For instance this week's newsletter talks about:

1.  Review your successes and be IMPRESSED with your accomplishments.  For whatever quirk of human nature, we seem to focus on what's yet to be done.  Give yourself stars, high fives, tropies.  Every time you remember to breath and bring yourself to the present moment, imagine a crown or tiara on your head. Write down every little, tiny thing no matter what it is:  "I left 3 bites of food on my plate"  "I parked two spaces further from the door."  Think about how silliness builds momentum.  Take yourself not so seriously but keep leaving more bites on the plate.

Speaking of silliness, I suggested last week to an AP that just thinking about her mom's homemade biscuits was maybe enough.  She'd already eaten thousands.  Her thighs really didn't need to store more.  She already knew what they tasted like, smelled like.  Maybe it was enough just have the memory of her mom in the kitchen cooking with love.  AP had a very doubtful look on her face.  Maybe you have success just remembering a favorite food or occasion without participating in real time.

I highly recommend signing up for the newsletter at RealAge.com.  Breath in that motivation.....

**APs: stands for Amazing Potentials, my new name for clients.  I am constantly in awe at the changes people make, realizing their power to create happiness and health.

A recent client (I'm going to change that word "client" to AP until I think of something I like better.  AP is for Amazing Potential!).  Let's start over.  A recent AP came in for weight management.  She had had a health scare a few months back.  Not wanting to take pharmaceticals with their side effects, she went to a nutritionist and personal trainer and successfully got her blood work #s back to a healthy state.  Good job!

What she came to me for though, was after a few months she gained the weight back.  This is a very common situation.     My philosopy is that when it's not your plan, when you don't own it, you go back to usual cravings and habits. 

So how do you own it?

Breathe, notice, quiet your mind, listen.   Breathe: nice, exluriant, slow inhales and exhales about 10 of them.  Notice: where is your body holding and breathe into those spots  Quiet your mind:  with eyes closed focus on the place between your eyes, breathe some more    Listen: talk to yourself with love and kindness, what do you need? what can I do for you?

When I talk to myself and I hear a huge To Do List ("you need to take more vitamins, eat more cauliflower, hike to the top of Black Mountain every day at dawn, learn to like yams, take cold showers, give yourself a foot massage before sleep, watch Dr. Oz") I know my mind is NOT quiet.  When you're quiet enough, you can hear your spirit who is always telling the truth.  When I was quiet enough this week, my body/mind/spirit said "less raw garlic, more spinach, just one cup of coffee".   Simple.  I can do that.  Well, not sure about the coffee.... 

I would say that I've spent a large part of my day today living in my divinity.  As I moved through my day, I felt great joy and excitement.

There was a brief bout of disappointment.  I just read something that said disappointment is a mismanagement of expectations.  Hahaha---no KIDDING!  The feeling of disappointment came into my body (lower heart, upper stomach area).  Analysis:  I was feeling like something should have happened that didn't.  Is this the silliest emotion ever????   Other days I would have skipped the analysis and moved on to Spin.  Spin:  Well, he should have done this....What a mean thing to say.....He should show me he loves me by......   The Spin is also silly.  It's a blame game, expecting someone else to give me what I need.  That's not only silly, it's hilarious.  I barely know what I need.  How can another?  Right now, I'm feeling so sorry for all the people I ever put that expectation on!!!!!

Your brain is always going to churn out thought.  It's fun to feel the thought, then analyze for any shred of helpfulness to your state of bliss.  Well, maybe fun is a bit of a stretch!  It's interesting to watch the thought, the feeling, the spin.  Let it go......

Side note: previously in this blog, I believe I was excited about canning but once again did not get out that boiling kettle of water.....  The last time I canned was 1986, very pregant with Patrick.  It was so hot but beautiful jars of pears were produced.  If I release that memory of the overheated pregnant girl....  I'll let you know how my dream of canning works out summer of 2010.

My juice today: garlic, kale, carrots, pear, fresh peas in shell, water, balsamic vinegar, touch of oj.

***Let's stop here for a moment while I bring in some honesty.  I have never been the optimist that jumps out of bed in the morning.  I have the kind of brain that needs constant optimism training, constant vigilant watching and releasing of bullshit thoughts!

Back to your energy levels....  What happened to that morning energy?  4 o'clock  is what happened.  And you don't like that 4 o'clock feeling.  When we don't like feelings or icky thinking patterns we set out to mindlessly get rid of them with:  cookies, crackers, wine, beer, smoking, eating past full, procrastination, picking fights, gossiping, watching TV, surfing for porn, getting sucked into Facebook, playing video games.

SO I suggest you think about adding this to your lifestyle.  Notice the feeling.  Find it in your body.  Without labeling it, breathe in 10 slow breaths to that place in your body.  If there's more than one place, give yourself that luxury of breath to every spot that needs it.

At this very moment, I'm noticing the feeling.  Without labeling, I find it in my neck and shoulders.  I breathe in 10 slow breaths.  I can leave my fingers on the keyboard and count the 10 breaths.  That took me about 2 minutes and I really do feel more energy, calmer, more excited to be writing this.  As I was breathing I asked for a word to repeat over and over.  The word was "stronger" so I just rhythmically repeated "stronger and stronger and stronger and stronger" as I breathed slowly.

I close my eyes when I do this but if you're at work and don't want to look like a slacker (which of course you're absolutely not!  Let me talk to your boss about how you're actually increasing your productivity and creativity) find an object on your desk to stare at while you breathe.  Give that object some magical powers for you.  Breathe and absorb that magic.  I suggest a tiny unicorn:) for your magical object!  My magical object is a tiara.

Taken from Comfortable with Uncertainty by Pema Chodron (one of my favorite books of the moment)

Being able to lighten up is the key to feeling at home with your body, mind, and emotions, to feeling worthy to live on this planet.

For example, you can hear the slogan “Always maintain only a joyful mind” and start beating yourself over the head for never being joyful.  That kind of witness is a bit heavy.

This earnestness, this seriousness about everything in our lives-this goal-oriented,

we’re-going-to-do-it-or-else attitude, is the world’ greatest killjoy.  There’s no sense of appreciation because we’re so solemn about everything.  In contrast, a joyful mind is very ordinary and relaxed. So lighten up.  Don’t make such a big deal.

When you’re aspiration is to lighten up, you begin to have a sense of humor.  Your serious state of mind keeps getting popped.  In addition to a sense of humor, a basic support for a joyful mind is curiosity, paying attention, taking interest in the world around you.  Happiness is not required, but being curious without a heavy judgmental attitude helps. If you are judgmental, you can even be curious about that.

Curiosity encourages cheering up.  So does simply remembering to do something different.  We are so locked into this sense of burden---Big Deal Joy and Big Deal Unhappiness—that’s it’s sometimes helpful just to change the pattern.  Anything out of the ordinary will help.  You can go to the window and look at the sky, you can splash cold water on your face, you can sing in the shower, you can go jogging---anything that’s against your usual pattern.  That’s how things start to lighten up.

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A friend of mine's symbol for lightening up is the Camel.  Travel lightly.  Less seriousness, more awareness and joy.  If our bodies, emotions and thoughts are bound up in patterns, good and bad- probably mostly old and useless, then observing ourselves, we can begin to lighten.  Wow, if that's a sentence at all it certainly is long!!!  (one of my patterns I enjoy is writing run on sentences!)

Notice your body, notice your thoughts, notice your emotions.

This week:

What patterns of sitting, walking, talking, driving did you notice and shift?

Could you add some nice deep breathing while listening to a friend or even just notice what muscles you’re tensing while listening?  Do you tense different muscles when you’re with different people/different situations?  What can you let go of?

Could you stop and notice the feeling that preceded an action? (an action like snacking) 

Let me know your observations.

I made this video a few weeks ago. I've been pretty committed to green juices, even making them last weekend when we were out of town. The green juice I'm having today starts with water, a pinch of sea salt, handful of walnuts, blueberries, raspberries, colander full of lettuces, parsley, chives, peaches, green tea that I brewed yesterday and a splash of balsamic vinegar!!!!

The goal is to add as many veggies as possible: so good for you but I'm not a super fan. Mike used to (notice the past tense) say I was really good at buying vegetables. Notice that's the end point!!!!!!!!! So by making this juice every day I'm adding 2 veggie servings and 1 fruit. And I don't have to chew so much!

In the video I mention Chia Seeds. I used all the ones I had and haven't re-purchased. I really liked them though. They are high in antioxicants, fiber, omega-3s, protein, lipids. Low in sodium and fewer net carbs than other grains. Most interesting of all: Chia Seeds were the survival food of Aztec warriors. Eat your seeds and bring that peaceful warrior spirit into your heart!

Have you noticed how many more front yard gardens there are?

The Michelle Obama's White House garden has already produced 90 lbs of vegetables.

The Ball Jar Company (think canning) has so far this year sold 30% more jars and it isn't even canning time yet!

She also mentions a book I'm going to hunt down, Tao of Natural Breathing.

Of all the e-newsletters that I subscribe to, this is the one that I consistently read.  Excellent content, minimal advertising.