Question of the week

My yoga training classes have homework and this question was from week 1. It is a great point to reflect on. I'll share mine, please feel free to click comment and share yours as well.

Your question may be what is your higheat aim and how does it relate to your current awareness building activities ie, religious studies, self help or awareness activies or goals and how your are achieving them.

Question #5, What is your highest aim and how does it relate to your yoga practice?

My highest aim is very simple but very difficult to achieve. It is simply to live in love. My view of humanity, society and the greater causes of our times have deteriorated to a shock fest of immorality, gluttony and excess. My greatest joy and my reason for living are to serve God. I know this is not possible if there is negativity and anger in my thought process. Living in love is my simple mantra to keep my thoughts clear, to trust, to love, to nurture, care for, share and be thankful for all of my blessings. Where there is great light, no darkness can overcome it. Love and light are goodness and peacefulness, freedom from fear and doubt. All ancient religions and philosophies have the same basic precepts that revolve around proper conduct. These basic rules lead to happiness and goodness because the person and society have the basis for a good life, free from drama, anger and negativity. My yoga practice has brought this realization to life for me. I no longer derive pleasure from shopping for stuff that I really don’t need, because none of it ever made me happy. Inner peace and tranquility make me happy. Yoga gives me the tools to tune into my inner goodness. My journey in life has and will have me meet and share experiences with many different people. I hope to leave everyone that I meet a little better off after our paths cross.

Living in love~ Tricia

Politics and yoga

A student of mine had 2 Obama 08 stickers on his yoga mat. I thought of how desperate people are for hope that life can get better in this country. Sadly, government officials are only puppets for powers greater that they admit to.

Meditation weekend

I went to my first teacher training this past Wednesday. We went on a noble silence meditation retreat from Friday at 8pm to Sunday at 9am. We sat in meditation for 14+hours and made no eye contact, gestures or speech for 36 hours. The stillness and sense of peace, and openness were undeniable. I wish everyone could experience this. It was like all the layers of defenses were peeled away, lack of comfort, companionship, food, laughter, happiness, ego, sleep, worked to break one down to a primal level, allowing the mind to open, broaden. I maintain this sense of calmness and restfulness that is very liberating. During mass at church I could focus so much better and not get distracted. Every word meant so much more and went deeper into my mind.

seasonal summer salad

Yoga magazine ran this recipe in the latest issue. It is very light, delicious and cleansing.

1 cup frozen peas
2 zucchini
1/2 cucumber
8 asparagus
2 spring onions
8 little gem lettuce leaves
for dressing
6 radishes
1 T chopped chives
1 tsp coarse mustard (prepared)
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
salt pepper

Chop zucchini in pieces the same size as the peas, chop asparagus likewise. Boil water and blanch peas, zucchini, and asparagus. Boil on medium for 3 minutes. Remove from water and plunge into ice water. Drain. Mix oil, mustard and lemon juice add to all veggies and toss to coat. Salt to your taste.

Organic Vegan lunch

Baked tofu, brown rice, black beans, yellow squash, onion, bok choi and zucchin. This is so delicious and really good for me!

Guy's deodorant that really works

Alex tested and passed with flying colors. 5.99 at Whole Foods on Orchard Lake and 14 mile

What a week

I leased a new car this week, so much of my time was spent with my great friend Deanna, she helped me test drive cars and we picked out a Mercury Milan Premier in sparkly black. I got it on 9/10. My birthday was 9/11 and I was feeling quite spoiled. I haven't celebrated my birthday since the 9/11 attacks so I decided to go backward, you know a year younger rather than a year older. I am now 22! Hey it works for me. I've had a few interesting encounters with people and have quickly forgotten them as my new mantra is "this soon shall pass." My friend Nicole had her twins on 9/10 and my sister in law is 4 months pregnant. Babies are in the air, or maybe it's the water! I am teaching, reading and really enjoying the rain! I am so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life. The circle of goodness and light continues to grow. I had like 12 great hugs today, everyone needs a great hug day. Make one for yourself this week. Look people in the eye and say hello like you mean it and care.

Peace love and light~ Tricia

Stain remover that really works!

My family was headed to A2 to get Alex some school shoes from Launch last Sunday. I ate a granola bar dipped in chocolate on the way there. I happened to look down at my seat and saw a chunk of melted chocolate on the seat near my leg. I wiped it up and forgot about it. My eerily correct gut instinct kicked in and caused me to think "what if there was more chocolate on the seat?" I lifted my right leg up and gasped as I looked at the back of my thigh. There was more chocolate, and it found it's way on the back of my kakhi shorts, a three inch long smear of chocolate. It looked like, oh I don't know maybe poop! Had it been on my knee, no biggie, but on the back of my leg! AHHH!!! I frantically searched the truck for a baby wipe, or anything to get it off. Nothing! I can't walk around Ann Arbor with a brown smear on the back of my leg ! Damn Then I remembered seeing a stain wipe I got at the Plymouth Green Fair in my little pocket of my purse. I got it out, praying that it would work. Amazingly, it did. All the chocolate came out instantly and it left no watermark. The wipe was so big and saturated with cleaners, I folded it back over and put it back in the pouch. I later used it again on Garrett's spaghetti stain like 4 days later. I am so happy to find something that really works! They are available at Better health for 2.69 for 5 or at Whole Foods 2.99. These are worth every penny!

Day at the Fall Festival and park

We went to the Plymouth Fall Festival and then to McClumpha park and the kids played in the stream (trying to catch minnows and frogs) and at the play structure for 3 hours!

My tomato from my garden, it's so juicy

A wonderful first day!

The kids loved going back to school, they like their teachers and the mix of kids in their classes. All is good! I made a really awesome salad for dinner, I'll post the recipe tomorrow. I ran into a fellow mom at pick-up time who came to some classes I taught at LTF a while ago. We discussed her desire to loose weight and to regain tone in her stomach after having 4 kids. I encouraged her to watch what she ate (told her about not eating the white stuff {white flour and sugar, hydrogenated fats and high fructose corn syrup} and colorings and preservatives) and to do a good blend of workouts. I haven't seen her in a while and was shocked to see that she lost 44 pounds. When I asked her what she did, she replied "I stopped eating the white stuff." I am so proud of her, she looked amazing. More importantly, her health will be positively impacted by avoiding the white stuff and other junk in our diets.