wise words from Buddha / some zen and some yoga

{Inverted leg Asana ,helps prevent varicose  veins}


my yoga workouts are coming along nicely , my stomach is pulled in  but  i'm  still having trouble with some asanas . But hey ! i am not perfect . Doing yoga is so relaxing .
while on our afternoon walk we saw a lady on a bridge  with her bike doing her yoga routine  she was looking out to sea  she looked so peaceful.She didn't care  who was walking by.
I know of  so many sad people of late it is so sad  over  this joyous time , because of yoga i have noticed  my perception  is right up and i  can feel peoples  moods  as i walk past them ,  my sensitivity is through the roof.                                                                                  



Iam sitting  here  writing this  listening to Leonard Cohen with rain,thunder pounding down and lightning  darting around the sky, it's a grey old day but it is beautiful  .I haven't  felt this sensitive in years  or if ever .
 it is quite overwhelming .
this happens to me with meditation it is amazing how the two  coincide. James  is doing well and to help him with his recovery process  he  will be starting a pain management course in the new year .
James went to the Dr  the other day  and she said he is in perfect health which is fantastic news  for Christmas

                                                 some wise words  from Buddha!
                                                  --------------------------------
Buddha says there are nine  causes of the premature , unexpected end to human life  the first five  of these are related to ones  diet and are listed below the others are related  to proper conduct..

•  eating what should  not be eaten-foods which are out of season  or bad for you as an individual.
• immoderate eating - consumption in excess of ones needs.
•  eating contrary to  custom - eating  at odd  hours and eating a variety of  foods which are new to your body without  adjusting.
• failure to discharge the  old before the arrival of the new - eating  before  you have finished  digesting the previous meal,    eating when you are not hungry

intentional retention of digested foods-basically  this means suppressing natural processes  such as belching,vomiting and gas as well as urination and bowel movements.

                here is a zen/ Buddhist  story i would love to share with you  it is called.

                                                   

                                                 searching for sweetness

                                               -------------------------

a man went to  visit  his guru  and found when he arrived  he found  the teacher sitting in the yard in front of

a massive pile of hot chilly  peppers . the teacher was  eating the chilies one by one tears of pain were running down his face and he was sobbing this is terrible.

when asked why he was doing this  his guru replied i am looking for the sweet one.

his actions exemplify the way  in which most of us spend  our lives we should know from past experience 

that the sweet one does not exist   but we continue  to search for our happiness in external objects  however the sum total of all the pleasures of the physical world are nothing  compared to the blissful state of meditation

my interpretation  of this is 

all of the material things  acquired in life are irrelevant in  in the search for your inner peace..

what is yours ? 

NAMASTE.

                                 

Christmas and yoga

Well the silly season is here with all the naughty things we all  love.
Christmas functions are happening and temptation is right in our path.
So you know what my advice is ? enjoy yourself go and eat it ! eat, drink , and be merry i say.
i can tell you just how you can without missing out on a single  thing.  This what i do when there is a buffet or Xmas function, family dinners or luncheons.,
i get a bit of everything on my plate so i only have to go up once . then for desert  i have a bit of cake or what ever i like within reason .I still do my yoga  and walk  Harriet in the afternoon and it works a treat

i like to relax  and have a good time over Xmas  and so should you.... If you  want a drink  or two catch a cab that is the best and safest  way to go  but remember  moderation is the key .


we hope you have a wonderful Xmas and a happy and safe new year

a long road to recovery

Eight months ago James had  the 2nd half of a major knee operation completed
as written  in previous posts. The first part was done because of septicaemia
resulting in the artificial knee being removed, as well  as the spikes into the femur and the tibia being  removed .
Resulting in James  spending  sixteen days in hospital and Having his knee joint out for  five months,
whilst  receiving  mega doses  of antibiotics  which resulted in him loosing  strength  in his upper leg muscles.

this resulting in his immune system being compromised
we had to get James's immune system  back up.
So we changed our diet . which was approved by our DR , and this is how  the common  sense diet was born.And because of this  his immune system is now back on track.

it has been a hard time for all of us  but for James  especially, it has been a very  difficult road back to recovery, but he is getting there  so much so  James doesn't need physio anymore and has been cleared
to do some yoga poses, James now has to start from scratch  and that is exactly what James is doing.
James, when not doing yoga does the physio  exercises that he was given .
sometimes  he looks like he is doing the cancan  and i have to tell him to slow down.
And he wonders why he is  sore  afterwards .
I cant believe how well he has done  I don't know if i would be that brave.

{NOTE}

to help make scaring disappear  use vitamin e  cream it works like magic

harmony's common sense diet

as you know i was a size fourteen and i was miserable . I tried all sorts of things but nothing worked to move the excess weight .And i have been battling  this for years until, my now hubby  and I had a brain wave!
We have created our own diet and from our own experiences this works.
It is called  HARMONY'S COMMON SENSE DIET.
With the yoga and walking Iam  now down to a size eight
and can now fit into lovely summer dresses and shorts
and you know what i might even give a bikini a go.
I also have more energy and i feel so much better in myself .and because of yoga Iam beginning
to look trim. My muscles are toned, James says I even have a glow, I said maybe it is the sun, and he said
no it is a different kind of glow . how romantic  what makes our Harmony diet so good is  because  it feels like you are not even on a diet.No pressures of fad diets or  being on a self imposed deadline just  doing it in your own time  with a  healthy eating plan what can be better than that.
as we get older it is very bad to yo yo diet it is bad for your health and body but people do it anyway.

the worst offenders are us girls.If you want a good complexion  this is not the way to do it. you see
Imagine your skin is a rubber band it will only stretch  so far before it gives out once the skin gives out
you will have a hard if  not impossible task to get your elasticity back the best way to diet is not to  this is what we did and still do.
_________________________________________________________________________________

BREAKFAST{ means breaking the fast}

1 bowl of special k with berries or a  healthy cereal of your choice.

LUNCH

1 sandwich or two rivitas with a healthy topping of your choice.
we sometimes have a piece of toast  without butter and replace it with Philadelphia cream cheese with sliced tomato on top that way we do not get bored .

DINNER

a medium sized meal  of five vegies and a palm  sized  lean meat of your choice
we also have grilled fish and oven baked chips with a big healthy salad.

Salads do not have to be boring I make my own salad dressing ant it's yum.

{HINT}

add silverbeet  or spinach as an alternative to lettuce  or combined it is yum!
Also use your  imagination . try bok choy zuchinni, capsicum red, green , yellow, or orange all very nice.

also have two fruits a day which iam guilty of not doing sometimes.All this will be useless if  you pig out on all the wrong things so to stop the cravings we give ourselves a treat that way we don't miss out on a thing .
So that  is why i don't call it a diet.all we have done is reduced  our meal intake  and with a hours walk daily walk and combined with yoga three times a week.
And have cut out all the naughty things we all love. Do this and you will reach your ideal weight .
I have managed to come down to a size eight and  have maintained it
if you do this  you will be a force to be reckoned with .

{NOTE}

Always wait  an hour after eating  before doing your yoga workout.

mastering the pigeon asana

What a day! i did my  yoga workout and i cant believe  what i have done.The yoga pose {asana}.
the pigeon, ! i never thought  i would get  it. I have practiced and practiced but to no avail until today
it all just fell into place.The rest of the yoga routine was great  i still have some poses to master
but i am doing OK They  say the more you practice the better you will get . I think that applies to everything
in life.
this message came to me in a dream

"Not to see a box as a box . see beyond it .
see the wider spectrum

                                                         {photo by James green}           

                                                                                     {photo by chelle green}
in other words  there is more to the box than meets the eye.".