Sister Sundays & Rainy Mondays!

Hot Yoga. Organizing. Sunday Evening with my sister. Food/Treats.Back Rubs. Wedding Planning. Dark Chocolate Almonds. Retro Dawson's Creek and The Cosby Show. Monday - Computer Prep - Writing Hot Yoga, Bike & Group Power! Writing...and Vanilla Candles to keep me calm!

Food Diary:

Sunday:
Breakfast: Apple & Banana
Lunch: Steel Cut Oats with Half Banana and Frozen Mixed Berries Topped with Cinnamon & Splash of Vanilla Almond Milk
Dinner: Universal Grill Bistro: Vegetable Turnover served with Gourmet Tomatoe Sauce, Greens and Topped with Ricotta Cheese. DELICIOUS! Filling but light. If you live in Toronto - Check it Out! Great Music and Intimate Ambience! http://www.universalgrill.ca/
Dessert: Apple Crumble Al a Mode :)
Late Night Treats: Dark Chocolate Almonds and Blue Menu Sweet Potatoe Tortilla Crisps & Sleeptime Tea! I would not advise this every night - but girls night you must!

Monday:
Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats, Banana, Frozen Mixed Berries, Cinnamon & Splash of Vanilla Rice Milk
Lunch: 1/2 of Amy's Organic Black Been Burrito
Dinner: Amy's California Burger on Top of Spinach, Served with Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Zucchini and Eggplant with Ketchup and Peppermint Tea

Gratitude:
I am grateful being able to retreat at my sisters house.
I am grateful for the Universal Grill Bistro that we had a lovely dinner at.
I am grateful for massages.
I am grateful for being cozy and taking the time to relax.
I am grateful for rainy days. I don't like all days to be rainy - but there is something comforting about being inside and walking amongst the mist. It is refreshing!
I am grateful for setting up my appointment with Jess to talk about Yoga Teacher Training.
I am grateful for my deep breathing and relaxation of my body last night.
I am grateful that my house is clean and organized and a positive thinking and creative space.
I am grateful for the calm, quiet and silence today.
I am grateful that I feel motivated on a Monday!

Joy Blast:

1-08 Let It Be.mp3

"Let it Be" - Across the Universe Soundtrack - Carol Woods & Timothy T. Mitchum. This version is often used in one of my Silent with Music Yoga Classes and it is always empowering!

Reflection/Inspiration:
A Book I just Recently Finished Reading: New York Times Bestseller My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.

On Dec. 10, 1996 37 Year Old Harvard trained brain scientist experienced a massive stroke in the left hemisphere of her brain. As she observed her mind deterioriate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write or recall any of her life - all within four hours -Taylor alternated between the euphoria of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complet well-being and peace, and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized she was having a stroke and enabled her to seek help before seh was compeltly lost. It would take her 8 years to fully recover.

What I found particularly interesting was Jill's vast academic knowledge and very much Left Oriented Brain prior to the Stroke in combination with her Insight about her Right Side of the brain after her stroke. She has now trained her brain to leave 30 mins in the morning and 30 mins in the evening to whine, complain, vent, have negative thoughts etc. But if she misses those times during her day - she does not allow her to think those negative thoughts. Another point that stood out for me: within 90 secs the neural loop for anger, rage, frustration etc. - Within 90 seconds it has gone in and out of our bodies. So we are human, and we can experience all of the emotions that come with being human -but it is OUR CHOICE how many times we replay that loop!!!

The Right Mind:
All about right here, right now.
It is all about the richness of this present moment.
Filled with Gratitude for life and everyone and everything in it.
Content, Compassionate, Nurturing, and Eternally Optimistic.
There is no judgment of good/bad or right/wrong, so everything exists on a continuum of relativity.
Adventurous, Celebrative of Abundance, and Socially Adept.
Sensitive to nonverbal communication, empathic, and accurately decodes emotion.
Open to the eternal flow whereby I exist at one with the universe. It is the seat of my divine mind, the knower, the wise woman, and the observer. It is my intuition and higher consciousness. My right mind is ever prsent and gets lost in time.
Brings me new insight in this moment so I can update old files that contain outdated information.
Open to new possibilitys and thinks out of the box.
It appreciates that chaos is the first step in the creative process.
It is kinesthetic, agile, and loves my body's ability to move fuluidly into the world. It is tuned into the subtle messages my cells communicate via gut feelings, and it learns through touch and experience.
Celebrates its freedom in the Universe and is not bogged dwon by my past or fearful of what the future may or may not bring.
It honors my life and the health of all my cells.
It doesn't just care about my body; it cares about the fitness of your body, our mental health as a socity, and our relationship with Mother Earth.
Our Right Mind Appreciates that every cell contains the exact same molecular genius as the original zygote cell that was created when our mother's egg cell combined with our father's sperm cell.
My right mind understands that I am the life force power of the fity trillion molecular geniuses crafting form!
It understands that we are all connected to one another in an intricate fabric of the cosmos, and it enthusiastically marches to the beat of its own drunk.
My right mind proclaims: " I am part of it all. We are brothers and sisters on this planet. We are here to help make this world a more peaceful and kinder place."
My right mind sees unity among all living entities.

THE LEFT BRAIN is responsible for taking all of that energy, all of that information about the present moment, and all of those magnificent possibilities perceived by my right mind, and shaping them into something manageable.

The Tool I use to communicate with the external world.
The Finest Tools in the universe when it comes to organizing information.
Takes pride in its ability to categorize, organize, describe, judge, and critically analyze absolutely everything.
It thrives in constant contemplation and calculation.
It is a perfectionist and an amazing housekeeper of corporation or home.
Our right mind character values humanity, while our left mind character concerns intself with finances and economy.
A multitasker and loves performing as many functions as it can at the same time
Partially measures its value by how many things it crosses off my dailty to do list.
Its ability to focus on differences and distinguishing characteristics makes it a natural builder.
Particularly gifted at identifying patterns.
It is adept at processing large volumes of information quickly.
One of the most prominent characteristics of our left brain is its ability to weave stories. This storyteller portion of our left mind's language center is specifically designed to make sense of the world outside of us, based upon minimal amounts of information.
Most impressively, our left brain is brillian in its ability to make stuff up, and fill in the blanks where there are gaps in factual data.

Challenge of the Day:
Build Awareness. Find moments where you are choosing to use your Left Brain and where you would be better suited to shift to the right. It is your choice.