Mindful Choices

The Ooops!

Over the weekend, I made some "food" choices that didn't agree with me. I have a slight sensitivity to gluten, so when I overdue it with those types of food I know what to do. But I didn't think sugar would set me up for a full blown allergic reaction!

Friday night was my friend's 30th birthday. I was VERY good about spacing my drinks out and drank water; however, I made the mistake of drinking sugary, mixed drinks. Don't get me wrong they were very delicious! Fresh blueberry mojitos, mmmmmmm! I had 2 of those; an hour before those I had a mandarin vodka and sprite (that was mmmmm too). So I had a total of 3 drinks all evening, and I was the slowest drinker out of the 5 people I was with.

It was the next morning where it hit me hard, with the pulsing headache, low energy, and feeling like a bag o' bricks. I also felt dehydrated, which puzzled me for a moment because I thought I drank lots of water all evening and even more when I got home. But, of course, those drinks trick your body! By mid-late afternoon, I became super sluggish, so I rested, continued to hydrate, and ate fresh foods as meals. Although, I didn't have much of an appetite, so fluids it was.

I felt better Sunday morning and into the afternoon, but it was in the late afternoon where I made another mistake. After cat sitting in Berkeley, I headed back into the city to meet up with a friend. On the bridge, stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, I realized I was SUPER, FREAKIN' HUNGRY! When I got to the cafe where I was meeting my friend, I ordered a sandwich, which came with chips, and it was gone pretty quickly (The Oops!). An hour later, I still felt fine, and my friend and I went to visit another friend of ours. Later on, dinnertime came and where do we go? A burrito place. Of course, I'm looking at the corn taco (gluten-free), but then our friends start raving about the veggie burrito's amazing yummy-ness, so I gave in.

Bad idea!

I ate the whole thing :( Then about a 45 minutes later when I got home, I had a sneezing fit like no other. My nose clogged up, but there was nothing to blow out with a tissue. I sat on the couch, miserable, started to scold myself for eating what I ate. Lots of judgment there, but I said to myself, "hey, ya made a mistake eating that burrito. Oh well. Let's be extra mindful with our eating this week."

I realized the sugary drinks from Friday set me up for this reaction, as well as staying up late, hence, the lack of sleep. It lowered my immunity big time, and now I need to detox and cleanse.

The solution? Gluten-free diet this week! Also, no alcohol and no processed sugar. I'm eating fresh foods, Amazing Grass Green Superfood, nothing processed, for the rest of week. It doesn't help that I'm going to a wedding this weekend, but at least I know I can do something about it now and be more mindful about what I drink and what I eat.

The Insight
We all fall back on our vices and bad habits. It's okay, as long as we're aware of it. If we know something isn't good for us, we can really start to inquire within and begin to make more mindful choices around the behavior we want to change.

So when you encounter whatever vice/habit it is that may create discomfort or imbalance in your body (caffeine, sugary foods, nicotine, drama, etc) take a moment to pause;

-Take a deep breath;

-Notice how your body feels at the moment;

-Track all sensations in the body

Once you've taken that moment (and believe me it only takes a moment!), then make your choice, BUT without judgment. If you start to judge yourself, be with it. What are the emotions around the judgment? It can be uncomfortable, but if you want to make a change in your lifestyle, it's about confronting and acknowledging what comes up. Ask for support from a friend or health practitioner. You don't have to do it alone. There are others who feel the same way, and struggle with their own bad habits. Be the change you want to be.

Community for Health and Well-being

As I began writing my current newsletter, I realized why community is so important in our lives. It really keeps us going through our daily lives. It inspires us to be better people. It helps our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. Hundreds of years ago, people shared everything with one another. They supported one another during tough times, and no matter what, always had unconditional love. But then something shifted and that sense of community started to dwindle, especially now with computers, cell phones, iphones, blackberries, etc. Not that those things don't help us stay connected to our loved ones, but everywhere I look, people are texting, facebooking, and twittering. What happened to coming together in the flesh?! Or making the time to talk to someone on the phone who is long distance? I hear Skype helps with this one!

Of course, I'm not writing about social networking and technology here. I needed to presence that for myself right now before I got carried away. The whole concept of community is overrated. When we feel down or stressed out, do we really stop and think that we might need support? Do we feel we have to do it all ourselves? I guess that's what I'm getting at because, in the past, I felt this way. I felt like I had to do it all myself with no help.

After attending my massage school graduation this past weekend, community was everywhere, and I felt it. I felt the love, support, acknowledgments, and sense of identity. Community nourishes our sense of identity and sense of purpose so much. It inspires us to be our passions and be the best that we can be. It provides acceptance and appreciation, which our hearts yearn for. For instance, I got back to attending yoga classes this month. Although, yoga DVDs and home practice help feed my practice and teaching; however, just being in a room with a teacher, students and other like-minded individuals got me pumped and jazzed EVEN MORE! All I can say about it is "I want more, More, MORE!"

So what communities (including family) do you have in your life? Is there a passion you have in your life that you can share with like-minded individuals? People who share that passion and/or support you all the way?

Let me also ask, do you feel no sense of community (other than family) in your life? What is the result of this? Would your life be a little bit better if you had more community?

There was a time when I was depressed quite frequently. My story was that I had to do everything on my own. Once I began to release this story and belief with the help of a wonderful community of individuals, my depression decreased dramatically, and I had more energy to do what I was passionate about. I also realized how disconnected I felt from family. Once I connected with them more, my community around me built up more.

I would love to hear thoughts and comments from the questions I asked in this post. Feel free to email me if you want to comment privately, lizsfilippone@gmail.com.

In love and light,
-Liz

Restorative Yoga Series: Saturday, January 22

photo by Meta Lackland


Come join me on Saturday, January 22 from 2:00pm-4:00pm for some Restorative Yoga. We will start with a discussion on an area of focus each month in this workshop series. The theme for this current workshop is The Immune System. Then, a sequence of restorative yoga poses will be geared toward supporting and strengthening the immune system.

Here are the details of the workshop:

Location:

The Doelger Center
101 Lake Merced Boulevard, Bldg #14
Daly City, CA
www.doelgercenter.com

Rates:
$57 residents $59 non-residents

Restorative Yoga offers us the opportunity to relax and de-stress from our daily lives. Come and experience a two hour retreat for yourself in this monthly, restorative yoga workshop series. The poses are supported with a variety of props--blankets, blocks, straps--to help bring passivity to the body, which will restore energy, calm the mind, and maintain your overall health. After the workshop, the body will feel nourished and well rested. All levels are welcome. Please bring a yoga mat and two blankets. Other props provided by teacher.

Learning to appreciate even when I want to explode

Being back on the east coast is always a "trip" for me. I love visiting my family and seeing friends when I can. Since living on the west coast in the San Francisco Bay Area for the last seven years, I've learned many things about myself and my family. It's amazing what 3000 miles of distance can do! I could go on about that experience, but I only have so much time in this coffee shop in Orleans, MA.

I've been staying with my mom, plus spending time with my brother, father, stepmother and stepfather. So far, I've noticed their reactions to their experiences such as traffic ( to name a few). However, it's the judgments they have toward people in general. I mean we all do it. I know in the past few years, I've learned a variety of tools, especially when I feel myself getting amped up about what someone just did or said. I guess what I really want to acknowledge is the negativity that my family feeds off of, or is the only focus they seem to put their attention on. I'm very careful how I say things so I don't set them off more because I could totally go that route and fire them up more; or say nothing so they can truly hear themselves. I really see what my coaching teacher was talking about. He would say to try and find those things you appreciate about those people who do fire you up. It's so freakin' hard! Especially with family.

So I, now, appreciate all the things my parents provided for me growing up, and still do. The unconditional love and support. I appreciate the fire and passion my brother has about current events and issues in the world, along with his music and art. I appreciate having a family that, although we have our differences, we can still enjoy each others' company.

Even when I would hear negative comments about something come out of their mouth, I would breathe and appreciate something about them. Even if it's that I got them in my life.