Tag Archives: energy

are you receiving the best and protecting yourself from the rest?

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You can choose what affects you. Simply, take the best and leave the rest. In practice, however, its a complicated dance of protecting yourself and receiving the good stuff.

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the protection practice

Some of us take in other people’s negative energy without even knowing it. Absorbing issues from a boss, family, or friends will affect you.

For example, say you show your sister a project you’ve done and she criticizes it. Ideally, you take the constructive criticism and better your work. The challenge is weeding through the energy aimed at you, deciding what is a reflection of your work and what is a reflection of your sister.

Note: Nowhere in this example did I say that the criticism is a reflection of you and who you are. Hearing it that way can be depleting.

Hearing criticism, anger, and sadness and not absorbing the person’s issues with it, requires protection. The gifted Carrie Crotts changed my world with a protective mantra: What’s mine is mine, what’s yours is yours, and yours will remain yours. 

By repeating and meditating on this brilliant mantra, you can protect yourself from absorbing the negative energy people throw out there. More so, you can protect yourself from their negative energy as a reflection of you.

the receiving practice

3cc20e38dc8d8ec7509c826f5a37e4cbOn the other side of the coin, we must receive in order to give and grow. When the universe is offering good stuff–compliments, free treats, beauty–receiving can nourish you. Plus, when you focus on the good stuff, you’ll attract more of the good stuff.

Receiving isn’t always so easy. How do you react when someone gives you a compliment? Do you brush it off? Or do you receive and express your gratitude?

Recently, the wise Rebecca Niziol shared a powerful tool called a “receiving journal,” where you keep track of awesome things that you receive.

Some things in my receiving journal, i.e. my iphone notepad: you’re a wonderful ally,  the beauty of the blizzard, you wrote a good email, free nail polish change, you’re such a radiant beam of light, a good parking space, you have great instincts…

When you receive love, in whatever form, more love will appear. Not to mention, you’ll have more love to give.

the protection and reception dance

Choosing what energy comes into your world, the dance of protecting and receiving, is based on awareness. Step back from the situation. Acknowledge what to block and what to receive. Take the best and leave the rest.

the weekend nurture menu: not enough time? make time expand!

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[As always, gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined-sugar-free!]

No time. I know. There are never enough hours in the day. What if you can make time expand?

In Gabrielle Bernstein’s Ted Talk, she explains her struggle with only eighteen minutes to do this Ted Talk. Her fear was overwhelming, then, in her words, her inner guide said, “Speak your truth and time will expand.” She proceeded to erase her outline, let go of the time frame, and speak her truth. When she spoke from an authentic place, time expanded.

This is possible for you.

What would you do if you had more time? Where is your energy going? Yes, we spend countless hours at work, commuting, doing dishes, etc. If you choose to make those things, however menial, part of your truth, when you focus your energy there, time will expand. In the other hours of the day, take energy away from things that drain you. Ask: is going for a run authentic or am I doing it to change myself? Is watching TV depleting me or energizing me?

When I have moments of panic, thinking I’ve over-committed myself, I ask a truly difficult question, where will I find time to bake cookies for the nurture menu? Though this is meant as a joke, things that give me pleasure, like baking cookies, cannot be lost in the mix. Instead, I clarify my truth. I focus my energy on the things that add to my life. Believe it or not, time expands.

Among the crazy moments this weekend, spending time with loved ones, practicing and teaching yoga, and finding my way around a new area of law, I cooked and baked. Time expanded. Part of my truth is experiencing joy from cooking and feeling nourished from my creations– I discovered more hours in day.

This weekend’s simplistic, easy meal is ideal for anyone on the go and looking for expanding time. Every element–rice, beans, seaweed, and vegetables–combine for optimal health, then you top it with divine dressing and you have a exciting feast. Inspired by my favorite New York City restaurant, Souen, when you put this macrobiotic meal in a to-go box you have the healthiest possible lunch!

the macro plate
serves 4

  • 2 cups rice, cooked (I used black rice here. Quinoa, short grain brown, or a combo of anything are great. Creativity!)
  • 2 cups beans, soaked overnight and cooked or one 15oz. can
  • head of kale
  • head of broccoli
  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • package of hijiki or arame seaweed
  • carrot-ginger dressing
  • miso-tahini dressing, see below
  1. Prepare the rice and beans. Set aside.
  2. Soak the seaweed. Set aside.
  3. Chop all of the vegetables and steam until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
  4. While the vegetables are steaming, prepare the dressings.
  5. Combine elements. Eat and live well.

miso-tahini dressing

  • 3 tablespoons sweet white miso paste
  • 1/2-1 cup water
  • 2-3 tablespoons tahini
  1. Mix miso and and water with fork until miso is mostly dissolved.
  2. Add tahini and mix.

keep going–sweetly…

Expanding time, without wasting time. There is no better dessert/snack that embodies this concept than healthy cookies. Is there a better to-go treat? Plus, watching these cookies come together brings back my baking joy.

strawberry shortcake cookies

  • 1 pound of strawberries, de-stemmed, cored and sliced thin
  • 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons coconut flour
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup, grade B, or honey
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
  2. Rinse and clean 1 pound of strawberries. Remove the stems and cores, and slice thinly. In a thick bottomed pan, melt 1 tablespoon coconut oil, add the strawberries. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat until simmering. Stir regularly. Simmer at low heat reducing strawberries until they measure 1/2 cup. It will take about 50 minutes. Cool strawberry jam thoroughly before proceeding to the next step.
  3. Sift coconut flour and pack into 1/2 cup measurement. Place into a bowl, along with remaining coconut oil, eggs, maple syrup or honey, and vanilla. Blend. Allow cookie dough to rest for 5 minutes to allow coconut flour to absorb the liquids. The cookie dough will be very soft.
  4. Place cooled strawberry jam in with the cookie dough and lightly stir.
  5. Drop tablespoons onto the cookie sheet. Lightly pat and tap the cookie dough into a round shape.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes. Cookies will lose their shiny look when done, and will feel firm to the touch.
  7. Let the cookie melt in your mouth.

[adapted from freecoconutrecipes.com]

Where you put your energy, time will expand. Put your energy on your truth and time is in your control.

xo, S

inspire yourself

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Likely, you’ve felt inspired at least once or twice in your life. Inspired to take action, to change something, to create, or to move. Inspiration is a feeling of remarkable clarity, joy, and life internal.

What does “inspire” mean?

The prefix in-, into, and -spire, breathe, together means to breathe into. In Sanskrit, breath is called prana, which literally means ‘life force.’ When you put that together, inspire means to breathe in life force.

Life force breaks down as that which moves life. Force does not signify stagnancy or staying still. It signifies motivation, stimulation, and exaltation.

Inspire means breathing in life force, which signifies enlivening and reawakening life within you.

How can you tap into inspiration at any second?

First, see how the world is moving forward.

The sun will come out tomorrow. I’m serious. Even if you can’t see it because it is hidden by some clouds, they too shall pass. That is a sign of natural life force. Get on board and revel in this magical fact of life. How inspiring is that?

Two, witness others living their inspiration.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. When I’m not inspired, I can’t write these blog posts. A spirit, a life force, has to move through me so that I can type these words. I swear last night I had no idea what I was going to write about. Then I woke up this morning and felt compelled to write this. I believe that a life force moves through me to inspire others.

We say artists, athletes, entertainers, inventors are inspiring because a life force is living through them to create wonders. You are alive–a life force is moving through you! That force isn’t there to invent the light bulb (sorry, it’s been done), but it is there for something. Watch others to know that that life force is in you for a purpose.

Three, just breathe.

Think about breathing in life force right now–every time you inhale. In other words, focus awareness on your breath and see how divine (meaning life) energy is coursing through you. You, and you alone, have the power to inspire yourself–to move, to create, to change, to live your fullest life. You can inspire yourself in every second.