Featured Post

Do You Like Reading Ghost Stories?

Hello everyone, Who loves to read ghost stories? Do you like to read real life ones or fiction? Which is your favorite? I love to read gho...

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Autism

I couldn't help myself but to share this warm hearted story or video we should say with all of you. I have been working with individuals with Autism for more than 15 years and I always know that they will amaze us in their lives. I always see the gifts they have to show us. I am open and receptive to seeing them and help parents to open up and see them too.

When stress begins to cloud the visions of one whom parents a child with Autism, it can be hard to see the positive when the child is throwing a tantrum or punching and kicking holes in the walls. You can as anyone can get caught up in the negativity of the moment and it can be hard to see the positive and move forward.

I have seen children when they were three or four and see them when they are older. It amazes me to see them talking, making friends, dealing with anxiety, socializing and trying to adapt and fit in. I have been blessed to work with teens that are in high school and watch them change over the course of some coaching and seeing them date and make friends and trying out for the sports team.

They should be able to do anything they want. Not what we want but what they want. We have to open our ears and listen to them and offer a space for them to tell us what they feel they need help with and help them.

I have witnessed the stress that one is under after receiving a diagnoses of autism. I can tell you that we don't know what they will be like as adults but I can tell you that I have met a many adult who has autism and have gone to college or got married and had families.

I love it when we watch them grow letting them learn how do the things that are hard and to overcome the obstacles in their way. Love to see them grow and especially when they think they can't do something and I say, "I bet you can," and then they do it with new found confidence and then we have a party because whoo hooo you did it.

I of course get as excited as they do. I have a few manuals that I have been working on over the years that I hope to publish. Right now I have a toilet training manual in the works of editing. I hope to get it out to the public by next year.

So the reason I am sharing this video? Because I have seen many of these types of relationships between siblings and if it isn't there in the relationship between your children help them get there.





Day 5 of ayurvedic diet


I got up this morning did my massage and meditation. I felt great with a lot of energy. Usually I feel lethargic and slow to move around but today seemed a little different. Even with a cold brewing I felt more energetic than normal. I wanted to run out the door and go for a walk, however, my disabilities keep from doing anything like that so enjoyed doing my breathing instead and some of the exercises I shared early on in this blog.

I have found that I am starting to enjoy the spiciness of my food. I made chicken and peppers with onions. I cooked them in garlic and ginger oil and added turmeric, ginger, and pepper. I loved it. MMM was so good. I ate it with some ginger sesame Quinoa.

I think the hardest thing to dieting is finding recipes for the foods you can eat and having those available. So today I am going to share with you some information on food. Since each person is different and can eat different foods you will want to shop accordingly.

For me I shouldn’t eat rice or pasta but rather eat quinoa as the grain. I can eat pastas that are made with a whole grain but since I should avoid rice and wheat it makes it difficult. Actually don’t need them in my diet anyways. I don’t miss eating them at all.

So for those of you those are spaghetti eaters. I am, yum love that comfort food. Here is something you could try. Make your tomato sauce with ground turkey or chicken or do it like I do and add no meat. I add veges that I love. Then I cook a spaghetti squash and cook that in the oven at 350 degrees for around 30-45 minutes. I will usually cut the squash open and take a little bit of oil to the top. Just remember oil has calories and fat but it is an essential fatty acid and we need a little each and every day since our bodies do not make it.

This diet is not concerned with how much you eat and calories. I still like to keep them in check so I have been tracking them. For those of you with an Iphone there is an app called “Lost it” it tracks your food and it is easy. It can also track your exercise and keep track of your weight and lost weight. It has a scan tool on it so I can scan in all my foods and it pops up and lands in my stuff. It doesn’t take long at all.

I have been eating 1600 and under in calories per day. Some days it is 1000 and other days more than that. I am only supposed to eat three good meals per day and drink tea to help. At first I thought I am going to starve. I normally eat a few snacks and three meals a day. However, to be honest I was having sugar cravings bad at night and since I started this I have not had one. There is a pumpkin chocolate muffin on my table and I love them and I don’t even want it.

Really I would have already eaten that thing it is one of my favorite things to eat. Even when stressed which is when I usually want to eat sweets I haven’t wanted any sweets. I have been eating apples and raisins. You can even cook an apple and some raisins and spice them up with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, some vanilla and yum you have dessert.
I will just either cook them on the stove or bake them in the oven.













Just no cheese or any food you cannot eat I cannot have cheese or dairy unless light

again no cheese but I can have potatoes so make changes as you need to and look at this for breakfast

go here to learn more about the foods you should be eating for your Dosha

Read this blog article in the Washington post


go here to find out which Dosha you are

go here and they actually have put together a cook book that is about cooking nowadays for each dosha. I have shared a few of the recipes above early on in this post

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Day four of the Ayurvedic diet


Today I will share with you the importance of breathing or what is called, “Prana” or “Pranayama.” Anyone who does yoga knows about the importance of breathing and how this is actually a healing technique that helps to bring about balance.

There are several different types of Pranayama. So as with the differences in Doshas we will use a specific type of breathing. For Pitta they should perform what is called, “A Left Nostril Breathing.”  You will inhale through your left nostril and exhale through the right nostril. You will use a finger to shut off the nostril you are not using. For instance, when you go to inhale close off the right nostril and when you go to exhale close off the left nostril.

So try to picture this you holding one nostril closed with your pointer finger and then switch and use your thumb this will allow you to move it quickly. This exercise creates a cooling effect in the body by enhancing female energies.

For a person whom is a Kapha like me, when you do this exercise you will inhale into the right nostril and exhale through the left nostril using the same fingers as mentioned above. This will actually cause a Kapha to heat up instead of cool down.

A person whom is a Vata should perform this by alternating nostrils and breaths to bring balance.


For anyone who is obese you should do a breathing technique called, “ The breath of fire.” This will make you feel hot. You should take a deep breath in and exhale quickly through your nose. You only breathe through your nose. Do for one minute and then rest for one minute and do for another minute and then rest for one minute and then do it for one minute and then you are done. According to this book I am reading, “Ayurveda: The Science of Self Healing-A practical guide” by Vasant Lad. You can get this at Amazon.com.

He mentions that doing this breathing exercise is like running for two miles but only when someone who is obese and overweight. I am thinking that means for those of you who are not overweight it will not work for in that way. However it still can bring you energy and can be done by anyone of the Doshas.

I did this breathing exercise for the first time tonight and let me tell you I got hot within 30 seconds of doing it. I find it hard to keep using my nose so I know this will be a huge adjustment but I am going to keep doing it to see what will happen.

One thing the author does mention is that it might make you sweat and get really thirsty and for you to remember to drink warmer drinks or water that is room temperature but not to drink icy cold drinks because they actually increase build up of fat in one’s body.

When you engage in Pranayama breathing it helps to clear the mind and for you to focus. For some it brings in needed energy. For others it can help them to lose weight. As part of the Ayurveda lifestyle this should be added on a daily basis to other things that have already been mentioned here on this blog.

I will share some you tube videos for your viewing and learning. I myself am a visual learner and find it much easier if I can see what I am reading. So I try to have some sort of video or pictures for you to see.

For those of you that read last night’s post and know that I had a slight headache well it is gone. I feel pretty good today and notice that I have more energy and less lethargy. I am also not as hungry as I was yesterday and have eaten less today than I did yesterday. Now since I am a Kapha I am to only eat when hungry and no other times. I have learned to drink several cups of tea more than five in a day and have not been putting ice in my water, which is huge!!

I hope some of you reading this and thinking about wanting to try this lifestyle, I hope that you decide to. If anything adding meditation and the breathing techniques could potentially add years to your life by lowering stress and blood pressure. Let alone if the weight comes off and you will feel better in the end.

I would like to share that I already am less congested than I was before I started this program. I have had chronic sinus issues for many years, more than 10. I struggle with my nose closing up at night every night. I don’t have to have a cold for this to happen it just does. I have seen multiple doctors and they say everything looks fine with my sinuses but that surgery may be the only cure and that is not even a guarantee.

I have heard about the terrible surgery of the sinuses and have known people who say it didn’t help at all and others that said it saved their lives. Well after learning about the Ayurvedic diet and how the foods I was eating everyday led to the congestion I hate. I realized that I had to try this diet and lifestyle change. I love the fact that at night my nose is open and clear and that I have less mucus hanging out in my throat for me to want to cough up all the time.

My boys both have difficulties with their sinuses and now I am adding into their diet some of the stuff I am doing. My oldest son is about 30 pounds overweight and I have him eating the same foods I am eating and teaching him about meditation and had both boys doing the breathing with me tonight.

I am curious to see how this might even end up helping my oldest son with sleep. He wakes in pain in his back and just allowing yourself to relax like the meditations do can help your body be ready for sleep. He also has ADHD so am excited to see how this might help him to relax and to concentrate.

By the way if you ever have any questions please feel free to ask. I will try to connect you with the answers you deserve. I know most of you are waiting for me to add recipes and cookbooks. I am still collecting and have shared some all ready on pinterest so you can go there and check the information I have at

Here is the first video of the breathing

Here is another one that i like
So there you go you could see the two different breathing techniques I was talking about earlier in this blog. 



Tuesday, February 26, 2013

third day Ayurvedic diet


Today is my third day on the Ayurvedic diet. I am a little tired today have had a slight headache the last two days but think it is because my family is sick right now. I woke and did my massage and that actually helped pull me out of the funk I was in and get me going. I have been reducing my caffeine intake over the last three days and this definitely has something to do with my headache I am sure.

Another aspect of the lifestyle, I need to look at this from the perspective of a lifestyle not a diet. When we think of the word diet, what comes up for you? For me it means restriction. It means being hungry all the time. It means feeling out of sorts and not being able to function. It means being off every day. Well I don’t feel this way and really this is a lifestyle change. It is all about balance in your life.

We know that balance is an important aspect for all of us. When we are not in balance our world flies out of control and really who likes to feel out of control? I don’t I am a control freak who wants to be in control all the time. We as humans want to have control over ourselves when we have a sense of control we feel in our groove with our world.

That is what this whole life style is about is balancing not just our bodies but body, mind, soul. We need it.  So not only is it important to eat the foods that keep your body in balance but to also keep our minds and spirit in balance as well. I mean when you think about when we are in control all of those aspects of ourselves are in balance and then we feel relaxed and not uptight and stressed out like most people

Today I wanted to share the importance of adding meditation to your lifestyle. It is part of the Ayruvedic lifestyle and something more people need to do. I know you are thinking when am I going to have time for that. Well that is what I used to think before I began doing some meditation. I realized that I meditate many times during the day. When I drive or are sitting quietly drinking coffee in the morning.

But meditating for reason is a little different. I have goals when I meditate now and get many questions answered. Many things come to us when we are quieting our minds and bodies. You can do your meditation any time of the day. If you don’t have time in the morning this is ok. Do it at another time. I tend to do mine at night when my kids go to bed and my husband is off at work. It is when I have the time to quiet myself otherwise I am thinking about everything I have to do for that day.

I wanted to share with you all that in March there will be a meditation challenge from Deepak Chopra and Oprah W            infrey. You can join and they will email you think links to join in and do the meditation. I believe it is for 21 days that you will meditate every day. I will enhance your lives. I myself did some meditation before but I haven’t been doing it everyday. So now with this new lifestyle change I am going to meditate everyday and with this I have already signed up for the challenge. Here is the link

So why meditate? What is going to do for you?  Well research suggests that people who meditate consistently lower anxiety levels in their bodies. The researchers have also found that it helps people who have chronic pain issues. I have some of those and will let you all know how it helps me. I know that when I meditate it makes me feel really relaxed and good. Daily meditation helps you to focus and not be so scattered.  I mean with all that we have to do in a day we think about a million different things all at once. It makes it hard to focus your attention on any one thing for a period of time. Meditation will train your brain to shut out outside stimuli and to focus on the topic at hand. This could be complete silence. Or it could be a specific question that want answered. I have found with my experience with meditating that it was hard to do at first. I couldn’t stop thinking about all kinds of stuff and I learned to push that aside and now I don’t have any outside distractions. My kids could walk in on me and I will stay in a meditative state and hear them but they will not disturb what my focus is.

To know more about the research conducted than check out this site and read the article. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0361923011001341

One of the major benefits of meditation is it helps decrease your stress levels and you can deal with certain situations calmer when you practice the art of meditation each and every day. Don’t worry you can start slow and do it a few times per week to become adjusted and then add another day until you have been able to do a meditation 7 days a week. It does not have to be that long either. I meditate in the morning sometimes in the shower on my husband and children’s days off. I might spend ten minutes max in there meditating.

So what should you have to meditate? You don’t really need anything. Just a place of peace and quiet where you won’t here the phones or TV or are disturbed by someone. I like to light a candle and use the flame to get me into a meditative state. My neighbor uses water to get her into a meditative state. Find what helps you. A candle is helpful in setting up the place you want to meditate. Some want to meditate outside in their garden and the sounds of the birds around them put them into a meditative state.

So play around and find which area seems to be the best for you and you don’t have to only meditate in one exact place. You can do some outdoors sitting on your deck. Just make sure your body is open to movement of energy no closed arms and don’t cross your legs.

I listen to music while I meditate and/or listen to someone walk me through a meditation. Any of this is fine.

Not only does meditation help with stress it helps with many different aspects of your life. For one it helps balance you mind, body, soul but it also

  1. You to lose weight
  2. Reduce anxiety attacks
  3. Increases serotonin which many people take drugs to do that and here is a natural way to doing it.
  4. Relieves headaches
  5. Helps maintain blood pressure at a normal range.
  6. Enhances energy and stamina
  7. Reduces tension
  8. Helps reduce heart disease
  9. Increases concentration

Check out this link for more valuable information about meditating. http://www.project-meditation.org/how_to_meditate.html

There are many different kinds of meditations and next time we will talk about charkas since having these in balance is key to be healthy all over.

In order to get into a meditative state you will need to focus on your breathing it is important. You will take in a deep breath I mean deep into your lungs slowly until you can no longer take any more air in. When you release it let your stress go with it and release it slowly. This will take time for you to do this. Don’t worry you will get the hang of it.

I think guided meditations are the easiest since you are new at this. Over time you can learn some other techniques and there is no right or wrong way to do this just being peaceful throughout your body and mind is important.

Mantra Meditation:

This is where you might vocally say like “aum” which can help bring you into a meditative state. You would close your eyes sitting with hands on legs with palms up to the sky. You would sit and say this, “aum” and feel the vibration go through your body.

Plan to meditate for 20 minutes or more. I feel this is the hardest for a newbie to conduct.

Trataka Meditation: This is one where you visually stare at something to help bring you into a meditative state. Remember how I talked about lighting a candle and using the flame to bring into a meditative state? This is that type of meditation. I feel since I am attracked to fire that it works well for me.

  1. Prepare your space bring in music you want to listen to like sounds of nature or some other music that has no lyrics. I tend to like to listen to drumming music it tends to bring me into a meditative state fairly quickly.
  2. Light your candle and have this be in front of where you are.
  3. Be comfortable you cannot meditate if you are hurting yourself by trying to get into a position your body does not want to do.
  4. I lie on my bed or sit on my bed. I cannot get up and down on the floor so I find chairs and seats to be good. It doesn’t matter but this is not to fall asleep so a chair might be better.
  5. You should not fall asleep during your meditation you are focused during your meditation and you might see visions and when you are finished you should write these down if you could.
  6. You have started your music and are in a comfy position.
  7. Stare at the flame
  8. Take a deep breath in keep going in, in , in until you cannot take anymore.
  9. Now when you release it release all of the stress you have been feeling
  10. Take another deep breath in and in
  11. Release it with all the negativity in your body
  12. Take another deep breath in keep going in
  13. Release and send all of your worries out with the breath
  14. Take another deep breath in and bring in love for yourself and others
  15. Release fear that you may feel
  16. Take another deep breath in and in taking in confidence
  17. Release all the insecurities you feel with this breath
  18. Now just breath and relax listen to the sounds of the music and watch the flame flicker
  19. You will now spend the next 10 minutes in meditation and when ready to come back
  20. Take a few deep breaths bring in love and compassion for yourself and let out any negativity
  21. Now you should stretch and take your time to getting up you should feel quite relaxed.
  22. You can do meditations before bed to help you have a restful sleep.



Notice over time how your body feels and how different you feel with meditating. It really can do wonders for your self-esteem and just having compassion and love for your self and others.

Go to this site and you can do a guided meditation that is great and only lasts for 10 minutes go here http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/7-health-benefits-of-meditation



another meditation one and if these don't do it for you than check out youtube for one that is more your style



Monday, February 25, 2013

pinterest

come and check out my pinterest for more information about the Ayruvedic diet at http://pinterest.com/jerriaubry/

Day 2 of the Ayurvedic diet


So today I did my massage with sesame oil. I had to wait for 15 minutes before getting into the shower but it did heat up my body and actually think my skin ate it all because I wasn’t as sticky as I thought I was going to feel. I am going to share some information about the massage and why you should be doing it everyday. Yes, I said everyday.

Each morning before you begin your day you should do your massage and then wait the 15 minutes and hop into the shower. If you are a night shower person than you would just do it at night. It needs to be done each and every day. When we engage in this massage will allow toxins to release and for them to leave our bodies.

You should choose oils that will fit in with your primary Dosha. For me sesame is a good oil to do and my body liked it and took it in. You should massage your whole body but when you are alone that does not work so well.

I just rub what I can touch on my back and do the rest of my body starting at the scalp down to the bottom of my feet. I also have been doing my feet at night before bed since they are so dry they could use it.

I have included several videos about the massage. It is part of the ayruveda lifestyle and since we humans are a product of routine it will take some adjusting to get used to this new lifestyle and to do this massage everyday.

They suggest getting organic oils and cold pressed oils since your skin is going to eat it. You want it to be something healthy to put on your body.

According to the Chopra Center they have step-by-step instructions that I am sharing hear with you and here is their direct link to their site. http://www.chopra.com/abhy

So they call this massage the “Abhy” actually the self-abhy massage since you are doing it on yourself. You can also pick up some massage oil from them make sure it goes with your Dosha since I am a Kapha and can’t eat coconut I shouldn’t use coconut oil even though I love it and it is my favorite kind of oil to use. Sesame is better for me.

Pay attention to what your Dosha should eat and cook with as the Ghee, which is the oil you use. Each Dosha is different.

I think you could use the sesame oil if you want but if you like to have herbs added you would need to know what herbs you should eat for your Dosha. I love the smell of sweet things but am not to eat any of those so I think for now I will stick with the sesame oil besides I can get it locally at a place that sells it organic and for less than it might cost to buy oil over the internet but you can also do that too. There are several places to go to online to get these oils the chopra center sells oils for each Dosha.

If you want you can do a nightly massage if you don’t mind two showers per day. It helps you to feel relaxed and will lend to a good night’s sleep. I choose to begin my day cleansed and ready to go and relaxed. Although, I do massage my feet before bed and that brings up the heat into them and helps soothe them.

Although the Chopra Center shortened the name the actual name of the massage is “Abhyanga”

In India and around the world now, you would go and see a practitioner who would give you one of these massages but most of us with the economy the way it is, cannot afford that. So we do it for ourselves so that we can take responsibility for caring for our bodies. Besides it opens everything up and moves out toxins we should not have in our bodies.

Step by Step

1.     Begin by running some hot water over the bottle to gently warm the oil.
2.     Pour a tablespoon of warm oil onto your scalp and vigorously work in the oil.
3.     Using your fingertips, vigorously massage your head and scalp with small circular strokes, as if you are shampooing.
4.     Move to your face and ears, massaging more gently.
5.     Using an open hand to create friction, massage both the front and back of the neck.
6.     Vigorously massage your arms, using a circular motion at the shoulders and elbows, and back-and-forth motions on the upper arms and forearms.
7.     When massaging your chest and stomach, use a gentle circular motion and a straight up-and-down motion over the breastbone.
8.     After applying a bit of oil to both hands, gently reach around to the back and spine and massage them as well as you can without straining.
9.     Vigorously massage your legs as you did your arms, using circular motions at the ankles and knees, back-and-forth motions on the long parts.
10. After massaging your legs, spend extra time on your feet. Using the open part of your hand, massage vigorously back and forth over the soles of the feet.
11. Keeping a thin, almost imperceptible film of oil on the body is considered very beneficial for toning the skin and warming the muscles throughout the day.


Learn this and other daily revitalizing ayurvedic practices at the Perfect Health program at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, California.

After giving myself a massage I felt warm and better actually. I still felt some of the pain I do each day but as far as my muscle’s felt it was better.

Today I woke up and was not hungry so I didn’t eat breakfast. For a Kapha you are to eat when you are hungry only and I wasn’t very hungry so I ate lunch at 12 and has some blackberries, ginger tea, pea soup, and a chicken leg. I was full and able to go until 7 pm for dinner.

For dinner I ate a chicken salad a cup of pea soup and one apple. I sprinkled some sunflower seeds on my salad. I didn’t eat all that I had I was filled up from the soup and chicken.

I am still full. I drank a cup of the turmeric tea with dinner. I put a little too much black pepper in it. I am still sipping on it.
I have started a board on pinterest so follow me on there to gain a lot of information and recipes.

Come join me on this incredible journey and see what it does for you. I am planning to put a book together about this experience and the diet itself and would love to add other people’s information as well so come on. Don’t be afraid to try something new. I am in my forties and stuck in routine and am stepping out of my comfort zone.
See you all tomorrow when I check back in with you all.

Here is my pinterest link http://pinterest.com/jerriaubry/

I posted the video above and before this post so go and check it out. 




How To Give Yourself A Massage (Techniques & Therapies)

How To Give Yourself A Massage (Techniques & Therapies)

Here is one of the videos for giving yourself a massage

Sunday, February 24, 2013

My Hope and Prayer: The Biggest Loser Stops its Dangerous Practices

My Hope and Prayer: The Biggest Loser Stops its Dangerous Practices

You need to read this information about the biggest loser really good stuff for you to read.

Day 1 of the Ayurvedic diet


Today is a day of gathering information. I have obtained a book called, “Ayurveda: The science of Self-healing” by Dr. Vasant Lad. A practical guide. I picked this book up at amazon on kindle for less than 8 bucks. I wanted a thorough understanding past what I learned about this way of life on the Dr. OZ show. Today I am spending time reading and learning. I will be sharing some informative videos for you to watch so that you may also learn more about this way of life and eating. Supposedly if you eat the way your body needs you to you feel lose the extra weight and feel all around better emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I myself have decided to try this as a way of healing my physical body and who doesn’t want to get rid of the extra baggage they carry around.

So far today I have been drinking ginger tea and lemon tea. I also made turmeric tea and it tasted pretty good. For the first time I feel warm instead of freezing ass cold.

My recipe for the turmeric tea for you to try at home.
Boil 8 oz of water add
1 tsp turmeric,
1 tblsp lemon juice,
1 tsp black pepper
 and 1 tsp honey. Just mix it up and drink.

It works well for me to drink this because I am a “Kapha” and I should add more spicy foods into my diet. I have been drinking ginger tea and lemon tea and now a licorice tea that is all caffeine free since I really need to kick the coffee habit. I am doing this slowly. I am still drinking a cup of coffee in the morning with my creamer. I need it right now and will get rid of it later and over time.

I am only eating the three meals per day that the ayruvedic experts believe I should be doing as a Kapha. They say that you will burn fat and this is the reason for not eating every two hours like I was doing before. Instead I should eat only the three meals per day and these should be good meals of the foods you can eat.

So far for breakfast I had chicken, quinoa (first time eating this) it was spicy with garlic and ginger oooh burn baby burn. I ate an apple and had one cup of coffee with my fat free creamer that I love.

For lunch blackberries and chicken salad I did eat this cold but with hot ginger spicy oooh lala tea.

Since I should be eating more beans, which I don’t eat very often. I am making split pea soup for dinner and will be eating that with a salad and some fruit maybe apples and black berries and sunflower seeds added to my salad.


That’s all I will eat for today. I don’t even know about calories counts they say not to worry about that but it is more about eating a certain way each day for what type your body is. I can drink tea with honey to get me until bedtime we shall see how this works I usually have a snack around 10 pm before I go to bed at 12.

So far so good. I feel satisfied and full and not hungry at all and no cravings for the usual suspects such as chocolate and ice cream.  The things I love to eat.

Kapha are supposed to try to exercise but with my injuries that is out for now and am doing exercises taught to me in physical therapy which actually can help you build muscle and lose inches of fat.

  1. If you have an exercise ball one of those big ones then put it on your stomach and lie flat on your bed or if you can the floor and place your hands up on the ball and push it toward your knees. It is like doing a crunch but not really and it doesn’t hurt your back and does tighten up those ab tummy muscles. Do 10-15 times take a rest and do another 10-15 and move on to next exercise.
  2. Take a small ball and place between your knees and squeeze for three seconds and release do 10-15 of these and take rest and do another 10-15
  3. Take a stretchy band you can buy them at walmart or kmart. Tie the band together and while lying on your back place around your knees and tie it and then open legs as far as you can go and hold for three seconds and relax do 10-15 take break and do another 10-15
  4. Sit up on chair take elastic band put under the middle or ball of foot and pull it toward you and push your foot forward on the band away from your body. Do 10-15 each leg and take rest do it again.
  5. Also while sitting in chair place feet on floor and flex foot toward floor like if you were standing on tip toes or you can stand at your counter in your kitchen and do push up on your feet like trying to stand on toes and do 10-15 take rest do 10-15 more.
  6. While at the counter do leg lifts out to the sides if you cannot lift your leg up off the floor to what I call “Toe touches” which means moving my foot and having my toe touch floor it comes off the floor maybe an inch I can’t do the regular leg lifts. Do 10-15 of these rest do another 10-15 each leg.
  7. For arms hold a can of food out of your cupboard in each of your hand and hold straight out in front of you for 10 seconds then rest and do it again 10 times.
  8. Now hold arms out to the side for 10 seconds and then rest do it 10 times.
  9. Hold up above your head for 10 seconds then rest do it 10 times.


  1. If you are able to go for a walk then do so by starting a five-minute walk and gradually add more time to it. So take your dog for a walk or cat. Walk out to where your mailbox is and back or end of your street and back or just up the street and back.

If you can’t get out and exercise but have access to a pool you can walk in the pool for exercise and it won’t put extra pressure on your joints and when I get into the pool and get out deep enough where I can still walk but don’t feel the pain. I am able to walk around pain free. Unfortunately I don’t have a pool so I do the exercises I shared with you above and that is all I can do for now. If you have a membership to a local gym they usually have a pool that you can use and usually have classes too for losing weight in the water.

Ok this ends my day one post to share with you. Please check out these videos for more information about this diet. Leave comments and if you are brave enough join me and help me blog about your experience with this diet.

At the end of this journey I may write a book about this experience if those are wondering why is this author sharing this information with us all. The first video is based on the Dr. Oz show and the other two are great short videos just about weight loss with Ayurveda life styles. I hope you enjoy. See you next time



Saturday, February 23, 2013

My new life plan


Ayurvedic Diet or living whatever you want to call it


What is the Ayurvedic Diet or what they call “Doshas?” Apparently we are put into one or more of three categories of our body. It is a science, a religion, and philosophy, a way of living everyday. This isn’t about just losing weight for me it is all about healing and how to heal my body of its own ailments. We know that for those of us who are out of balance we tend to feel irritated and are quick to anger or is that just me? I have just found out that I have been out of balance according to these principles that I will share with you today. I am embarking on a major change in my life trying to eat the right foods and to balance my Dosha in hopes that I will begin the healing process.

First I guess I should give you a little background about me. Well, I am an obese or should I dare to say “Morbidly Obese” as that is how all my doctors see me through the veil of weight and not me as a person in pain. For a big girl I used to be able to run around and play with the children I worked with everyday. I never had any troubles teaching them how to play Soccer, Basketball, Football, tag, hide in seek, and any other wonderful game they wanted to play. My daily life was very busy and I would work 10 or more hours a day and go up and down flights of stairs several times a day. I was not in pain at all. I was able to sit down on the floor and get up more than 10 times in a day to chase a three or four year old child down the hall who couldn’t talk and teach them how to ask for more “Chase.”

Well over a year ago I was hurt at work pretty badly. I now have constant back pain, hip pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, and muscle spasms in my back. I wake up at night hurting all the time and before being injured I could sleep like a baby which I did every night. Now I wake in throbbing pain in my body and it is tiresome to listen to the doctors tell me that it’s because of my weight. Well I have been fat for more than 15 years and had no issues hiking, biking, playing, running, swimming, and doing anything else I pleased.

So some of my anger has put strain on me emotionally and I was sitting with my nail lady the other day and she told me to look up the Ayurvedic diet. It isn’t really a diet. But more of a way of life and how to live in balance each and every day, so I thought well why shouldn’t I be trying to do this too? Maybe it will ultimately help my pain and allow me to feel happier each day.

So I have decided to do it and thought I would blog about how each day goes and to share with you what I have learned about this. I hope you follow me and watch to see what changes present themselves and to what extent.

So here we go first I will talk about the three Dosha’s so you know more information about them. They are considered the source of life and when in balance we are in touch with all of ourselves mind, body, and spirit. “All Ayurvedic literature is based on the Samkhya philosophy of creation.”(the roots of the term samkhya are two Sanskrit words: Sam meaning “truth” and Khya meaning, “to know.” Now let’s talk about the three Doshas.


Kapha Dosha:  Kapha is present in the chest, throat, head, sinuses, nose, mouth, stomach, joints, cytoplasm and liquid secretions such as mucus. These people tend to be big and have broad shoulders. They tend to gain weight easily and are very slow and sluggish as is his/her digestion. Did you know that if you are a “Kapha Dosha” you shouldn’t eat or drink anything cold? No ice cream or milk or even ice water, which I love by the way. I am a Kapha and have decided to go on a quest to lose weight and to balance my body. People that are Kapha are loving and supportive. His or her elements are water and earth, which is what I connect too more than anything. When around water I feel that all will be healed. When a Kapha is balanced people feel stable, forgiving, loving, and supportive. When out of balance a Kapha feels insecure, greedy, and possessive. They will have difficulties with congestion and suffer many sinus issues. One will find it difficult to lose weight but easy to put it on. The Kapha has a sluggish digestion and are slow as it is. They tend to be slow learners but have great memories. They are loyal and stable in relationships and tend to be seen as the “rock” in the relationship.

A Kapha should increase their garlic intake daily to battle the congestion they suffer. You can do this by adding it to food or taking it as a supplement. Since water is the main element these people tend to have issues with water retention. Since Kapha’s are so slow getting up and moving or exercising every day is key to losing weight or keeping weight off. They should not eat fatty oily foods that are fried, eat sweets, or salt due to the sluggish digestion. Instead they should focus on eating spicy foods or adding spice into their meals. Such as drinking ginger tea or making a turmeric tea with lemon and honey. The only sweetener that should be used is honey if you can use sweetener. Since these people tend to feel cold they should avoid cold drinks or treats such as ice cream and milk. Instead they should drink warm liquids including warm water no ice water.

Pitta Dosha: Pitta is translated as “fire.” This element “fire” can be interpreted as the heat-energy that Pittas have and so they tend to have a pretty fast metabolism. These people tend to have medium builds and have good muscle tone and tend to feel warm. They have a very good and strong digestion and are usually very energetic. They can eat almost anything they desire. They tend to be very intelligent, focused, and ambitious and somewhat a perfectionist.

When out of balance they tend to suffer from excessive anger, suffer from inflammatory conditions such as headaches and rashes. They have digestive issues like reflux, diarrhea, and ulcers. They tend to become overstressed workaholics and may suffer from other addictions as well.

Pittas should avoid eating spicy foods, alcohol, coffee, vinegar, and acidic foods like citrus and tomatoes. These are usually their favorite foods to indulge in. Instead they should indulge in sweet foods such as mangos and melons. Of course there are other foods as well and later I will discuss foods for each Dosha.

Vata Dosha: Vata is the principle of movement and “Air” is the main element. So in the body “Vata” governs blinking of the eyelid and movements of the muscle and tissues, pulsations of the heart and all expansion and contractions. These people tend to be the slenderest of the three Doshas. They have difficulties gaining weight. They tend to be cold all the time and have dry skin and hair. They tend to learn really quickly but then also forget things quickly. They enjoy change and are very creative. They are very excitable and can suffer from anxiety.

Out of balance these people can suffer from poor digestion with lots of bloating and constipation. They can have very dry nasal passages and tend to get the flu and colds easily. Many will suffer from insomnia and have fatigue.

These people should avoid crunchy/dry foods, carbonated drinks, and cold/raw veges. Their ideal diet would contain warm foods that are cooked like soups, cooked cereals, cooked veges and warm or hot milk.

So want to know which one you are? Go here and take the Dosha quiz http://www.doctoroz.com/ayurvedic-body-type-find-your-dosha

Ok for the foods you can eat for each Dosha.

Kapha: Should use foods that are lighter and the opposite of things you crave or eat all the time. Foods that are heavy you shouldn’t eat. You can have spicy foods and spice it all up. All veggies are up for grabs except for sweet ones such as sweet potatoes.

 Fruits that is good for you to eat apples, apricots, berries, cranberries, dried figs, mango, peaches, pears, pomegranates, prunes, and raisins. Aggravating fruits lemons, oranges, pineapple, bananas, dates, and grapefruits.

Grains such as barley, lentils, buckwheat, corn, quinoa, and basmati rice, rice cakes, rye and wheat bran. Aggravating grains or ones you should try to avoid are cooked oats, brown or white rice, wheat.


Legumes are your friends and you should actually eat these instead of meat but if you aren’t a vegetarian than chicken and no red meat at all. 

Legumes and Nuts that you can have- Adzuki beans, Black-Eyed Peas, Chickpeas, Flaxseeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Lima Beans, Navy Beans, Pinto Beans, Red Lentils, Split Peas, and White Beans are balancing.

 Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Cashew, Coconut, Macadamia Nuts, Peanuts, Pecans, Pine Nuts, Pistachios, Psyllium, Sesame, Black lentils, Mung Beans, Kidney Beans, Lentils, Soy Beans, Tempeh, Walnuts and Tofu are imbalancing and should be avoided. You can have some of these if you love them just don’t over due it or you will have symptoms of you Dosha being aggravated.

Meat should be dark meat of chicken and turkey and eggs. All other meats are aggravating to a Kapha.

Herbs, Spices and Condiments - allspice, Anise, Basil, Black Pepper, Caraway, Cardamom, Cayenne, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coriander, Cumin, Dill, Fenugreek, Garlic, Ginger, Horseradish, Mint, Mustard Seeds, Nutmeg, Onion, Oregano, Paprika, Parsley, Peppermint, Poppy Seeds, Rosemary, Sage, Spearmint, Star Anise, Tarragon, Thyme, Turmeric, Wintergreen are balancing.

Dairy - Ghee, Goats Milk and Diluted Yogurt (diluted 1:4 yogurt:water) are balancing. Butter, Cheese, Buttermilk, Cow's Milk, Ice Cream, Sour Cream and Yogurt are aggravating.

Pitta: Fruit - Apples, Avocado, Berries, Dates, Figs, Grapes, Mango, Melons, Pears, Pineapples, Plums, Pomegranate, Prunes, Raisins, and Watermelon. Sweet fruits are balancing. Sour fruits are aggravating.

Vegetables - Artichoke, asparagus, bell pepper, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cucumber, celery, green beans, leafy greens, mushrooms, okra, parsley, parsnip, peas, potatoes, squash, sprouts, zucchini. Sweet and bitter vegetables are balancing.

Grains - Barley, Cooked Oats, Basmati Rice, White Rice, Wheat, Wheat Bran, and Wheat Granola are balancing. Amaranth, Buckwheat, Millet, Oat granola, Quinoa, Brown Rice and Rye are aggravating.

Legumes and Nuts - All beans except black and red lentils are balancing. Coconut, psyllium, pumpkin and sunflower are balancing.
Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Cashews, Filberts, Flax, Macadamia Nuts, Peanuts, Pecans, Pine Nuts, Pistachios and Sesame are aggravating.

Meat - Chicken white meat, turkey white meat, egg white, freshwater fish, shrimp (in moderation) are balancing.

Beef, egg yolk, duck, lamb, pork, venison and seafood other than shrimp are imbalancing.

Herbs, Spices and Condiments - Maple Syrup, Fruit Juice Concentrate, Barley Syrup, Brown Rice Syrup, and other sweeteners except for honey and molasses.
 Coconut, Coriander, Cumin, Dill Fennel, Ghee, Mint, Orange Peel, Peppermint, Saffron, Seaweed, Spearmint, Sprouts, Turmeric, are balancing.

Chili peppers, Garlic, Ginger, Horseradish, Ketchup, Mustard, Lemon, Mayonnaise, Onions, Pickles, Salt, Sesame Seeds, Soy Sauce and Tamari are aggravating.

Dairy - Butter (unsalted), Cottage Cheese, Mild Soft Cheeses, Ghee, Cow's Milk, Goats Milk are balancing.

Salted butter, Buttermilk, Hard Cheese, Feta Cheese, Sour Cream and Yogurt are aggravating.

Vata: Fruit - Apricots, Avocado, Bananas, Berries, Dates, Fresh Figs, Grapefruit, Grapes, Kiwi, Lemons, Mango, Melon, Oranges, Papaya, Peaches, Pineapple, Plums, Strawberries. Sweet fruits are balancing. No dried fruits.

Vegetables - Artichoke, Asparagus, Beets, Carrots, Cucumber, Green Beans, Leeks, Mustard Greens, Okra, Olives, Onion, Parsnip, Potato, Squash, Watercress, Zucchini. Cooked vegetables are most balancing. Avoid raw vegetables.

Grains - Amaranth, Oats, Rice, Wheat, and Wild Rice are balancing.

Legumes and Nuts - Adzuki beans, Almonds, Black lentils, Brazil Nuts, Cashews, Flax, Hazelnuts, Mung beans, Peanuts, Pecans, Pine Nuts, Pistachios, Pumpkin, Red lentils, Sesame, Soy cheese, Soy milk, Sunflower, Tofu, Walnuts all are balancing.

Meat - Beef (occasionally), Chicken or Turkey (white meat), Duck, Eggs, Freshwater Fish, Seafood, Shrimp

Herbs, Spices, Condiments - Brown Rice Syrup, Honey, Maple Syrup, Molasses, other sweeteners than White Sugar, Allspice, Almond Extract, Anise, Basil, Bay Leaf, Black Pepper, Caraway, Cardamom, Cayenne, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coriander, Coconut, Cottage Cheese, Cumin, Dill, Fennel, Garlic, Ghee, Ginger, Mustard, Nutmeg, Onion, Oregano, Parsley, Peppermint, Poppy Seeds, Rosemary, Sage, Spearmint, Spirulina, Tamarind, Tarragon, Thyme, Pickles, Salt, Seaweed, Soy Sauce, Turmeric, Vanilla

Dairy - Buttermilk, Cow's Milk, Cheese, Goat's Milk, Goat Cheese, Yogurt. All is moderation.

The information for the foods to eat for each Dosha was taking from this site http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/2/a/ayurveda.htm

I hope that you will follow me and each day I will blog an new comment about how it is going with this new life plan of mine.








Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Vampires of New England



 When I was a kid I can remember being intrigued with vampires. My mom watched “Dark Shadows” which was a soap about Barnabus Collins whom was a vampire searching for the love of his life. I think I was only five when that was on and it made that big of an impression on me.

I remember when Steven King’s “Salem’s Lot” came on TV as a mini series. I remember being scared out of my pajamas and trying to hide in my mom’s chest and after that I was hooked. I was watching every vampire flick I could. I was afraid, mind you and wore garlic for a while when I went to bed. I didn’t want to be sleeping and then bitten by one of my neighbors that I swore were vampires too.

I even had my vampire killing kit just in case. Oh it gets worse. As a teen me and my friends went to an old cemetery in the town I grew up in and it was around midnight that night and there was a fog around the grounds just like in the movies. I had my vampire killing kit with me, really was just a wooden stake and salt. At the time that is all I knew of to kill them. So we went out there and my friend fell into a fresh grave that wasn't covered and I could have sworn he had been swooped up by a bat that turned into a vampire cuz he was gone!!! It was so dark we couldn't really see anything and I was trying to light a lighter to see and I almost fell in with him he jumped out at us scaring the crap out of all of us. That was my last midnight tour of Cemetery Corner. Never again!

I know I am not the only one whom is consumed by watching shows or reading books about vampires. I mean when Ann Rice’s “Interview with a Vampire” came out I bought almost every book of hers and boom she was a huge success with not only that book but the many others and everyone knows who she is.

Just as everyone knows whom Steven King is a horror writer although he writes a variety of topics not just one scary thing but all scary things. What is your favorite vampire movie or flick? Are you now consumed with watching “The Vampire Diaries?” I know I am but of course here we have the triangle love affair between brothers and Elaina and the enemy werewolves that can kill them all. Who is to trust Klaus and his wicked ways even if he is smitten with a vampire girl?

Have you ever heard of the great New England Vampire scare? Well I come from back there and maybe this is why I was so scared and consumed of the bats turning into vampires at night. Seriously I really thought they could. So this story actually isn’t that old it dates back to 1990 but really happened to the towns back in the late 1700's into the 1800's. So hmmm wonder what kinds of pranks were really happening or were they? The story goes that one of the burials was being disturbed and the police at first thought it must be the serial killer named Michael Ross but as they investigated closer they realized that on the hillside was an old unmarked burial area full of dead bodies.

Interesting to date that when the unburied the buried they found bodies that had been decapitated and had damaged areas of the ribs. Hmmm were they vampires and the local towns people came out and cut off their heads and stab them through the heart with a wooden stake? What is interesting about this? These injuries mentioned above did not happen until five years after their original death.

So were they stalking the town at night drinking on people’s blood to suffice their thirst? So what did they find? A town next to the town they had found this burial place was a place that vampires were rising from his/her coffin and come after the towns people. Legend has it that the townspeople believed they were rising in the night and coming after the townsfolk and so they took upon themselves to make sure they could not rise again by decapitating the head and stabbing them through the heart with wooden stakes.

What did they find? They found that the townspeople were scared and took matters into their own hands and word of mouth got over to nearby towns causing a hysteria to happen at the same time that TB was at an all time high for deaths but wait who got blamed for these deaths oh yeah “Vampires.” There is much research conducted by a fella by the name of Michael Bell. He has written a book about this if you are interested called, “Food for the Dead: On the Trail of New England’s Vampires.”

During his research he found that 80 bodies had been exhumed thought of as vampires. So he comes across some research on a vampire chick named “Mercy Brown,” which her family called her “Lena.” Story goes that her family was hit with the tb and wasted away sometimes over the course of years before death and it looked almost like they might have been feasted on by a vampire!! Well at least according to the towns people anyways.

She had a brother who had gotten sick and moved away hoping to get better and then came home because he wasn’t doing much better. So he was very sickly at first but then his family was dying off and he was restored to perfect health. It was the town’s people that believed her brother was feeding on them to restore himself. The towns people wanted to dig up the bodies and check to see if they were really vampires. One story went around that possibly three of the woman in his family that died were indeed alive and feeding on him to get better.

So they took out Lena’s heart and liver and found it to be in sort of a preserved state but upon further analysis found that she had the tb and that was what she died from. The town’s people burned her liver and heart and then fed these ashes to her brother Edwin whom died a few months later.

So this was all document in newspaper clippings and articles that reached across america and overseas as well. It is believed by some that that Bram Stroker got his idea from the newspaper clippings about this vampire story and then produced "Dracula" the very next year. This is all hear say we don’t know if this is true but people do agree that his “Lucy” is modeled after Mercy or Lena whomever you want to call her. The stories and characters are very much the same according to the documentation out there about these New England Vampires. So hang the garlic next to your doors so that you won't wake up to being bitten and  become part of the legend of vampires.

So has Hollywood succumb to the vampires check out this video. Not appropriate for children some bad language and violence.Quite funny though.







 

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Preview for my new book

Here is the link to my new preview on createspace.com for my newest book that I am working on called, "Living in a Ghost Story." This book is based on my real life experiences with spirits and ghosts since childhood. So if this is your thing to read go and check out the preview and leave feedback if you feel like it. Here is the link to the preview https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1119486

ADHD

My oldest son has ADHD and is life has been an amazing journey of not understanding why he does the things that he does. I mean I understand it because I am a psychotherapist and have been working with people whom have carried this diagnosis. I feel others around him have not understood completely what dilemmas he has had to endure in his life. This lack of true understanding has led to a lot of negativity in his life and I realize in many other kid's lives as well. Not every kid diagnosed with this acts or presents symptoms in the same manner. I mean come on we are all individuals here and not cut from the exact same cloth that is how we can all be individualistic and be different. What we do know is that these kids struggle in their daily life and for this reason everything is a struggle. My son cracks me up and frustrates me at the same time. He forgets to complete chores in consecutive steps and always forgets the last step and so leaves the dishwasher door open with dishes in the dishwasher waiting for the soap and for him to push the button to get it going. Since I have worked with many kids with similar issues I decided to help him ease the struggles of his journey. I put up a white board and listed out steps to his chores and he can cross them off when he completes them and then I would give him some kind of token for completion. This help more than you will ever know. Over time he was able to memorize the steps and no longer needed the list and now can complete many tasks from beginning to end.

So what is his biggest hurdle in life. School has been the most difficult of environments for him. He isn't one of those kids able to take medication that is available for ADHD and so has had to endure this alone and many students and teachers alike get frustrated with him. Well he gets frustrated with himself for not being able to do what everyone else can do. It is heart breaking to watch when your son feels like a failure for not being able to follow instruction because of all the other distractions around him. What I love is that he keeps trying instead of throwing in the towel. He tries to make it happen and to make people happy even after having made a disaster of everything he tries and that is what matters. He is a little smarty that has wonderful ideas way beyond my own thinking. I know he will do well in his future but he still has a few more years of high school to bear before he reaches the freedom he needs to soar to the highest limits.

What do you know about ADHD? More and more children are being diagnosed with this disorder every year and there are tons of books about it for you to read and many websites to check out that are helpful. Not every kid with ADHD is running around off the walls with energy. My son didn't have that part of the ADHD which is the hyperactivity so for most they saw his behavior as being defiant instead of being the other parts of this disorder which are inattention and being impulsive which he has both of these.

He blurts out when it is inappropriate. He cuts off conversations because of fleeting thoughts and you get lost in what the heck you are talking about. He is distracted easily with anything visual. This can be the classroom walls. Have you ever been into your child's classroom and seen how busy and brightly colored the walls are with child art and other pictures. Wow it is so mesmerizing for just the normal person. There is so much information to take in and it can be overload for kids that have ADHD and for kids with any type of Sensory disorders as well seen with kids that have Autism. It can overload these individuals causing an overwhelming feeling of anxiety. When a kid is trying to deal with the overload of sensory information it is really difficult to do anything else meaning paying attention in class and completion of assignments because like my kid they lose track of what the teacher just told them.

So with this struggle watching him and other kids with this disorder I realized it might benefit teachers and students alike to a better understanding of why these kids do the things they do so I wrote a children's book about ADHD with the intent of helping those that don't understand it. It is in the process of illustration and publishing. I am sure it will touch and help many people out there.


The book should be finished and published next year sometime and I am looking forward to sharing it with the world.

Also there is some OCD with these kids as well I have placed some you tube videos for you to enjoy
I can see this in my own son in this video and this is where my child cracks me up!

So what is happening in the brain of a child with ADHD?
This last video shows what ADHD is all about

Monday, February 11, 2013

Scrying what is it?


What is scrying?

What would you say if I told you that I can see future events while scrying? Have you ever seen the movies with the old gypsy woman whom is rubbing her hands on a crystal ball and looking into it? She is scrying. What are you doing when scrying? You are looking for information and visions of the past, present, or future. 

Traditionally scrying is all about access divination or fortune telling. The person who scrys usually is already in touch with their psychic background and has been doing the art for some time.

What can you scry into? Well it depends on what medium works the best for you. Water is used since it is reflective and it tends to mesmerize you and put the person into a deep meditative state allowing access to information.

Some scry into crystals such as crystal balls, which I talked about a couple of posts ago. Smoke, candlelight and fire, black mirrors, or shiny crystals that are dark in color such as nummite and obsidian are good mediums to use.

Where does this information come from? Well we access it from the universe so it could be from spirits and our subconscious and from a psychic mind.

this is a great video with information about scrying

In this next video is how to practice scrying and what should happen over time. This is just another way to gain information and anyone can do it. You don't have to be a witch to do this.