Your Tongue Speaks Volumes

One of the coolest things I learned while in Sedona was about my tongue, an organ that is more vital than I realized.  I was certainly aware of my tongue back in 2007 when I developed candida ~ an overgrowth of yeast ~ which caused crazy bumps and a thick white coating on my tongue.   Not long after that I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  So obviously I have paid A LOT OF ATTENTION to the state of my tongue since then.

But my Sedona experience taught me even more.  I learned that the coating on my tongue actually consists of impurities, or toxins, that have been removed from my body, especially when I'm resting at night.  That coating, which is called ama, indicates that there is an accumulation of toxins that the body is trying very hard to expel.  If we don't remove this ama, then we aggravate ailments within the body, particularly digestive problems.  And we all understand that the digestive system is critical to our health. 

This ama also acts as a breeding ground for bacteria which can then contaminate the food (and liquids) we ingest.  Ama also can cause bad breath.

Depending on where the ama is on your tongue, can also point to where the ailments are in the body:

But there is a very easy and simple solution to ridding oneself of this ama:  regular cleaning of the tongue. 

For less than $10, one can purchase a copper tongue scraper.  There are many links on Google to buying one ~ but here is the exact same one that I'm using ~

http://www.amazon.com/Copper-Tongue-Cleaner-Exquisitely-Wrapped/dp/B008DEZOX8/ref=pd_sim_sbs_misc_1

Since learning about this, I have adjusted my morning routine.  Immediately after getting out of bed, I scrape my tongue.  It literally takes less than 30 seconds. I then brush my teeth right away to make sure that all of that ama is out of my system.  THEN I'll proceed with my morning beverage, which now is a cup of hot water (not coffee or tea).  I do this because:

• It flushes toxins from the body and aids digestion
• Cures constipation
• Aids weight loss by breaking down fat deposits in the body
• Good for cough and colds
• Improves blood circulation
• Reduces stomach, body, and head pain
• Increases sweating, which aids skin cells

You can also mix honey or lemon for even better results.  Personally, I like adding my Lemon Essential Oil.  For me, after I drink the hot water, I really don't want any coffee OR tea.  Maybe an hour later I'll make myself a cup of herb tea, but I have no desire anymore for coffee. 

The other part of my morning routine is checking the pH of my saliva (acid vs alkaline).  I do this right after scraping my tongue and before brushing my teeth.  This is another 30 second routine that tells me if I'm keeping my body pH neutral.  Again, when I was diagnosed with cancer, I was VERY acidic, so I'm highly motivated to stay out of that condition.  It has been proven that cancer grows in an acidic environment.  These are the pH strips that I use:

http://www.amazon.com/Ph-Test-Strips-Dispenser-Intervals/dp/B0007RSD0A/ref=zg_bs_3013605011_3


This is such an easy way to improve our health, and it takes very little time.  I invite you to consider making these easy changes in your daily routine.  

The smallest changes in our daily lifestyle DO MAKE the Biggest Difference.

Ghee brings me GLEE!

I have read PLENTY of yoga and health magazines, all of which tout the benefits of eating ghee.  Ghee this and ghee that.  Well ~ now that I have actually EATEN ghee myself, now I understand how great it is.

AND EXPENSIVE.

When I was in Sedona, my FABULOUS roommate, Kim, gifted me with a beautiful, 14 ounce, glass bottle of "100% Organic Pure Indian Foods, grass-fed Ghee", with a price tag that said $19.50.  After being very impressed that she would even give me such a gift, my next thought was "will I really eat this?" and if I like it, "Dennis will have a cow if I buy a $20 bottle of stuff that he doesn't like or understand". 

Then I proceeded through my 30 day Yoga Teacher Training and discovered that

1. I LOVE Ghee
2. It's easy to make!

So I did a little more research and learned this ~

• Ghee has a very high smoke point and doesn't burn when cooking
• It reduces cholesterol
• Good for your nerves and brain
• Helps to control eye pressure and helps with glaucoma
• Stimulates stomach acids to help with digestion
• Rich in antioxidants
• Helps the body absorb vitamins and minerals from food
• Strengths the immune system
• Inhibits the growth of cancerous tumors (I especially like this!)

So, I tried my hand at making it while I was in Sedona.  WHAT A JOKE!  I burned the *&^% out of it and made Kim's kitchen stink for about 48 hours (sorry Kim!).

Then one of my fellow yoga students suggested that I make it in a crock pot.  So when I got home last week, I bought a mini crock pot and tried it again today.  I followed the directions from this website ~

How to make ghee in a crockpot

... and it worked BEAUTIFULLY!  The only thing I changed from the website above was I turned the crockpot on high to MELT the butter, then I took off the lid, turned it to low, and let it do its thing for 7 hours.  And look at the result!

Hey ~ it matches my shirt!

That same original bottle that cost $19.50, cost me only $4.99 for a pound of organic, unsalted butter.  And it looks and tastes EXACTLY like the $19.50 version.  And I loved being able to give my ghee all sorts of love and attention while it was transforming itself from butter into ghee.

Now ~ what to do with it?  EVERYTHING YOU DO WITH REGULAR BUTTER.  I've already used it to saute everything, poured it on air-popped popcorn, made grilled sandwiches, added it to my kitchari, and put it on crackers.  To me, it tastes just like butter, if not better.  AND I know it's doing lots of great things for my body.

And the best part ... EVEN DENNIS LIKES IT.

So yes, ghee brings me GLEE!!

I invite you to try making it, too.  If you do, please let me know your experience and how you use it.

We all do learn from eachother.

Remodel Update as of Oct 28 2013

My first Monday back at home AND my first post-training Yoga Class today.  I felt SO welcomed by the Monday students, with hugs all around.  I really am involved with THE BEST Yoga Community anywhere and I am so grateful!  Thank you to everyone.

But most of the e-mails I'm receiving are asking about the remodel.  So here we go ...

First of all ... the King of our house, Mr. Muggins. 

We put this part of our wrap-around sofa back in place
so WE'D have a place to sit and read. 

But as you can see, Mr. Muggins has claimed it as his own.

 

 

 

This is our main living space ~ The Arizona Room ~

with the aero-bed on top of the hide-a-bed.

The bed is SO MUCH HIGHER

than it looks in this picture!

AND amazingly comfortable. 

This is also Dennis' main working space.

 

 

 

But he also has access to his NORMAL office,

which is really good,

because he's had lots of client work!

Here he is setting up a new computer for a wonderful client ~

 

 

 

 

This is my office, aka Our Guest Room.

It's a great place to do yoga right now

because there is no bed!

 

 

 

This is our living room ~

with everything gone except for the couch, which is covered.

See Muggins in the corner?

Through the sliding doors is our Arizona Room.

 

 

 

This is our master bedroom.

Yes ~ our real bed is under all of that plastic.

The door goes out to our Arizona Room.

 

 

 

Here's our guest bathroom shower.

This is where I do my oil and salt cold shower in the AM.

 

 

 

 

And the master shower ~ LOVE THIS ENHANCEMENT.

I'm standing in the south part of the shower,

shooting back towards the sink area.

 

 

 

 

Here is our kitchen-to-be

once we get counter tops, fixtures, and appliances.

 

 

 

And our garage ~

where our entire house is packed and waiting to move back in,

and where we cook and have a sink.

 

So as you can see, we're certainly NOT SUFFERING.  As I look at the pictures myself, I feel pretty darn blessed. 

 

"Home Camping" ~ maybe it will become a new trend!

 

Diana

 

 

And on the third day ...

... she rose from her transition to home!

Yes, it would have been a little bit of a shock to come back home even IF things were in order.  But to come back to the house in this state ~ VERY disorienting.

But today is the 3rd day and I feel MUCH better!  Dennis has been a sweetheart allowing me to make the house a little more cozy with some changes.  I'm back in my office and right now it's PERFECT without a bed or other furniture because I can do my sadhana in here! 

We also "upgraded" the hide-a-bed by placing our aerobed on top of it.  MUCH more comfortable, albeit a little high.  I need to use my step-stool just to get into it! 

And it was great fun to upgrade our garage kitchen.  The Sedona staff will be very happy as we bought an electric wok and I made Kitchari for dinner last night.  And yes ~ Dennis liked it!

 

We only have one sink in the house, but it's really working out fine.  We hung a towel rack, reorganized our things, and it's actually quite cozy in the garage!

 

 

And yes ~ we tried out our new Master Shower with the disco light shower head.  SO FUN!

 

 

 

So now it's time to catch up on a month's worth of receipts, paperwork, and clients.  And what a stack I have! 

 

Oh ~ and how could I forget ... I lost TEN POUNDS during my training in Sedona!  Now the real trick will be keeping it off. 

 

Now that I'm more settled, I will start sharing information that I learned during my training.  So I hope you will stay with my blog.

 

HAPPY SUNDAY!

Diana

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is no place like home!

 

AND I AM SO GRATEFUL TO BE HERE! 

The drive home was smooth with very little traffic, and I got home just in time for my hair appointment. 

My Welcome Home Celebration was wonderful!  Of course my sweetheart met me at the door with a glass of champagne and it was such fun slowly going through the house and being SHOCKED at the changes!

Best surprise of all ... the cabinets are IN!  Dennis didn't quite tell me the truth about the install as he wanted to surprise me.  And surprised I was!  We even have the washer and dryer hooked up!  So here I am again, back at my desk, in my empty office.  Of course the walls are blank, the furniture is covered, and we have no countertops, but it's still home.  It will probably be another month before we start moving back in. 

Mr. Muggins seemed to be mad at me when I first arrived ~ it took him awhile to warm up to me.  But he did sleep with us last night and it was VERY COZY in The Arizona Room. 

So here we go on my first day back in THIS reality.  I'm grateful that it's Friday so I have 3 days to get regrouped before the new week starts (and my yoga class on Monday at 2:15!).  I definitely need to take some time this weekend to figure out my yoga class and how I'm going to slowly incorporate what I've learned into my class.  I don't want to blow everyone away by doing too much, too quickly.  AND, I don't want to blow myself away trying to get everything here done quickly and mindlessly.  Life is a process ~ and I want to stay aware in The Now and ENJOY the Journey.  It was easier to do that during the training, and I know the rest test of my newly gained inspiration happens now. 

I do intend to keep this blog going so I can share many of the yogic concepts that I learned in my training, and to share other health-related information.  So I hope you'll retain your subscription to my blog and share it with the people in your world. 

It has been a true joy being able to share my experience with you. 

Carpe Momento and THANK YOU.

 

The Eve of Home

My last night in Sedona ... and I am feeling so blessed.

I had a *perfect* last day in Sedona, even with waking up at 3:45AM again.  I wonder when that habit will stop?  I forced myself to go back to sleep, and did so fitfully until 7AM. 

My first day post training and I'm proud to say that I did my new morning routine ~ including the entire bathroom routine, 12 Sun Salutations with the chants, and meditation.  It really is a wonderful way to start a day.

Then came the multiple loads of laundry (so grateful to be able to do that here since our washer and dryer is still unhooked and in the garage), and I got 95% packed.  It's CRAZY how much stuff I have here.  I have a feeling that I'll be giving even MORE stuff away when we finally get to move back into our home. 

Kim suggested that I check out the tea lady before I left, and what a pleasant experience that turned into.  I was the ONLY customer in the shop during my time there and I had a great time talking with the owner, Kim, and her assistant, Genie.  Check out the Afternoon Tea that they served to me ~ a yummy Merlot Berry tea, chicken salad finger sandwiches, and a freshly made scone with all of the right creams and fresh preserves.      

 

As we were chatting, I discovered that Genie has been a yoga instructor for over 40 years, is a psychic and is into numerology, astrology, and reading tea leaves.  You can imagine how the conversation continued from there!  I also ended up working on their computer to fix some issues for them, so I felt right at home!  If you ever find yourself in Sedona, or need flowers delivered in this area, I highly recommend you check them out ~

The Jazz Bouquet


Kim and I decided to skip my massage tonight and she graciously accepted my invitation to dinner at Elote's Café. Because it is soooooo popular, we had to wait an hour for a table, but God blessed us with the best sunset I've seen since I've been here.  It was the perfect back drop for my first picture with Kim ~

All of the locals I've met have talked about this restaurant, but I never made it there all month.  Now I understand why everyone raves about Elote's ... it was the BEST Mexican food I have ever had!  Very different from your "regular" Mexican food, and the corn relish ... FABULOUS!!!  Chef Jeff used to have a restaurant in Scottsdale, but closed it and moved to Sedona.  This is a MUST DO when you're in Sedona ~

Elote Café


Jeff is a hands-on chef and very down to earth.  He even delivered one of our dishes to our table personally.

So with a full tummy, an over-packed car, and a heart that is bursting with gratitude, Im signing off for the evening.  It's almost 11PM, and I need to clean my space here and hit the road tomorrow no later than 9.  I have a hair appointment at 2:30 for a trim and a color job, and THEN will go home.  Good news ... the cabinet installation is supposed to start tomorrow, so we'll hold all the right thoughts that it does happen.  I'm excited to see how the remodel is coming along ~ Dennis tells me that we just need the 3 C's:  cabinets, countertops, and carpeting.  And then, of course, we need to MOVE BACK IN. 

One day at a time, heck ~ one MOMENT at a time.  And I'm counting my blessings every step of the way.

I know White Light will carry me safely back to Sahuarita.

With Love,
Diana

 

The Gayatri Mantra

If you liked the first mantra I shared with you, I think you will LOVE this one!

Just click on the link below and download it to your music folder ~

The Gayatri Mantra - download by clicking here

The meaning of  this mantra is ~

Om

Earth Atmosphere Heavens

We meditate on the Sacred Light

of the effulgent Source.

Let that inspire our minds.

Om.