Me, April, Amanda
Alex, Me, & Mehgan
Princess Leia Slave CostumeFriday, October 30, 2009
How to Get Out of a Traffic Ticket
This is just another example of how things are going when I am in alignment with higher consciousness. It's a place of trust and listening to that inner voice that guides you in the direction you want to be in.
I have been riding a blissed out state lately. I have made the decision to live in the magic of life and honestly, it is proving it to me. If only everyone remembered this what a wonderful world this would be. However, my world has been rocking out so I know I am making a difference just by changing my own conscious state.
So, when was the last time you worked out your soul? C'mon now, I dare you to give it a shot. Start strengthening your higher self by just remembering who you are and knowing it is all here for you. Let it happen!
So, how do you get out of a traffic ticket: INTEND IT! Ask and it is Given! It's granted as soon as you ask, so just let it play out (aka allow it)!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
International Alchemy Conference
To be honest when I received tickets to attend an International Alchemy Conference I didn't really know what to expect. I really didn't even know exactly what "alchemy" meant. However, after seeing that Dr. Masaru Emoto and Don Miguel Ruiz would be speaking I knew it had to be a good thing. Upon arrival to the event someone stopped me and mentioned that I did not "look" like someone who was into alchemy. What does an alchemist look like anyway? Once I walked into the conference everyone looked normal to me & I didn't feel out of place at all.
Dr. Emoto shared his journeys of healing water around the world and found that within a short time after a ceremony a rainbow would appear. Some of them were double rainbows that were not common to the area at all. He explained that a rainbow is a symbol for peace. Suddenly I was taken back to a memory of when I lived on the North Shore of Hawaii. Everyday I would smell a light scent of pineapples and see a rainbow right in my backyard. Most of the time it would be a double rainbow too! What a beautiful thing to experience!
Dr. Emoto shared the Law of Vibration. He demonstrated resonance and how a perfect pyramid magnified and extended the vibration. AMAZING demo! He shared that music is vibration and water loves beautiful vibration. He feels strongly that music is medicine. I couldn't agree more. He expressed that even more important than listening to beautiful music was to sing. Our bodies, like water love music and we can feel the vibration emanating from us. He said the person who invented karaoke should have won a Nobel Prize. I agree! In spirit of that, we sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" paying close attention to the lyrics. The IZ version happens to be one of my most favorite songs ever. I actually felt inspired to sing more knowing that I was healing my body. I am making a point to sing everyday!
We enjoyed his photos of water's response to different environments from placing water on a photo, exposing it to beautiful music and words. Speaking negative words has a negative effect on the water and of course, since our bodies are at least 75% water we must be aware that it also affects our bodies negatively. Positive words create beautiful sound. Dr. Emoto called our bodies "Little Universe".This inspired me to speak more positively. I'd love to only speak eloquently and beautifully especially since I know it not only affects my body, but consciousness itself. Dr Emoto explained that consciousness is information from God and it is locked in our DNA. We can unlock DNA from water. He shared that water is the connection between God and Man.
The most beautiful crystal formations came from the words "Love and Gratitude". He broke down the yin & yang balance of these words:
Love - Gratitude
Fire - Water
Oxygen - Hydrogen
Live - Death
Active energy - H2O- Passive energy
His message was to have love and gratitude with every sip of water we consume. In his ceremonies he says to water, "Water we are sorry. Water we love you. Water we respect you. Water we thank you."
In addition to Dr. Emoto, I enjoyed listening to Don Miguel Ruiz speak. He is the author of Mastery of Love which is one of my top 10 favorite books. I loved bumping into a fellow raw foodist, Courtney Pool who works at Tree of Life. She was beaming with beauty and light. I was thrilled to see many raw foodists & yogis at this event. I was in heaven with the Om Gym. This looks so fun. It is like having yoga poses and various stretches with an assistant to get you deeper into the pose. Range of motion is crucial to our bodies. I find it interesting that the most flexible people tend to have very open minds too. Another mind body connection, eh? An open body = open mind? Hmmm..
I was thrilled with the opportunity to hear Dr. Emoto speak. The room was packed, but somehow I was able to get a front row seat. He spoke in Japanese and had a translator, but his jokes and charm were not diluted in the translation. I felt goosebumps throughout his entire speech. According to Dr. Emoto goosebumps are messages from our DNA that deciphers consciousness. I couldn't agree more. I usually know something is powerful by my goosebumps.
I first learned about him from the film "What the Bleep Do We Know" with Hidden Messages in Water. That was so powerful that I did the rice experiment in 2007. I even posted a blog on water earlier this year. I was blown away by the results and have forever been changed. As Dr. Emoto explained, water is consciousness and within it is our message from God.
Dr. Emoto shared his journeys of healing water around the world and found that within a short time after a ceremony a rainbow would appear. Some of them were double rainbows that were not common to the area at all. He explained that a rainbow is a symbol for peace. Suddenly I was taken back to a memory of when I lived on the North Shore of Hawaii. Everyday I would smell a light scent of pineapples and see a rainbow right in my backyard. Most of the time it would be a double rainbow too! What a beautiful thing to experience!
Dr. Emoto shared the Law of Vibration. He demonstrated resonance and how a perfect pyramid magnified and extended the vibration. AMAZING demo! He shared that music is vibration and water loves beautiful vibration. He feels strongly that music is medicine. I couldn't agree more. He expressed that even more important than listening to beautiful music was to sing. Our bodies, like water love music and we can feel the vibration emanating from us. He said the person who invented karaoke should have won a Nobel Prize. I agree! In spirit of that, we sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" paying close attention to the lyrics. The IZ version happens to be one of my most favorite songs ever. I actually felt inspired to sing more knowing that I was healing my body. I am making a point to sing everyday!
We enjoyed his photos of water's response to different environments from placing water on a photo, exposing it to beautiful music and words. Speaking negative words has a negative effect on the water and of course, since our bodies are at least 75% water we must be aware that it also affects our bodies negatively. Positive words create beautiful sound. Dr. Emoto called our bodies "Little Universe".This inspired me to speak more positively. I'd love to only speak eloquently and beautifully especially since I know it not only affects my body, but consciousness itself. Dr Emoto explained that consciousness is information from God and it is locked in our DNA. We can unlock DNA from water. He shared that water is the connection between God and Man.
The most beautiful crystal formations came from the words "Love and Gratitude". He broke down the yin & yang balance of these words:
Love - Gratitude
Fire - Water
Oxygen - Hydrogen
Live - Death
Active energy - H2O- Passive energy
His message was to have love and gratitude with every sip of water we consume. In his ceremonies he says to water, "Water we are sorry. Water we love you. Water we respect you. Water we thank you."
In addition to Dr. Emoto, I enjoyed listening to Don Miguel Ruiz speak. He is the author of Mastery of Love which is one of my top 10 favorite books. I loved bumping into a fellow raw foodist, Courtney Pool who works at Tree of Life. She was beaming with beauty and light. I was thrilled to see many raw foodists & yogis at this event. I was in heaven with the Om Gym. This looks so fun. It is like having yoga poses and various stretches with an assistant to get you deeper into the pose. Range of motion is crucial to our bodies. I find it interesting that the most flexible people tend to have very open minds too. Another mind body connection, eh? An open body = open mind? Hmmm..
Monday, October 26, 2009
10 Steps to Starting an Organic Produce Buying Club
I receive lots of questions on how people can start up their own wholesale organic produce buying club in their area. Even though our area has well over 800 members, this system can work with as little as 10 members. As a raw foodist I can tell you this service is ABSOLUTELY a dream come true to have! I get produce from local farmers and BEFORE it goes to the stores. So it's fresher, cheaper, and more convenient. I have participated in the IEOPBC since 2008 and wouldn't be as successful with the raw food diet if it wasn't for this service.
Here are a couple videos I have made showing what happens at our meetup:
A Quick Tour of the Co-op
Almost ready to Start Distribution
An Example of a Share
Here are 10 Steps on Starting An Organic Produce Buying Club
1. Select Organizers This is a service that does not make a profit. We do this as a community service. An organizers incentive is a complimentary member share and a volunteer share. It really isn't much as far as materialistic benefits, but here is an organizers perspective on Is it Worth it? Here is an example of different organizer roles and duties:
Organizer 1 handles THE BOOKS, maintains receipts, deposits, financial records, licenses, insurance, etc. (we are incorporated as a business who just never profits rather than a non- profit), and tracks members who have paid and how many shares we need to purchase for.
Organizer 2 handles THE WEBSITE updates w/ photos, polls, answers members emails/questions, etc. This person keeps everything up to date online, sends out messages, emails, etc and keeps everyone informed. Posts produce share photos online.
Organizer 3 handles THE PRODUCE by placing the produce order, inspects, and makes sure we are getting what we paid for, and picks it up.
Organizer 4 handles THE SET UP, DISTRIBUTION & CLEAN UP Manages volunteers, distribution & volunteer duties. This person makes sure the place is left looking better than when we arrived and that all materials are put away.
All organizers are present when the meetup takes place to usher shares to members, to accept payment for future shares, write receipts, check names off the list and see that all things run smoothly.
2. Find local farmers who are willing to sell to your group at wholesale. In addition, find a local organic distributor who can sell you produce that local farmers do not carry if there is not enough supply per demand. We place our orders on Thursday mornings to be picked up for that following Saturday. We also accept donated produce from members who have excess from their gardens. Often we receive rosemary, basil, oregano, and mint.
3. Decide how much you are going to spend per basket & set up a payment system. We currently charge $22 for a basket. $20 goes to produce and $2 is for delivery costs or other items like baskets, gloves, brooms, etc. We also charge a $10 annual membership fee that covers our legal fees. We accept cash only or pay pal payments. No checks. We collect cash only payment for the following week(s) at the time of distribution of shares. We do accept pay pal payments until Wednesday evening at 7 PM.
4. Get your delivery system in check. Find out if you are paying to have someone deliver the produce to you or if you are going to pick it up yourself. We currently rent a U-haul trailer and pick up our produce from various local organic farms. Whatever we need to keep the basket balanced we pick up from Better Life Organics in Los Angeles. If you decide to have it delivered hopefully you can receive it just before distribution otherwise you need to plan for refrigeration.
5. Find a location to distribute produce (restaurants w/ outdoor covered patio, parks w/ covered area, etc.). Decide on a time and place that is always the same. We do every Saturday at 10 AM at Farm Artisan Foods. We are consistent in our time and location and that I feel has made this very successful. If you chose a park location be sure that you do not have more than 50 members on site at a time otherwise you are subject to a permit.
6. Get supplies to run the show like baskets (we got ours at a local 99 cent store), brooms, dustpan, gloves, trashcan, rags, cash box, etc. We like members to bring their own ice chest, basket to swap out, or canvas tote. We do reserve some of the produce boxes for people who forgot to bring something to take their produce home in.
7. Set up volunteer opportunities. We allow 10 volunteers to come and help with picking up produce from local farmers and bringing it to our meetup, to help with set up, distribution, and clean up. This process starts at 9 AM with setting up & distributing produce to baskets. From 10- 10:45 members pay for next week(s) share and/or pick up their produce. At 10:45 we begin clean up at 10:45 and finish at 11:00. Volunteer receive a volunteer basket. This is the produce that we are not able to distribute evenly amongst all the members. We also donate a basket to the owners of the restaurant in thanks for allowing us to use their site before the restaurant opens for business.
8. Contact Local Food Banks, storehouses, halfway homes, shelters, etc to donate any extra produce that was not claimed by a member. If produce is not picked up by 10:45 the member forfeits their basket and it is donated to a charity. Sometimes someone who forgot to buy a basket shows up and can buy the persons share and that first member will be refunded their money or it will be used for a future share.
9. Set up an online presence page on meetup to keep all your members informed, connected with other members, to receive reminders and updates.
10. Get license and insurance to be safe. We did not start this way, but after we experienced so much growth we decided it was the best way to go. Even though we never make a profit we are incorporated just in case someone falls ill, slips on the site or for whatever reason we may need this protection. We found that being incorporated was easier to do that establishing ourselves as a non-profit. We do charge a $10 annual membership fee that covers our license, insurance and other legal costs as well as miscellaneous costs.
Once you are up and running you can always contact local papers and get written up like this article. Here is a review by one of our members on Local Harvest. If you haven't already, feel free to check out our website for more info.
Here are a couple videos I have made showing what happens at our meetup:
A Quick Tour of the Co-op
Almost ready to Start Distribution
An Example of a Share
Here are 10 Steps on Starting An Organic Produce Buying Club
1. Select Organizers This is a service that does not make a profit. We do this as a community service. An organizers incentive is a complimentary member share and a volunteer share. It really isn't much as far as materialistic benefits, but here is an organizers perspective on Is it Worth it? Here is an example of different organizer roles and duties:
Organizer 1 handles THE BOOKS, maintains receipts, deposits, financial records, licenses, insurance, etc. (we are incorporated as a business who just never profits rather than a non- profit), and tracks members who have paid and how many shares we need to purchase for.
Organizer 2 handles THE WEBSITE updates w/ photos, polls, answers members emails/questions, etc. This person keeps everything up to date online, sends out messages, emails, etc and keeps everyone informed. Posts produce share photos online.
Organizer 3 handles THE PRODUCE by placing the produce order, inspects, and makes sure we are getting what we paid for, and picks it up.
Organizer 4 handles THE SET UP, DISTRIBUTION & CLEAN UP Manages volunteers, distribution & volunteer duties. This person makes sure the place is left looking better than when we arrived and that all materials are put away.
All organizers are present when the meetup takes place to usher shares to members, to accept payment for future shares, write receipts, check names off the list and see that all things run smoothly.
2. Find local farmers who are willing to sell to your group at wholesale. In addition, find a local organic distributor who can sell you produce that local farmers do not carry if there is not enough supply per demand. We place our orders on Thursday mornings to be picked up for that following Saturday. We also accept donated produce from members who have excess from their gardens. Often we receive rosemary, basil, oregano, and mint.
3. Decide how much you are going to spend per basket & set up a payment system. We currently charge $22 for a basket. $20 goes to produce and $2 is for delivery costs or other items like baskets, gloves, brooms, etc. We also charge a $10 annual membership fee that covers our legal fees. We accept cash only or pay pal payments. No checks. We collect cash only payment for the following week(s) at the time of distribution of shares. We do accept pay pal payments until Wednesday evening at 7 PM.
4. Get your delivery system in check. Find out if you are paying to have someone deliver the produce to you or if you are going to pick it up yourself. We currently rent a U-haul trailer and pick up our produce from various local organic farms. Whatever we need to keep the basket balanced we pick up from Better Life Organics in Los Angeles. If you decide to have it delivered hopefully you can receive it just before distribution otherwise you need to plan for refrigeration.
5. Find a location to distribute produce (restaurants w/ outdoor covered patio, parks w/ covered area, etc.). Decide on a time and place that is always the same. We do every Saturday at 10 AM at Farm Artisan Foods. We are consistent in our time and location and that I feel has made this very successful. If you chose a park location be sure that you do not have more than 50 members on site at a time otherwise you are subject to a permit.
6. Get supplies to run the show like baskets (we got ours at a local 99 cent store), brooms, dustpan, gloves, trashcan, rags, cash box, etc. We like members to bring their own ice chest, basket to swap out, or canvas tote. We do reserve some of the produce boxes for people who forgot to bring something to take their produce home in.
7. Set up volunteer opportunities. We allow 10 volunteers to come and help with picking up produce from local farmers and bringing it to our meetup, to help with set up, distribution, and clean up. This process starts at 9 AM with setting up & distributing produce to baskets. From 10- 10:45 members pay for next week(s) share and/or pick up their produce. At 10:45 we begin clean up at 10:45 and finish at 11:00. Volunteer receive a volunteer basket. This is the produce that we are not able to distribute evenly amongst all the members. We also donate a basket to the owners of the restaurant in thanks for allowing us to use their site before the restaurant opens for business.
8. Contact Local Food Banks, storehouses, halfway homes, shelters, etc to donate any extra produce that was not claimed by a member. If produce is not picked up by 10:45 the member forfeits their basket and it is donated to a charity. Sometimes someone who forgot to buy a basket shows up and can buy the persons share and that first member will be refunded their money or it will be used for a future share.
9. Set up an online presence page on meetup to keep all your members informed, connected with other members, to receive reminders and updates.
10. Get license and insurance to be safe. We did not start this way, but after we experienced so much growth we decided it was the best way to go. Even though we never make a profit we are incorporated just in case someone falls ill, slips on the site or for whatever reason we may need this protection. We found that being incorporated was easier to do that establishing ourselves as a non-profit. We do charge a $10 annual membership fee that covers our license, insurance and other legal costs as well as miscellaneous costs.
Once you are up and running you can always contact local papers and get written up like this article. Here is a review by one of our members on Local Harvest. If you haven't already, feel free to check out our website for more info.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Do You Love Your Body?
Isn't funny how quickly things can change when you shift your perspective from "I am not good enough so I MUST lose weight" to "I love myself so much that I want to treat my body with love and respect"? It's an empowering shift moving from a state of forcing your body to be a particular way to allowing your best body to come forth.
I remember losing 10 pounds EFFORTLESSLY in 2007. I didn't stick to any strict menu or have a set workout routine. I just focused on feeling good. I found that I was preoccupied with living and not the number on my scale. I did make it a point to sweat everyday, but that was as simple as cranking up the music and dancing while mopping my floors. Besides that my focus was just to stay happy. It wasn't long and everyone asked me how I went from 118 to 108. I felt sort of guilty because I didn't make that my primary focus. I didn't even try, it was just a by product of feeling good. I have decided to go back to that method after realizing that the egocentric way I have been TRYING this year so far hasn't given me the results I wanted. I remember that quote "Insanity is repeating the same thing over and over, and expecting different results."
I needed to shift into the heart. I have started looking at myself in a loving way. I have been focusing on what I do have and what I am thankful for. I am also paying more attention to what my body is able to do rather than how it looks.
Here are a few things I have been feeling lately:
I am so happy that my body is free of pain.
I am so thankful my body has healed from several injuries.
I am thankful this body has given birth to two amazing children.
I am thankful for my energy, youth, and vitality.
I am grateful that I can pick up sports with ease and participate in all sorts of recreational activities.
I am thankful for my feminine curves.
I am thankful I have found raw foods.
I am thankful I love being healthy.
I am thankful I love yoga and all forms of exercise.
I love my body and look forward to showing it how much I love it through giving it a little daily love and attention. Here is a great quote from my favorite yoga instructor, Bryan Kest "The integrity of the web is dependant on the resiliency of every strand".
Remember to take time to honor your body in more ways than the ones that affect you aesthetically.
Here are 2 other related articles/blog posts about self acceptace and loving your body:
9 Days to Bikini- Ready: Self Acceptance & Loving Your Body is Listening to Your Body
A Special thanks to Lenette Nakauchi who sent two videos that go along with this message:
Abraham on Weight & Abraham on Natural Weight Loss
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
How to Eat Simple & Healthy
Q: Lori, I'd love to see a sample of your food menu (breakfast, lunch, dinner) for a week! I am really trying to eat raw food but have the hardest time finding new (and somewhat easy) things to make.
A: As the months become colder I find it less appealing to drink cold smoothies. Instead, I find veggie juices easier to drink since they aren't cold. I also do not eat 100% raw in the cooler months, but I am still eating lots of veggies and fruits. Sometimes, it will be as simple to eat just fresh fruit like bananas, steamed veggies or even veggie soup for breakfast. I am also known to drink lots of hot herbal tea throughout the day to stay warm. However, just to give you an idea of what I am eating around this time of year here is a sample for the cooler months. I keep it pretty simple since I don't care to spend my day in the kitchen. Every now & then I get a culinary itch, but for the most part my cooler months are looking like this:
Day 1
1- Coconut water, 4 bananas
2- 2 steamed yams w/ sea salt, cinnamon, & coconut oil
3- 2 apples
4- Homemade Veggie Soup: carrot, celery, onion, tomatoes, potato, Swiss chard, peas, corn, zucchini, etc
5- 2 bananas
Day 2
1- 3 apples + coconut water
2- 3 cups of steamed peas w/ coconut oil & sea salt
3- 3 pears
4- steamed butternut squash w/ coconut oil & sea salt
5 - 2 bananas
Day 3
1- 24 oz veggie juice- celery, spinach, cucumber
2 – steel cut oats w/ cinnamon, dates/honey, sea salt, bit of coconut oil
3- celery, cucumber, red bell pepper, & baby carrots w/ red pepper zucchini hummus
4- trail mix- raisins, walnuts, cranberries, cashews, pistachios, almonds, currants
Day 4
1- 24 oz green smoothie (pineapple, strawberries, kale, banana). Check out this video of our first green smoothie.
2- 2 bananas w/ almond butter, coconut water
3- sautéed kale, mushrooms, onion w/ coconut oil & sea salt
4- steamed spaghetti squash w/ raw marinara
Day 5
1- 24 oz romaine, celery, cucumber juice
2- pineapple chunks, coconut water
3- sauteed kale, Swiss Chard, Collards, & spinach w/ onions, coconut oil & sea salt
4- homemade veggie soup, 2 bananas
I recently bought some black rice to add to soups, or to make w/ peas, carrots, mushrooms, celery & onion. I even thought I would blend the meat of a thai coconut and make a creamy mushroom sauce for a richer meal.
Day 6
24 hour fast
Sometimes I will drink water, herbal tea plain, veggie juice or coconut water, other times I just drink water.
Day 7
1- Fresh fruit like bananas for breakfast (if any)
2- Splurge on a raw restaurant -for example if I go to:
Au Lac-I like the Song Salad & Raw Taco
Juliano's Planet Raw- I have something diferent everytime, last time I had raw lasagna & some pumpkin dessert
I normally won't eat anything for the rest of the day since I feel pretty heavy afterwards.
My Goal
Drink veggie juice everyday
I eat very simply and stick mostly to what is in season. The fruit and veggies vary on the time of year. I know that since I am not eating 100% raw at this time I need to kick the greens and veggie juice into high gear. However, on warmer days I find myself eating 100% raw like veggies w/ zucchini hummus, green smoothies, fresh fruit, trail mix, and simple garden salad w/a diluted guacamole as a dressing.
When I am on the go I pack the following:
zucchini hummus or guacamole w/ veggies (tomatoes, celery, carrots, mushrooms, cucumber, red bell pepper, etc)
Fresh fruit: apples, bananas, pears
Trail mix
Water
A: As the months become colder I find it less appealing to drink cold smoothies. Instead, I find veggie juices easier to drink since they aren't cold. I also do not eat 100% raw in the cooler months, but I am still eating lots of veggies and fruits. Sometimes, it will be as simple to eat just fresh fruit like bananas, steamed veggies or even veggie soup for breakfast. I am also known to drink lots of hot herbal tea throughout the day to stay warm. However, just to give you an idea of what I am eating around this time of year here is a sample for the cooler months. I keep it pretty simple since I don't care to spend my day in the kitchen. Every now & then I get a culinary itch, but for the most part my cooler months are looking like this:
Day 1
1- Coconut water, 4 bananas
2- 2 steamed yams w/ sea salt, cinnamon, & coconut oil
3- 2 apples
4- Homemade Veggie Soup: carrot, celery, onion, tomatoes, potato, Swiss chard, peas, corn, zucchini, etc
5- 2 bananas
Day 2
1- 3 apples + coconut water
2- 3 cups of steamed peas w/ coconut oil & sea salt
3- 3 pears
4- steamed butternut squash w/ coconut oil & sea salt
5 - 2 bananas
Day 3
1- 24 oz veggie juice- celery, spinach, cucumber
2 – steel cut oats w/ cinnamon, dates/honey, sea salt, bit of coconut oil
3- celery, cucumber, red bell pepper, & baby carrots w/ red pepper zucchini hummus
4- trail mix- raisins, walnuts, cranberries, cashews, pistachios, almonds, currants
Day 4
1- 24 oz green smoothie (pineapple, strawberries, kale, banana). Check out this video of our first green smoothie.
2- 2 bananas w/ almond butter, coconut water
3- sautéed kale, mushrooms, onion w/ coconut oil & sea salt
4- steamed spaghetti squash w/ raw marinara
Day 5
1- 24 oz romaine, celery, cucumber juice
2- pineapple chunks, coconut water
3- sauteed kale, Swiss Chard, Collards, & spinach w/ onions, coconut oil & sea salt
4- homemade veggie soup, 2 bananas
I recently bought some black rice to add to soups, or to make w/ peas, carrots, mushrooms, celery & onion. I even thought I would blend the meat of a thai coconut and make a creamy mushroom sauce for a richer meal.
Day 6
24 hour fast
Sometimes I will drink water, herbal tea plain, veggie juice or coconut water, other times I just drink water.
Day 7
1- Fresh fruit like bananas for breakfast (if any)
2- Splurge on a raw restaurant -for example if I go to:
Au Lac-I like the Song Salad & Raw Taco
Juliano's Planet Raw- I have something diferent everytime, last time I had raw lasagna & some pumpkin dessert
I normally won't eat anything for the rest of the day since I feel pretty heavy afterwards.
My Goal
Drink veggie juice everyday
I eat very simply and stick mostly to what is in season. The fruit and veggies vary on the time of year. I know that since I am not eating 100% raw at this time I need to kick the greens and veggie juice into high gear. However, on warmer days I find myself eating 100% raw like veggies w/ zucchini hummus, green smoothies, fresh fruit, trail mix, and simple garden salad w/a diluted guacamole as a dressing.
When I am on the go I pack the following:
zucchini hummus or guacamole w/ veggies (tomatoes, celery, carrots, mushrooms, cucumber, red bell pepper, etc)
Fresh fruit: apples, bananas, pears
Trail mix
Water
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
How to Break the Pattern of Bad Relationships
Q:
Hey Lori,
I got a chance to check out your website and I really resonated with it since you have been through plenty of bad relationships yourself. I was wondering if you could help me heal from all the baggage it left. I just don't want to be the old me anymore and want to stop living in my story. It seems whenever someone gets close to me it starts getting ugly hence the reason why I have been staying to myself lately, but I do like being social and eventually want a healthy sound relationship. Every time I try it seems like I am stuck talking about my ex's big no no. I don't know how to gain closure over all this mess.
This led me to the raw food lifestyle and have been embracing it well, but then I splurge every now and then and don't like being addicted to cooked foods anymore either. I feel like a complete mess and need to get it all together so I can take my board exam for medical school soon. Yikes!! today I just heard my past reiterated from a male who was trying to get to know me and well it led to an emotionally messy me and then I went back down the spiral not eating well and not being able to sleep. Can you help?
A:
When the going gets tough, you fall off your raw food regimen. This is a situation where you are emotionally shutting out what you are experiencing through food. Raw foods actually clear pathways and what you feel is more intense. When you are raw you are alert and clear headed. Emotional eating tells me you are holding back from healing. Your heart wants to heal, but your head is stuck on the past rather than the vision you hold for yourself. The past has no power so stop giving your power to it.
Talking about your ex's "big no no" tells me that you are BLAMING others and you haven't gotten over it. Take the pain you experienced in relationships and turn it inward so that you could learn to make finer distinctions in your relationships. Take full RESPONSIBILITY for where you are and what happened because YOU allowed it to happen. Nobody can do anything to you, playing the victim role only harms you and does not serve you.
I can tell a lot about a person by what they choose to talk about. If they are complaining to me about someone else I know they are deflecting the energy from their inner core and trying to project it elsewhere. They are looking outside of themselves. What they want is validation. You do not need the world to say, "Oh, look at you...you poor thing. How could anybody do this to you?" That is not what you really want.
If there is anyway I can help you heal from your baggage and gain closure it is to FORGIVE yourself. You are here to grow and learn. We are supposed to make mistakes because with each one we get a bit better. ALLOW yourself to explore and grow. You need to feel your VALUE as a person.
In this life we are faced with reflections of our internal state by our relationships, our finances, our career, our home. How do those look to you? If they look a mess it's probably because you feel a mess internally. Remember that everything in life you are complaining about you are guilty of yourself. When you want to complain go inward and take actions to improve yourself. Start acting like the person you wish to be and soon you will be that person. Treat yourself the way you wished others treated you and soon your self RESPECT will flourish and you will find yourself around others who respect you as well. How do you expect anyone to truly love and respect you if you can't even love, respect, and accept yourself?
You serve no one in beating yourself up. If you want to be loved...love yourself. Do all the things you want someone else to do for you and do them for yourself. Your love will illuminate and you will have that spark within you. Soon you'll be surrounded with people who love you because the outer physical world is just a mere reflection of your internal state. I commend you on your raw food journey! You are on track! Keep eating raw foods as you go through this sticky "mess". Feel it, experience it, grow from it, and move forward into that "new you" you say you want to be.
Recommendations
Book: The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship: A Toltec Wisdom Book
Blog Article: You are Worthy of Love
Hey Lori,
I got a chance to check out your website and I really resonated with it since you have been through plenty of bad relationships yourself. I was wondering if you could help me heal from all the baggage it left. I just don't want to be the old me anymore and want to stop living in my story. It seems whenever someone gets close to me it starts getting ugly hence the reason why I have been staying to myself lately, but I do like being social and eventually want a healthy sound relationship. Every time I try it seems like I am stuck talking about my ex's big no no. I don't know how to gain closure over all this mess.
This led me to the raw food lifestyle and have been embracing it well, but then I splurge every now and then and don't like being addicted to cooked foods anymore either. I feel like a complete mess and need to get it all together so I can take my board exam for medical school soon. Yikes!! today I just heard my past reiterated from a male who was trying to get to know me and well it led to an emotionally messy me and then I went back down the spiral not eating well and not being able to sleep. Can you help?
A:
When the going gets tough, you fall off your raw food regimen. This is a situation where you are emotionally shutting out what you are experiencing through food. Raw foods actually clear pathways and what you feel is more intense. When you are raw you are alert and clear headed. Emotional eating tells me you are holding back from healing. Your heart wants to heal, but your head is stuck on the past rather than the vision you hold for yourself. The past has no power so stop giving your power to it.
Talking about your ex's "big no no" tells me that you are BLAMING others and you haven't gotten over it. Take the pain you experienced in relationships and turn it inward so that you could learn to make finer distinctions in your relationships. Take full RESPONSIBILITY for where you are and what happened because YOU allowed it to happen. Nobody can do anything to you, playing the victim role only harms you and does not serve you.
I can tell a lot about a person by what they choose to talk about. If they are complaining to me about someone else I know they are deflecting the energy from their inner core and trying to project it elsewhere. They are looking outside of themselves. What they want is validation. You do not need the world to say, "Oh, look at you...you poor thing. How could anybody do this to you?" That is not what you really want.
If there is anyway I can help you heal from your baggage and gain closure it is to FORGIVE yourself. You are here to grow and learn. We are supposed to make mistakes because with each one we get a bit better. ALLOW yourself to explore and grow. You need to feel your VALUE as a person.
In this life we are faced with reflections of our internal state by our relationships, our finances, our career, our home. How do those look to you? If they look a mess it's probably because you feel a mess internally. Remember that everything in life you are complaining about you are guilty of yourself. When you want to complain go inward and take actions to improve yourself. Start acting like the person you wish to be and soon you will be that person. Treat yourself the way you wished others treated you and soon your self RESPECT will flourish and you will find yourself around others who respect you as well. How do you expect anyone to truly love and respect you if you can't even love, respect, and accept yourself?
You serve no one in beating yourself up. If you want to be loved...love yourself. Do all the things you want someone else to do for you and do them for yourself. Your love will illuminate and you will have that spark within you. Soon you'll be surrounded with people who love you because the outer physical world is just a mere reflection of your internal state. I commend you on your raw food journey! You are on track! Keep eating raw foods as you go through this sticky "mess". Feel it, experience it, grow from it, and move forward into that "new you" you say you want to be.
Recommendations
Book: The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship: A Toltec Wisdom Book
Blog Article: You are Worthy of Love
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Embracing My Beauty & Sexual Energy
"Our Deepest Fear... is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God/Divine Spirit. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
- Marianne Williamson
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
My Conscious Growth Workshop Experience
I have been a bit in a stir since returning back home after the Conscious Growth Workshop. This event was truly a life shifting experience. It shed light on things that I didn't even realize were effecting me so deeply. It offered plenty of challenges, actions, and solutions to obstacles I have been facing. It challenged me to step up to the game of life and stop being a coward on things that I know my heart has been calling me to do just because it's safe.
In addition, the energy shift in the group was insane. I started Day 1 feeling a bit shy and out of my element. The exercises were challenging at first, but I gained confidence with each one. I realized how much in my head I have become and it is a nice shift to walk into this world with an open heart and a desire to give and share with others. At the end of Day 3 I was surrounded with love and support. I felt like I made a new family. People really opened up and shared themselves. Barriers and walls came down and people felt safe to be themselves. It was amazing to see the courage and willingness people expressed to grow in a way that brings fulfillment into their lives as well as contribute good to the world.
I am honored to have shared this experience with so many beautiful people and I look forward to seeing the growth that comes from being in alignment with Truth, Love and Power. Here are some of the realizations I had at the workshop and some practical actions I am applying into my life.
Realization 1
I have a limited social life offline.
Inspiration
I want to expand and interact with growth oriented people on a consistent basis.
Action
Attend weekly social gatherings that support conscious growth.
Realization 2
I have given my power away by making excuses for why I am not engaging in a romantic relationship.
Inspiration
To enjoy an intimate physical relationship with a conscious man who challenges me and nurtures me as well.
Action
Accept dating invitations.
Approach men that I am attracted to rather than shy away.
Realization 3
I feel very insecure about my body.
Inspiration
To feel like an empowered goddess and shine in the realization of who I am and the gifts that I have to share with others.
Action
Compliment myself daily in the mirror for what I love rather than where I lack.
Honor my body with daily exercise.
To love foods that love me back (high green raw food diet)!
Realization 4
I waste time and feel scattered.
Inspiration
To make the most of my time, feel effective, & intentional.
Action
Log my time for 24 hours
Do a 30 day trial to wake up by 6 AM & make the first hour of my day the most effective.
Realization 5
I feel comfortable yet complacent in my home life, but I am afraid to move.
Inspiration
To live in a more inspiring environment.
Action
Set the intention and attract a better living environment.
Realization 6
Money does not dictate what my actions are. I refuse to allow the belief that I am limited by money.
Inspiration
I would like to attract financial abundance into my life. Live my life according to my intuition and not by my bank account balance.
Action
Act on financial growth opportunities
Realization 7
I have been shying away from taking the next step with my career.
I fear public speaking.
Inspiration
To feel passionate and make a positive contribution.
To inspire people on a larger scale & do more public speaking on personal empowerment.
Action
Engage in public speaking opportunities.
Share my life publicly and authentically.
I feel a stronger passion to live my truth and a desire with action steps that take me in the direction of my dreams. I encourage you to open yourself up to the life you deserve to live. I will be sharing my experiences along the way. I know that no one is perfect, but it's not about the end result but the journey along the way. It's about becoming more genuine and really connecting with people and taking actions that are worthy of me.
I am inspired to act! ;)
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Magic Mountain & Steve Pavlina
While Steve was in So Cal he invited me and my kids to go to Magic Mountain. My kids had never been & I thought it would be fun. The plan was to have Emily (Steve's daughter) with us. Unfortunately she came down with a fever the night before and was unable to go & Erin & Kyle don't particularly like roller coasters.
My kids did OK, but honestly Meg was still pretty freaked out by them. Especially since our first ride was X2. WHOA! That ride really whips ya around! So, I think that it freaked Meg out so much she was leery of all the other rides. I was able to coax her onto a few more rides. She loved all the water rides. I didn't show how soaked I was in the video, but let me tell you I was SOAKED!
We hit up all the rides: X2, Terminator, DeJaVu, Riddler, Batman, Ninja, Tatsu, Jet Stream, Log Jammer, Roaring Rapids, Goliath, Scream, Colossus, Viper, & Revolution.
I had not been to an amusement park in a long time, but I didn't take into consideration my car accident in 2005 where I experienced vertigo. So, unfortunately I did get a little queasy and my head got whacked around a bit. I have been dealing with some nausea and dizziness since the trip so I plan on getting this vertigo treatment. It worked in the past so I am sure it will work.
Unfortunately, we were told that vegan burgers were sold at the amusement park, but that was false. We even searched high and low for fruits and veggies, but only found roasted corn. It's too bad they search you down and won't let you bring in outside food. We ended up eating fries which put my son into french fry coma. He wasn't feeling very good, but it eventually wore off. So, if I go again I am definitely packing my own food. I'll go to my car and eat...that's fine, but Magic Mountain is definitely not raw or vegan friendly.
This weekend I am attending Steve's Conscious Growth Workshop in Las Vegas. I can't wait to report back to you what I experience. I know it will be a blast! So stay tuned for more info!
BTW, I have apologized for being so bratty to Steve..... So Pavlina fans.....don't go after me at the workshop! ;)
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