Eating Oranges? Save the peels and treat yourself to a yummy body and face scrub! (and more!)

I've been eating a ton of cutie clementines and oranges lately. (Literally ate about 20 of them for breakfast the other day!) I'm also pretty into DIY everything right now, so I figured there was something I could do with the mass of orange peels I had left from my feast! There totally is! (Buy organic if you can :)

First, I peeled the clementines (and oranges.) Then I ate the clementines. Then I placed the clementine peels on top of our wood-burning, soapstone stove (fireplace) to dry them out and create a sensational aromatherapy effect in our house. The peels released their amazing oils into the air as they dried; our home smelled redickolos. a.k.a. divine, amazing, stupid awesome! Something about citrus, fire, and coldness outside just clicks! Hear that snow? It's time for you to fall! Anyways ..





If you don't have a sweet wood burning stove like we do, consider getting one because they are beautiful, fun if you're a pyro, and will save you a ton of money on gas or electric because (especially a soap-stone one like this) will heat a majority of your house (depending on the size of course) using wood. The Amish have even invented a device that turns old newspapers into bricks that you can burn instead of wood! Click HERE to see this crazy tool!  If you still aren't convinced, come over and feel the amazing flames licking your cold toes and bum until you are :) Or.. Use your oven on a low setting to toast/dry the orange peels until they are hard, but not cooked. (If they are turning brown or black, they are done. Too done. Remove from heat and let cool!) The color should remain relatively similar to the raw peels, they will now just be hard. There are several things I plan to use these dry peels for now ...

Here is how I made a delicious facial and body scrub:



I made the dried orange peels into a powder using an electric coffee grinder ( A mortar and pestle will work too :) I added ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves (about a pinch of each) to the orange peel powder. Next, I "wet" the mixture with almond oil (that had a hint of vanilla essential oil in it). You can use any type of neutral oil: coconut oil or butter, olive oil, hemp seed oil, grapeseed oil, even vegetable oil if that's all you've got on hand! I only added enough oil so that all the mixture got wet, but not soupy. As you can see from the photo, the scrub stays formed into a heap on a spoon, and isn't runny. Use this to scrub your face and body ( do it in a dry tub ) to exfoliate your winter skin all while receiving aroma blasts of citrus and spice .. amazing.

 
  Scrub Scrub Scrub! Scrub Scrub Scrub! Scrub your boooty! Scrub your booooty!

 Other ways to use the orange peels:



As a spice :) Add whole dry peels or a powder to rice or quinoa with a jasmine tea bag while cooking or steaming for a beautiful citrus hint. The photo is above is tonight's "rich poor girl dinner ;)" I boiled organic short grain brown rice and organic quinoa, 1/2 tbs orange peel powder (could have added 1 tbs.), a tbs. miso paste, and sea salt in a rice cooker until done. Simple. Filling. Tasty!

Roast root vegetables like beets, potatoes, and carrots with it.

 Add the powder or whole dry peel to green, black,or earl grey tea while steeping to add a unique flavor.

 Boil some dry orange peels in water to freshen the air in your home and use for aromatherapy .. "The oils of orange peels can be used as aroma therapy to treat the conditions of depression and anxiety."

 Aging olive oil with orange peels (fresh) will add a zesty flavor to the oil which you can then use on pastas, salads, breads, etc.

 Add dry orange peel powder to your bath water for a luxurious aroma while you cleanse!

 Apparently.."Herbalists recommend consumption of orange peels as an effective method of lowering your blood pressure. The Chinese have used the peels of bitter oranges as herbal medicine for thousands of years."

Eat up! While mixing the orange, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove combo I mentioned above (for the scrub) I realized how tasty some raw "cookies" would taste with the exact same spices! I will make them and get back to you about that!

Much love and oranges,

Sofie K! 

Beyond Habits

A post about releasing habits effortlessly by simply bringing more awareness to them, from the Meditation facebook page, deeply intrigued me.

We all have habits, some we assign the label of "good," some "evil, life-destroying, ugly, shameful, etc.) Osho believes that all habits are "bad," because they take us out of the present moment, and instead we re-act in a way that has worked for us in the past, even though it may not be the appropriate solution at this current time and place.

Personally, I have a habit of dieting and then bingeing and seeking comfort in food, ( a habit that is currently serving my life in a way that is allowing me to learn and become conscious of how intensely humans "make a habit ;) of limiting their own lives, and also by allowing me to gain understanding and awareness that there are ways to release patterns and habits, to live a more present life in each moment. Freely Living is a  process, and releasing habits is progress!)  I simply inserted my personal habits anywhere the post mentioned "smoking." The same can be done with any habit you desire to release, just insert it where ever you see "smoking." The concept is the same no matter what the particular habit is that you are allowing to keep you its slave.

               " I am less interested in your chain-smoking; I am more interested in your habit. Life is continuously changing — it is a flux — and habits are stagnant. The more you are surrounded by habits, the more you are closed to life. One should live more in freedom. One should be able to do things not according to habits but according to the situations. You don’t have any communication with life; you go on repeating your habits. They don’t fit; they are not the right response to the situation, to the moment. Habits are all bad because habit means something unconscious has become a dominating factor in your life, has become decisive. You are no longer the deciding factor. The response is not coming out of awareness but out of a pattern, structure, that you have learned in the past."

The author explains that we repeat habits because we are full of anxiety, tension, and worry, and that slipping into the "unconscious" act of performing a habit distracts us from our anxiety. The habit is just the symptom of a deeper issue, and we can use to avoid being fully present in a situation where we feel uncomfortable (anxious, afraid, depressed, worried, nervous, angry, frustrated.)

"You cannot cure food addiction by dieting.." I'm not sure if you can cure any real addiction simply by abstaining, without going absolutely freaking nuts. The addiction is the symptom, after all, and the reasons that led us to begin the addiction in the first place (and seek comfort in the habit of our choice) will continue to arise and lead us back to our habits. Especially if we are trying to avoid it.

I know for me, when I have uncomfortable feelings, I want to push them away by literally stuffing them down with heavy foods. I also know though, that much of my anxiety, fears, and worry, comes from the pressure I put on myself to be a certain way in my body. (The way I think it should look and feel.) Human behavior , thought, feeling, and emotion is pretty complex though, I realize this.

What I think the author is urging us to do is to simplify life a little, not by trying to solve a problem at once, but simply by being aware of our behaviors, thoughts, feelings, and emotions, especially around our habits.

Here is the full post by Osho:

BeyondHabits

I cannot drop the habit of chain-smoking. I have tried hard but I have always failed. Is it a sin to smoke?

 

Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill! Religious people are very skillful in doing that. Now, what are you really doing when you are smoking? Just taking some smoke inside your lungs and letting it out. It is a kind of pranayama...filthy, dirty, but still a pranayama! You are doing yoga, in a stupid way. It is not sin. It may befoolish but it is not a sin, certainly.

There is only one sin and that is unawareness, and only one virtue and that is awareness.

Do whatsoever you are doing, but remain a witness to it, and immediately the quality of your doing is transformed.

I will not tell you not to smoke; that you have tried. You must have been told by many so-called saints not to smoke: “Because if you smoke you will fall into hell.” God is not so stupid as your saints are. Throwing somebody into hell just because he was smoking cigarettes will be absolutely unnecessary.

One morning Weintraub went to a restaurant and ordered bacon with his eggs. He was an orthodox Jew and his wife kept a strictly kosher home, but Weintraubfelt the need just this once.

As Weintraub was about to leave the restaurant, he stopped in the door frozen with terror. The sky was filled with black clouds, there was lightning, and the ground shook with the rumble of thunder.

“Can you imagine!” he exclaimed. “All that fuss over a little piece of bacon!”

But that’s what your so-called saints have been telling you down through the ages, for centuries.

Smoking is unhealthy, unhygienic, but not a sin. It becomes a sin only if you are doing it unconsciously. It is not smoking that makes it a sin but unconsciousness.

Let me emphasize the fact. You can do your prayer every day unconsciously; then your prayer is a sin. You can become addicted to your prayer. If you miss the prayer one day, the whole day you will feel something is wrong, something ismissing...some gap. It is the same with smoking or with drinking; there is nodifference in it. Your prayer has become a mechanical habit; it has become a master over you. It bosses you; you are just a servant, a slave to it. If you don’t do it, it forces you to do it.

So it is not a question of smoking. You may be doing your Transcendental Meditation every day regularly, and it may be just the same. If the quality of unconsciousness is there, if mechanicalness is there, if it has become a fixed routine, if it has become a habit and you are a victim of the habit and you cannot put it aside, you are no longer a master of yourself, then it is a sin.But its being a sin comes out of your unconsciousness, not out of the act itself.

No act is virtuous, no act is a sin. What consciousness is behind the act —everything depends on that.

You say: “I cannot drop the habit of chain-smoking.” I am less interested in your chain-smoking; I am more interested in your habit. Any habit that becomes a force, a dominating force over you, is a sin. One should live more infreedom. One should be able to do things not according to habits but according to the situations.

Life is continuously changing — it is a flux — and habits are stagnant. Themore you are surrounded by habits, the more you are closed to life. You are notopen, you don’t have windows. You don’t have any communication with life; yougo on repeating your habits. They don’t fit; they are not the right response tothe situation, to the moment. They are always lagging behind, they are alwaysfalling short. That’s the failure of your life.

So remember: I am against all kinds of habits. Good or bad is not the point.There is no good habit as such, there is no bad habit as such. Habits are allbad because habit means something unconscious has become a dominating factor inyour life, has become decisive. You are no longer the deciding factor. Theresponse is not coming out of awareness but out of a pattern, structure, thatyou have learned in the past.

I have seen many rich people living very poor lives. Before they became richtheir habits became settled — and their habits became settled when they werepoor. That’s why you find so much miserliness in rich people; it comes from thehabits that became ingrained in them when they were poor.

One of the richest men in the world — not one of the richest but the richestman in the world, it is thought — was the Nizam of Hyderabad. His collection ofdiamonds was the greatest in the world because he owned the diamond mines ofGolconda, which have provided the greatest diamonds to the world. The Kohinoorcomes from Golconda. It was once in the Nizam’s possession. He had so manydiamonds that it is said that no one has ever been able to calculate exactlythe price of his collection. Thousands and thousands of diamonds — they werenot counted, they were weighed!

But he was one of the most miserly men in the world. He used a single cap forthirty years. It was stinking but he wouldn’t change it. He continued to wearthe same coat for almost his whole life and he would not give it to be washedbecause they might destroy it. He was so miserly — you cannot imagine — that hewould collect half-smoked cigarettes from the guests’ ashtrays and then smokethem. The richest man in the world smoking cigarette butts smoked by others!The first thing he would do whenever a guest left was to search in the ashtraysand collect the ends of the cigarettes.

When he died, his greatest diamond was found in his dirty shoes. He was hidingit in his shoe! Maybe he had some idea behind it — that maybe he would be ableto take it with him to the other world. Maybe he was afraid: “When I am dead,people may steal it.” It was the greatest diamond; he used that diamond as apaper-weight on his table. Before he died he must have put it inside his shoe.

Even when one is dying one is moving in old habits, following old patterns. Ihave heard:

The old Mulla Nasruddin had become a very rich man. When he felt deathapproaching he decided to make some arrangements for his funeral, so he ordereda beautiful coffin made of ebony wood with satin pillows inside. He also had abeautiful silk caftan made for his dead body to be dressed in.

The day the tailor delivered the caftan, Mulla Nasruddin tried it on to see howit would look, but suddenly he exclaimed, “What is this! Where are thepockets?”

Smoking or no smoking, that is not important. Maybe if you continue to smokeyou will die a little earlier. So what? The world is so overpopulated, you willdo some good by dying a little earlier. Maybe you will have tuberculosis. Sowhat? Tuberculosis is now almost like the common cold. In fact, there is nocure for the common cold but there is a cure for tuberculosis I know it becauseI suffer from a common cold. To have tuberculosis is to be very fortunate.

So it is possible that you may die two years earlier, you may get tuberculosis— but it is not a sin. Don’t be worried about that. If you really want to dosomething about your life, dropping smoking is not going to help — because Iknow people who drop smoking; then they start chewing gum. The same oldstupidity! Or if they are Indians they start chewing pan; it is the same. Youwill do something or other. Your unconsciousness will demand some activity,some occupation. It is an occupation. And it is only a symptom; it is notreally the problem. It is not the root of the problem.

Have you not observed? Whenever you feel emotionally disturbed you immediatelystart smoking. It gives you a kind of relief; you become occupied. Your mind isdistracted from the emotional problem. Whenever people feel tense they startsmoking. The problem is tension, the problem is emotional disturbance — theproblem is somewhere else; smoking is just an occupation. So you become engagedin taking the smoke in and out and you forget for the time being...because mindcannot think of two things together, remember it. One of the fundamentals ofmind is: it can think only of one thing at one time; it is one-dimensional. Soif you are smoking and thinking of smoking, then from all other anxieties youare distracted.

That’s the whole secret of the so-called spiritual mantras: they are nothingbut distractions, like smoking. You repeat “Om, Om, Om,” or “Ram, Ram, Ram,” or“Allah, Allah, Allah” — that is just giving mind an occupation. And all thesepeople who teach mantras say, “Repeat it as quickly as possible, so thatbetween two repetitions there is not even a small gap. Let them overlap — so ‘RamRam Ram’ — don’t leave a gap between two Rams, otherwise some thought mayenter. Repeat it like crazy!”

Yes, it will give you a certain relief — the same relief that comes fromsmoking, because your mind will be distracted from the anxieties and the world.You will forget about the world; you have created a trick. All mantras aretricks, but they are spiritual. Chain-smoking is also a mantra. It is a worldlymantra; non-religious you can call it, secular.

The real problem is the habit.

You say: “I have tried hard to drop it....”

You have not tried to be conscious of it; without trying to be conscious youhave tried to drop it. It is not possible. It will come back, because your mindis the same; its needs are the same, its problems are the same, its anxieties,tensions are the same, its anguish is the same. And when those anxieties arise,what will you do? Immediately, mechanically, you will start searching for thecigarettes.

You may have decided again and again, and again and again you have failed — notbecause smoking is such a great phenomenon that you cannot get out of it, butbecause you are trying from the wrong end. Rather than becoming aware of thewhole situation — why you smoke in the first place — rather than becoming awareof the process of smoking, you are simply trying to drop it. It is like pruningthe leaves of a tree without cutting the roots. And my whole concern here is tocut the roots, not to prune the tree.

By pruning the leaves and the branches the tree will become thicker, thefoliage will become thicker. You will not destroy the tree; you will be helpingit, in fact. If you really want to get out of it you will have to look deeper,not into the symptoms but the roots. Where are the roots?

You must be a deeply anxiety-ridden person, otherwise chain-smoking is notpossible; chain-smoking is a by-product. You must be so concerned about athousand and one disturbances inside, you must be carrying such a big load ofworries on your heart, on your chest, that you don’t even know how to forgetthem. You don’t know how to drop them; smoking at least helps you to forgetabout them.

 You say: “I have tried hard....”












Now one thing has to be understood. The hypnotists have discovered afundamental law; they call it the Law of Reverse Effect. If you try hard to dosomething without understanding the fundamentals, just the opposite will be theresult.

It is like when you are learning how to ride on a bicycle. You are on a silentroad, no traffic, early in the morning, and you see a red milestone juststanding there by the side of the road like Hanuman. A sixty-foot-wide road andjust a small milestone, and you become afraid: you may get to the milestone,you may hit the milestone. Now you forget about the sixty-foot-wide road. Infact, even if you go blindfolded there is not much chance of your encounteringthe milestone, crashing into the milestone, but with open eyes now the wholeroad is forgotten; you have become focused. In the first place, that redness isvery focusing. And you are so afraid, you want to avoid it. You have forgottenthat you are on a bicycle; you have forgotten everything. Now the only problemfor you is how to avoid this stone; otherwise you may harm yourself, you maycrash into it.

Now the crash is absolutely inevitable; you are bound to crash with the stone.And then you will be surprised: “1 tried hard.” In fact it is because you triedhard that you reached the stone. And the closer you come, the harder you try toavoid it; but the harder you try to avoid it, the more focused you become onit. It becomes a hypnotic force, it hypnotizes you. It becomes like a magnet.

It is a very fundamental law in life. Many people try avoiding many things andthey fall into the same things. Try to avoid anything with great effort and youare bound to fall into the same pit. You cannot avoid it; that is not the wayto avoid it.

Be relaxed. Don’t try hard, because it is through relaxation that you canbecome aware, not by trying hard. Be calm, quiet, silent.

I will suggest: smoke as much as you want to smoke. It is not a sin in thefirst place. I give you the guarantee — I will be responsible. I take the sinon myself, so if you meet God on Judgment Day you can just tell him that thisfellow is responsible. And I will stand there as a witness for you that you arenot responsible. So don’t be worried about its being a sin. Relax and don’t tryto drop it with effort. No, that is not going to help.

Zen believes in effortless understanding. So this is my suggestion: smoke asmuch as you want to smoke — just smoke meditatively. If Zen people can drinktea meditatively, why can’t you smoke meditatively? In fact, tea contains thesame stimulant as the cigarettes contain; it is the same stimulant, there isnot much difference. Smoke meditatively, very religiously. Make it a ceremony.Try it my way.

Make a small corner in your house just for smoking: a small temple devoted,dedicated to the god of smoking. First bow down to your cigarette packet. Havea little chit-chat, talk to the cigarettes. Inquire, “How are you?” And thenvery slowly take a cigarette out — very slowly, as slowly as you can, becauseonly if you take it very slowly will you be aware. Don’t do it in a mechanicalway, as you always do. Then tap the cigarette on the packet very slowly and foras long as you want. There is no hurry either. Then take the lighter, bow downto the lighter. These are great gods, deities! Light is God, so why not thelighter?

Then start smoking very slowly, just like Vipassana. Don’t do it like a pranayama— quick and fast and deep — but very slowly. Buddha says: Breathe naturally. Soyou smoke naturally: very slow, no hurry. If it is a sin you are in a hurry. Ifit is a sin you want to finish it as soon as possible. If it is a sin you don’twant to look at it. You go on reading the newspaper and you go on smoking. Whowants to look at a sin? But it is not a sin, so watch it — watch each of youracts.

Divide your acts into small fragments so you can move very slowly. And you willbe surprised: by watching your smoking, slowly slowly smoking will become lessand less. And one day suddenly...it is gone. You have not made any effort todrop it; it has dropped of its own accord, because by becoming aware of a deadpattern, a routine, a mechanical habit, you have created, you have released, anew energy of consciousness in you. Only that energy can help you; nothing elsewill ever help.

It is not only so with smoking, it is so with everything else in life: don’ttry too hard to change yourself. That leaves scars. Even if you change, yourchange will remain superficial. And you will find a substitute somewhere; youwill have to find a substitute, otherwise you will feel empty.

When something withers away of its own accord because you have become sosilently aware of the stupidity of it that no effort is needed, when it simplyfalls, just like a dead leaf falling from a tree, it leaves no scar behind andit leaves no ego behind.

If you drop something by effort, it creates great ego. You start thinking, “NowI am a very virtuous man because I don’t smoke.” If you think that smoking is asin, naturally, obviously, if you drop it you will think you are a veryvirtuous man.

That’s how your virtuous men are. Somebody does not smoke, somebody does notdrink, somebody eats only once a day, somebody does not eat in the night,somebody has even stopped drinking water in the night...and they are all greatsaints! These are saintly qualities, great virtues! We have made religion sosilly. It has lost all glory. It has become as stupid as people are. But thewhole thing depends on your attitude: if you think something is a sin, thenyour virtue will be just the opposite of it.

I emphasize: not-smoking is not virtue, smoking is not sin; awareness isvirtue, unawareness is sin. And then the same law is applicable to your wholelife. 

Osho

I hope you enjoyed that enlightening piece of literature :)

I did have one question for the author. Isn't seeking (the desire) to release a habit (even by utilizing the means of conscious awareness to do it) still an effort, still "trying hard to change yourself?"

Hm. It seems that even if it is, it may be a an extremely effective means of change. I truly believe that we cannot simply try and change habits, because they are always the result of deeper roots that often are tangled up in unconscious thoughts and beliefs about ourselves, others, and reality. By becoming intimately aware of these beliefs we can begin to ask ourselves, "Is it true?" When we realize that we have been telling ourselves lies all along, and living in illusion, will the habit naturally fall away because the necessity of the mind to keep the illusion in tact falls away.

Ways I plan to use awareness more to manifest greater freedom from habits, especially the ones relating to my relationship with food:

• Notice my thoughts and feelings while eating certain types of food. Do I find myself feeling more virtuous when I eat a certain type of food over another? Do I find myself enabling habits in myself relating to what time of day I should eat a certain food or shouldn't?
• Notice how my body physically feels before, during, and after eating different types of foods. 
• Notice how I feel mentally before, during, and after eating different types of foods
• Notice how I feel emotionally before, during, and after eating different foods
• Notice how I am feeling and what I am thinking about when the urge to eat a certain type of food or binge arises
• Ask myself, and I really hungry right now?
• Notice any thoughts and feelings arising when I look into the mirror
• Continue to ask "Is this true?"
• Blog about my findings

I think it is a common desire among people to want to live a life of freedom and happiness. I have this nagging question, though ..  (is it just my mind self-sabotaging again? ;) even if we successfully release limiting patterns in our lives, will we be any more free, since we are changing events on the "outside" to try and affect how we feel on the "inside," and many a spiritual "guru" has been know to exalt the power of finding unconditional peace and acceptance within, instead of trying to change outside events.

It seems that the way Osho describes going about "changing outer reality" is fundamentally based upon the notion that we must free ourselves by looking for the "roots of the habit" deep within our Selves, so that the habits with naturally and effortlessly reveal themselves simply for what they are: a habitual way of trying to take care of themselves .. there is a phrase for that which I can't remember.. anyone?

Anyways.. Remember this part of the article?

"... my whole concern here is to cut the roots, not to prune the tree.

By pruning the leaves and the branches the tree will become thicker, the foliage will become thicker. You will not destroy the tree; you will be helping it, in fact. If you really want to get out of it you will have to look deeper, not into the symptoms but the roots. Where are the roots?"

We've gotta get deep man. It's time to face the issues instead of turning away from them. Yeah the ego might suffer a few butt-hurt moments when it realizes it has been believing a false belief .. again .. sometimes your entire life ... and you may realize you are not who you think you are .. and you're not. You're probably something way more awesome, vast, wise, and divine.

Maybe. Maybe we're just monkeys who can't relax and be content or whatever ;)

Thanks for reading, everyone! 

If you are interested in this topic, check out this hilarious article on cracked.com about habits .. 5 Ways Your Brain Tricks You Into Sticking With Bad Habitshttp://www.cracked.com/article_20028_5-ways-your-brain-tricks-you-into-sticking-with-bad-habits.html

Is there a perspective you can choose about yourself today that is positive, even though you may recognize things in your life that you may want to change? Can you see your habits in a positive light, even finding gratitude for them in some way? How have the habits of your past or present, or ones you have released already changed your view of reality? Have you gained any understanding, wisdom, or compassion for yourself and others through these experiences?
Love, Growth, and Freedom
Sofie K


P.S. I am not convinced that there are no such things as good habits, and am making a metal note to explore this concept further at a later time.

What do you think? Are there good habits, or are all habits detrimental? What do you think about the content and ideas touched on throughout this post?

Leave a comment, let's start a conversation!

Feeling less than optimal and Couch to 5K

So the past few days I have been feeling really lacking in energy, I've had a headache, and just not feeling like doing anything!

Makes me think of the youtube vid "shit new age girls say" - "I'm soo detoxing right now!" LoL. Is that what is going on for me? Maybe, I haven't eaten junk food since my binge after the 5 full days of raw food I did.. I forget when that was, maybe 2 weeks ago? As for bingeing, I've been doing pretty good. Every time I have the urge to starve myself or skip a meal, even though I am hungry, I remind myself that being healthy is more important than being thin and that eating healthy will allow my body to find it's own unique perfect weight naturally.

Does this mean I've been eating whatever I want? Yes - and what I've wanted has been natural, vegan (some fish though), yummy food cooked from mostly scratch at home, lots of fruit, veggies, hummus, and dates, quinoa and brown rice. I have definitely over-eaten on the heavy foods (date-nut balls, quinoa) because of random impulses to eat when I wasn't hungry, but I am happy to report that it has not been anything as extreme as a full-on binge, more like an extra helping of something when I really was already full. I don't like the feeling of myself when I am too full, and I definitely am hoping for the day when I can just eat enough and be satisfied, and eat only when I am hungry.

I have been relaxing on my few days off, and hoping that my check-off for the Reflexology treatment with Lisa goes well tomorrow at the spa.

I am thinking of beginning the C25K (Couch to 5K) program when I return from Chicago. It's a 9 week program to get you from not running at all, to being able to run a full 5K (3.2 miles) or 30 minutes straight :) I'm excited about it !

I also have been being more regular with Yoga lately, which has been nice. There have been several days at the yoga studio where I have felt very strong, but today (a home practice with friendlyuniverseyoga.com) I felt pretty weak and tired.

I know there is one very specific lifestyle choice I still have to change which will affect my health dramatically in a positive way, I am sure!

Peace, Love, and Healthy Choices,
Sofie K

Breathing Space: Discovery Exercise 1 of 12

I am embarking on a breath-work journey for positive personal transformation, inspired by a book I recently picked up at the library: Breathing Space by Katrina Repka and Alan Finger. My main intentions for doing breath-work are: to increase my sense of peace and well-being, learn more about my self and what I am going through (specifically in the areas related to food, eating, body-image, self-worth, and self-esteem), increase oxygen in my body, pain relief (sore muscles from exercise), and to observe my mind and ego at work.

Please join me on this journey of self-discovery through breath work if you are intrigued; there are so many benefits !

Here are 18 benefits of breathing exercises (from onepowerfulword.com) :
If you are already convinced, scroll past these to get to the exercise!

1. Breathing detoxifies and releases toxins
2. Releases tension
3. Relaxes the mind/body and brings clarity
4. Relieves Emotional Stress

5. Relieves Pain
6. Massages your organs
    The movement of the diaphragm during the deep breathing exercises massages the stomach, small intestine, liver, and pancreas. The upper movement of the diaphragm also massages the heart. When you inhale air your diaphragm descends and your abdomen will expand. By this action you massage vital organs and improve circulation in them. Controlled breathing also strengthens and tones your abdominal muscles. 
7. Breathing increases muscle
8. Strengthens the immune system
9. Deep breathing improves posture (and visa versa!)
10. Improves quality of the blood
11. Increases digestion and assimilation of food
12. Improves the nervous system
13. Strengthens the lungs
14. Makes the heart stronger.
15. Assists in weight control
16. Boosts energy levels and improves stamina
17. Improves cellular regeneration
18. Elevates moods and combats physical pain

Breath Focus 1: DISCOVERY
"If you practice this exercise every day for two weeks, you will soon be more aware of your breathing patterns. You will find that they may change according to the time of day and your emotional state. The exercise can be done whenever you like: try experimenting with it at different times of the day. By studying the breath, you will learn to identify when you breathing is not working to your best advantage. This self-study (svadyaya in Sanskrit) is the essence of the yogic practice; through svadyaya you can begin to identify the patterns and tendencies that are keeping you bound up inside, and find the freedom that is yoga. As you practice with the breath, you will experience changes particular to you: they might be subtle at first, and you may not notice them immediately, but the more you practice, the more control you will gain over your breathing - and eventually over your life. The breath is a powerful tool. If you have not worked with it before, be prepared to experience some unusual side effects: as the breath moves inside you for the first few times, you may become emotional. Or you may simply fall asleep. Your body is responding. Big changes are coming. The journey is just beginning."

Because I love you so much ;) I have recorded the exercise so that you may simply play it back, listen to me giving the instructions, relax, and enjoy! If you prefer to read along, I have also typed out the instructions below.

(Almost all breathing techniques in yoga are done through the nose. If you are stuffed up, you can do this exercise with your mouth slightly open.)

Copy & Paste this link to listen to this exercise: http://soundcloud.com/sofiakovalenko/breath-exercise-1-discovery

Time: 10-15 minutes
Props: (optional) Bolster, Pillow, Eye Pillow

1. Find a quiet place, free from distraction. 

2. Lie down on your back. If your lower back feels sensitive, bend your knees (you can place them over a bolster or pillow, if you have one handy.) 

3. Close your eyes, and if you like, place and eye pad over them.

4. Start to breathe in and out through your nose, becoming aware of your breath. Without judging it in any way, notice how the breath moves in your body. Where does it begin and end? Is it fast or slow? What pattern does it make as it enters and leaves?

5. Notice the composition of your breath. Is it smooth and even? Short and choppy? Deep or shallow? Hard or soft? When you inhale, does your torso expand or contract? What happens when you exhale?

6. If you become aware at any point that your mind has wandered, gently draw your attention back to the breath.

7.  Now place one hand on your belly, and one hand on your chest. Bring your awareness to your chest. Do you feel your breath expanding both your chest and upper back as you breathe in? Do your ribs also flare out to the sides? Are there any areas where your breath is unable to move freely?

8. Bring your awareness to your belly. As you breathe in, do you feel the front of your belly lifting? Do you feel the breath causing movement in your lower back? What about your pelvic floor: can you feel it moving with your breath?

9. Are there any other descriptions of your breath that come to mind? Feel free to be creative.

10. Take a few minutes to continue your exploration, then slowly and gently roll to one side and come back up to a seated position.

In-JOY!


Personally, I plan to do this exercise 3 times a day for the next 2 weeks: once upon waking, once mid-day, and once right before bed. I will update the blog about any insights, revelations, and realizations I have and I encourage you to do the same in a journal, a blog, or just consciously think about what experiences you have during these first few weeks of Discovery.

For even more inspiration and mind-body-heart integration, go ahead and to do this yoga podcast, seriously, it is worth it! 

http://friendlyuniverseyoga.com/wp-content/uploads/HolyHips.mp3
For more amazing podcasts, visit www.friendlyuniverseyoga.com

Then, watch this amazing TEDx talk by yoga teacher Shannon Paige:

Love, peace, and awareness,

Sofie K.

Earthy Juice and Waking Up Early :)

Green Apple!
Romaine!
Spinach!
Carrot!
Green Grape!
Lemon!
Celery!

Raw Juice!
YUM!

I have been eating better and going to sleep early (between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.) and have been waking up on my own at about 7 in the morning. (And feeling mostly fanfreakingtastic!) I've even felt a lot less crampy on my menstrual cycle this time around, and although I know not working during it has a lot to do with it, I am super thankful to my moon cup and all the fruits and veggies in my body that I know are helping too!

I am moved into Julie's driveway :) and Shadow is having a fun time chasing the new cat in the house (We have a 4th roommate for the month of October who has brought two cats with her :), while Moon insists that he play with him all day.

The furniture is all moved out of the "living room," which has been transformed into a beautiful yoga/meditation space, which I am excited to finally utilize today. (Yoga, especially during the first 2-3 days of my flow is usually a major no.)

Yesterday Julie and I did a huge Costco run and picked up a cart full of fresh, raw, mostly organic produce :) Holy grapes, raspberries, blackberries, apples, romaine, spinach, carrots, celery, etc. etc. etc. We created a beautiful juice last night that was one of the two best juices I had ever made! Amazing how something turns out so delicious when you are making it to share with someone you love!

Feeling good and this house feels like a home :) Everything happens for a reason, they say, and I am glad to have moved in to our little nook in Gypsum a month early! It would be swell if the Blu Ox was still starting, but maybe that is just another lesson I had to learn: If you buy a vehicle from 1979, you better be a mechanic ;) or dating one ... 

Peace & Love
Sofie K

The Energies of the Earth and Moon are mirrored in our wombs and the cycles of our womanhood.

"Did you know that every woman is born with every egg she will ever have? Tucked deep inside the crevices of our tiny bodies, waiting patiently for our maturity, these eggs form in our ovaries when we are just three months past conception, still living peacefully in the perfect environment of our mother's womb. In essence, when your mother was a babe in your grandmother, you were a seed within her, an egg within her cells, listening to your grandmother's heartbeat. Much like the sea embraces the Earth, our bodies embrace our wombs. Our wombs are our centers, and they do far more than produce babies - they give birth to the power that is in us. The rhythms of the universe, the ebb and flow of the tides of life, and the energies of the Earth and Moon are mirrored in our wombs and the cycles of our womanhood." From Womb and Uterine Health in Rosemary Gladstar's Family Herbal: A Guide to Living Life with Energy, Health, and Vitality. 

Today this beautiful quote and book was shared with me by a dear friend, and now I share it with you.

An example of the monthly calendar where
the pink days are period days, and the striped
days are the next predicted period. The day
marked with the flower is the predicted
ovulation date. 

A screenshot of the temp.
chart with no data entered in.
As you can see, there are
small ads on the bottom, but
they are not too intrusive.

I would also like to share a really great app I found for smart phones called "Woman Log." Not only does this app track your monthly menstrual and ovulation cycles, but it also has an option where you can enter daily your waking temperature to more accurately track your ovulation dates. You can then view the temperatures as they change daily, or view them in a chart feature that spans the entire month. This can be used for NFP (Natural Family Planning), a natural form of birth control, or if you are, on the other hand, trying to conceive. (If you wish to use the temperature/chart feature you will need a basal thermometer which you should be able to get at most drugstores or online :)

The app has a beautiful and easy to use interface and different skins to choose from. Before I was using Period Tracker Lite, but switched to Woman Log because of the added features of being able to record and chart the changes in your temperature to predict ovulation. For a simple menstrual tracker, Period Tracker Lite is great and is very easy to use!

Thank You for stopping in sweet friend!
Have a wonderful day :)

XOXO
Sofie

Peanut Quinoa and Arugula Asian Salad Recipe :)

Prepare tofu 2-4 hours (or night before) beforehand by "baking" tofu with soy sauce (tamari or shoyu) on a cookie sheet on top of oven range (or in oven). Cook on both sides about 10 minutes each.

Quinoa: Cook quinoa with sea salt until done, add curry powder and crunchy peanut butter

Topping for Quinoa: Steam Asparagus and Edamame in Nama Shoyu (tamari or soy sauce) with small diced ginger, 1-2 Tbs Coconut Butter and a little bit of water. Spices (Add before cooking): Bragg's Nutritional Yeast seasoning, Sriracha, Nama Shoyu (tamari or soy), crushed red pepper flakes, curry powder.

Arugula Salad: Mash an avocado, Nama Shoyu, and a simple vinaigrette with mixed greens and arugula. Add tofu (cubed), chickpeas, tomatoes, BASIL, and any other veggies and mix.

Prepare a beautiful presentation of all all this yummy deliciousness for yourself and any other (soon to be very grateful) guests <3 to feed your eyes as well as your creative soul!

In-JOY!

Always with LOVE and LIGHT
Sofie K.

Pineapple-Carrot-Ginger-Orange Juice. Raw Goodness!

Pineapple
Carrot
Ginger
Orange
JUICE


YUM!

I Know What I Want

There has been a certain question plaguing my life lately. What do I want out of life? What do I want right now? What do I want in the near future? Do I want to stay in Vail, do I want to go somewhere else?

My mind can easily get lost in racing thoughts of all the possibilities there are to experience in life, and the anxiety that comes with these thoughts is literally like a plague, removing me from the present moment while I get lost in daydreams of potential future outcomes.

But it is not a physical destination I am seeking, rather, a mental, emotional, and physical place that I theoretically and philosophically know is available to me at any moment, although I hardly ever choose to experience it "just because I can."

So rather than dream about a place to escape to, where I believe all my struggles will magically disappear, I am going to stay put, here in Vail (or possibly living with my friend Julie in Gypsum, for more of a sense of community, support, and to save on rent this winter,) and practice being where I know I want to be, here. (Gypsum is in Eagle County so I don't really consider it leaving, since I will keep my same job and same relative location.)

So what do I know I want? And how can I achieve those things here and now?

Self- Love and Self- Acceptance. Being my self instead of looking at others and wishing I had their life, their friends, their body, their whatever! Loving my own personal journey, including the happy, the difficult, and the "wretched" times I encounter.

Peace. To find peace, tranquility, and calm in times of busy-ness (especially at work), self-doubt, and anxiety. To take moments to breathe, and realize that "right here in this moment, I am OK."

Gratitude. Finding things daily to be grateful for.

Adventure. Excitement! Fun! Experiencing new ideas, new people, and new places. There are plenty of places close to home that I haven't ever been to, yet I dream about going somewhere totally new. There are so many things to do here: bike, raft, hike, swim, snowboard, walk, run, camp, but I hardly do any of them because I allow my negative thoughts to rule my life!

A Healthy Body. Feeling awesome in my body by getting daily exercise and eating well all the time! Feeling strong and flexible, nimble and fast!

Friendship. To connect with people I love through sharing time, space, ideas, laughter, fun, smiles, adventures, and joy!

Spirituality. Connecting with my higher self and Source daily!

Family. Staying connected with my family through resources like Skype! And visiting them, of course. (A trip is in order!)

Alternative-minded Ideas. Homemade, DIY, raw food, natural hygiene, using less money, eco transportation (biking and hitch-hiking), gardening, loving unconditionally.

Tomorrow I plan to begin my internet cleanse. What does that mean? Spending time on the internet for only UP TO an hour a day, but hopefully less. I will go online only to blog, check e-mail, and my work schedule.

I also am implementing a daily meditation ritual - starting with 10 minutes a day. 10 minutes to start each day, first thing in the morning, simply sitting and observing my breath and state of being. I am not going to try and eliminate thoughts, rather, to practice mindfulness and observing thoughts (hopefully without engaging them) as they arise, and practice watching them with non-attachment.

Exciting!

I am pretty scatter brained right now. I need some serious detox in my life.

Peace and loving life,
Sofie K

Not in a Food Mood .. So Where am I?

I have had body-image issues for two thirds of my whole life. As of lately I decided that worrying about what I look like is a complete waste of my time and energy. Since deciding this, I have given myself permission to eat whatever I want, whenever I want. Since doing so, a funny thing has happened. I have completely lost my appetite.

I am still eating everyday because my mind is saying 'you need to eat,' although sometimes it has been a struggle to eat more than a few bites. I am not craving anything I have in my house right now ...  and when I try to imagine different foods, nothing seems appetizing at the moment. The only things that I seem to be really craving right now is water, water, more water, and warm water with honey.

My stomach feels hungry, but not in a severely painful way. I still have plenty of energy too, and my thoughts and emotions seem a lot clearer than the past few weeks.

This loss of appetite doesn't actually surprise me. Since the beginning of my 'disordered eating' habits, which began at about age 14, I have been on a continuous cycle of calorie restricting, followed by intense periods of bingeing to the point where I would make myself physically ill for days, sometimes weeks at a time. The restriction periods where the times I was trying to force myself to get in control of my life by fitting into a certain image I was holding of who the 'happy me' was. The bingeing periods where the times during which I, over and over and over again, completely lost all control.

Why do we try to cover the true unique beauty of
ourselves by pretending to be someone we are not?
To feel accepted? Loved? Because it is easier to
adopt beliefs of the societal -group mind- than to
stand out, be different, be judged, and be OK with that?

I now realize that trying to control life, especially by attempting to emulate a self-conceived image of -what a happy person looks like (skinny)- is completely futile and totally counter-productive to my instinctual feelings and desires for freedom.

So why the loss of appetite now?

Rewind my life to about 7 weeks ago: I was boarding a plane to Hawaii - a fruit paradise! I was at the tail end of another binge cycle ( I literally ate 3 burritos at the airport waiting to board my flight to Hilo), and had promised my self (again) that this would be the last time! I was completely convinced that once I got to Hawaii, I would eat only fruits, vegetables, and grains .. (being totally enamored with the concept that is the 80 10 10 low fat raw vegan lifestyle.) For the first three weeks, this was exactly what I did. I had come out of such an intense processed-food binge cycle that the first few weeks where easy. My body was thanking me for the cleanse, and I didn't even crave the other stuff. Until I did. And then oh, how I did!

I remember sitting at a restaurant where everyone around me was enjoying their divine-smelling Thai cuisine, and my God! how I wanted it so badly! But my nagging aunt Ninnie brain was un-relentlessness ! All I could think about, besides how much I wanted that food, was how it would probably make me fat and cause me to feel ill! And so I denied myself the pleasure of tasting even a bite of it, even the healthiest option on the menu, the green papaya salad, which I figured was laden with salt and spices. I continued to deny myself until I could not hold on any longer.

I don't think life wants to be controlled. It wants to feel free and do what feels good! And go with the flow of love and abundance! So the more I restricted, the harder I was flung back into total loss of control.

I began to eat, and eat, and eat. It started at a group potluck where I indulged in some very delicious food, in modest amounts ( I was embarrassed that I was eating greasy, cooked food in front of people that had only seen me eat fruits, veggies, and quinoa, and who most likely had  no idea about how deep my food and self-image issues lied.) I woke up the next day feeling completely healthy as far as digestion goes.

Since I had "slipped" though, I wanted to get 'the most out of it' before I had to get back into the restriction cycle, because "this time, I wouldn't go back to bingeing!" I gorged myself that day. And the next day, and the next. I would sneak into town to eat food alone, and buy candy bars to eat by myself in my tent when everyone had gone to bed. I began to lack vitality, and eventually became extremely ill, even having to take days off volunteering because I had eaten so much the night before that I had a full, bloated, aching belly upon waking.

My fellow hostel-mates could tell that I was not feeling well, but I was too ashamed to tell them what was actually going on. I eventually confided in a few friends about the general story of my struggles, although I never described in detail exactly what I was doing.

I continued to binge for the remainder of my stay in Hawaii, as well as on the trip home. All the while, something magical was happening.

Seriously and Honestly. You are beautiful
just the way you are!

During the last few weeks at the hostel, I began to feel very comfortable being my true self in front of my hostel-mates. I said 'no' to activities I did not want to participate in, and did not pretend to have more energy than I actually had. I began to talk more honestly about how I was feeling, and began to accept my own feelings with more compassion and honesty. I stopped feeling sorry for myself or angry for being in the state that I was in, and began to truly forgive myself and nourish the child inside with love and self-acceptance. Well, I started practicing to do all this :)

An amazing book, The Mastery of Love, by Don Miguel Ruiz helped to put a lot of what I was going through into beautiful words that I connected with on a soul-level.

And so now that I am home, allowing my-self to eat whatever I want to eat, whenever I want to eat it, limiting the time I spend in front of a mirror (only the time it takes to squeeze out a few blackheads - an act that feels interestingly satisfying to me :), and spending as much time as I need resting, sleeping, and -not doing anything - I find myself in what seems to be a very natural cycle of detoxing, cleansing, and healing.

LOL! Kind of how I have been feeling. Except for going
 on bike rides.

I am sure that my appetite will return once my body truly needs it to. I am not one bit surprised, that during a time when I am releasing many old beliefs and life patterns that no longer serve me, my body is asking for less food than usual, in an attempt to release the stale energies of these belief systems out of its tissues.

I feel like the moment I decided not to restrict my-self any longer, it was a moment of great surrender.

And being here, I do not regret the many years I have spent "struggling" with disordered eating and body-image, or any future struggles that may show their faces. Yet being OK with these struggles -in the moment- is still something I am working on. It makes it easier when I see that I wouldn't be where I am today without the totality of my experiences. "You have got to trust that the dots will somehow connect." - Steve Jobs

Watch Jobs' inspirational video about seeing the opportunities in life's setback's here !

Thank You! Namaste.
Sofie

River Tension Release

Crested Butte, CO 2011

Read about how I utilized the natural flow of the River to release tension. (At the bottom of this post :) 

Welcome to the Freely Living blog!

Welcome Friend!
Did you know that you are a truly amazing human being who is capable of living a spectacular life? So what is stopping you? 

Me, Adventuring in the Holy Cross National Forest near Vail, CO in 2010

The Freely Living Blog aims to re-claim our innate freedom, energy, and desire to live the life we LOVE and dream of.

"If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear. " - Joanna Macy

How do we do that?

Freely Living aims to be a lifestyle blog following my journey as I attempts to use resourceful creativity to utilize a wide spectrum of modalities to live more freely.

Reducing, re-using, re-cycling, DIY-ing, bartering, foraging, hitch-hiking, and employing strategies of Freeganism to live with more financial freedom.

"Earth provides enough to sustain every man's need, but not every man's greed." Ghandi

Practicing yoga, meditation, self-help techniques, spirituality, mindfulness, and letting go of belief systems that no longer serve me to live with more mental and emotional freedom. Freely Thinking, exploring, and questioning.

Finding health, vitality, and flexibility in a more physically free body through nutrition and exercise :)

Freely sharing information openly, without reservation or fear of judgement.

Freely allowing myself to engage in the present moment.

Freely giving and freely receiving.

Freely giving and receiving love and support wherever and whenever it is needed.

"Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking; where it is absent, discussion is apt to become worse than useless." - Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoi - (1828-1910) Russian writer Source: On Life and Essays on Religion 

It is my intention that other people who are also interested in Freely Living, sustainably, and with great passion toward the life they choose to live will learn from this blog and offer me helpful tips and support along the way :)
Check out the different sections of this blog to see how I am manifesting Freely Living on all levels of my life! You may sometimes find the same post in more than one section since I write in a free flowing style that tends to touch on a variety of subjects throughout one stream of thought / post. 

                <<<<Eagle County Residents and Visitors!!! >>>>
Check out the Vail Valley Free Community Events page and Like! the associated Facebook Page to get updates about awesome, fun, and (mostly) FREE events, services, and community projects! 


Thank You for stopping by! Leave any comments, questions, or feedback you have :) Subscribe to this blog if you feel like it could be of service to you on your journey, and add me as a friend on Facebook. I am sure we will learn a lot from each other! Namaste.

                                A Personal Affirmation and Intention
Soon to come...

Bunches of bananas grown and harvested on property at
Hedonisia  Eco-Hostel and Rainforest Retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii
where I volunteered for six weeks in the spring of 2012.
Cant get more local or Freely-Living than that!
Check out Hedonisia Hawaii !