I survived the week! I have found that my some of my daily practice changes dramatically when I’m outside of my safe environment I’ve been busy creating. I am paying for my decisions of later, heavier dinners and lack of yoga and meditation. I am not upset about it but glad for the experience so now I can tweak my habits to continue my journey of a better life and mindset. A lot of learning going on here!  

I have plans to make nettle & kale soup for my weekly lunch or dinner. I bought all my salad items as well and plan to prep them later today so I can just sprinkle them on my salad throughout the week. This’ll guarantee I have “fast food” to keep me going. I don’t tend to snack but if I do get snacky I will indulge on apples or kombucha. Apples are “drying” to my Kapha dosha and only help me be balanced. 

I woke up this morning to one of my favorite non fruit breakfasts, garlic nettle pesto toast with an over medium egg and lots of pepper (CLICK HERE for RECIPE)! I added savory I got from the local farmers market, and this is a must try! Make sure to boil your cleaned nettles for 30 – 90 seconds (about 1 and a half minutes) to ensure the sting is removed and safe to eat.  

I have been training from Youtube on Wim Hof breathing techniques. I am interested in all the benefits of this guided breathing practice. You can see HERE. It’s breathing in through your nose and exhaling through your mouth 30 times in a controlled technique and holding your breath up to 1 ½ minutes. Those numbers make me intimidated to hold my breath for so long. Can I? Will I pass out? All the thoughts. Mind over matter or am I setting myself up for failure? It’s so crazy how much I tend to stand in my way and convince my being it cannot do the said feat. That I will lose and do not even try. I know this is not my truth. I’m still in infancy but the benefits of increased energy and reduced stress levels I have felt keep me curious and coming back.  

Meditation is my connection back to myself. I find that resetting my inner and outer self is something I should practice morning and night. I prefer to do a guided meditation off the Insight app and as I get more consistent, I will work on my focus of quiet mediation. That requires a lot of focus on my breath to keep my mind grounded. The goal is to slip in between sleep and consciousness. I have been here before a few times and my smart watch shows I’m in light sleep. Pretty cool! 

There are a lot of tweaks I’d like to attempt this week, but I will take this slow. It’s not a race for me and the learning process is the most important and what works for me may not work for you. For me, intermittent fasting from 5pm – 10 am works well with my body. It may not work for you, but practice make perfect. Be transparent with yourself. This is your journey and so personal. 

If you are looking for a nutrient dense flavor packed lunch/dinner for this week, please try my nettle kale soup. It’s oniony with my spring onions (freshly picked), slightly grassy from the nettles and a nice roasted cruciferous taste in the background from kale. I will share my recipe on Tuesday. In the meantime, try my Garlic Nettle Pesto. I enjoy it on toast, but you can toss it with salad or mix with pasta and/or veggies. Yum yum!

Take in every breath with purpose and stand strong. I find that if I start out with expectations every week, I hold myself accountable. I might not always prevail but if I am doing my practice more days than not, I am winning. If I find where I went wrong, I can practice keeping on track by being aware of the triggers. This is a life change so remember that and give yourself all the grace. It’s fun to check in each week and relearn how to be accepting and proud of all I did do the past week. I have come so far and it’s not for nothing. Just breathe….

Namaste, friends!

All artwork created by Amaia.

All pictures by Lenape Spiritual Yogi Awakened.