well, my attempt at a regular blog didn't go too well. but that's great, because now i get the excitement of feeling like i'm starting a new one! there have been a lot of changes in my life in the last few months. noticing that i haven't written since october (!), so much has progressed. i began my studies at the national college of natural medicine and am constantly, every single day, blown away at the intelligence of the human body and the incredible power this medicine has. i've still been blessed with the privilege of teaching yoga classes regularly, but with spending more time with school, my time for practicing has definitely been depleted. like i said, its been a transition!
another huge change, especially for those of you you have known me for a while, is that i recently began eating meat again. it had been something like 14 years since i had eaten any red meat, and a little over 2 years since i'd eaten poultry. it was a very weird thing, and it still kind of is. i always believed in and wanted to be vegetarian, but sometimes what we think is working and what is best is just not. sitting in with my beloved naturopath, she simply exclaimed that in her many years of being in medicine, the healthiest people, those with the least 'random' ailments, were her "meat and potato people". this was so interesting to me, as i had always thought the exact opposite. i did more research on it and decided that i might as well give it a try. id been veg for so many years that i was somewhat interested in seeing and exploring how my body would respond.
to my utter and complete surprise, the response has been so positive. i have so much more energy. i get full after i eat and am eating less during the day. the biggest shift for me was during my runs - i don't feel like i'm dying! okay, it wasn't that bad before, but i do feel astronomically better. luckily, here in pdx there is such an abundance of local farms, we are able to get healthy raised, local meat very easily.
this brings me to my next change! nate and i joined a coop a few months ago! we pick up a box of fresh veggies every tuesday from a warehouse just across the bridge from my school. lately, its been an abundance of greens (spinach, asparagus, kale), beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes. they also work with bulk distributers so we can also get nuts and grains from them at a much cheaper price than the grocery store. and meat! they work with a number of local farms to provide good, well raised cows and chicks.
lately, i have been so, so, so enjoying the spring. the days the sun is out in full force today, portlanders too, are out in full force, full of smiles and sweat from bike riding everywhere. its a beautiful thing.
thinking back on my goal for this blog - to share inspiration for living with abundant love, i can say that i still feel that very same way. one thing i've been contemplating lately is how precious this life is. each and every moment that we live is the only one of those very moments we get. this body, this is the only one we get. it is the only thing we really have. and with my studies, learning the VAST work that goes on inside the body just for simple, daily living, truly blows my mind and has made me re-evaluate what is really important.
perhaps you too, can feel more and more connected to you, to what you experience in each and every moment. being present standing on your own two feet.
~ "Life is available only in the present. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and the now." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
