Thursday, December 04, 2008

Aromatherapy and Ayurveda Favorites


What Kind of Ayurvedics would suit you? There's a quiz from a previous blog on this topic. Pretty interesting stuff: http://dmfengshuilife.blogspot.com/2008/10/ayurveda-approach.html

I am often asked which Ayurvedic and Aromatherapy products I like. I like the combination of proven herbs and gentle pure products. One style does not fit all, but here are some of my favorite products:

For Aromatherapy: Arbonne: http://helpingfriends.myarbonne.com/

Arbonne Seasource Detox Spa Full Set

Arbonne Sea Salt Scrub exfoliating action of dead surface cells revealing brighter, healthier-looking skin Key Ingredients: Avocado and sweet almond extract with the pure and beneficial essential oils of Lemon Oil, with bright aromatic properties that increase vitality and awareness. and
Coriander which uplifts the spirit and senses, and adds an inviting scent



Amazon has a nice selection of most ayurvedic suppliers, so I start there-- and keep a list of favorite products in the health store. Bazaar of India is one of them, but there are multiple suppliers online.
  • Banyan Botanicals Ashwagandha Bala Oil
  • Banyan Botanicals Mental Clarity if I can't find
  • Vadik Brahmi
  • Planetary Herbals Triphala
  • Vadik Herbs Arjun

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Ayurveda Approach

I am a Kapha in Body, Pitta in Mind. What are you? Take the quiz and find out.

BODY Kapha: Water and Earth In balance, Kapha creates calmness, sweetness, and loyalty.
Out of balance, the Kapha type can cause weight gain, congestion, and resistance to healthy change.
Health Tips: http://health.indiamart.com/ayurveda/kapha-dosh.html

MIND Pitta: Fire and Water In balance, a Pitta is warm, intelligent, and a good leader.
Out of balance, the Pitta can be critical, irritable, and aggressive.
Characteristics: http://www.holisticonline.com/ayurveda/ayv-pitta-characteristics.htm
Best Diet: http://hubpages.com/hub/The_Best_Diet_For_Pitta_Dosha_Type
Food Selection: http://www.ehow.com/how_4489323_select-foods-pitta-ayurvedic-type.html


Detox Diet:

Eat: http://altmedicine.about.com/od/detoxcleansing/a/Foods_Eat.htm

Avoid: http://altmedicine.about.com/od/detoxcleansing/a/Foods_Avoid_2.htm

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Psychic Empathy and Magnetism...

For about 3 weeks I have been short circuiting and killing the appliances I love.. Light switches, another KVM Switch, 2 cell phone chargers, possibly a phone, a car alarm, and a laptop. I do not understand this situation, and found it rather inconvenient to have to keep replacing things I melted-- it makes me feel broken.. and unfixable.

Okay so in my day job I am way busy. The kids are needing some attention... and the Helping Friends Career Network is really making it's stride. All exciting and positive things, and yet magnetism is creating discomfort.

This discomfort takes the form of physical and mental discontent. While I am "ultra" magnetic, I also wrestle with a sense of "activity" while I experience a host of activities that must be sorted and ordered. Once ordered, there are some activities, I feel compelled to offer loving intention to.. There are other activities or 'unpleasant' truths that must be spoken, and I am receiving the words to share them... And then there is the giddy sort of news -- an exciting sense of well being that though someone is in their darkest, lightness is coming, and they just need to affirm that sense of well ness.

I have yet to encounter a resource for managing this gift and it's inconveniences-- well nothing more than patience. I have become willing to adjust medically, physically or balance stress better. I value as do others, my ability to sense, to communicate, and to motivate.

There is discomfort. This is unpleasant. This feels broken. Why can't I be normal? Such is the dance-- of abandonment, of guilt, of failure, and of taking that in stride. The discomfort will continue until I have taken the appropriate actions, however the actions, and sometimes the experiences I am receiving, are just unclear enough to create unpleasantry, without a face-- a sort of confusion to whether the experience I feel is my own or someone else's. Sometimes it is one situation or the other, possibly the pain from a previous experience helps me to connect and care about helping others to resolution.

3 interesting lessons this week:

1. We can all be more loving and open about our intentions and expressing the good in others.
2. We all need to love and be loved to feel in balance, so why do we waste time in unproductive fear, worry, uncertainty, sarcasm, or doubt.
3. So much of our life experience could be made better by simply respecting and caring for one another more than our homage to our ego.

A dramatic week, 3 of my friends are now working. I am getting to work with a bunch of interesting folks now- jobseekers and hiring managers-- we are finding one another and unique benefit to our collaboration.

Barack Obama gave a moving speech on setting clear intentions and activity to recognize the change we want to see begins with us.

THEN one of my dear colleagues, a supporter of all people, communicated an intention of committing suicide. I shudder thinking that this dear man , who is smart, articulate, helpful, warm, and compassionate, would die before knowing how much he was truly loved..

And for this day, I have decided to be the light I wish to see that does not blow out for the surge of energy, I will choose to be as consistent a source of love, of compassion and of optimism as I can be.. We all need this, and perhaps the greatest poverty is that feeling that no one cares what we say, or do..

Friday, May 30, 2008

Memorial Day 21 Years Later....


Memorial-- a blend of integration and peace with past, and seeing the present for what it is... More like an "onion" with many layers, than a solid mass of consistent reality.

Resources:

MEMORIAL DAY 21 YEARS LATER:
Forgiveness is more than healing, it is finding a completeness in acceptance and transcendance. Circle of life.. circle of pain... the key is in recognizing when you are traversing a path, and when you are creating a circle.

It was around memorial day weekend some 21 years ago, when I survived the violent assault at the hands of a stranger--a Vietnam Veteran in some sort of drug induced, recurring Post Traumatic Stress Disorder event. You know that it was not until this Memorial Day that my father and I talked about it over coffee... The importance of caring, really caring for one another, and our soldiers..

Dad told me about his Army service in Germany.. Of my Grandpa's service in WW2.. and I could finally tell a family member in my immediate family something I thought I never could about understanding the situation of what happens when you are forced to fight to survive..

It would take me some time to be able to understand that responsibility we have to care for one another... and what could happen when we fail to recognize and act on the perception that all is not well.

Healing from my assault was something I was pretty sure might never happen.. that I would be forever broken... In retrospect, and time, I found a forgiveness.. Forgiveness of a man who never got the care he needed, a man who apparently suffers much and must continue to fight a war and take hostages for interrogation, to survive. I wonder what his family might have been like.. I wondered what happened that would cause a person to have lost so much, that it was easier to kill or be killed.

On Memorial Day, I choose not to war for peace.
I choose radical forgiveness and the optimism to define and act on better conditions.

I forgive "Bear" the soldier who fatigued himself, medicated himself, and still lived an unthinkable horror that played out in his mind so strong that all around him might feel his pain. He served our country, and probably gave alot for the time he was in Vietnam. Some came back with more of a burden than others.. It was not a contest, it was a reality to be managed.

I forgive myself for not being smarter when I was clearly out muscled. I tried to face recovery, as did my attacker, to fatigue and medicate myself to survive the trauma, that I was certain was way bigger than what I could handle. Before "Bear", I had not heard of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder-- we did not talk about that sort of thing.

From this experience, I have appreciated a new freedom, and a new happiness.. The sort of thing that comes from not regretting the past, nor wishing to shut the door on it... To be able to love, regardless of experience, to forgive others and to give for others to see a more optimistic possibility and reminder that they have way more capacity for love and recovery than they give themselves credit for.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Optimistically Visionary

There is much wisdom to be learned from our attachment to what we perceive as our truth.
Truth is true, it is real, and it does not require agreement to be so.. It just is. It exists with many other truths., as much as it stands alone.

In our work, most of us enjoy being appreciated for our subject matter expertise. We pride ourselves in our vision, our experience, and our ability to detect and manage marketing or opreational issues for profitability. In business we sometimes feel like our success is contingent upon influencing others to see the issues that you are bringing with intention of mitigating the risk, the discomfort and inconvenience of the matter at hand.

A professional rub occurs for us in business when we perceive a threat that requires vision and strategy to correct, and instead the issue gets brushed aside, decommited, or unmanaged. Does this make the issue any less a truth? No of course not..

Could it be that we have values beyond that which we think we bring, that others appreciate about us. With or without our attachment to positive results, there is that feeling of belonging and being valued.

So how then can we detach our personal investment to recognize that influence and change can be gained by inspiring others to look beyond the present limitations to embrace a view for what might be possible. The truth is that meaningful change is rarely 'convenient" or "easy", but part of our professional drama appreciates the struggle.

Let us not however get so stuck in the limitations that we fail to recognize our own capacity for creating prosperity and productivity in any economy by simply working the issues and opportunities, one at a time, with consistency.

Friday, March 14, 2008

In order to experience Freedom and harmony..

Freefalling to space, she thought about how long she had fallen, tht she only has 2 more lengths of climbing material, and yet she fell silently to earth, landing on feet.

Sometimes we overestimate the negative logic and limit ourselves to only fear and worry.
Yes it's real, but so is it's optimistic alternative.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Ayurvedic delights.

Ayurvedic References I like:

Ayurvedic Roots and Herbs Reference
Benefits of Ayurveda Blog
Improving Endometriosis.
Improving Hair Health.
Shaktiveda - Dr Mary Jo Cravatta can assist, even from a distance using "Messenger Pulse".

HERBAL REFERENCES:
* Arjun - Heart.
Ashwaganda - Improving Energy. Blood Levels..
* Brahmi - Memory, Stress.
* Jatamansi - Sleep, Improved Hair health.
* Triphala - Digestive regularity.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Getting rid of what's unneeded to welcome what's needed

It is the first week of the Detox Diet- no potential allergens, allows the liver to cleanse itself and work more effectively. I have lost 5 pounds this week.

Week 2 gets more challenging, starting today. I am not a great fan of powdered, reconstituted drinks, so I have modified the diet to combine my breakfast and lunch fruit snacks, opting instead for a fruit smoothie-- no dairy on this diet, so I mix it with almond milk or herbal tea... any way I blend it with my favorite variety of frozen fruits.

Here is the week's plan:

SUNDAY: Superwoman Workout- circuit and fast track with high stepping. Well Being Thought of the Day.
  • Breakfast: 2 scoops rice powder blended smoothie with frozen fruit, carob, almond milk.
  • Lunch: 2 scoop smoothie and steamed broccoli with flaxseed oil.
  • Snack: 2 scoop smoothie.
  • Dinner: Steamed Rice and baby peas with flaxseed oil.

MONDAY: Run. Meditation: Find Peace of Mind.
  • Breakfast: 2 scoop smoothie.
  • Lunch 2 scoop smoothie. Spinach Salad with raw green beans and carrots.
  • Snack: 2 scoop smoothie.
  • Dinner: Steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots with olive oil and garlic vinegar.

TUESDAY: Tale of the Tape Tuesday. Meditation: Embracing Change Joyfully.
  • Breakfast: 2 scoop smoothie.
  • Lunch: 2 scoop smothie. Herb salad with carrot.
  • Snack: Melon and berries.
  • Dinner: Baked acorn squash

WEDNESAY: Terrific Training workout and check in with my trainer. Well Being Thought of the Day
  • Breakfast: 2 scoop smoothie.
  • Lunch: 2 scoop smothie. Steamed Broccoli and Green Beans.
  • Snack: Melon and berries.
  • Dinner: Steamed Rice and Spinach.

THURSDAY: Light Cardio or Yoga. Meditation: How to Meditate.
  • Breakfast: 2 scoop smoothie.
  • Lunch: 2 scoop smoothie and steamed broccoli with flaxseed oil.
  • Snack: 2 scoop smoothie.
  • Dinner: Steamed Rice and baby peas with flaxseed oil.

FRIDAY: Light Cardio or Yoga. Inspiration Intention: Still the Mind, Stoke the Fitness Motivation.

  • Breakfast: 2 scoop smoothie.
  • Lunch 2 scoop smoothie. Spinach Salad with raw green beans and carrots.
  • Snack: 2 scoop smoothie.
  • Dinner: Steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots with olive oil and garlic vinegar.


SATURDAY: Light Cardio or Yoga Well Being Thought of the Day
  • Breakfast: 2 scoop smoothie.
  • Lunch: 2 scoop smothie. Herb salad with carrot.
  • Snack: Melon and berries.
  • Dinner: Baked acorn squash