Happy New Year 2012!

Happy New Year 2012 to you.

I hope your holidays were filled with blessings and love and that this new year holds great promise and happiness for you and your loved ones.

I want to share with you an account of some of our blessings of 2011:

1. We started our new year on a junk boat on a river near Hanoi, Vietnam. It was pretty amazing. However, January 2011 also surprised me with some health issue. Fortunately, I was able to heal with vitamin supplements, a more balanced diet, and positive thinking. Louise Hay says that the emotional root of anemia is a "yes, but" attitude, lack of joy, fear of life, and not feeling good enough. So, I repeated her affirmation, "It is safe for me to experience joy in every area of my life. I love life." I repeated this as a gardener sowing seed after seed into the fertile earth of my beliefs. Now, I am well.

2. In February 2011, my yogi friend Tomasz and I held our first Yogic Diet Retreat in Bali. It was blessed, perfect, powerful, and delicious. Every participant experienced life changes...from the reduced size of their waistlines to the improved quality of their marriages and beyond. Our next retreat in Bali is April 9-14, 2012. We still have room for more and we really hope you can make it. A yoga retreat is much more than a vacation. It is a true turning point in your life. Check www.yogicdiet.com for details.

3. During the rest of the spring, we had a beautiful Chinese themed birthday party for my daughter who turned seven. So many cherished friends helped make it fancy and special. My son turned ten and his whole class slept over on his birthday. It was a total blast. Our family also experienced so much love as we were bade farewell by our dear community in Indonesia.

4. We traveled back to the US for the summer. We caught up with friends and family and also took a yoga family retreat together. This retreat has become one of the highlights of our summer.

5. At the end of August, our family had a smooth move to Kuwait for my husband's job. It is a different world here in many ways. Camels, desert, ultra conservative clothing, the wild west highways, and an interesting first world veneer on a mostly third world country. And though it is natural to see, feel, and at times resist the differences, I believe our family has settled down now and that we will begin to feel more at ease and find more in common with the people here.

I would love to hear back from you about some of YOUR 2011 blessings. I would even love to post them for all of those who follow the yogic diet posts to read.

I believe that when we count our blessings, that we make more space in our lives for greater abundance. Again, we are shifting our focus from what we may not feel is right in our lives to what we do actually want.

And what I want is for you to have a very happy, a very blessed, and a very soothing new year.

Love,
Monique

Other People Are a Mirror of Ourselves

The following is a response to one of my clients about a situation in which a colleague hurt her feelings. She had asked him for some advice and he ended up helping her to feel really badly about herself. She reached out to me as she was still reeling from these feelings. This was my response.

Hi Susan,
Thanks for reaching out. Remember that other people are sometimes a mirror of ourselves. If someone takes a strike at us from what seems like from out of nowhere, it is usually because something inside of us is feeling unworthy, unloved, and deserving to be beaten up a little. We feel small, insecure, or unhappy on some level and we draw others to affirm that we are indeed small and unworthy.

I experienced a similar situation recently. It took me several days to get over it and I was so upset. Later, I realized that I was really asking for it (on a law of attraction level) because of the ways I was not in harmony with my life.

I was missing my old life, community, and friends. I was hung up on the past and not ready to get out there and make more effort in the present. I was being comparative, critical, and closed.

And now I am grateful for what happened as it propelled me to do better. It propelled me to get into harmony with my life.

Pain can be a great motivator for change.

And just like in your case, this kind of interaction helps you to assess your progress. Look, I'm fabulous Susan and I'm doing great with a, b, c, and d! I still need to work on e and f. For example, perhaps you should not ask someone for their advice randomly when you're feeling a bit low and unsure? If you do go seeking someone, make sure it's a person who really has your back like a trusted friend.

And you can always do a session with me, for example. Anytime.

Meditation practice SAVES us! Meditation quiets the mind and it so soothed me when I was feeling troubled. I highly recommend it. When I'm feeling low, it is the best tonic. When I'm happy, it propels me into deeper sweetness. Meditation can be the most powerful tool in a spiritual person's toolbox.

I feel sure this whole episode will have a positive impact on you...just let it unfold. Sometimes when we grow, we have to endure the discomfort of shedding our old skin.

On another note, the registration page for the Yogic Diet retreat in Bali is now up!!! And the dates are April 9-14, 2012. www.yogicdiet.com (This is for my other readers too! If you are reading this, consider yourself specifically invited to the retreat. Welcome!)

I so hope you can make it! Let me know what questions you have and if it looks like this is still a possibility for you.

So much love to you!
Monique

Meditation

As a young child, I walked several blocks alone each Sunday to go to church. I went to my grandmother’s denomination, Church of Christ. Later, I ran into a Methodist group I liked and joined that denomination. I did become disillusioned with that group because of some of the things some people said and did and because I was entering my teenage rebellious years.

My next big spiritual experience was when I studied abroad in Italy. Our professor was challenging religious doctrines and pushing us to think independently outside of our comfort zone and upbringing. I was also searching and seeking answers as I looked upon another and another Virgin and Jesus painting. I wrote in my journal at that time: “God doesn’t belong to any one faith. God belongs to everyone. God IS love.”

Traveling in Amsterdam after that program, I had one of my first big spiritual experiences. I ran into a homeless man on the street who was selling poetry. Though I normally don’t linger around the homeless, he caught my attention. He told me that he had lived with monks in Tibet. He had very clear blue sparking eyes. He knew my whole life story and encouraged me to forgive some very specific things about my father. How he read my life, I had no idea. He told me that I would meet my spiritual teacher in Asia, probably Japan.

After this experience, I had to wash my feet constantly. I mean constantly…in restaurant sinks and in fountains in Europe. I was having a cleansing that lasted for about two weeks. I later read that in India, the feet are the second heart. Something had awakened in me and was being kindled. I felt an inner shift.

About three years after this experience, I met my spiritual teacher, a yogi from India, when I was teaching in China. I have been with my teacher for 15 years now and have been blessed with an abundance of spiritual experiences as well as personal transformation…though I still have a ways to go.

I believe that one can really know and experience God by spending some time alone, quietly alone with God. Prayer, contemplation, self-inquiry, gratitude practice, scriptural study, yoga practice, and chanting can allow for this kind of sacred time. And meditation especially directly facilitates this kind of quality time.

If you are keen to try a little meditation, just sit quietly after your prayer time. Breathe deeply. Then allow your mind to quiet and relax. Sit for 5-10 minutes to start with. You may find yourself getting filled up from the inside. You may find that you enter into a whole new kind of relationship with you know who. Blessings!

Sound Dietary Tips

Any form of dietary discipline will yield good results. Sticking to just about any program will help us feel inspired, strong, and powerful. It may also reduce the old waistline. Perhaps the drama comes into the story when we either don't stick to our well laid plans or we jump around from one program to another...low carb one week and low fat the next. By the third week, it's all carbs and all fats all the time.

This is one reason why I believe and trust in ancient health programs. Dietary suggestions that have lasted for 5,000 years are no longer fads. They are most likely true for most people most of the time. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda are two ancient healing traditions that I've been exposed to. I've personally been powerful healed by Chinese medicinal cures twice and I've been following simple Ayurvedic lifestyle suggestions for long time.

Some dietary tips from Ayurveda that have influenced the Yogic Diet program that I teach and the yogic lifestyle that I aim to live are:

1. Have two glasses of warm water first thing in the morning before any other food, drink, or even teeth brushing. This is hydrating and moves the bowels. See, you really don't need coffee.

2. Eat mostly fruits before noon. When I eat 4-5 servings of fruit before lunch, I always lose weight and feel way more energetic than if I eat grains. This is an Ayurvedic suggestion that I discovered last fall. And this is another way to ensure that I get my 5-7 servings of fruits, veggies, fiber, vitamins, and minerals each day.

3. Eat the large meal of the day at lunch time. Hot basmati rice, beans, lentils, warm veggies, and a small salad...now that's what I call lunch!

4. Take a 10 minute walk after each meal. This so aids in digestion and rids our bodies of that post meal sluggish feeling.

5. Eat a light dinner of mostly cooked vegetables.

Of course, even more important than the food that we eat are the thoughts that we think. Our good health, happiness, weight, beauty, and energy levels are highly determined by our thoughts. Therefore, practices such as silent meditation and thinking about positive outcomes are central to ancient medicines and to the yogic diet program as well.

Must Do Yoga

We have recently relocated from Indonesia to Kuwait. And it looks like this will be a great assignment for our family. Life will be the same, yet different here.

I am also the same and different here. In some ways, I feel like I left some luggage/baggage in Indonesia that I no longer need. For example, in Indonesia I was always on a bit of a diet. I was thinking about cutting carbs and I wouldn't hardly eat rice. But you can be sure that I got my carbs in other ways...because the body must have balance at the end of the day. You know it's true.

Here in Kuwait, I am eating basmati rice every day with my legumes, yogurt, and veggies. I have a bit of raw sugar and whole milk in my chai too. I am no longer on a "diet" and I feel great, look fine, and have lots of energy. I am not gaining weight and I feel very balanced.

I am also the same in this new location. I must do yoga. I experimented with morning exercise classes with my lovely new neighbors and friends and I found myself so off balance! The cardio and intense exercise felt great at the time (like a cup of strong coffee). However, my mind was more agitated and my energy would crash in the afternoons.

When I stay home to do my yoga practice, I feel light, energized, positive, focused, peaceful, clear, and basically happy and pleasant to be around.

Also, at a certain age, pounding and pounding takes its toll on the lower back and knees. Thank God for yoga! I feel so blessed to have this practice.

May your own practices grow and deepen. May they support you through the ups and downs and changes of life. Some practices of the Yogic Diet are: moderate exercise, good nutrition, positive thinking, prayer, study, service, and meditation.

Love and Blessings,
Monique

I Believe in Cooking

In a world where convenience and quickness is key, there is still a place for cooking. So much of our human culture revolves around family and food. The two are closley related and have given birth to the cuisines and colorful cultures that we cherish and celebrate.

Cooking is a necessity, an art, and a spiritual practice. Our families need real whole foods. We need relaxed, healthy, easily digestible meals. We need to cook and eat food as a therapeutic way to deal with the half-ass-ness of mainstreeam values. We need to cook to heal our bodies, minds, and spirits.

However, fast food, cold food, snack food, and convenience packaged food are making up so many of our meals. Of course, eating this way comes with lots of sugar, salt, fat, additives, coloring, and chemicals. So there are health issues associated with these foods as well, such as obesity.

I grew up around cooking and my children are growing up around cooking.

May we cook for our families, friends, and for ourselves. May we teach our children to cook and eat fresh, healthy foods that are prepared with patience and love. May we strive to include cooking as part of our spiritual, yogic practices.

Namaste,
Monique

Food and Body Legacy

I had a fairly rough childhood. Although I was loved by many, I suffered through:
- Two parental divorces,
- Adults in my life with addiction issues,
- I grew up with mostly just my father,
- Loneliness. I stayed home from school a lot by myself due to terrible asthma and I was a latch key kid for many years - I took refuge in TV and the Frig.
- Instability and Insecurity about the future; I went to 11 different schools before high school,
- I had lots of mysterious stomachaches especially at night.

These events led me to find comfort in food, to become an emotional eater, and to overeat. The adults in my life fed me lots of sugar, fried foods, mashed potatoes, and white bread which were considered part of a normal diet. As we now know, these high glycemic index, high carb foods increase cravings for more food.

From 12-25, things began to look up for me. I gained confidence, ambition, a great education, self-esteem, and personal successes. However, I still held onto food, body image, weight, self-esteem, health, self-worth, and insecurity issues that led me to engage in some self-destructive behavior and relationships. I remember standing at the fridge and eating handful after handful of raisin bran as fast as I could...not out of hunger, but as a way to stuff my fears. A way to pacify my anxiety. I ate until I was stuffed and numb.

Many experiences have contributed to my healing and I continue to optimize my capacity heal and be healed to this day. My 15 years of yoga practice has been the most dramatic and sustaining catalyst for change, growth, healing, and happiness.

My practice includes:
- Yogic Diet - I eat a diet that balances blood sugar and is mostly plant based.
- Meditation - Quieting the mind reduces stress and stress eating; it also leads to lasting feelings of happiness and peace.
- Hatha Yoga - I practice yoga for an hour most days of the week and I walk.
- Self-acceptance - My weight fluctuates 5 pounds up and down; still I aim to love and accept myself just the way I am.
- Positive Thinking and Law of Attraction - Positive thinking takes practice! We have to learn to focus our minds on what we do want regardless of what our present circumstances may be.
- Prayer - I aim to be in a constant state of prayer and communication with God.

What are your practices?

The most important teaching that I have learned is that we are here To Serve. We need to take care of our issues, sort ourselves out, heal our bodies and make them strong, and release our addictions, mood swings, and negativities in order to be there for others.

Hopefully, our practices make it easier for others to be around us...like spouses, kids, family members, neighbors, co-workers, friends, and so on. Then, if we can be a light in the world once in a while - what a bonus!

Namaste and Keep Practicing!
Monique