Food, glorious food...

Over the past year, I've had a real change in relationship to food, kicked off by my introduction to Ayurveda, where their belief is that food is medicine.

Before that, I'd sort of stumbled along, going with what I'd always eaten, or what seemed to work for me or other people, or just following general principles of moderation.

Essentially my theory was, go with what you want to eat, but at the same time use your brain! Feel free to eat cake if it's someone's birthday at work (and don't feel guilty about it), but it's probably not great to eat it breakfast, lunch and tea. Maybe have a salad for lunch!

But I never considered specifically what was good for me or not, the effect it was having on my mind-state and overall health, the source and preparation of food, the impact on the globe etc etc.

Ayurveda really opened my eyes to how the preparation and types of food you eat can have a big impact on your life.

And it also made me actually pay attention to how my body felt after specific foods, creating many a revelation of 'ooohhh, it's that food that makes me feel bloated / gassy / tired / lethargic / on edge' and so on.

As my best friend Lucy has said to me before - most people don't realise that they're not supposed to feel like that after food. (Lucy is one of those people born being in tune with her body and nutrition in general, and has always set her own rules on what food is good for her!)

I was definitely one of those. I just assumed everyone felt like going to sleep after eating a bowl of pasta...or that your tummy mightn't be all that great after ice-cream.

You mean that indicates that perhaps it's not best for keeping my body running at optimum performance levels...what?!

At the moment I'm studying Life Nutrition, which looks at nutrition and food using a holistic framework...it certainly goes beyond the food pyramid - much beyond that!

And I'm loving learning more and more about it, because nutrition isn't something that has come naturally to me - not an innate knowing or interest.

So back to the original topic - is it a case of food, glorious food for you? Or is it just fuel to keep your body running?

Is it just something you stuff into your mouth to silence the hunger pains and give you enough energy until the next snack?

Do you eat on the run or do you like to sit down and enjoy your food? Do you eat alone or with others?

Can you actually remember what your last meal tasted like?!

Does food have real cultural significance for you? (I was at lunch with 2 Italians yesterday who were so saddened that some people just see food as fuel!)

Do you link food with your overall health, both in the short-term or long-term? Do you think it can cause illness or other issues?

Have you ever taken a step back after you've eaten to assess how it affects your mind and body?

Do you consider the source of your food when you buy it...as in do you like buying locally or organic? Maybe you have your own vege patch in the backyard?

Is freshness important, or do you like cooking up a big meal and freezing it for later?

Do you have any ethical ideas about food...are you vego or vegan...or do you only buy fair trade?

No criticism for whatever you think, I'm just finding the whole topic more and more fascinating because I personally had never considered that what I eat and why I eat it can have so many dimensions!

And I'd never really considered any of the questions above.

Unfortunately I think I've been a great example of how a lot of people think about food now - in short they don't!

I think the vast majority of people are disconnected from their own nutrition.

And it's not really hard to see why.

Food confusion is rife, because there's so many mixed messages that come at you every single day from magazines, TV, food packaging, recipe books and people you speak to.

Not to mention the incredible array of diets, all claiming to be the best, or the right one for you. (Don't get me started on shakes!)

All of it disempowers you, leaving you to believe that only someone else - be it a celebrity, doctor or a friend - can tell you what's right for you.

Really? Are they living in your body with you?!

I think I've definitely always been one of these people, and it's only in recent times I've realised the true benefit of looking within to see what works for me. And I'm still learning!

In general, we live in such a fast-paced society, that convenience and quick fixes are the norm.

Then there's the ever-increasing stress and pressure that plagues our country - so the fact that many people choose foods that make them 'feel good' in the short-term, but cause health problems in the long-term isn't surprising either.

I find it really funny at work when I'm heating up my lunch and someone walks into the kitchen and asks me what I'm having.

Invariably it's a curry, dahl or soup I've made that morning and they say...

'Ooooh that looks healthy' or 'Oh that's right, you eat really healthy now don't you'

And I suppose the answer is yes to both questions, but what makes me laugh is that eating something involving vegetables or 'being healthy' is so weird!!

Then if I go on to explain that I don't eat wheat, dairy or red meat - some people's heads almost explode with the shock of that statement!!!

Oh and don't get me started on trying to rid the world of the statement 'it's expensive to eat healthy'...that could go on for hours!

At any rate, if you haven't given food any thought before, I hope this has got your brain ticking over a little bit.

And lastly - I hope you enjoy whatever meal is on your plate next! 

I know I will - here's my home-made hommous with carrot...and I've got homemade hot chips coming in the oven...using organic veges of course as that's now the norm for me...yum!!!

Stop thinking so much about your life...

...and start living it!

This was a great quote my husband Nathan relayed to me from a TV show last night and boy oh boy does it sum up my last couple of weeks!!

I've been a victim of my monkey mind of late...getting too caught up in every which way my thoughts bounce around! 

I love getting to the bottom of things, loving knowing why, love the fact that everything happens for a reason...but lately I think I've just got too wrapped up in trying to figure it all out and have ended up with a bit of overload happening.

All in all, it really is a bit tricky to keep up this charade when the world keeps turning, and there's a zillion things happening every second...so all I've wanted to do is yell STOP...LET ME CATCH UP!!!

But life doesn't stop does it - and without realising it, I've gotten a bit, well overwhelmed really.

Although not openly!

Nope, I didn't actually realise how much was flinging around in my head until the last few days when I've remembered how to talk/vent and cry of course!

It's just been simmering away under the surface, and even the tennis matches have been quite subtle. I just really hadn't stopped for long enough to say hang on, what's all this about!

Then there's been the good old fear vs faith aspect...you know the one. I know everything's working out for my highest good, but seriously can't I just know how, when and why?!

And my personal favourite - not wanting to think or say anything negative or be focused on what I don't want, because I don't want to bring that into my life. Just quietly, not an easy task!

Yikes! All in all I've had many a moment of wanting it all to just go away. But then, that wouldn't be learning now would it!

Reading back over this, I get this funny feeling of deja vu...oh that's right, I've been here before! 

Yep, this does seem to be a bit of a cycle of mine. I swing between being upbeat, living in the now and just letting life happen...to wanting to know why it's all happening and in general deciding that everything I'm doing isn't enough.

Oh well, I guess the upside is that I can see all of it from an objective perspective. And it reminds me that I'm still very much a student of life.

So, here are some of my lessons from this that I still need to learn!

• Don't forget to let it out!! Writing is a great way for me to get perspective, and I feel so much better once I do it!
• Lighten up & stop taking life so seriously
• It doesn't matter if I miss one turnoff, there's always another one
• I don't need to figure it all out, just be glad it's all working...and that I don't have to run the Universe!
• Look at the forest...not just the trees
• Don't forget to talk to others...and ask for help!
• Every decision I make is perfect
• I'm always exactly where I need to be
• Be grateful for all of the great things I have in my life
• Simplify, simplify, simplify
• Give myself a break!!

And another great one - I love writing blogs, so I don't want to have another 2 week hiatus!! I've had many an idea floating in my head...but supposedly not the time to do it.

Ugh, time management...yep that's another blog entirely!

Anyway, when I take the time to step back, I realise that my life is still great, and these are all just blips.

I thought I'd leave you with a pic of me a couple of weeks ago when we cleaned up our area at work and found a bunch of wrapping paper and other goodies and couldn't resist mucking around with it.

I thought it was apt seeing as it's what I need to do...

Live in the present!!!!!! 

10 things I love about...

Firstly - Happy Mother's Day for Sunday to all of the wonderful women I know who are loving, caring and amazing mums!! I hope you were all been spoiled by your biggest fans.

Back to the topic...this year I suggested to my two brothers that we put together a list of 10 things we love about our Mum to put in her card.

Boy did it quickly blow out past 10!!

And while we could have kept going, we ended up capping it at 25. Here's a selection of why we think our Mum is the best Mum around, and why all 3 of us admire and adore her...

• #1   Fanatacism for all Aussie Sport...Collingwood, Australia cricket, netball et al (and hearing about it from 10 miles away)
• #3   Your sense of adventure and that you're always up for a bit of fun
• #10 Selfless devotion to immediate family
• #13 Letting us make our own decisions...and mistakes!
• #15 Bringing out the best in others and making whoever is in your presence feel special and important
• #17 3 words. Machine. Gun. Kisses.

And many more.

#25 kind of sums them all up - Being such an amazing example to all 3 of us in how we should approach our lives and treat others.

It's no wonder I love my Mum so very much!

The "10 things I love about you" theme has been on the agenda for a while now.

Nathan & I have been playing the game quite a few mornings, listing off one or two things we love about each other.

It has been as simple as 'I love that you do the dishes'(!!) to 'I love how when you say you're going to do something, you do it'.

It's been a fun and really nice thing to do!

So I laughed the other day when as part of an email from Kylie, she gave us girls some homework...that we had to write a list of 10 things we love about ourselves.

Clearly, I'd had a head start on this topic!

She went on to say about a sentiment she'd heard on Hayhouse Radio was that with women in particular, we can often find a squillion things we want to change about ourselves or our bodies, but don't often step back and say 'you know what, I love...about me'.

So your mission, should you choose to accept, is to write down 10 things you love about yourself...and then your mum, partner, friends and whoever else you like!

But start with yourself first, because it's likely to be more of a challenge if you've never given it any thought.

It can be as simple as your ability to make a mean cheese toasted sandwich...or your generousity towards others...or that you've got really long, luscious eyelashes!

And boys, you're welcome to join in the fun too.

Feel free to share your list here...what's that? Oh, you want me to go first...chickens!

10 things I love about me...

• I have the guts to keep spilling my inner world via an international blog!
• I'm always happy to help others
• I'm willing to change anything about myself that doesn't work for me anymore
• The colour of my beautiful olive skin
• My blue eyes that sparkle when I smile
• My laugh - it's loud and infectious!
• The way I dress - it's definitely unique to me and eclectic
• My sense of adventure
• I'm open and honest
• I'm always quick to support and encourage others
• I can cook yummy, healthy food

Oops, that's 11. See it's really not that hard!


Here's my Mum & I on my wedding day a few years back before we jumped in the car to go (I love that we haven't got shoes on!) 


I've got such great memories of hanging out with Mum the whole day before I said I do, so I thought it was a great photo to use.

What a beeeeautiful day!

It is such a gorgeous day here in Adelaide - sun's shining, barely a cloud in the sky and it's 27 degrees. Perfect Autumn weather!

I woke up this morning just feeling really good. Excited, hopeful, healthy, loving life in general.

Makes for a much better start than the last week where I'd wake up a bit flat or had a bit of anxiety bubbling under the surface about what the day would bring! (Or as I alluded to in my last blog/vlog...I was too focused on the "have to's" and whether I would do "enough" for the day!!)

This great feeling has continued on throughout today and I'm feeling quite chipper!

Just had a delicious lunch and am about to go soak up some rays, but I thought I'd pass on this prayer that I got given to me recently by my fabulous Naturopath/Spiritual Guide Di Goulding.

As always, feel free to substitute God for the Universe, Divine, Goddess or just delete it entirely depending on your own beliefs!

Saint Theresa's Prayer

May today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be confident knowing you are a child of God.

Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow yout soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us.


And because St Theresa is the little rose - I thought this pic I took at the train station matched perfectly!!

Hope you're having a stellar day...and if you are, feel free to share it with me!

Ahhh...that's better!!

Well, here I am on the last day of my week away from work...and finally am feeling on holiday!!!

I've been in a bit of a fog this last week - with a few old habits taking over.

But today I'm feeling light and free and have a smile on my face.

But rather than write about it, I thought I'd talk about it...so here it is, my first video blog...hope you enjoy it!!



I'm a bit of a novice at this, and when I first tried to upload it to YouTube, the sound was right, but the movement was at chipmunk speed!!!

Yes it looked funny, but I thought it was best to have it all in sync!!!

I've learnt something new today!!!

I am sensitive...and that's ok.

As I was writing the last post about the power of the exhale, I had a bit of a kerplunk moment.

Perhaps my lack of honouring the exhale is a good way to describe what’s been showing up physically for me of late.

Backing up a step, I got hives last week for the first time...and then the second...and I've still got a few lurking. Big flat red blotchy things, on different areas of my stomach, back and now even arms and legs.

And seriously, how much do I want to be itchy of late!

When I got the first bout of hives, I wasn't sure what on earth they were! So off I went to the Doctor and she quickly diagnosed me. Phew, I don't have meningococcal!

Then when I went on to list off my other skin conditions...itchy scalp...yeast rash on my back...she said to me...wait for it...

I think you might just have sensitive skin.

Wow, why didn't I think of that!

I know that doesn't sound earth shattering, but I'd actually never considered that. Hadn't put all of it together I guess.

So how that ties back into the exhale post from yesterday....

Of late, I’ve been so caught up in what I don’t have or still need, how I’m not good enough, not doing enough, should be further along, bigger, better, different...I’ve been forgetting to honour my exhale.

As in what I’ve released, how far I’ve come – honouring and appreciating everything I have done. That who I am, right here, right now is perfect, and I'm exactly where I need to be.

In short, that’s lead to me being uncomfortable in my own skin.

And gratitude, what gratitude?! Yes I’ve been doing it in fits and starts, but it's usually based on something external to me, not about myself.

  

Kind of funny really – as I mentioned, one of my skin ailments that I’ve had for yonks is a yeast rash on my back. I can't see it, so I've kind of let it just stay there!

I look it up in Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life and it says:

Denying your own needs. Not supporting the self.

And when does this flare up? When I'm trying to do everything for everyone else, and putting myself last. I'm trying to run with the crowd and do what everyone else does, even if that doesn't work for me.

More to the point - why is it not going away? I’m persisting with not supporting myself!!

It gets funnier when I read about what shoulders and back mean...not to mention hives...but if I write all of that, this will turn into another epic post!

  

So now back to the sensitivity (they don’t call me the Queen of Tangents for nothing!)...

After the sensitive skin statement, I took a step back and went actually, I'm sensitive in general!

Now that I've removed so many physical and mental layers thanks to Ayurveda and releasing a whole bunch of other beliefs and habits, I really am quite sensitive.

My lungs definitely are - being around smokers is a no-go for me now, and any kind of chemical or cleaner quickly gets me rasping. As does dog and cat fur I've found - dogs are what kicked off the hives!

I remember a homeopath saying that your lungs and skin conditions are often linked - as in that's the external way it shows. And in saying that to my fabulous friend Kylie, she also informed me that apparently liver and skin can be linked too...makes sense, seeing as liver is the seat of emotion, and quite often has anger issues linked to it too! In this case...angry inside...angry outside...tada!

My digestive system is a lot more sensitive now...or it could be that I just pay more attention to it. But at any rate, if I eat something that's not best for my body, I know about it quickly!

And I'm sensitive emotionally. I find more and more now that I can pick up on other people's vibes, and if I'm not careful, I take them on as my own! And you know what, I don't like watching icky things on TV, in fact I avoid it like the plague.

I'm also sensitive to stress (yes I can tend to create it for myself!). But I find now, that I can reach overload quicker if I don't get enough sleep, put myself under pressure at work, don't exercise at all etc etc. 

Doesn't mean I still don't give it a go, just to keep up with everyone else. But gone are the days of burning the candle at both ends without repercussions!!

Actually speaking of which - the Doctor said to me, it sounds like you just need to be somewhere you can do yoga each day and have no stress.

Ha! I laughed and said 'well I do practice yoga each day and it is one of my dreams to have my own yoga and wellbeing centre where I can relax and be stress free every day'!!!!!!!

Back to the sensitivity again, there's no doubt that my body is sensitive to my thoughts. I'm a huge believer in the mind-body connection, and I'm getting more and more great examples of it in my life where I can practice and learn...great case studies I guess!

Bottom line - I think I really need to work at appreciating how sensitive I am.

After all – how good is it that my body reacts to crap quickly and tells me it's out of kilter…be it what I’m eating, thinking, wearing, breathing in…not having a high tolerance for what can pollute my body is actually a good thing!

Or better yet, not having layers on layers on layers that hide how sensitive my body actually is, is a really good thing.

So instead of going ‘Good lord, what now? What am I doing/thinking wrong now?’, I’m going to remind myself to think ‘thanks body, you’re out of balance for a reason, and I’m going to try and remove that factor from my life’.

That feels better than the criticising and getting annoyed at my body, essentially telling myself to suck it up!

This sentiment is echoed in Inna Segal's new version of The Secret Language of your Body (which has also made me laugh with how spot on the mental descriptions of my current ailments are!)

"Your body is a feedback system...You need to look at the problem your body is experiencing as a metaphorical representation of the challenges you are dealing with in your life."

Right you are Inna.

Because apparently ignoring it and hoping it will go away doesn't actually work....ahhh that old chestnut.

I'm sure I've mentioned this before - I actually love the discovering of what's the cause...so why do I resist doing that?!

I think I need to stick this up in my house somewhere...it doesn’t go away if I ignore it! And I love getting to the cause! 

Because in fact, as my body is now, once it’s risen to the surface and is at a conscious level…as in one where I can notice it…it’s not going away until I fix the cause.

It's quite patient you know. Happy to hang out until I finally get around to dealing with it.

Like I had to do with the chest infection that month or so ago, I now can't ignore the skin conditions any longer. I'm sure this is going to be a doozie too, and be about much more than I'm currently thinking...

So let's dance sensitive new age girl!

The power of the exhale...

I had a really interesting chat with my fabulous yoga teacher Denise from Wellbeing@Work before class yesterday...she always has a pearl of wisdom to offer, and last night was no different.

Make the exhale active.

This was the succinct message that came out of a meditation course that she attended on the weekend with a Swami...yep a real Swami!

So what does that mean?

Well as Denise said, we put so much emphasis on the inhale - particularly in yoga. 


And usually, the exhale is all about relaxing and letting go so you can sink further into the posture. We just let that happen.

If you use the same analogy for life, usually we put the emphasis on the bringing in...getting more and more and more.

And we don't tend to put as much focus on the exhale, which is letting go and releasing...be it of possessions, commitments, beliefs, memories, addictions, habits etc.

I think it's also about appreciating what you've exhaled into your life. What have you finished and achieved, what stuff have you actually gotten? What have you put out there, and then seen the result of it come into your life?

And the exhale is also about what can you give back to life. Whether it's on a personal level - who can you help? What can you impart on the world around you? Or on an environmental level...having your own compost and vege patch, recycling, less waste. Or on a community level, be it as simple as getting involved in your sporting club or donating to a charity.

So what if you turned it around? What if you put more focus on the exhale?

Right now, take a deep breath in, then really focus on the exhale, emptying out your lungs completely.

And just let the inhale happen.

You don't have to make that happen - your lungs will do it automatically, you don't even have to try.

See how much power you feel when you make that exhale active? I certainly did. 

It was like I was making way for the next breath, clearing out my body completely - and then the inhale could sort of float in, bringing in the new.

So bringing that back to life now, if you take the focus off of the inhale for a while, then it's not all about what's next, what more do I need, what don't I have enough of. Not about what you can take from life.

Because really - how much stuff do we all have...and better yet, how much of it do we actually need?!


When you focus on the exhale in your life, you can focus on what you can release from your life, what you no longer need.


That could be getting rid of any possessions that you no longer need in your life.

Whether that's cleaning out the pantry, your wardrobe, the crap drawer...I've done the first two of those, and boy does it feel good! Crap drawer - you're next!

It could be simplifying your busy schedule...something else I've done in the last month. I've let go of all commitments throughout my week - so now I've got a bare week, ready to be filled with new activities...which does feel a bit odd really!

But I think I'm just going to enjoy having it to fill!

Or it could be letting go of some old beliefs or habits that no longer serve you - and just watch the difference it makes to your mental and physical self.

Geez have I had a whole bunch of that in the past few months!

Now that I've thought about this a bit more, I've realised that I've been doing a bunch of exhaling/releasing this past year, on all levels of my life...but I haven't really sat back to appreciate just how much.

Which is a great segway to my next point...

How often do you stand back, just to appreciate how great your life just as it is?

Believe me, I've got some practicing to do in this arena. As I've written about in a past blog, I love the good old Attitude to Gratitude, but it's something that I've been forgetting about lately.

And like anything, practice makes perfect. If I don't use my Gratitude muscle for a while, it gets weak and flabby!!!

I've gotten to caught up in what I don't have (and in turn how that makes me not good enough, or worthy of criticism from myself!), instead of appreciating all the fabulous things in my life.

That can be as simple as having a great night's sleep in a comfy bed, to having enough milk in the fridge for your cereal, or even just having air to inhale!

The third part of the exhale - what can you give back?

I personally love getting involved in the community. Something that I've forgotten these past few years, but am trying to bring back into my life more and more.

When I was a kid, I loved making muffins to sell at church to raise money for someone. And I loved getting involved in fundraising events - something I still love doing now. I was always more than a player at netball too, and didn't really think twice about.

I'm lucky, because my parents were/are both really active in the community through different things, so it's something that was encouraged from a young age.

And come to think of it, now that I've got spare time coming back into my schedule, I think giving back is going to rise up the list so it's part of each week.

The other thing with letting things go - then you've got room to bring in the new.

It's really not healthy to focus on more, more, more all the time. Or me, me, me.

Because if all you're trying to do is layer things, stack things, cram other things into the corner and still bring in more things...pretty soon, you're on overload.

Whether it's not having room to move in your house or head - hoarding isn't healthy!

If you're life's already full - where can the new come in?

The last great point that Denise made last night...once you've exhaled in life, what if you just step back and allow in what you need.

Like the next inhale, know that it's going to be there. Not forcing it, not going looking for it. Just trusting that what you need will be there.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this, but it definitely struck a chord with me. And I'm amazed how long this post ended up being!

Here I was at the start thinking I was going to say a few words on "instead of focusing on what you can get, focus on what you can release."

But now I've realised that the exhale is a little bit more complex than that...turns out the breath is a lot more holistic than I first thought! I love delving into stuff like this!

So now my challenge for this week is to take my focus off of the inhale/bringing in (because I've got plenty of toys I don't use already!), and to focus on the exhale/releasing/gratitude/giving.

In fact, I think I'll take it one step further...

This week, I take the time to honour the exhale.

And to finish off, I'm going to invite you to do the same thing as Denise suggested last night...

Just take a moment to ponder this, you might be interested to find what comes up.