Dr. Oz was all about stress. The episode was called The Great American Stress test. I knew a little about it as my sister and her friends went to the taping a couple of weeks ago. It was fun to watch her in the audience while I got in my daily dose in the land of Oz. One of the people speaking about how to manage stress suggested we all need a sounding board. Girlfriends seem to know this and do it naturally. Men and their friends, not as much. A great point was made by Dr. Oz though, when he suggested this is one of the reasons meditation is so important…it gives us the opportunity to get some things out that we are storing, so even if you don’t feel you have a great sounding board, trust YOURSELF! Listen in. People have the idea that a good meditation means you never think…but in actuality, thoughts come and go naturally, just as an ocean has waves. They come …they go. Allowing our thoughts to air and then returning to the present is a perfect meditation, for any meditation, and all meditations are perfect ones.

I have entered a 30 day blog challenge. I wish I knew exactly what that means, but I somehow just followed some prompts and entered myself. 30 entries in 30 days. This I do anyway, so it seemed like a no-brainer. Now I see that each entry has to be at least 100 words and it was the entire month of April. Most of my blogs are well over 100 words, but I may need to go back and fluff up one or two that were not. While my readership has definitely increased over the months and months of blogging, this challenge seems like a good way to get some new readers. Spreading the word about my blog might help. I think a relatively easy way to do that might be if once and a while you find something on here of value and spread it! Since I post quotes almost every Sunday, if you would be kind enough to occasionally re-post on your Facebook page, or tweet, that would be so appreciated…or maybe a recipe or whatever it is that you would feel comfortable re-posting. Yesterday’s post was a good one to share. I say that because it was written by someone else and was a great study on human behavior and a reminder to SLOW DOWN. In any event, I NEVER want to “sell” myself to anyone, so always do whatever YOU are comfortable with. I do have a twitter account, and I understand from Kyle that my daily posts automatically get tweeted…I love writing and sharing info. I am NOT tech savvy and that is frustrating, but I think this might be a great way to learn. Learning new things is great for the mind and memory, so it’s all good! Thanks Kyle for your patience and help!!!!

I know that quite a few of you are dealing with personal injuries and illnesses and others are taking care of loved ones dealing with the same. I just want to let you all know that my thoughts are with you and I wish you PEACE in your bodies, minds and hearts.

The adorableness of my grand-kitty, Roxy, laying in front of the screen being extra adorable is making it rather hard for me to concentrate and type this morning. Time is up and I am out!!! See you at the gym, on the street, or right back here tomorrow morning. BL tonight! Have a great day.

Filed Under: Fitness, health and happiness, Meditation ·

Springing into Spring

March 21, 2011 by bonni Leave a Comment

Welcome to spring. Congratulations to Kyle and Nicole on their successful 5k this weekend. Great job, both of you! The farmer’s market was chock full of great produce at great prices yesterday, morning. We spent under 25 dollars and got so much great stuff. Last night I made myself the same thing I sometimes order at Big Bear…a grilled veggie platter, with black beans and rice. The funniest thing about ordering that is you get asked what side veggie you want…with your veggies…so last night, I also make some spicy grilled corn on the cob and that was the side veggie. I made the platter for 2 and Mitch and I pigged out on that (while he had a side of steak, which was a treat as he hardly eats red meat.

This meal followed a wonderful first day of spring. After the farmer’s market, Mitch went to see the Marlins and Mets play their spring training game, in Jupiter. He took some pictures of Anabel Sanchez, who pitched in yesterday’s game. I am not sure if he still is, but he certainly was following a vegan diet and he does look quite lean! While he took himself out to the ballgame, our home hosted a bridal shower and it was such a nice occasion. Congratulations, Jamie (and Ryan) on your upcoming wedding. Can’t wait to dance my butt off. This weekend we learned that it takes a village to make a bridal shower, but I think the day turned out beautifully!

When everyone left, I jumped in the pool and got in my 20 laps and then we started grilling all those goodies. Lisa brought me a kohlrabi from her garden and having never tasted one before, Mitch and I enjoyed the new experience. It tasted a lot like radish, to me and I am now excited that I have a few growing in the garden, also thanks to Lisa. I just can’t wait till I the Thursday (hopefully soon) that I can harvest enough from the garden to make a salad big enough for the VFT crew. I feel it coming soon. It is, after all, spring! The reddening strawberries are gorgeous. I need to plant more!!!!

As for the apple cider vinegar, it has definitely become a twice a day habit in my life now. I am hooked on the results and so I will continue this practice probably forever. I wonder if it is helping with my hot flashes, too?!?! I am realizing I haven’t really been having them. This weekend, I read that woman with severe hot flashes said their quality of life was improved after taking 8 weeks of mindfulness classes that included meditation and stretching exercises. According to this study, the mindfulness classes were helping women to better cope with their symptoms. Maybe yoga, meditation and a daily dose of ACV is the prescription for better dealing with this mid-life nuisance!

This morning, the news reported that the city of Miami is now building outdoor gyms, open to the public! The gyms looked awesome and what a great way to get a FREE workout. NO MORE EXCUSES. Imagine if this were to happen in every city all over the world? The idea of people outside, working out in the open air and sunshine. SO SMART! I love it. THAT is great news.

Kyle recently commented on how, since I take pictures, I should be putting them up on the site instead of using clip art, or the photo gallery that he has connected me to, which automatically bring up some relevant photos. I need some time to sit down and figure out his instructions. I’ll get there. But for now, it’s time to get moving. Have an awesome first Monday of spring. Wherever you are, keep in mind, in spring, all things are possible!

Filed Under: Fitness, Holidays and celebrations, Meditation, This and That ·