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Category: Ayurvedic living

Using Ayurvedic Ways For Calm and Balance (Part 1)

living an Ayurveda calm and balanced lifestyle
…I was told 🙂 I should show my face more, so here I am checking in on my avocado plants They look good 🥑

…Ok, today I’m sharing about Ayurvedic ways and living, my favorite topic.

This is a longer blog post than I usually write, so grab a beverage and get comfy because today is about getting calm and balanced.

Because getting consistent daily calm and balance is achievable with Ayurveda… and I believe has never been more needed in our world.

And yet in America, calm and balance are seen as nice-to-have intentions that aren’t built into our busy lives.

We’re used to running into stress, and at times have grown numb to our underlying stressful ways of living… despite short-lived self-care practices, unwinding on weekends, and happy hour-type fun that aren’t enough for our health and wellness.

Finding daily balance is dismissed in priorities and daily noise. It’s often seen as unobtainable or overmentioned. Plus living sustainably whole and healthy is not excitingly trendy …But when you’re 100, it will be!

And getting mind-body balance is part of the Ayurvedic ways, and what most people need to be the best version of themselves that would transform the daily stress and busy overwhelm into healthy and happy lives. That’s a mouthful that says it all.

…And with the right insight, a whole and healthy lifestyle is attainable by this or next season. And even better yet, using consistent balance as a predictable strategy springboard for better things ahead in life! (More on this point below.)

…You know you can’t always trust the external world to come through for you, but you can count on your intuitive and intelligent mind-body that has better answers and insight to your health. 

Your mind-body follows you along the ride of your life’s journey and its good health is the difference maker to your getting the life you want, that can free you from what’s holding you back.

Like, living with accumulated stress (linked to inflammations and aging) is not doing you and your mind-body any favors… even though that’s baked into the Western world culture, lifestyle, and the air we breathe.

And a common reason why two people at age 45 look like they’re decades apart in age.

In a 2018 study, an international group of researchers led by scientists at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that adopting 5 healthy habits could extend life expectancy by 14 years for women and 12 years for men:

  • eating a diet high in plants and low in fats
  • exercising at a moderate to vigorous level for several hours a week
  • maintaining a healthy body weight
  • not smoking
  • consuming no more than one alcoholic drink a day for women and two for men

Ayurvedic Ways For a Heatlhy Lifestyle

We know a healthy lifestyle that takes care of the body is necessary for longevity and to prevent debilitating diseases.

And having or starting a stress-free, calm, and happy life optimizes your health in the mind-body connection.

It’s never too late to prioritize your physical and mental health.

One way to improve your life is to pay attention to your daily moods and symptomatic flare-ups. And not just brush them aside. When you’re 20 that’s fine, but as you get closer to mid-life, the accumulated wear and tear shows up.

And moods are subtle beginning signs of your balanced mind-body drifting, and what’s impacting your health inside you.

The Mind-Body Connection and The Past

Ayurvedic ways is all about the mind-body remedies for balanced living. Your mind-body is a part of you, but you are not the mind-body. You aren’t your thoughts, your gut, or arm.

Then there’s the mind-body connection based on the concept that your thoughts can be connected to body symptoms and your physical health. Like acne sprouts due to stress.

But not so quickly obvious are your past thoughts or traumas that show up in signs of aging (wrinkles and aging maladies), and your inflammations. The dots are not so easily connected. But they  play havoc on your calm and balance, and mind-body.

…All unbeknownst to you.

And when you carry baggage such as buried childhood wounds (thoughts), they overflow into and affect your daily current health and life, through the mind-body connection. They still show up in the workplace, in your current reactions and attitudes.

It’s invisible trauma you may not know you’re carrying, but your mind recorded and has not forgotten.

And if triggered, can show up when you least expect, and where you don’t recognize the link to past trauma.

And, then there are some past traumas that you are fully aware of, and you may have never felt comfortable sharing with anyone. Or you haven’t purged the feelings enough to get all the wound hurt out of your system yet, so you can scar heal.

TED Talk presenters who share a trauma story rehearse over and over, and in the process, they get the poison out even if their wound was decades ago!

While Shark Tank presenters are asked on the fly about their personal tragedies related to their business, where tears are shed on the spot and healing begins or continues.

And that can be part of what frees them when they’re present, let go, and let their guard down. When trauma is acknowledged, a person can heal back to their natural essence.

Your Natural Mind-Body Now

Now is the present. And the present is a gift. It’s where you can be most aware and find your calm and joy.

And if you add being balanced, then you’re unstoppable!

Being balanced in Ayurvedic ways means leaning into your natural and primary mind-body dosha. That’s the way you’re wired.

“Natural” here also means favorable to the mind-body.

Like your favorite foods that you naturally like. Or your desire to do a certain exercise. Those are natural to you, but not to everyone else.

…And here earlier I was leaning into my Vata for a late afternoon sweet snack (…you know it’s healthy! 😉).

A healthy snack like these Samoa Bars is an example of Ayurvedic ways.
I shared the recipe last week for my healthy, no-bake Samoa bars… and I made a new batch that I’m enjoying for longer than the 5-minute break it took to make 😊

And Vata could be your natural way too, but we all have Vata in us that can throw us off balance.

And same goes for the mind. One way to get off balance can be from what we think of as our natural thoughts. The negative ones are not helpful if you put energy behind them that impact your mind-body. You’re best to ignore or replace those ASAP if they’re not helping you noodle out a productive solution.

Like… a negative thought pops up in your head and you want to blurt out what you’re thinking, but in a professional environment or amongst strangers, you don’t do it when you’re unsure as you don’t know how it will be perceived.

And later on in reflection, you’re glad you didn’t say anything. Or else you wish you had said something and now have slight regret that you missed the moment.

…Which can then turn into a negative thought that turns into negative energy.

Holding onto negative energy no matter how it sticks, spills into the mind-body and can cost you time and energy. That can turn into an attitude, mood, and imbalances that show up in the mind-body.

So it’s best to just nip it in the bud.🌹

Restoring Our Mind-Body Imbalances, Moods, and Ayurvedic Ways 

If we’re lifelong learners, we’re constantly wanting to grow and improve, and recalibrating our balance makes good sense.

With those intentions, you can ask yourself:

Do I have… repeated anxiety, anger, burnout, tiredness, lazy mind or body tendencies, irritation, or excessive worry? …holding onto these types of moods and feelings can cause stress.

As a habit, we can check in with ourselves often and daily to see what’s off, just like checking the daily weather in our own part of the world keeps us on our toes …it was actually hailing small ice chunks in my neck of the woods over the weekend (in May!). 🌨

…And if we zoom out of our world, we see a bigger global world in organized chaos and crisis that affects us.

Gradual shift is omni-present happening everywhere and all the time, even when we can’t see. And that grows into stressors on earth, and to us and our mind-body.

For example, take a framed wall photo that you’re constantly straightening. Over time, it naturally shifts and becomes crooked. And in a new house especially, when the living earth below is still shifting.

But you know how to easily straighten the photo frame with a light touch tilt to bring it back to alignment the way it should be.

Or, you could “permanently” iron-clad anchor the photo to the wall, so the framed photo doesn’t shift again. But then one day, you decide to take down the photo to paint the wall behind it or to change the picture…  or you completely move to a new house.

The framed wall picture is just one change away from its original “permanent” state. And like life, we don’t know what will happen next that can be stress-causing, or when our life could use some healthy adjustments  even when we don’t have awareness.

Stress comes in all shapes and sizes, from earth-shattering situations to slight tilts, like slowly growing bored.

And change can help spice it up. But we also need some permanence for balance and alignment. Even if it’s temporary.

Balance is the natural desired order of this world and of your body, and mind-body.

And adopting Ayurvedic ways (the science of life) as a healthy way back works to bring back the order in us.

It works in the modern Western world to restore, prevent, and bring back natural balance. And it works for those who live in noisy cities as well as slower-paced towns, as all roads can lead to a desired healthy life taking different paths.

And that’s what I did and do. And you can too!

It doesn’t have to be just yoga or meditation… those are just a couple daily common practical household practices. 🧘🏻‍♀️…and maybe you didn’t know those were Ayurvedic ways 😉

Ayurvedic ways could be new or foreign to you, as it may sound like an ancient mystical or woo-woo set of Eastern healing practices. And it was to me too in the beginning.

But how I powerfully use it today, is as a West meets East approach to healthy living, with the West running the show in our busy American lives.

And that’s just scratching the surface on the description for all the benefits it adds.

One simple health benefit that’s achievable, is to change the course of our annoying mind-body symptoms daily through our lifestyle choices. That could be our higher standard goal and preventative norm so long-term stressors and symptoms don’t settle in.

And doing so helps your health and teaches your mind-body you’re on the same team 😊. That’s integrating Ayurvedic ways into daily balance.

Always Invest In Yourself (You and Your Mind-Body)

Another way you can help yourself is not accepting “just getting through the season.” That’s not effective ayurvedic ways in practice. You can do something today to start restoring or help along your natural healthy self as best as it can shine.

Only when we’re not conscious, do we not have a say in our lives.

Instead, adopt the norm of living each season blissfully, and enjoy daily!

Remember the old saying about your life isn’t a dress rehearsal. 🎬

You can be joyful and find joy every day (and not just some days!) even amongst the chaos. And while you’re going through difficult times.

Each year can have its challenges, but that’s part of growth and change. As you become more resilient (feeling less stressed about situations) that will help your health, balance, and calm.

When you get daily balanced health, you get the opportunity to show up as your best self, and unleash creativity every day that you may not even know you have today.

…And, find your purpose and true calling, that will give you your greatest life satisfaction and lead to your best foot-forward life.

And that can also lead to your leaving a miserable day job for a better-chosen life that fits you uniquely where work doesn’t feel like work, if that’s what your heart desires. You don’t end up where you started or in an unhappy middle.

…So, that’s what I have for you today to hopefully inspire and encourage you this season and the upcoming ones that will be your best ones yet (in your belief).

Next week I will share part 2 about how you can learn more about Ayurvedic ways (and even if you’re not sure exactly what it is today), and how you can start uniquely implementing mind-body restoring techniques into practice if it suits you. Talk then! 🧡

Best Yoga Poses – 100 Poses To Inspire You

Best yoga poses are subjective, but I’m sharing with you why I think these 100 poses make the (my) list. I’ve been practicing yoga since 2008 when I attended a life altering Ayurvedic program journey across the country, to enrich my mind, body, and spirit, that we all are in this life. Then I wrote about the lessons learned from my experience (in my first and optimizing mind-body blog post on this healthy and happy blog) that I think can help all minds and bodies. 🎉

100 blog posts landing on Easter deserve confetti sprinkles 🧁

But this article post is ALL about the best yoga poses that I started learning in that eye-opening experience and as my journey unfolded with yoga.

Because growing up for me in America, getting on the mat meant a sweaty experience on a vinyl padded mat in PE class.

But around the globe in the eastern world, they were lightening years ahead and aware of the healthy healing that a mat can provide.

In some cultures, they get up and off the floor (or out of their sitting position) on a daily mat in one fell swoop as they did in younger years.

And that’s one of the characteristics of the Blue Zones’ Okinawa Centenarians.

The Blue Zones around the world have the largest group of Centenarians, whose longevity we can aspire to.

Most can remember facts and figures and walk up hills quicker than some younger able people. And re-tell stories of their youth like a historical tale. They live extraordinary lives as they are revered in culture for their Golden Years activity, sharing wisdom and enjoying younger generations.

They breathe in and out purpose daily (…and have breathed about 1.4 million more breaths than a 30-year-old).

But whatever age you’re at, you can start with your intentional breathing and yoga moves that help build your balance, strength, and flexibility.

Yoga is not just about getting in the pose.

It’s an individual journey that enriches life. And most of us in modern, busy life don’t take time do daily yoga. But if you did, you would reap the reward of an enriched mind, body, and spirit.

We all have a unique yoga start story and hopefully a way to keeps us with a yoga practice. As I’m convinced, yoga can fix anything in the body that ain’t broke!

And as you do more, you can discover how it can help heal the mind-body and restore your lesser moods going through this life full of tough twists and turns.

best yoga poses on your mat.

These are some yoga articles to help inspire your specific yoga journey (wherever that may be for you today):

First off, something I learned in my journey is that yoga is amazing because of the benefits for the mind-body connection: where the mind and body “talk” to each other.

If we’re lucky and focused we pick up on the cues as a witness to our mind-bodies.

This is an area that traditional Western doctors aren’t necessarily trained on. It originated from Ayurveda, an eastern life science perspective, that’s made its way slowly to the Western world (and I started practicing in 2008 when I became aware).

Over the past decade, we’ve learned that the prevention of chronic diseases and inflammation in the body is connected to better mental health and less stress we carry.

And we can often tell by our anxious, irritated, or lethargic moods.

Sometimes it’s hard to do yoga until we get in a balanced mood,  even though we know if we did yoga, we’d get there sooner. We can get in our way.

So, in case you need to overcome that or need a dose of moving or getting going inspiration, I’ve listed 100 best yoga poses that are timeless reminders, challenging, and fun (I think so anyway!).

I included some quick encouraging words for each pose that come to mind. They include thoughts of when to do the pose, reminders, or intentions that could be useful for you as they are for me. Some poses are better done when you have more energy.

And it helps if have a known purpose for doing the pose, to help be motivated. We can all use a good metaphor reminder in our daily lives.

So here we go to my picks of the 100 best yoga poses…

Standing best yoga poses: 

1.      Sun salutations – reminder: life is constantly changing, and you keep moving. This is a good series of poses to start the day with, like just before you have your first glass of water for the day

2.      Warrior I – reminder: feel empowered to take on the day

3.      Warrior II – reminder: take up more space

4.      Warrior III – reminder: focus on moving forward

5.      Sun Warrior – reminder: don’t forget to look up and stay open

6.      Dancer pose – reminder: you’ve got this day with your calm and grace, and letting go of the past. Today is a new day 🌱

7.      Tree pose – reminder: you’re resilient and unshaken even in uncertain times

8.      Mountain pose – intention: peace and reaching higher

9.      Heart center hand – reminder: focus more on what’s in your heart and get out of your head if you’ve feeling stuck

10.   Chair – good for when you want to feel grounded

11.   Triangle looking up – good for seeing different perspectives

12.   Lunge – reminder: stay productive

13.   Humble Warrior – reminder: lessen ego and pride

14.   5-Pointed Star – do when you want to feel balanced

15.   Eagle – good for when you feel on top of the world

16.   Tree with hands straight in the air – reminder: you’re a unique tree

17.   Tree with hands at heart center – feel centered and connected

18.   Tree with hands in prayer pose behind your back – intention: feel more spiritual

19.   Half-moon – do this pose when you’re feeling daring (tip: you can do this against the wall so you have back support, and you can use a yoga block)

20.   Extended leg stretch – intention: feel energetic

21.   Bird of Paradise – intention: be more mindful for the best outcome

22.   Forward bend – intention: feel earthly

23.   Standing half-bend – reminder: pause, but keep going because you’re almost there

24.   Crescent lunge – reminder: be flexible

25.   Pyramid Pose – do when you need more structure (feeling scatter minded, i.e. Vata mind)

Seated poses:

26.      Boat – do when you want to feel less grounded

27.      Pigeon – intention: feel less stress stretching out common areas of tension (leg, back, shoulders)

28.      Seated spinal twist – reminder: the past is behind you

29.      Seated forward bend stretch – reminder: keep challenging yourself and you may just surprise yourself with how far you can go

30.      Seated side angle – reminder: try a different way

31.      Lotus – intention: peace, and serenity

32.      Baby Cradle – reminder: you’re in control of your body

33.      Cow Face – reminder: it’s possible even when it’s hidden

34.      Staff – reminder: sit up tall and be disciplined

35.   Thunderbolt – do when you have problems, and you can reverse engineer to come up with solutions

36.   Butterfly pose (Bound angle) – reminder: you’re evolving

37.   Seated knee hug – reminder: you are loved

38.   Staff – do when you want to straighten your back and remind yourself that your back is an important part for your body’s support. (reminder: build strong abs)

Side best yoga poses: 

39.      Side angle – do when you need a break or stretch

40.      Extended side angle – intention: stretch your mind

41.      Side crow – do when you feel adventurous; one side is probably easier than the other and that’s your strength

42.      Side plank – do when you feel strong

43.      Falling Star – tip: like half-moon is great to do against a wall when you’re first starting out so you can lean further. Intention: feel free and creative

Front face down best yoga poses: 

44.      Cobra – reminder: you’re making progress

45.      Sphinx – reminder: you can do anything you want

46.      Upward Dog – reminder: you’re almost there!

47.      Turtle – reminder: stay steady on the course

48.      Bow – reminder: your hands, head, and feet are all closely connected

Lay down poses (starting with back flat on the mat): 

49.      Bridge – tip: use a block on the small of your back and feel grounded

50.      Fish – reminder: relax and let go of heavy problems

51.      Lay down spinal twist to one side – when you do this on each side, you see a different part of the room or space you’re in and is a good reminder that you have different options from different perspectives

52.      Corpse – intention: be stress-free

53.      Knees to chest (knee hug) – reminder: of self-love

54.      Half locust with one leg slightly lifted: reminder -it can feel strange but still be helpful

55.      Through the hole stretch – do when you feel tight like from driving or sitting, or when you feel uptight

56.      Spider laying down – intention: holding onto your purpose but letting go of how you’ll get there

On all 4’s: 

57.      Inverted plane – reminder: great for bringing your shoulders back in mindfulness

58.      Downward dog – intention: feel the day in earthly roots

59.      Downward dog with one leg lifted – intention: enjoy the day by doing something new

60.     Cat – do when you’re feeling fearless

61.      Cow – good for feeling balanced

62.      Balanced cat reaching out one arm and opposite leg

Back challenge: you can arch backward relying on all 4s

63.      Backward Bend – do when you’re feeling energetic and youthful

64.      Wheel – and you go higher to see and feel new possibilities

Front challenge: you may never do a full handstand, but you can get both feet off the ground

65.      Crow – intention: strength (you’re stronger than you think)

66.      Crane – and you can stretch higher

67.      Peacock – reminder: you can get over the limitations you have

68.      Firefly – reminder: you can do something different to light up the world. You may feel like a kid again doing this one (one of my fave poses and I have happy memories of catching fireflies  )

Inversion best yoga poses: 

69.      Shoulder stand – do when you’re feeling moderately energized

70.      Half shoulder stand – do when you want to feel energized

71.      Plow – reminder: encouragement that you can take two steps back and come out ahead

72.      Legs up the wall – intention: feel supported by the environment around you 

Resting best yoga poses:

73.      Child’s Pose – reminder: you don’t have to be doing something every minute of the day. It’s not how busy you are (something I had to unlearn)

74.      Hare – intention: purposefully resting

Other inspirational best yoga poses:

75.      Inclined plane – when you’re feeling like you want to get off the ground or you’re excited to start a new project

76.      Plank – intention: building daily strength for any trials or difficulties you’re going through

77.      Camel – reminder: let go

78.      Dolphin – reminder: we’re born with natural abilities

79.      Splits – intention: flexibly grow daily and watch progress

80.      Happy Baby – do when you want to feel safe and carefree

81.      Swan – reminder: have daily grace for those areas you can’t change

82.      Hero – reminder: we can all be a hero in our ways in our lives serving and doing what we do

83.    Neck rolls – intention: calming and releasing mind tension

84.   Neck side to side – intention: take a moment to relax

85.   Shoulder shrug – intention: be less stressed (letting the weight fall off your shoulders)

86.   Frog – intention: feel youthful and free to spread out

87.   Garland – reminder: take a break;  good for when you’re feeling unsure or in between energetic and tired

88.   Locust – reminder: try something different or take on a new project

89.  Wild Thing – intention: let go of worries and enjoy more

90.   Goddess – intention: feel ready for the world

91.   Swan dive – intention: go with the flow

92.   Cactus arms – reminder: take time off

93.   Airplane – intention: feel free and in control at the same time

94.   Spider with feet and hands on floor – reminder: you’re a beautifully unique creature

And then these sounds and breathing pair well with yoga poses and intentions:

95.   Om – making the sound clears nasal passages along with mind and body. Try a variation by using your mouth to create an ah-oh-mmm sound sequence. Intention: peace and living stress-free

In yoga, breathwork is super important and great for calming. If you get heart palpitations from anxiety, these are good breath exercises to refer to and do.

For all of us, staying mindful of breath gets us in a good reminder habit to be healthy-minded. And when you get a good breath of air you can send that energy through your mind and body, to help improve both mental and physical health.

Your nose acts as a natural filtration system. If you regularly breathe through your mouth when you sleep or if you have nasal congestion and obstructed nasal passages, you may want to look for solutions to help you breathe out of your nose regularly.

And these are the special breath exercises you can do with yoga:

96.   Sounding breath – this includes long and slow breaths while laying down, so is good to do when you’re getting in and out of bed. Reminder: you’re alive and able to take purposeful breaths

97.   Breath of fire – while sitting, exhale out short and quick breaths from your nose (like a fire-breathing dragon that doesn’t exist) until all your air from your diaphragm feels expelled. And then fill back up gradually like a balloon. Daily reminder: you’re a miracle with automatic breaths. You can control your breathing using your respiratory muscle, your diaphragm, that sits just below your two life-giving organs: your heart and lungs

98.   Bellows breath – do this one when you’re in standing mountain pose with hands at heart center (optional). Full inhale/exhale from the mouth. This is a good one to do in the morning when you’re first waking up

99.   Sufi Mother’s Breath – this is a simpler version than the Pranayama 4-7-8 version. Exhale through your nose, then inhale through your nose for a count of 7, and then exhale again for a count of 7. This is great and simple to do on a walk where you’re staying present and observing your surroundings

100.   Alternate Nostril Breath – take one hand and rest a middle finger on the forehead, thumb from the same hand rests on the closest nostril temporarily closing the airway, light ring, and baby finger on the opposite nostril. Then, inhaling through the open nostril. Intention: notice details about how each side feels as the air circulates more intently to one side of the body from your head to your feet. Reminder: how the air affects our body at and in this moment and how we affect others and the community around us with our breath

So there you go... those are my best yoga poses, intentions, and recommendations as someone who got on her daily mat later in life and has never left or looked back.

And if you need an activity to help ground your yoga, I find baking goes hand in hand. Because you wait for your bake, you don’t want to go far away. Or start a new project that will get interrupted by the timer bell going of.

Yoga is the perfect 10-minute wait for cookies baking (and not burning). Or if you want a sweet something that’s a little more anxiety calming?… a cinnamon roll while you slowly roll on your yoga mat.

Relaxed Has Idea Benefits

Relaxed has its benefits. And getting more ideas is one. I feel good when I put my feet in the sand or pink Himalayan sea salt for a relaxation moment.

Relaxed in a Himalayan sea salt foot soak.
Himalayan pink salt relaxes the body and is soothing for feet and toes

And that feel good moment translates to relaxed thoughts.

If you’re not feeling as productive or relaxed, this short article may help you to find more peace this season, and do the things in your life that matter more. (Plus, feel more relaxed!).

Btw, it’s okay to feel uncertain, as we’re all pivoting in some ways all the time. We’re transitioning from one thing to another even if we don’t know it yet.

Embracing pivots is helpful for understanding a life of purpose and getting meaning.

And hopefully you’re still chasing dreams and desiring a better-than-you-started-out future outcome, as your optimistic beliefs will carry you far!

Believing accelerates your getting to the other side.

These days you may have to work a little harder to break through the clouds for victories, but they’re there.😊

What could be helpful for you?

First, focus on the right things.

The better idea is to be daily productive and continually develop better ways than from your past. You’re a day wiser than you were yesterday and year wiser than last year.

Spend your time wisely, being conscious to not just take on anything or task put in front of you. We can change and design our paths.

We can remove old ways that don’t serve us anymore or we don’t want again. Evolving helps you grow. It’s a strength.

Sure, life can be easier in a routine and automatic existence, but trying to live in a predictable bubble is not the whole life.

It’s also unrealistic in our unpredictable world and can set up for disappointment.

…When you’re open, loosening the reigns allows you to explore and discover more about yourself and the world around you.

Letting go of the past makes life easier and makes you more nimble to be able to roll with the punches. Then the things that cause unrest can more easily roll off your back.

It’s also much healthier to not live with negative emotions, ongoing stress, anxiety, or irritation from situations or people.

Kind confrontation is better than showing anger, seething, or holding onto stress that no one else knows about.

I used to not like change because I’m a planner.

That was the type of work I did too in food menu planning for events. But then I experienced situations where change turned out good so my “all change is bad” theory was busted.

And I realized holding onto the past was fearful thinking. When I let go of what I couldn’t change, life got better. And life is good. And that could be for you too.

And you probably know what that feels like.

Secondly, begin with the end.

From the time we were young kids, we were taught to think in a linear way and to look ahead at tomorrow (or at adult profession dreams when we were way too young to know the realities or what we really wanted).

Today as an adult, a better call is to look at the happiest outcome of your entire life… through the end.

Of course, your perspective will change over the years, but for now, you can consider the question: what legacy do you want to leave?

In other words, what do you want to be remembered for? When you look at it that way, you cut through the stuff you’re preoccupied with today that won’t matter or be as important in the end.

Here’s something you can do today if that’s something you’re trying to answer (or want to discover better ideas about your best life):

Be more relaxed.

You get your best ideas when you and your mind are relaxed and receptive to thoughts from your loving-productive channel.

You’re most relaxed when you’re sleeping, but you’re not able to process your thoughts then and there.

Asleep, you can’t really work with those ideas that come in dreams even if they seem productive.

I think it’s important because that’s where the daily brain can live a good chunk of the day and block out your good ideas if you’re not managing thoughts optimally.

So, getting back to productivity and being relaxed…

When you’re awake you can do two activities at once. Multi-tasking can be productive or counterproductive.

Maybe you’re a natural multi-tasker. That’s me too, my female-Vata side is wired that way, and to like variety.

But there are times when multi-tasking is counterproductive like when you’re trying to read and write at the same time, watch television or listen to a podcast.

Those competing activities create noise in your mind as you have to work twice as hard to drown out one to focus on another.

But when you pair a relaxing activity that you can put on auto-pilot, like thinking through an idea while taking a shower or making your daily tea, new ideas mysteriously and creatively emerge that weren’t there before.

That’s why it’s good too to take mindful breaks, switching up activities to recharge and let new ideas enter.

One idea can set you off on a whole new path.

Recently over the past few years, people have changed their thoughts and perspectives on this life: seeing it more precious, valuing time more, and seeing how quickly it goes by.

In our western go-go-go society, it’s common to be unhappy in the corporate world. That’s where I came from.

The more you did and proved your value, the more you could be indispensable (although nobody really is).

The pressure was always there running as an undercurrent. Potentially losing a job for whatever reason was always a looming threat to job security.

And vacations were almost always too short and few. Relax was a bad word in those environments. Taking on stress was not described as life-shortening as it is these days.

Relaxing was associated with being lazy and there was no spinning the idea of laziness as productive.

Laziness was associated with old age, not working, and 4-legged furry pets. Today laziness is normal.

Unhealthy burning the midnight oil, drinking multiple espressos, sugary canned drinks, cramming food down, skipping meals to get more done, and eating junk to get us through, was a growing epidemic.

So hopefully those were our past ways. One good outcome from being more awake and slowing down (and maybe that’s how you are now) is people are taking the burden off their bodies.

We were never meant to have a 24-7-on all the time work-focused mind.

If the body doesn’t want to naturally do this, that’s a sure health warning. Now we’re reconsidering our lives and what we want now and in the future.

And you can leverage these evolving societal changes and reconsider time for your best use.

Finding time throughout the day to do nothing that needs broadcasting (like relaxed yoga poses, napping, meditation, or watching shows) is a good use of time that can lead you to new ideas.

And then you can get back to being busily productive as part of the balance.

And if you’re a recovering 24-7 workaholic, you may never want to go back to a rat-race existence if that’s what you had.

You’ve learned some lessons and now know a better way. And you’re smart not to want to go back. You don’t get to redo any age.

Going back would be like wearing a worn-out and familiar old shoe that no longer looks right on you.

Today, you can retire those shoes, and run with a new pair to get to a better place.

Oh, and don’t be too surprised when new ideas meet you there on your next move. 🎉

Tears of Joy and Breathing for Ayurvedic Living

When you get tears of joy (😂), your body is set in joy motion. You feel something and that can get you to move and take good action.

You get to experience freeing moments like you’re on top of the world, and your mind is joyfully elevated. This helps your mental health and outlook. And when your mind is happy, your body feels the connection. That’s Ayurveda in a nutshell.

Well… except it’s not that cut and dry (…I don’t think anything is these days).  I wrote some personal notes below at the end of this post, from over a decade of intentional-balanced and healthy-minded living

I think it’s safe to say, we all have different body goals. One of mine is to stay looking young for as long as nature will let me. I can’t stop gray hairs from coming, but I can avoid the stressful grays that started in my mid-20s.

And our preferences are different, like in music…

For me and maybe for you, that can be in listening to a song that strikes a chord inside, like Adele’s emotional songs or the empowering words from a Lauren Daigle song.

Lyrics matter to me more now than they used to when I’d hum along to anything that had an upbeat vibe. It’s a good idea to be choosier about what we put in our minds (and body) if we want certain results.

And in modern Ayurvedic living, you choose as it’s not rules-based but certain practices work because the body is intuitive.

In other happy moments, seeing someone else happy can leave us smiling. Or when they have tears of joy, we do too.

And in another moment, that could be laughing out loud (does anyone even use LOL anymore…besides me? 😊).

And btw, I get a good laugh in watching The Great British Baking Show. I’ll spare you the witty, but clean jokes swirling in my head. But, that’s what sets it apart from every other baking competition. It’s standup (filmed) comedy or silly, tongue-in-cheek banter… oh, and beautiful bakes too.🍥

And it’s easy to love and relate to all the friendly contestants (and be glad you’re not under the pressure!). Read-dy?…Now Bake.

Just kidding. (I can’t say lol since I just called myself out on it).

But, anyway… in life, you’re usually witnessing your life from and with other people even if it’s through a computer or television. Even if we feel like we live in a bubble, our energy permeates through social media and our connections made. It doesn’t take a plane ride… it takes nanoseconds for our energy and atoms to travel.

And that’s the relational power we have in this life. Along with our connecting breath.

Next time you think about it, pair your tears of joy (or routinely adding daily eye drops) with a special breathing exercise called Pranayama, that’s a controlled way of breathing.

Here’s how you do Pranayama breath. Blow out all your air through your mouth. And then inhale breathe in a big gasp of air through your nose. Hold your breath for about 6-8 seconds. And then let out a big exhale through your mouth as you had started with. You can feel a burst of concentration/clarity in your mind. The mind fog is lifted (even if it’s temporary) and it can feel like you just had a shot of espresso or strong matcha tea.

In doing the breathing exercise, you’ve just relaxed and massaged your body from the diaphragm muscles to your vital nerves that impact your brain, breathing, and the body parts that regulate your stress. Sounds like a big deal… it is.

But we forget. And living in purpose is everything to intentional balanced living.

You get to feel alive! And that may be the that’s-what -I’m talkin’-about prescription you need, especially if you have constant stress in your life. You can try to find areas of life where you can shed tears of joy.

You can practice breathing purposeful daily wherever you are, so remember to do this regularly or when you next feel anxiety or a breather moment.

This can be another purposeful move where you step outside where you spend most of your day. Like when you’re out and see a work of art that moves your heart and stirs your soul. That can be from nature or something that is living and breathing like a baby-making cooing sounds or a dog with a wagging tail you see walking outside.

If you’re cooped up inside and have no errands to run (lucky you!), here are some outside ideas to get out of your nest: Continue reading “Tears of Joy and Breathing for Ayurvedic Living”

Pitta 5 Love Languages to Restore Imbalance

Pitta is a heated situation where you want to get back to love and peace. And a cooling off like ice cream can do just that. Easy chocolate soft serve recipe below. 🍦🍫

soft serve ice cream chocolate recipe.

You may not be a Pitta type, but you may have others in your life who dominate in this dosha body (and mind-body) type. If they are unaware, they can be impatient, irritated, and annoyed. Or maybe that’s you. We’re all just one step away from a Vata, Pitta, or Kapha imbalance. Restoring the balance helps us operate optimally.

And btw, this avocado tree that started from a seed in the summer, is a calming addition. It’s looking a little like a Jack and the Beanstalk, but it’s healthy. And if a plant is healthy, then it’s happy.

Happy Jack and the Beanstalk

…As humans we’re a ‘lil more complex and want it all (and have more areas that need TLC). Plus from others, we want our preferred 5 love languages met.

And if yours happens to be Gift, then I have a nice giant healthier (but just as tasty) oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe below that you can bake and gift to that Pitta someone (or yourself 😋)… and you can decorate with frosting words if you like. Remember the big cookies you could buy in the mall?

Finding ways to be kind like gifting a cookie, helps when we have someone dominant in our lives and relationships who has a Pitta imbalance. And they act less than, well… desirable or pleasant.

…and that’s because they’re probably stressed about something in their life. If things aren’t happening as they had hoped, this can be a source of sour cherry or bitter thorns that subtly weaves their way into other parts of life.

And chronic stress buildup we know is the silent ager and gateway to health inflammation. Feelings of stress can be masked inside the body. And whether anger is acted out, it’s more a personality trait (and violence is more a male species trait).

And, panicking and anxiety is a heavy Vata trait, so if you’ve been wondering why people naturally panic and others don’t, that’s the way they’re wired. And experiences along their journey can trigger their emotional or uncontrollable body reactions.

The tricky part is you can have a combination of body things going on. It’s better to nip in the bud so undesired tendencies don’t settle in, and you can live optimally free of inflammation and discomforts. (You can learn more about this by taking the Body Balance Quiz).

Today I wanted to talk specifically about Pitta as just about everyone has a dominant Pitta in their life whether it’s at home or work.

If another person’s Pitta imbalance is spilling over to you and causing angst in your life, then you should especially keep reading so you can be aware (and moving towards getting your life back).

Let’s start with…

What if you could silently help the Pitta person (a loved one, a housemate, a boss, a co-worker, or your Pitta self) or people in your life without saying a word? I mean, no one wants to poke (or provoke) the bear.

First of all, most people are unaware they are misbehaving or creating noticeable havoc affecting others if they haven’t already learn to control how they act, at least in front of people. They are naturally that way and you are naturally your way. And probably no one has stopped them (and maybe even encouraged them because they don’t have to encounter them regularly like you do).

Even if you have mentioned their behavior in passing, it may not register. What they are experiencing internally can be louder than your words. It’s their internal turmoil. And the oil spill is damage passes onto you.

Most dominant Pittas love (or should I say live for) productivity. Emotional drama is not going to embrace them and they may even avoid those situations. They’re not going to stick around for the gossip (and that’s not necessarily a bad thing as they have better things to do with their time).

How it can hurt is they may not have a plug-in cord with their heart and surface feelings. (Even though they may feel even deeper inside than those who wear their hearts on their sleeves). Whatever the case, we shouldn’t fault them for what they don’t have and they shouldn’t fault us for our lacks they perceive.

Pitta managers (think the managing directors) can act like a typical Type-A in Corporate America. The tradeoff is they’re not often good with focus on living balanced or taking daily joy time out every day unless there’s a definitive goal assigned to what they’re doing.

Working out, running, or bicycling can be a better work-life balance time-off activity in their focused eyes.

So, to a Pitta, starting a conversation with having a better work-life balance probably isn’t going to win them over, lol. Those of us who are Vatas can find that interesting as we love to enjoy and relax.

Having a happy life discussion may even enter a downward spiral if you’re looking for a promotion. Getting the right things done is more the language you want to use, and this could also be with a relationship partner.

If you can present spreadsheets, logical conclusions, and rationale, this will go over better than anecdotal evidence. You may even want to get to the bottom line first and then explain the backup story.

Strong Pittas make great finishers and competitors. Professional athletes are usually high Pittas because they can stay calm under pressure, so they continue to score when others could crumble.

For a Pitta relationship, you may want to suggest joint leisure physical activities or yoga. Emphasizing more active yoga poses like Warrior or Mountain standing poses where hands and arms are in movement.

A lying down Knee Hug or Happy Baby Pose won’t do much for a Pitta. But a stretch in hamstrings will remind them of working out and not having sore leg muscles the next day (healthy productivity).

A quiet practice like eyes-closed meditation can be good for a Pitta since there is a clear beginning and end when the eyes close and open. And if there’s a clear goal like helping to reduce stress, then they can be all in. “Being more intentional in life” can be a little too obscure.

Whoever your Pittas are in your life, here are 5 ways you can bring in more love for each of the 5 love languages (from Gary Chapman’s book).

5 Love Languages for the Pittas in your Life:

Quality Time:

For a Pitta co-worker, if you can’t physically spend time with them, silent prayer for them is a proactive way that would help. No one ever refuses a prayer no matter what beliefs they hold or don’t hold.

For a romantic partner, working out together (mentioned above), or an engaging activity like cooking a meal together, ice skating, or playing a game could be fun. If an activity is mentioned, even if it’s not favorable to you, think about what would be a benefit in taking a few hours.

We can spend that much time, cleaning and piddling around doing nothing or watching television where the time just disappears. Or in feeling guilt for not agreeing.

What if you did something that meant a lot to the other person? It’s time you put into the relationship and quality to them. Think of it as an act of service (love).

Acts of Service:

Maybe your Pitta friend or spouse needs a vacation, but they can’t take one just yet. You could change the situation around you. This works for babies. O how a fussy baby can be quietly silenced, being held in the air, or with a ‘lil playful drops of water trickling down their heads that you release from a straw.

For an adult, that won’t work (and will probably get you in hot water!) but the same strategy works.

You can similarly change their immediate atmosphere. And create ambiance (that’s what we would say in a restaurant).

You can play Kenny G or jazzy tone music around them. Music has a profound calming effect. You can explore a bunch of music play suggestions.

You can light up or gift them with a lavender or musky scented gift. This could bath be salts, a candle, or tea. This can help soothe them back to relax mode.

This can be coupled with quality time activities but also when they’re most stressed out, like when they first get home from work or had chaotic travel.

You know when they’re relaxed because they won’t be acting irritated by what was or wasn’t done.

Gifts and Physical Touch:

Maybe make a homemade or thoughtful gift like an avocado smoothie or a photo memory displayed that may go over very well. You may need to dig a ‘lil deeper to find a gift to evoke feeling from a memory vs. giving a thoughtful gift, like…

Bake a carrot cake, prepare a Middle Eastern meal (lotsa astringent tastes that will help balance them) or order one in.

…Or you can make waffles or pancakes.

…Or this irresistible and versatile healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie (that can also be a breakfast idea). The printable recipe is found here 🍴.

oatmeal chocolate chip cookie Pitta love food.
Who wouldn’t love this cookie and if you hand frosted writing something nice?

2/3 cup oats

1/2+ cup whole wheat flour for a standard cake pan (this can vary depending on the size of your baking pan. Be sure you can cover the entire bottom of the pan for a whole cookie.)

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 Tbsp maple syrup (for low-sugar)

1 Tbsp yogurt

1/4 cup almond milk

2 Tbsp chocolate chips (add on top like in my photo above if you don’t want a lumpy cookie. Then you can slightly heat the cookie up in the oven recommended for warm but intact chocolate chips when you’re ready to enjoy).

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 egg

Mix ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes. I like to let the edges brown just a tad (for the crunchy bite). No muss, no fuss… just simple smiles.

Movin’ on…

soft serve ice cream chocolate recipe.
Print

Easy Soft Serve Chocolate Ice Cream (Egg Yolk Method)

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

  • 6 egg yolks
  • 3 cups milk (low-fat)
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup fine sugar (monk fruit sugar alternative)

Instructions

  • Add milk and cocoa powder to a pot, and heat until you see a light boil (a few small boil bubbles). Then turn the heat off.
  • Take the pot off the heat and let cool for a few minutes.
  • Add your egg yolks to a separate mixing bowl and beat with sugar to emulsify until pale or lighter yellow color.
  • Add slightly cooled mixture to egg yolks and constantly stir with quick motions (prevent curdling).
  • When combined, set in refrigerator to cool down for about 15 minutes or longer.
  • Prepare ice cream maker machine and bowl if you will be using one to set the soft serve ice cream. Take bowl out of freezer for about 30 minutes if it has been in the back of the freezer. Freezer temps vary but you want the bowl cold enough but e.g. not with frozen icicles on the sides but not water condensation. Tip: for the balance, have the bowl a little less cold because you can always freeze the ice cream back up in the freezer. And soft serve is more creamy, watery, and soft than ice cream.
  • Alternatively, if you are not using an ice cream maker/bowl, be sure to stir the ice cream every half hour or so to remove any forming icicles.