Green Options

We all need a little encouragement from time to time. Sometimes we may turn to friends and family to give us that tender care and loving boost, yet truly the best person to turn to is yourself. Here are some strategies I’m working on that boost joy and self confidence:

1. List out your mood boosters: Create your own personal mantra or song like that famous tune Favorite Things: “raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens..” from the Sound of Music. Or if that doesn’t ring your bell visit sites like Things to Be Happy About, to lighten up when life gets heavy.
2. Think of something cute: Visit cute overload from time to time, to remember how adorable and fun life can be. When you’re smiling, you exude confidence!
3. Live in the moment by meditating: Meditation helps, and it is something we’ve discussed at length as a way to ease stress and bring us back around to feeling peaceful.

1. Breathe Deep: Use breath awareness to relax as yoga master Rodney Yee shows you a seated breathing pose. Feel at ease all day long by taking stretching and breathing breaks. Kundalini yoga, for example, is one of the best guided breathing classes you can take to harmonize your mind, and body and clear away negative energy so we get back to feeling good.
2. Notice Emotions: The golden key to unlocking negative stress is becoming aware of how we hold it in the body. Watch how Deepak Chopra explains that stress is an important aspect of life and we can learn to transform it into a positive force.
3. Meditate: Healthy living site Lime offers a Meditation Room to help

Labor Day? Labor Day? Please. It ought to be called Lazy Day, as far as I can figure.

I mean, here I am on this wonderful day of freedom from toil, which is only darkened by the fact that it comes at the end of a long weekend, without a care in the world or much of an urge to toil my free time away. Nope, my bony little backside is rooted firmly to a comfy seat as a warm summer day keeps my disposition sunny. Yes, I am the proverbial cheeseburger–er, that is, veggie-burger–in paradise.

Who in the world would think of labor, of toil, of work on Labor Day?

This is a day of rest, right? We get a day off from work to become vegetables, to chill out until we are as cool as cucumbers, to plop ourselves in the hammock and get as snug as bugs in our rugs…right?

This is a leisure day, right? A day to sit out one running of the rat race, right?

Or is it? I mean, whilst I bask in my vegetative state and enjoy the duty-free day, I can hear mowers and blowers and power saws screaming with effort from neighbors’ yards in every direction. Yes, strange as it may sound, so many folks on this no-labor day are busier than bees as they labor away on their yards, their homes, their vehicles, their errand running, and their countless other “little projects” that just have to get done during this wonderful bit of (paid) “free” time.

And nature, too, seems to be busy toiling away despite the U.S. federal government’s decree that this is an official holiday. Sure, Jesus may have given his spiel about considering the lilies and how they toil not nor spin and all that…but those same lilies are in fact busy growing and reproducing and being pretty and what have you at every moment. Besides, Jesus is not the best authority on taking time off: he had no qualms about breaking the rule against working on the Sabbath! And the Buddha may have talked about having “few duties” and “living lightly,” but that poor fellow wandered around preaching and teaching–and for no pay–so he is not one to believe either!

I went to Northern California recently on a business trip.  I got too much done.  Meetings, work sessions, proposals, emails, conference calls, and a few very memorable dinners. Four cities in just as many days. Before returning to San Francisco, I stayed with a friend in a small town up north. One sunny morning I decided to explore the area, so I asked her what there is to do.  Knowing me, she told me there’s a nice walking trail.  I could walk there or drive.  Well that was a no-brainer, of course I’d walk.

But I got thrown totally off track.  What I expected to be a calm, relaxing, reflective stroll beneath California oaks, turned into a passionate, ecstatic, breathless plunge into excesses the likes of which I hadn’t experienced in years.  It took my breath away, melted all self-control, and spun my world halfway round.

Oh, shame on you for thinking naughty thoughts.  It wasn’t the Adonis of the Litoral I encountered on the path (sorry gals… !)  It was an unassuming blackberry sprig.  Peeking out from the dried grasses along the edge of the path.  Winking at me in the sun.  I winked back, then looked around.  Is it legal to pick a blackberry here? I walked past it, choosing planetary well-being over my own base desires.  That’s probably the only blackberry sprig on this trail, and how awful would it be if I picked it rather than leave it for the birds or animals trying to earn an honest local living.

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Now (on top of my yoga meditations) I’ve been reading another little guidebook on simple self meditations to instantly remind me of the beauty in our everyday surroundings, and let me share they work like magic.

“Don’t self-medicate—self-meditate” is one motto for this book (both online and off) on self-meditation which encourages us to reap the evergrowing array of benefits related to the practice of meditating.

Creatively drawn from spiritual practices from Zen, to yoga, Sufism, and insight meditation, this book touches meditation basics, mantras and koans, tips, and ideas. A pocket guide style book, it reminds us to practice our inner breath, that recharges us with energy and vitality. Often people believe the only way to enlightenment is in long drawn out meditation retreats, and while those are amazing, it really only takes time out to meditate a few minutes a day for the same health benefits.

From Amazon’s description

…hundreds and hundreds of meditation practices that can be done during the course of our daily lives. You don’t need to go to a mountain retreat, renounce meat, or walk through coals on the soles of your feet—here’s a meditation to have with a cup of tea….

Yoga has been an interest of mine for quite some time now. We are joined now by Ginger Coy, a dear old friend of mine, who has recently completed a yoga teacher training and shares with us some of the ways yoga has changed her life.

1. Since you’ve become a yogi, what are some of the health benefits you’ve enjoyed?
I feel much more solid, integrated and aligned. I have a much healthier body, mind, spirit and heart and a vastly improved outlook on life. When I first started I did not have the endurance, balance, coordination, and strength that I have now. I had very little upper body strength. I couldn’t push up into a backbend (Urdhva Dhanurasana, Full Wheel) or lower down to Chaturanga Dandasana with skill and ease. Now I am stronger than ever!

2. Do you have any poses or breathing exercises that help to restore health and vitality to the body to feel better?
Downward facing dog is a great pose to release the hamstrings and increase flexibility for stiff backs and arms. It is an inversion which has a cooling effect and is great for the nervous system. It will also help increase wrist strength and arm strength.
When practicing yoga, it is important to remember to breathe through your nose. It is calming to exhale twice as long as you inhale.