Week 5 Centering

When we find ourselves full of "if only" complaints, "If only he or she did this or that, then I'd be happy", we are not centered. We are not living intuitively and present. We are loyal to the victim within. It's our excuse for failed relationships and self-pity. We've learned to externalize control of our lives. Are we the cause or effect? Most of us believe that our world created us, and external events continue to cause our suffering. Guess what? We ARE the cause of our lives, and all it's ups and downs. It is our beliefs about ourselves, about our essence, that lead us to see a happy world or a fearful one. Hopefully, these weeks of yoga and meditation have shown us extended moments of peace and presence. We are learning that it is our thoughts alone that cause us to suffer. So how do we change our thoughts?

"By saying, 'I will become centered', we become responsible people; we own our lives from the inside. We don't have to wait for others to set us free. As we practice staying centered we discover that we have the capacity to be aware of the little gremlin voices in our heads and that we don't have to get caught up in the illusions of our own story."

"This week is about learning to stay intuitively grounded...It is learning to relax and be present with everything in your life, both big and small...When you eat, really eat. Really chew, really taste, really smell, really feel the food dissolve into and nourish your being."

"Make everything you do a practice of meditative awareness. If you can do this, you will see that your meditation practice is not separate from your life. We think that life is a distraction from meditation, but really life is an occasion for meditation."

1. Week Five Yoga Practice: Continue with your practice!

2. Week Five Balancing Diet:

The fruit fast is over. We feel light, clean. Now we need to get grounded. Time for some healthy rebuilding. Baron suggests that we need to give our body minerals this week. He tells us that minerals are from the earth, and therefore grounding. They strengthen our bones--they are our structure and foundation.

Week Five Diet To-Do:

Begin to include some of these mineral-rich foods into your diet:

• Whey protein
• Seaweed (hijiki or nori)
• Leafy greens (organic greens have more minerals)
• Nuts
• Fish (especially halibut, mackeral, sardines)
• Root vegetables
• Tofu
• Broths (chicken or vegetable)
• Fresh vegetable or fruit juice

The following may rob our bones and bodies of minerals...try to cut out or reduce:

• Coffee
• Refined sugar
• Soda and other soft drinks
• Alcohol
• Smoking
• Too much salt
• Too much protein
• Anger
• Fear
• Reactivity

3. Week Five Centering Meditation

"As we meditate this week our focus is to connect to the symbolic anchors of our hands, body, and breath, thus experiencing the truth that our center is always there, steady and waiting, no matter what swirls up around us."

Week Five Meditation To-Do:

• 25 minutes morning and evening
• Close eyes and bring attention to hands
• Observe gently and anchor attention to them
• Notice sensations, ignore them
• Do not strain...right aim and right energy
• If thoughts arise, don't analyze them...let them go gently
• Each time you get lost, simply pull back into gap between you and your thoughts
• Re-anchor to your hands, body and breath.

4. Week Five Excavation Questions:

• How much do I believe in myself, and how much does this play out in my everyday life? Do I trust my intuition? If so or if not, what results does that produce?
• When, where, and with whom do I feel the most grounded? With my friends? When I am by myself? With my spouse?
• How mindful am I of even the the smallest details of my life? Am I present enough to notice all actions I take? Do I remember what I said to the salesperson at the store, what route I took to get to work, how and where I hung my coat, what I told my kids when they asked me a question? Am I truly there in all these moments?