Weekly Challenge for Creating Good Habits

 
    Change is never simple, especially when we have created habits over time that have become like barriers that take every bit of will power we have to break them down. When we think about them overall they seem insurmountable. The secret of success with creating change, in my opinion, is baby steps...nothing worthwhile was ever built overnight. I'm going to suggest one challenge every week that will help break down some of these barriers. These are things that have or are currently working for me in overcoming unproductive habits. I don't want to say bad habits, because frankly I believe everything in our lives, whether good or bad are there for the benefit of our overall spiritual growth.
      For this weeks Challenge: Get up every morning and the first thing you do is make your bed. If you do nothing else productive, make your bed, every single morning. Make it a habit! There is something very depressing about walking into a bedroom with an unmade bed. When my bed is made I always feel a bit uplifted when I walk in my bedroom. It makes me feel more positive. This may seem like a silly challenge to some, but I say try it for a week and see if it does not make a difference.
     
Love&Light
Nirvani

Let's Squat!

Good Morning Goddesses,

    I am on Week 2 of the Goddess Belly Dance workout and it is going incredibly well. I have more energy and feel great, aside from the regular muscle pain. I have decided to take on a 28 Day Squat Challenge....Today was Day 1...I will be checking in here regularly with my progress. I also did my weekly weigh-in and I am down another pound! I am upping the anti to two pounds a week, so it is time to really get on it. I track all my progress at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ and http://www.sparkpeople.com/, so if you would like to friend me on either site under Nirvani Teasley I would love some company. We can motivate and inspire each other! It seems as if everyone is on a fitness and health kick at my house right now...what a way to get ready for summer! Below is the Squat Challenge. I have decided to half the squats as my knees are having some pain. Feel free to jump in and take the challenge...You won't regret it!

   

Goddess Workout

Hello Fellow Goddesses!

    I have just started week three of my spinal kundalini yoga warms ups. The video is posted on my last post. As of today I am now performing each asana (yoga position) for two minutes. This is a great way to start each morning. I have also started a new workout that I am very excited about! It is Dolphina's Goddess Belly Dance Workout. I just finished up day three. It is a blast! I've always wanted to learn to belly dance and this is a great way to learn the moves and get a fantastic cardio workout. Below is the  warm up video I am using and you can find other videos on her youtube channel...She has quite a few so please feel free to try any of them. They are available for sale at her website Goddess Life or you can view them on Hulu, although with Hulu you will have commercial breaks throughout the routine.
   

   The spinal warm ups have been quite effective in strengthening my spinal region and my core, not to mention my digestive tract. A problem I have had in the past with exercise is overdoing myself and not listening more closely to what my body was telling me. I am working on listening to what my body needs and slowing down my pace. Some may feel that pushing your body to the brink is a good thing. I disagree with this, many people who workout out to extremes end up with injuries that put them down for weeks or even years. There is nothing wrong with pushing yourself past your comfort zone, but is is equally important to nurture yourself. Treat your body gently. It is the only one you have and is not indestructible.
    During a workout, if you are experiencing pain other than distinct muscle discomfort, this is a message your body is giving you to slow down. The hardest thing for me is patience. I want results now! It does not work like that. For optimum results it is best to start slow, taking baby steps and gradually increasing will ensure that you are making lifestyle changes, rather than taking on too much too soon and then throwing in the towel later on. We all know that feeling! Taking on too much and then giving up.

   

      To all of you Goddesses out there who are fighting the bulge like I am, it's time to take control. If you feel that you have made no progress at all, just getting up off the couch is half the battle. Remember, baby steps! If I can do it so can you! 

Love&Light,

Nirvani 

Starting Fresh....

Good Morning!

   It's been a while since I last posted and I must say a lot has happened since then. Not very much in the way of weight loss I am afraid, due to unforeseen sickness and health issues. But I am back and ready to start fresh. Today starts Day One to a New Me. I say a New Me because this is not just about weight loss, this is about transformation. Working from the inside out is really the only way to make lasting changes in our lives. I have begun to look at weight loss from a spiritual perspective, as I believe even my very mundane life is a sort of spiritual practice in itself.
   A dear friend of mine, well actually I see her more as a Soul sister, has graciously taken on the job of being my personal trainer. She is a woman who has beat the odds. With major health issues of her own and a weight problem, she turned her own life around with good nutrition and exercise (mainly yoga), and a healthy dose of meditation and spiritual practice, and now is at her ideal weight and healthier than she's ever been. She is a real inspiration to me and someone I know will hold me completely accountable.
     Having just recently begun to get over a terrible bout of the flu, which did quite a number on my health, she has me starting very slow. I will be menu planning and recording calories through My Fitness Pal. The only thing she wants me to focus on this week is creating order in my home, light housework. An uncluttered house equals an uncluttered mind! This might be a challenge in itself when living in a household with five other adults and a three-year-old:) Also I am to do a set of five kundalini yoga poses for back strengthening every day this week. Here is the video for the poses, in which I am spending only one minute per pose on each equaling 10 minutes of yoga time only. This is a great start for anyone who has back issues and beginning yoga.

   AnmolMehta.com is the link with additional information on each of the five poses and their benefits. If you would like to take on this challenge with me please do! This would be great for anyone who is just starting out like I am. Creating lasting change in our lives is never an easy thing to do...but it can be done with enough motivation and will power and most important is to take baby steps and be gentle with ourselves.

Namaste,
Nirvani

Some Monday Motivation....

     Need some inspiration...here ya go! The words that stand out the most to me are WILL POWER! It may be an uphill battle but eventually it will level out and become easier and easier....so stop making excuses and just get out there...take a few steps if that is all you can muster, but do something...anything...I promise you will never regret it:) If you are tired of fat cramping your style it's time to take some control. Remember it did not take you a day or a week or even a month to gain that weight....it will take time and determination and consistency to get rid of it....and for those skinny minis out there who may feel no need to exercise....remember skinny does not automatically equal healthy...you need to get your patoodies out there too;) So lets get get it on because this fat is seriously cramping my style!

Love & Light,

Nirvani

Ayurvedic Cooking....

     Over the last year I have been studying Ayurveda off and on and ordered this fabulous Ayurvedic cookbook a while back. I have tried several of the recipes and love them! I highly recommend this book as it is not just a recipe book, but a guidebook as well on Ayurvedic principles for modern living. For those of you who are not familiar with Ayurveda:


Ayurvedic medicine is a system of healing that originated in ancient India. In Sanskrit, ayur means life or living, and veda means knowledge, so Ayurveda has been defined as the "knowledge of living" or the "science of longevity." Ayurvedic medicine utilizes diet, detoxification and purification techniques, herbal and mineral remedies, yoga, breathing exercises, meditation, and massage therapy as holistic healing methods. Ayurvedic medicine is widely practiced in modern India and has been steadily gaining followers in the West.


According to the original texts, the goal of Ayurveda is prevention as well as promotion of the body's own capacity for maintenance and balance. Ayurvedic treatment is non-invasive and non-toxic, so it can be used safely as an alternative therapy or along-side conventional therapies. Ayurvedic physicians claim that their methods can also help stress-related, metabolic, and chronic conditions. Ayurveda has been used to treat acne, allergies, asthma, anxiety, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, colds, colitis, constipation, depression, diabetes, flu, heart disease, hypertension, immune problems, inflammation, insomnia, nervous disorders, obesity, skin problems, and ulcers.
Ayurvedic physicians seek to discover the roots of a disease before it gets so advanced that more radical treatments are necessary. Thus, Ayurveda seems to be limited in treating severely advanced conditions, traumatic injuries, acute pain, and conditions and injuries requiring invasive surgery. Ayurvedic techniques have also been used alongside chemotherapy and surgery to assist patients in recovery and healing.

(Read more at http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/ayurvedic+medicine)

I will be sharing various recipes each week that I have tried and will rate them for you. I will be starting an actual Ayurvedic study program to become a certified Ayurvedic specialist.  I hope that you will gain as much from this incredible 'Science of Life'  medicine that has been practiced for thousands of years in India and is now making its way into Western Medicine. 

Love & Light,

Nirvani

I'm back!!

Hello Friends!

      Sorry I have been absent for a while... I have been enjoying some badly needed solitude and it has been wonderful! I have discovered that I actually do have a life outside of the internet...hehehe...In the near future I will be sharing more videos and posts of my adventures of this crazy journey of transformation I am travelling. I have no intention of  making this blog only about physical fitness. I intend to share my thoughts and feelings and experiences in all avenues from the physical to the spiritual. One thing I have learned on this journey thus far is that if you hope to lose weight and get fit you must address all of the issues that brought you to this place. Gaining weight is more times than not the side effect of much deeper issues than just the lack of exercise and poor nutrition. Yes, those are two very important issues to address, but if one hopes to transform one's life for the better, it is essential to fix the whole person in mind, body, and spirit. That is when you see real change. The kind that lasts a lifetime!
    I have been deeply engaged in a daily meditational and spiritual practice over the last month and will be sharing my experiences here with you all. So stay tuned because if you are anything like me this fat is seriously cramping my style!

Love & Light,
Nirvani