(Ok, ok, I know. But when else was I going to get to make that silly joke?)
Processed food is any edible matter that’s been changed from it’s original natural state and cooked or altered in some way.
For example taking a tomato off the vine (it’s natural state) and cooking it and turning it into tomato sauce.
Usually processed foods are marketed as a convience for you. The idea given is that it is faster and easier for you to buy that jar of sauce than to buy tomatoes and make it yourself.
Why care about this? And why do so many health conscious people tell you to “eat less processed foods” ?
Because when companies process these foods they often add things that are more for THEIR convenience than your health! The additives might be easier to store and less expensive to obtain, such as adding artificial tomato flavor and color and less actual tomato.
The problem with processed foods is that many of the ingredients are lower quality than you would use yourself in your food, such as low quality oils, starches instead of real potatoes, corn syrup to add flavor in place of fruits and vegetables, etc. Some of the additives aren’t even foods (!!!) like chemical preservatives, flavors and colors.
Suffice to say, making your own foods is often a much healthier than buying them ready-made. The time and money spent on natural ingredients is worth it when you consider how much MORE time consuming and expensive it is to be sick!
Even if I’m just breaking even, or spending more time and money on natural foods, feeling great is worth it!
I mean that you’re not able to focus on anything for more than a few seconds at a time before your attention wanders away, and you aren’t able to keep it from wandering even if you try.
I totally didn’t believe this at first.
You probably don’t either, so I’m going to give you an example and a simple exercise to test it out for yourself.
— Definitely don’t just believe this craziness! Find out for yourself! —
Then I’ll share why it might matter to you, and what you can do about it.
— Ok, first up, an example. —
Have you ever been listening to someone and something they said reminded you of something else? … “Email!'” you start thinking, “Oh no! Did I send that email?! Oh, crud! I forgot! Ok, first thing in the morning!” You finish this thought, and then return your attention to the person in front of you… and they’re still talking. Oops.
You don’t know what you’ve missed, because you were busy thinking about email. And if you’re like me, you hope they keep talking so that you can try and figure out what you missed!
Not a comfortable or respectful place to be (of self or other).
Everyone can relate to this. I’ve not yet had a single person who couldn’t.
Why? Because we aren’t in control of our attention! Even if we are talking to a best friend, boss/client, lover or beloved child we still do this! Yikes!
— Next, an experiment to test out your attention control for yourself —
When I heard about this, I thought, “But that’s silly! I can watch a movie for 2 hours and not have my thoughts wander away!”
Well, sure you’re able to focus on movies, TV/Netflix shows, Facebook, YouTube, etc easily! And, my friend, those things are designed to grab your attention and keep it – over and over and over again. Ever wondered why these things are constantly changing every 3-7 seconds? (New angle, new sound, new topic, etc.) That’s because they know that modern consumerist humans have the attention span of gnats, so they program that way!
Try this:
Focus on your breath, and only on your breath, for 3 minutes. Don’t let your attention wander to anything else. I can guarantee you that you can’t do it. (If you can PLEASE email me! I want to meet you! you’ll be the first person I’ve ever met that can! And my first question, will be, how long can you focus? Now, back to 99.9999% of us…)
Even if I promise you 1 billion dollars or to meet the person of your dreams, you won’t be able to. Seriously, test it out for yourself. (It’ll only take 3 minutes.)
It’s crazy, right?!
You can’t control your attention, and keep your mind from wandering away, for just 3 minutes.
— Why you might care and what to do about it. —
So why do you care? Well, maybe you don’t. But if you do, if you want to be able to control your attention, to direct your focus towards what ever you’re interested in for extended periods of time, then mindfulness is a great tool for helping with that.
Part of the point of mindfulness is to be able to focus our attention for long periods of time, first so that we’re aware of what’s happening in front of us (hello person speaking to me!). We want to be able to enjoy our lives!… The birthday party or wedding we’re at, the moments with our loved ones, our vacations, etc. Otherwise we’re only partly there and the rest of the time we’ve wandered away in our minds… lost in thought.
There are many ways to regain this ability. If you do anything that asks for your attention (that doesn’t cultivate a gnat like attention span) you can commit to paying attention for longer and longer amounts of time. (Start with 30 seconds and work your way up!) Mindfulness is one great way to do this, and regaining focus is just one of the many benefits!
Put about 2 table spoons of white clay in a small bowl, and mix in water a teaspoon at at time until you get a toothpaste consistency.
Before adding in the water you can add any number of optional ingredients.
One great idea is tooth and gum supporting spices or essential oils (a sprinkle or few drops of) clove, cinnamon, lemon, any mint, etc. Registered Ayurvedic Practitioner, Chara Caruthers, says to have an “astringent (for tightening the gums), pungent (for its cleansing qualities), and bitter (for its antiseptic qualities)” (and someday I’ll even know which spices correspond to which quality!). :)
I like to add in coconut oil and sometimes finely ground sea salt.
Many people like baking soda. I put it in my deodorant, so I don’t want it here, too.
Store it in a small glass jar, one jar per user. Dip your wooden toothbrush in and away you go!
What do you need to do to have a successful mindfulness practice? What is your investment in time, money & energy?
Step 0. Make the decision that mindfulness is right for you.
Step 1.Learn how to do it, preferably from a coach who can help you navigate. You can buy a book, watch videos, pay for classes and/or join groups.
If you work with me, I specialize in helping you find the perfect practice for you (for how your mind works) – tailoring your practice to you – and fitting it into your lifestyle. Then I’m here to help you navigate the obstacles: the common mis-conceptions and pitfalls – as well as signpost the advances you make along the way. It’s a rewarding and enlightening journey. I work online or in person and you can contact me for more info at Elena@ElenaFoucher.com
Step 3.Commit to practicing. When you work with me, I suggest starting with 2-5minutes 3 times a week. Anytime you’re starting a new habit it’s best to start slow and small. Realize that in introducing something new, you have to adjust all of the old around it – and that’s mental-emotional as well as physical! It’s a lot to take on, so we stack the deck in your favor and start small. This is a great long-term strategy which is important for creating a lifetime habit.
Most of us want to be less stressed and happier. Mindfulness is one way to achieve that, but is it right for you?
Yes?
If you’re wanting to change your life in a big way, face your gifts and your demons, become self-aware and thereby up-level every aspect of your life, then mindfulness is a wonderful option.
No?
If that sounds like too much work, too much change, too much depth, then go for shallower stress reduction like better time management, fitness, art, etc.
In my experience one of the main reasons people quit mindfulness is that they don’t want to know themselves. They want to feel better without all that pesky self-awareness. I always encourage them in their decision to quit, and help them find a more appropriate solution.
Yes!
Mindfulness is here for when you feel brave hearted, ready to know yourself in all of your glory: beautiful and ugly alike. It’s had a profoundly life changing effect on me and I offer it to you, because if you’re wanting that, it’s the best tool I know for finding inner peace.
Begin by getting into position, whatever position works best for your body. This position will become your body-mind’s signal that you are starting a practice. I suggest the following:
Sit on a chair (sofa, bed, etc) with your feet flat on the floor.
Rest your hands where ever they are comfortable (neither propping yourself up or pulling yourself forward with your hands).
Feel your sit bones pressing down.
Float the crown of your head up so that it softly lifts your torso. This position allows you to breathe easily.
Tuck your chin in a bit so that the back of your neck is soft and long.
Soften your jaw.
Close your eyes.
Bring your attention to your breath. Notice how it feels to breathe.
Gently shift your attention to your feet and feel the sensations in your feet.
As much as you can, keep most of your attention on the sensations in your feet. Let thoughts, emotions and other physical sensations float through the background like passing clouds.
If you find that your attention has become absorbed in your thoughts (emotions or sensations) to the point that you are no longer noticing the sensations in your feet, simply let the thoughts go, and kindly and gently bring your attention back to your feet and start a fresh. You get have an infinite number of fresh starts, so you can relax about that.
Next move your attention to your seat. Feel the sensations of your seat bones pressing down and repeat the same steps as with the feet, gently bringing your attention back if you get absorbed in something else.
Finally, move to your shoulders and repeat the process.
End the practice by bringing your attention back to your breath for a few breaths. When you feel ready or when your timer rings, gently open your eyes.
To Download:
Click on the Download button below.
If it does not download automatically:
A new window will open with an audio player (like the player above).
Right click on the player and choose “Download File” or “Download Video”
iPhone users will want to first copy the meditation into iTunes (on your computer) and then sync with your iPhone.
Note that you are welcome to download and share this files as many times as you like provided you do so in it’s entirety and it is used for personal or educational use only (no commercial uses).
Getting it all together: ingredients, options, kitchen tools & containers
2 Ingredients (Everything else is optional.):
Organic coconut oil (see other options below)
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, reportedly a naturally occurring product – other options below)
Oil Substitutions: Any oil you like such as almond, avacado, jojoba, etc. Because these oils won’t be solid at room temperature, to help keep your deodorant solid, consider adding organic, non-gmo corn starch (or agar agar?) and/or a creamy natural moisturizer such as shea butter.
Baking Soda Substitutions: Apple cider vinegar, diluted lemon juice
Optional Niceness: Essential oils (mint or tea tree, etc. for antibacterial properties and/or choose one you like for it’s wonderful aroma)
Kitchen Tools:
Small stainless steel, glass, ceramic pan for melting the coconut oil. DO NOT use aluminum or teflon as these will leach either the heavy metal aluminum or plastic (in the case of teflon) into your deodorant! Optionally, use a glass jar in side the pan and double boil it (put solid coconut in the glass jar, put water in the pan and then the jar in the water).
Spoon for scoping the oil out of the coconut oil jar and stirring the oil and other ingredients together
Stainless steel, glass or ceramic mixing bowl or you can use the glass jar that you use to heat the oil in.
Deodorant Containers:
Reuse an old deodorant container! Yay! (May need some DIY love, ex. cut an oval of thin paperboard from a chocolate bar wrapper to keep the deodorant mixture from pouring out of the bottom of the container.) Make sure that the mixture is cool before putting into the plastic container so that it doesn’t heat the plastic and leach plastic into your deodorant!
Other mould ideas: Stainless steel, glass or ceramic muffin tins, ramekins, small glasses, cups or jars. Again, I suggest stainless steel, glass or ceramic and NOT plastics or aluminum (plastic and aluminum will leach into your deodorant).
Mould liner ideas (to get the hardened deodorant out of the mould): Muffin paper, baking paper or other paper than will not disintegrate when liquid is added (DO NOT use aluminum foil or plastics! The aluminum and/or plastics will leach into your deodorant, especially when heated. Nasty. I’m sure you’ve got the idea by now.)
Nice looking container to keep finished (solid) product in: Ramequins, nice saucers or cups
Optional: small natural fiber cloth to wrap around solid deodorant while applying (in warm weather, keeps deodorant from melting onto your hands)
DIY Deodorant Part 2: Method
Next you’re going to mix equal amounts of the two main ingredients together and/or mix in any optional ingredients you prefer. Then you’ll pour the mixture into your mould(s) and put it somewhere to cool.
Note, for the substitutions, if using the optional oils, use less oil and consider adding a thickener such as organic, non-gmo corn starch and/or an organic creamy natural moisturizer. This will help the deodorant stay solid at room temperature. If using apple cider vinegar or lemon juice you can reduce the amount of these liquids relative to the coconut oil. I haven’t used any of these substitutions, so play around with them and see what works best for you.
Method:
Gently heat the coconut oil in a pan, or in a mason jar in water in a pan, until it melts. Or put it in the sun, or on your radiator, etc.
Use a spoon to mix the liquid oil with the baking powder. Stir in any additional ingredients like a few drops of essential oil, etc.
Pour the mixture into your chosen mould and put it somewhere to cool down and firm up (fridge, snow, etc).
Once it’s solid, it’s ready to use.
Mine lasted in my bathroom drawer for 6 months. If you’re concerned that the coconut oil might melt, you can also break your deodorant into pieces, put one in your bathroom and store the rest in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
Eckheart Tolle wrote in The Power of Now about our many paths to consciousness. He calls them portals and reminds us that they’re doors (in)to ourselves.
One of these portals is breath, as is (physical) sensation, intense focus on an object, etc.
Breath is great because not only is it always with us, we generally don’t have a lot of thought associated with it, unlike sensations (pleasure and pain), and objects (like / don’t like this flower).
He also reminds us that one conscious breath is enough to connect us with ourselves.
What’s a consciousness breath?
Simply focusing on the sensations of breathing, i.e. focusing your attention fully on what it feels like to breathe in and breath out.
The biggest challenge to realizing that you’re more than your thoughts (as well as creating the new habit of thinking with more than your current limited set) – is NOT becoming enlightened, needing to sit in a cave, or clean yourself up.
Nope. None of that is necessary.
Actually, it’s your tricky mind that you need to work with. None of that other stuff is necessary. Whatever it is that you think you need to do, or be, or fix, or clean, or, or, or… Not necessary.
Really.
You’re already equipped with a larger consciousness than your mind. You’re born with it. It’s natural. Inherent. You came in that way. You’re that way right now, you’re just not paying attention to it, because you’re so busy paying attention to your more limited set of thoughts and feelings!
The biggest challenge I have with my tricky mind is that, like yours, it’s infinitely creative. How to stop paying attention to something so compelling?
That was the tough part for me. Still is. To this day, I still practice focusing with my larger consciousness, because I’m still incredibly interested in what my (more limited) mind and feelings are telling me. I’m still creating the habit of presence, of awareness with daily practice.
I look at regular meditation practice like brushing my teeth. It’s mental floss.
The good news is that we’ve already got the solution, the ability built in. The challenge is choosing to do it!
When I was stuck in the “trap” of my mind, there were two things that got me out.
Training my ability to focus my mind – which eventually leads to being able to focus on my “larger” mind (the rest of me).
And training being aware of myself, or noticing that I’m (here in this body-mind) focusing – which naturally leads to an awareness of my “larger” self (the rest of me).
For example, I might practice focusing on my hand. And while I’m doing that, I also practice keeping in mind that I’m sitting here looking at my hand. Simple.
This two part practice will naturally reconnect you with the rest of you. You’re dropping your fixation on your thoughts and letting yourself become aware of the rest of you. It’s just a matter of time. And then you’ll need to keep practicing it to create the new habit of “larger” awareness (vs collapsing your attention back down into only your thoughts).
If it sounds esoteric or mysterious in any way, I apologise. It’s not. It’s just like remembering to use both hands to pick stuff up… You’ve got two of them… Why not use them both?
