Movement Is Peace

The key to today's Mind Monday is movement.  Movement is very much a form of meditation.  Think back to a time that you used a walk, run, dance, jump rope to calm your mind and relax.  Or even think about a bodybuilder at the gym and how they seem to not see what is going on around them.  You see, what they are doing is putting your attention and intention into the muscle group that they are working.  Now I don't know about you but I always feel more centered when I dance or just moving.

What on earth does this have to do with meditation you ask. Well let me tell you something :)  Meditation is being mindful, attention, intention, calming, peace.  So picture if you will a section of a river that is not affect by the current.  It is murky, stagnant, over-grown, and has a colony of insects.  Now see that same river with a nice current running - the water is clearer, not as over-grown, and insects? I usually don't see any of those lol.  Now think about you body, it has a current that pulses your blood that supplies oxygen and the lymphatic systems that removes toxins.  So naturally when we are sluggish and not pumping our muscles this current slows down which causes pain or illness.

This weeks meditation is actually brought to you from a dance workshop that I attended this weekend (Shanrae Sahira from Ohio and she got this practice from Rachel Brice)

1.  Pick a piece of music, the song for the workshop was call "In his Shirt".

2.  Let the music speak to your body, no thoughts on what the song means, the dishes in the sink, what bills need to be paid, etc.

3.  Just think of your body reacting to the song that is playing.

4.  Move however you want just feel your body.

I can tell you that before we started this exercise I was feeling all sorts of keyed up.  I had just gotten down driving 2.5 hours and was thinking about the show I was going to dance later in the afternoon not to mention a ton of mundane things like the dishes in the sink LOL

So I was looking forward to a stretching warm-up but Shanrae threw this practice at us and let me tell you I felt all the stress from my body leave after the song ended.  I just went very internal and let my body move to the music.  Every thought that I had just seemed to enter and quickly leave, I was "in the zone" or what I like to call it my "zen spot"

go forth and find your zen spot and hope you use this technique in your meditation practice this week :)

Its All About The Hips

What is it they say - Her hips don't lie!!  Well belly dancers know this to be true.  So on this the first post of Spirit, I am going to give you a break down of the Level 1 Egyptian Belly Dance Hips :)

Now the first thing to remember is to warm-up!!  Cant stress this enough cause you may cause injury and that will keep you from setting yourself free.

Dance Posture - This is the most important move you will learn.  this posture keeps your body in alignment and keeps you from hurting yourself.  Your feet are slightly apart, soft knees, pelvic is tucked, stand up straight, chest lifted, shoulders back, chin is neutral, and body is relaxed

Hip Lift - start in dance posture, lift hip up (like you are going to put it in your armpit), the accent to this move is on the up

Hip Drop - start in dance posture, this move I want you to think of sitting into the movement, you are going to drop your hip down, and the accent is on the down

Hip Twist - start in dance posture, this time think of a washing machine, you are going to move your hips front and back, they are moving on the same level (when the right hip is front, left hip is back)

Hip Bump - start in dance posture, now I call this one shutting the door, same motion as if you were shutting a car door with your hip, the accent is on the out, hip goes out and slightly up at the same time, this move tends to get the most attitude :)

Hip Slide - start in dance posture, think of what it looks like when you slide something across the table from point A to point B, simply slide your hip out and slide it back to center, hip is not lifting it is just moving out and back

Hip Thrust - start in dance posture, same movement as the Hip Twist just when you move you are pushing your hips forward and back, think of the movement as a "punch", punch your hips forward and back

Ok guys have fun with these and play with speed and build a cute hip combo.

Get those hips moving :)

Have a great weekend and enjoy your wild side cause now I really need to build my costume for my show this weekend!!

The Funny Coconut

Oh what can I say about a coconut!!  It is a superstar among fruit, I mean, come on, how many fruits can you think of that have had leading roles in movies and rock songs.  It has been used to mimic the sounds of horses (thank you Monty Python) and made people smile with the promise of a tasty adult beverage (lime and a coconut)

Now that you have a smile on your face replaying all the times a coconut has been a star, lets talk about the health benefits.  As you can see from the picture above (some of my favorites) the coconut affects all aspects of the body from the skin to the systems.  These are my Top 10 :)

1. Increases Energy Levels - It contains MCFA which are digested quickly and actually bypass the digestive process which means they are not stored as fat and completely utilized by our bodies.

2.  Reduces Inflammation - It promotes circulation in the areas of inflammation which causes increased blood supply to these areas.

3.  Supports Tissue Repair - It does these by destroying harmful microbes

4.  Helps Prevent Liver Disease - It contains medium chains of triglycerides which are converted to energy

5.  Supports Thyroid Functions - It does this by optimizing the bodies metabolic rate

6.  Promotes Weight Loss - It does this by being easily digested and optimizing the metabolic rate

7.  Supports Youthful Skin - It reduces inflammation of the skin and reduces harmful bacteria

8.  Reduces Symptoms of Psoriosis - It penetrates the tissue to reduce the flaking, itching and blistering

9.  Promotes Heart Health - It assists in keeping our arteries clear

10.  Protective Antioxidant - I think this one speaks for itself!!!!!

And as a little treat, here is a TASTY recipe for out ROCKSTAR!! (brought to you from Taste Of Home)


Pina Colada Cheesecake (I might be wanting something sweet)

• Prep: 40 min. Bake: 1-1/4 hours + cooling
• Yield: 12 Servings

40

Ingredients

• 15 shortbread cookies, crushed
• 1 cup flaked coconut, toasted
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• FILLING:
• 3 packages (8 ounces each) reduced-fat cream cheese
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup cream of coconut
• 3 tablespoons 2% milk
• 3/4 teaspoon rum extract
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• TOPPING:
• 1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled and cored
• 3 tablespoons apple jelly
• Edible blossoms, optional

Directions

• Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan.
• In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and coconut; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 8-10 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the cream of coconut, milk and extract. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour over crust. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.
• Bake at 325° for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
• Thinly slice pineapple; arrange on cheesecake. Warm apple jelly; brush over pineapple. Refrigerate until chilled. Just before serving, garnish with blossoms if desired. Yield: 12 servings.

FEAR Is More Than A Four Letter Word

This is the first post for the new revamping and I hope it helps ease your mind :)  

It is Mind Monday and I'm touching base on something that we all have FEAR!  What is Fear?  Well according to the definition it only a little noun that seems to be an unpleasant emotion caused by belief.  Now if you ask people on the street what fear is they would say a verb that makes you sweat, have nightmares, lash out, and cause all things to fall apart.

I myself have suffered from fear over the years that has caused me to hold back, not go for the dreams that I have had for what seems like since childhood.  I have worked off this judgmental beast and want to share with you what I tripped over, was reminded of, and searched for to help release my fear :)

Buddha stated that "When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear"

This is the quote that set me on a search!!!  I found meditation and mantras helped me to find this tranquil state.

I have used this meditation for years for many different things.  I first learned this one as a karmic release meditation but I have adapted the visualization for it to help ease my mind in many areas of my life.  The meditation is called:

Purple Flame Meditation

The following is what you will say while you are visualizing yourself sitting in a purple flame

"I am the purple fire, I am the purity God desires"

When i was taught this one I was in a very fearful place and would perform the meditation morning and night and repeat the phrase 50 times but that is because I tend to "go big or go home" LOL  I will leave it up to you to perform this as much or as little as you feel comfortable doing. 

Now I also make sure that whenever I release the negative I reinforce the positive!!!!  My Sifu was very big on this because you never just leave a hole when you can fill it with something AWESOME!!  I usually go down the route of mantras because they are short, sweet and to the point :)  The following is an easy one that covers everything:

"Om Shanti Shanti Shanti"

Om - This syllable is the whole world

Shanti Shanti Shanti - threefold peace in body, speech and mind

I hope this post sends you on your own path to finding peace in your life!

A Little Revamp Goes A Long Way

Good Morning All :)

I have been on a break for a little bit trying to figure out the proper flow of this blog and what I have to share with everyone.  So after much thought, I decided to share all the Mind/Body/Spirit that I have to share!  Mondays will be for the Mind (mindfulness, motivation, meaning}, Wednesdays will be for Body (holistic well-being), and Fridays are going to be all about the Spirit (all you can handle Bellydance)

Thank you everyone for you support in this journey :)