Behind the Holiday Scenes

Behind the Holiday Scenes

In past holidays, have you ever noticed yourself making choices that are not always in accordance with what you prefer but yet you act on them anyway? As if somehow, just because it is a holiday, things are different or the parameters that guide your decision making process have been altered. 

For example, we choose to allow ourselves to not get enough sleep, eat foods we know make us feel not so good, drink excessive amounts of alcohol or immerse ourselves in social situations that bring us anything but Joy. Why would we ever choose painful scenarios for ourselves? Especially during a time of year that is held specifically as a period of peace, love, thankfulness, merriment and good will toward man. What stories are we possibly telling ourselves during this holiday time that maybe aren’t so accurate for us anymore? Are we playing out storylines that we prefer? Are the images we project on our virtual reality screen honestly matching the feelings experienced as we play them out?

These questions are answered by our feelings. 

So- are we making up an image in our head that we believe will make us feel a certain way- equating an image with a feeling? 

 Is the image and feeling truly a match? 

This is our opportunity to feel it out and see if our holiday story matches the feelings we want to experience.

Not only is this season a time for love, joy and merriment but, our entire life experience is meant to be that way- if we so choose. Love is our natural, organic state… it is (the feeling translation of) what we call home. It is a state of being versus a physical location and it’s felt inside our heart.

So what are the feelings behind our holiday scene?

As a fun exercise and way to build our skills of self-care as we traverse this holiday season, let’s be aware of what is behind the choices we are making. If we are clear, purposeful and directive with our actions (and know where it is coming from) it will help us not only be present in the moment but also open the opportunity for the True Enjoyment of our experiences. It may also help us recognize the areas where we are spot on with following our highest joy and acknowledge those things we continue to choose that do not bring us that same feeling. Once we identify such things, they are no longer a habit and it simply becomes a matter of choice whether to act upon them or not. Are the plans we made for this season self-loving, supportive of the feelings and experiences I desire? And, authentically fun?

When we proceed with those things that only bring us pure joy and hold that feeling and energy with us wherever we go… it is the greatest gift can we offer to others.

Here is a funny clip- we can use this as chance to practice identifying what is behind the choices we make.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R_rDXDZ_uc

Are you bringing Love to the table this Holiday Season?

For more information visit: www.drcanderson.com or www.thesustainablehuman101.org 

Are you 'hip' to the Food Trends?

Are you hip to the food trends?

Color - Cut – Shape – Size

As skills of holding present conscious awareness while eating are being refined and food is now easily recognized as information, have you noticed any trends?

Trends such as: a tendency to certain types of foods? Food colors, textures or the fluctuations in the size of your meals? These qualities are all variations in the information held by the food. And, like most of us, your body likely varies in its requirement for healthy functioning throughout the day.

When we become more in tune with our body and begin to discern the signals it is sending, we are then able to respond with appropriate action. We may start to become more specific with identifying precisely what our body is calling forth. For example, we might have been attracted to eating foods that are the color orange for three days in a row and today we are drawn to green. Or, we may realize our cells need rehydration versus fuel… so drinking water instead of eating is a more accurate response. We may notice we are not just hungry but our body wants chlorophyll in the form of cilantro to aid in the detoxification process.

Whatever level of signal recognition is most relevant for you, is really for you to discover. There is no right or wrong. Enjoy getting to know yourself better and keep it fun! We are all different and unique so each encounter with food will be a new experience. The most important thing for us as balanced biological beings is to work cooperatively with our own innate intelligence. Meaning, having such an intimate relationship with our own body that we can recognize, at any given moment, the overall state of health and well-being in which we are operating… Being able to feel when we are running smoothly or feel when we are being challenged. This way, we are able to make choices that aid the body as it begins to balance itself and choose things towards that course correction –or- choose to ignore and experience the cascade of resultant effects that follow.

The organic, inherent, natural design of our body allows for this automatic recognition of what is required for optimal vitality. Our job is to be consciously aware and follow through accordingly.

Stay tuned for the next blog as we prepare for the holidays and continue to empower ourselves with the skills of inner knowing!

How colorful is your table?

If you have comments, questions or even desire individual assistance on ways to implement these concepts and exercises into your daily life, please contact me at Carolyn@drcanderson.com

You may also visits us at: 
www.thesustainablehuman101.org or www.drcanderson.com 

You're Eiating What?!

You're Eating What?!

How do we know the real ingredients in our food?

What all is really in the stuff we eat?

If we view food as a form of information, then how do we determine what information is contained within the foods we are ingesting?

What are the ingredients within those foods that do not come in a box or bottle and have no label to tell us what is inside the stuff we eat?

If the foods we choose come in a package then they usually have a list of ingredients written somewhere on it. But is that all it contains? Is there more in there then stated on that list?

If we are thinking about the answers to these questions, that means we are in our heads trying to process these thoughts through previously learned knowledge. This knowledge likely came from books, media, teachers, parents, friends, etc…. Essentially, this means we chose to “outsource” our information retrieval. Instead of looking outside our self in order to gather information, there is another way. It is a pure, organic, natural manner- free from tainted ideas or simply stuff that is possibly just not true for you, individually. Receiving and perceiving information through the Heart enables you to know for yourself what is truth for you. It allows for discernment of information and is the inborn, innate guidance system.

Our relationship with food, the dynamic exchanges and interactions we choose to experience are taking place on many different levels. The nutrient information relayed to our bodies (in the form of chemicals) from food consumption is only one level. What else is going on beyond the break down and absorption of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc..?

There is an energy dynamic occurring in this process in the form of “fuel” for our physical body however, there is more transpiring in this equation. There is another level or layer to the energetic informational interchange involved in our communion with food beyond where we collectively are holding our current awareness. This other level is not seen by the naked eye but it is felt through the heart. This energetic component is electromagnetic in nature and allows the information to register in the heart and we feel the attraction / repulsion -or- resonance / non-resonance to certain foods.
It is as simple as this:

Feel the answer to such questions as:

“Is this food item best for me at this point in time?”

Bypass the Brain and Go to the Heart

Check in without any projections or preconceived notions, and feel…

Feels Good – great, then enjoy

Feels Not So Good – then, for right now, no thank you, I will pass

Ultimately, recognizing we require or need nothing outside ourselves to make the choice of what foods are best for us, our overall health and well-being. All guidance and answers come from within. Simply retraining ourselves to feel through our own guidance signals and then making the choice of what direction we are committing to action.

More on this next time…

Until then, Are you bringing Love to the table?

If you have comments, questions or even desire individual assistance on ways to implement these concepts and exercises into your daily life practice, please contact me at Carolyn@drcanderson.com

You may also visits us at:

www.drcanderson.com or www.thesustainablehuman101.org

Reading the Signs

Reading the Signs

“I’m good, I’m good - Life is good… But…”

Have you ever taken a moment to witness the world you created around you? Paused to simply be an observer. When you detach from the personal stories and pan back to a wide screen view... everything may very well "look" pretty good. When others ask how you are doing, your response is “good” and you genuinely mean it. But yet your physiology may indicate something different.

I’m good but yet I awake at 3am every night or my sleep patterns are way off.

I’m good but yet I eat a bag of chips each night and that box of cookies keeps calling my name. Or, I have lost the desire to eat all together.

I’m good but yet my body aches and I just don’t feel right inside my own skin.

I’m good but my stomach and bowels are in knots.

I’m good but I can’t maintain a balanced body weight.

I’m good but yet my hair is thinning, my skin is a wreck and my appearance is indicating that the words coming out of my mouth (“I’m good”) do not match what my physiology is expressing.

If any of this feels familiar or rings a bit of truth for you, it could be a sign from your physical body trying to alert you to pay attention

So what is going on here?

Our physical body and the way it is functioning is one of the best barometers of our overall well being and indicates what state of being we are residing in most often. If we are energetically “off”, our body will send out the warning signal however, it is our job to read the signs.  It can even act as a sort of polygraph. We may keep telling ourselves, “life is good, life is good” and Life may very well look Magnifique! But our bodies can still be experiencing stress.

Just getting things done, making it through the day and plugging away at life leads to burn out. Our natural and organic state-of-being is Joy- Love- Truth- Beauty- Goodness. When we are anything but that, especially over long periods of time, it leads to burn out.

Beholding a state of well-being, or wellness, means that our physiology is balanced. In health care it is termed homeostasis: “The ability or tendency of an organism or cell to maintain internal equilibrium by adjusting its physiological processes.”

So when the body systems are being stressed the physiologic states changes as a way of responding and adapting to the signals we are sending. When we worry or feel anxious a cascade of neuro-hormonal (electrical and chemical) spikes and processes are triggered. Certain systems may be tuned up or down or even shut off as a way to keep the whole body from crashing. These are those signs like sleep disturbances, weight changes, mood swings, glitches in thought processing, etc.

What does this really mean and what do we do?

Life does not have to be “bad” to have a stressed out body. Nor does this mean our body is sick or things are going wrong. Temporary changes in body functions are normal and it is good to be in tune with how our physical body is functioning. Our bodies are designed to shift in accordance to the surroundings. Working cooperatively with our innate intelligence is how True Health is achieved and experienced. When your body is signaling to you that it is being overloaded to the point that it’s adaptive changes are prolonged or becoming chronic then that is more like the check engine light shining on your cars dashboard; Alert, Alert- check under the hood. Meaning, check in with yourself to see where the imbalance is coming from.

One way to get in the habit of staying tuned-in and becoming an expert in reading the signs is learning to be mindful in each moment. Practicing something like mindful eating is a simple way of allowing a harmonious relationship with your physical human body to become effortless and automatic.

Before eating your next bite of food, 

take a moment to quiet down your thoughts and close your eyes. 

Take a few relaxing deep breathes. 

Bring your attention to your body, recognize how it feels and if you notice any tension take another deep breath in and when you exhale, let that tension begin to melt away. Purposefully dissolve any stress you are holding inside with each outward breath. 

And when you feel in the present moment and tuned into your body, 

choose your next bite of food. 

Bring your attention to what it feels like as you make that choice, what it feels like to hold the food in your hand, what it tastes like, how it feels in your mouth, how does your body respond? 

How do you feel as the food and your body begin to interact? How does the energy exchange feel between the your cells and the food molecules?

Continue on with the experience….. 

Pay attention to what is transpiring. 

Allow your awareness to be fully engaged in what is happening.

This is one step in you getting to know You. We can take this so much farther but let’s practice this first. One step at a time. Begin with even one meal a day… See what shifts for you. 
Stay tuned as we continue on this delicious journey of honing our skills and become more aligned with who we Truly are and how we want to create and experience our world.

I invite you to please share your experiences. Comment here or email me at carolyn@drcanderson.com

Are you bringing Love to the table?

For more related information please visit:    www.thesustainablehuman101.org       www.drcanderson.com