Pay Attention To Your Thoughts

You know the old saying "You are what you think" or "You are what you eat" Did you ever stop to think that those statements are true? Think about it...If you think negative thoughts, you are negative. If you eat bad food, you are in a bad mood. It's time to "Be kind to your mind" (I know, it's a rip of of be kind rewind, but now you won't forget it! unless you did not rewind your tapes..)

 

After my morning practice, I read my 365 Daily Meditations. I came across Ahimsa Nonviolence. "One of the yamas and a guiding core principle of yoga, ahimsa is as vital to our practice as the standing poses or downward-facing dog. This attitude of non-violence that we strive to cultivate in all of life brings us face-to-face with desire, anger and memory. Practice non-violence in all aspects of life: in thought, speech, and action. From the food you eat to the thoughts you consume cultivate ahimsa"-JR

 



Why Am I So Fat?



I have been living out of the country for over 9 months at this point. I have been living on a private island off of Panama, The Highlands of Panama, and now Nicaragua. I have flown 20 times, several bus rides, water taxis, and stayed in 20 hotels and hostels. It’s safe to say, I have been on the move.

When I first moved to the island, I lost 6 pounds the first month!! Wow, talk about 6 pack city!! It was glorious. As time went on the stress began to build. I was away from the comforts of home. It wasn’t like I could hop in my car and go to the one of many trader joes or whole foods. I ended up making unhealthy nutritional decisions. Marry that with stress of a new environment, and you have the marriage of a new unhealthy habit.

  So I did what any women does to lose weight….Everything but what I actually needed to do! I couldn’t figure out why I still had extra weight.

I went out to dinner with a bunch of beautiful yogini friends. All of these ladies could have been on the cover of Yoga Journal. This ofcourse made me feel self-conscious of the extra baggage I was carrying. We all had our dinner. After dinner I stated out loud “I don’t get it!! Why am I So Fat??!” I kid you not, the moment I said that, the waiter placed the brownie a la mode infront of me that I had previously ordered. Oh, did we have a big laugh! Talk about question asked, question answered!

Now, Im not saying that Im not “allowed” to have brownies anymore. I noticed it was not what I was eating and not eating and how my body metabolized the food. Its how I was metabolizing my EMOTIONS. I have stored up feelings and emotions that have not been metabolized yet. So that is where I am starting. Im looking at my life in a whole new way. I can not keep blaming my surroundings for why I look a certain way or feel a certain way. Because guess what, all of these places have one thing in common….ME.

This is not a blog on how to lose weight. But more so a piece of how the answer is right infront of us (cough cough, brownine being placed infront of me) if we are aware and willing  to see it. If you think about it, you ALWAYS know what the right answer is. It really comes down to if you are brave enough to accept the answer. It may not always be easy, but the answers we need, are always there. Weather you are debating about quitting your job, moving out of state, thinking of breaking up with your significant other, you know the right answer.  And if we can release all of the doubts, worries, and fears that uncertainty carries, we will live in a brilliant world. You will begin to see and feel things in a whole new light. That my friend, is worth being honest with your self.

The Importance Of Your Like Minded

Growing up, I would always hear the term “Like Minded”. I never really put any focus on it. Maybe that’s because I never really knew what it meant.

I would consider myself to be a black sheep. With friends, family, and coworkers. I have always been different. I like to put it now a day “I live my life backwards”. Being this black sheep, I tend to run with a smaller heard. As I am getting older, I find it harder to connect with some people. I spent the last 5 years of my life dreaming about living outside of Chicago. I had talked about it and dreamed about it with several friends and family. In 2008 I lived in Vermont for a while. I met a really great friend while living out there. She has the same feelings about living in Colorado. She went to school there and that is where she feels connected. We had a phone conversation in February 2012. I explained to her how I was looking to move. She gave me this piece of advice that I will never forget , “Brianne, when you are connected to your environment, you are connected to the people”. Bing! That was it. Sam is right. I was not feeling connected to my surroundings and I was not feeling connected to the people. I had a similar conversation with another wise friend about relationships. This is what she had to say on August 22^nd 2012; “When you follow your path, you will find your soulmate.” Taylor hit the nail on the head with that one! As I am still looking for that partner, I believe that living my life fully, we will meet on this path.

With these gems in my backpack, I left the country and moved to an island off of Panama. And that is where it all began. This snowball effect was being created in my life. The more the snowball rolled, the more people I met that shared the same thoughts and interests as I do. Fuel for my fire! I decided to go back to school to pursue my 500 hour yoga certification (with the help of some like minded friends Olimpia and Brad).

By far, this has been the biggest snowball yet. In fact, a whole snowman! For 3 weeks I found myself in the jungles of Costa Rica with some of the most amazing like minded people! Not only are we all like minded, but so genuine, caring, supportive, and loving. It was like breathing in a new kind of air. A kind of Like Minded air.

 

I now know the importance of being surrounded by Like Minded people. I believe that it is very important to our development. In general, relationships are needed by human beings. It helps us to survive. I have seen how people begin to flourish when they are surrounded by their Like Minded. They give us the extra support we need to achieve our goals and the love and care for what we all do.

Are you surrounded by Like Minded People? If not, I would highly recommend you to spread your wings out just a little further. Reach out to those who share your same interest and connect with them on a regular basis. You will begin to breath a new air and smile a new smile. And the simple fact that you just read this article, you just took your step into a journey of the Like Minded.

 

Namaste.

 

Nosara Yoga Institute Costa Rica

 

The Making of cOMe To Express Your Love

By Korace and The Girls