dinner

Lessons of Unpacking My Sh*t

/ Self-Diagnosed Yogi / Leave a comment

Hè!

I had a great sleep last night and woke up full of energy and light on my feet. That is really odd considering I ate way less than I have, ever in my days. Unless I was sick. I am feeling pretty good today. It’s only 5am but who am I to block this productivity? I guess a fast-mimicking cleanse brings good medicine for me. I only have 2 more days to go. I feel the natural flow of cleansing to be rhythmic as it invades my body, space, and mind. Today I will share the lessons of unpacking my shit.

Lesson #1: Clean, Tidy Spaces

We have been upgrading our carpet and with new changes we have to get into the deep corners that are not touched to clean house. This has been wonderful to get rid of things in our bedroom. I have so much space and do not plan on putting something else in its place. It will just be an empty space now. Beautiful and purposeful. I want my bedroom to be a decompression tank for me and my husband. No piles of junk and extra stuff with no home to share my space with. Everything has a home and if it does not. Do I need it? Stay tuned on our upgrades sometime this summer.

Lesson #2: Light Dinner

I am not one to know what a “light” dinner is before Ayurveda came into my life. It took me even a few years after to fully understand what a light dinner does for me. Even cutting a regular meal in half is considered lighter. I am waking up feeling light and energized even more. I feel my body wringing out from all the processed foods and gunk I have exposed myself to. This is exhilarating to say the least! This is my only body and I have goals to live a long time and hug my family.

Lesson #3: Adequate Sleep

For me, I need to be in bed by 9:30 PM. No exceptions! If I want to wake refreshed and full of purpose, then bedtime is important. I spent many, many nights up at 11pm. Shoot, we used to eat dinner around 8 pm! That is crazy to me now! LOL! Me and my husband agree, going to bed early and waking early is a huge part of who we have become. I love getting older with this man! We sync up as we age. I can suggest a good, solid night routine. What are 3 things you absolutely love to do to care for you? I start with a decompressing bath with candles and an amazing book. The warm ambiance sets the tone. I oil myself up with my herby potions and get me a hot nightcap drink going. I will settle in bed with my journal and/or book in my peaceful space.

Lesson #4: Connecting Mind, Body, Soul

I am a sucker for yoga! It gets my mind off its usual role of survival, and I can connect my mind to my body and breath. Seriously, how often do you consider your breath? Do you notice how fast it can be when you are stressed? It’s not fully expressional and short. Imagine breathing like that all the time. You don’t use it, you lose it. I notice as my loved one’s ages their breath becomes shallower. I practice my full yogic breathing daily. That is a deep loving inhale in three parts: chest, diaphragm, and belly. It is a practice and accepting where we are with it now is love. Love yourself and keep going! Whatever the flavor, being mindful to moving the body daily is key to a healthy mindset.

Lesson #5: Community

There are people just like me, that are curious with change. I am attracting people to me just by being me. I love to engage with people and share stories. There are so many groups I become a part of and I am gifted new friendships. I am always busy but most of my time is spent alone. I am changing this and getting involved daily. If I have extra time, I will volunteer and get my face out in public. I notice a lot of the same faces in my community activities. I love being with people and being around the right people is healing for me.

Yogi Outro:

I am finding my space to be less confusing and more welcoming. I have thinned out my bookshelf even and donated some good reads. I love this season because it forces me to look at things I have neglected. Spring cleaning is epic! Last year, in my garden, I didn’t take the time to properly add nutrients back into the soil. My garden paid for my decision and I had a small harvest because of it. Lesson learned! I am just like my garden. If I take my time before growing season to ensure my body is detoxed and ready for work, then I will be MVP. I will be unstoppable with hitting my goals!

Namastè!

Spring Detox

/ Self-Diagnosed Yogi / Leave a comment

He, friend!

I am enjoying the last few weeks of Spring and I wanted to share my detox plan that works for me to get my body boosted with fresh spring nutrients and slowly challenge my digestive system to digest fresh nettles and dandelion greens. I love all the spring herbs green onion, cilantro, parsley, garlic mustard. The best morning juice is green and spicy and gets my digestion fired up and ready to digest lunch. I also get to re-evaluate what I’ve been doing the past season and analyze what needs to go and what can stay or be tweaked. I include things I’m reading, listening to, and watching on TV. I absolutely adore my much-needed Spring detox.

Alëmatae- flower beginning to bloom🤩

Morning Routine

I find the morning time to be the best time for me to get my heart rate up and my body moved. I also get my daily steps completed before 8am. For my morning nutrition, I get the kettle going and make a big 32 oz hot tea with lemon and ginger. I will sip on this throughout the morning. I typically make 2 big batches of juice, one is a green juice with cucumber, celery, green apple, spinach, kale, ginger, lemon. The 2nd juice is beets, oranges, turmeric, ginger. I will choose either juice for my breakfast while I work and get through my morning. I make sure I get moving during my morning break if I’m working. Or get outside and water my garden.

Fresh green juice beams me up with nutritional power and gets my tummy grumbling💝

Lunch

I love a green lunch! My body craves the bitter greens and I even allow a small, sweet dessert when my digestion is at its peak. I have been loving a good buddha bowl. The Sunday before my work week, I will cook lentils or beans that have been soaked for 24 hours. I roast a mix of veggies I am craving that week. I love a good lemony tahini sauce and/or a pesto (garlic mustard, mustard greens, or beet greens). I will see what herbs I have ready in my garden and place them in my fridge in a plastic bag covered jar. This is the quickest throw together lunch that keeps me in check and temptation to eat processed foods at bay. I even make big batches of Spring soup with nettles and freeze leftovers in individual bags I can defrost in a pinch.

I make sure when it’s time to eat that I am centered and focused on me eating and tasting every bite and fully chew, chew, chew. Mindful eating is amazing. I mean, when is the last time you ate in silence and ate intentionally? Try it on and see what changes for you.

This is not my typical meal, but I sat under this oak tree and ate in silence, enjoying the view🥹 mindful eating wins every time!

Dinner

I like to make sure I am eating while it’s still daylight. I also make sure I am eating small. I know, I know. It’s so different how Americans are taught to eat. We have a huge dinner meal and make sure everyone is seated to eat at the table. Iced drinks, wine, beer, too much water. We get stuffed and watch TV or find something to run to instead of allowing our body time to digest. I get it, I have so much I love to do but I have to honor myself. What isn’t completed by dinner time can wait, if not, see what you can do before the sun goes down and eat dinner outside while watching the sun disappear. I enjoy a salad or soup or both! I just limit the portion and eat until I’m content. I like to eat around 5pm. I used to run straight to yoga but since my yoga is done in the morning recently, I have time to slow down.

I like to connect with my plants I water at night. I love to enjoy my backyard and read in my hammock swing. I find nature to cure me from my typical boredom of not doing anything. I allow myself this time to do nothing. I schedule it and find comfort in my backyard.

Yogi Outro

I feel the heat of the summer getting closer. I will be busy moving my body and keeping my mind in check. Digesting thoughts and experiences of the day are crucial to keeping me open and flowing in a flourishing state. I have fell off my daily journalling and I plan on getting my habit back in motion. I find as the seasons change, so does my digestion and what I need to eat. It’s always best to eat in season and that is exactly what my body craves. I feel my digestion kick start and I can feel when the food leaves my stomach! It’s amazing to be so intune with my body and learn what happens when I slow down and digest. Happy Spring cleaning!

Namastè!

All pictures by Lenape Spiritual Yogi Awakened.

Mèli Këlëshmësh (Merry Christmas)

/ Self-Diagnosed Yogi / Leave a comment

I am caught up in the Christmas spirit today! I loved being with my family these past few days. We had our Christmas together at my daughter’s new house on Christmas Eve and we made a whole bunch of appetizers to eat for dinner. We had a Charcuterie board, garlic parmesan chicken wings, Filipino lumpias, Crab ragoons, Mac n’ cheese, chili, hotdogs, and fries! Lol! We act all munchy.

Crab ragoons and lumpias made by my babies😍

We watched “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” and Disney’s “A Christmas Carol”. We had so much fun lounging around digesting our meal. We opened presents and met up at my daughter’s church for their Christmas Eve service. We finished our night by driving through neighborhoods with fancy Christmas light themes. So beautiful.

“Decoding the Stars” Allison Scott. “A Lenapè among the Quakers” Dawn G. Marsh

This morning we enjoyed church and my parents, brother, 1 daughter, and father-in-law came over. We enjoyed Porcupine balls (ground beef, onion, and rice shaped balls with cream of mushroom), mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, and banana creme pie😍 I’m enjoying reading my books and I still have one more day off! I also hear it’s supposed to snow a bit tonight.

All the best to you and your family!💖 Mèli Këlëshmësh!

Namastè 🙏🏽

All pictures by Lenapè Spiritual Yogi Awakened