MINDFUL SOUL CENTER OCTOBER | NOVEMBER 2019
eno eussi eno emulov
bi-monthly magazine
TIME Y O U R
M O S T
P R E C I O U S
R E S O U R C E
MINDSET MATTERS
CHANGING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ANXIETY
AM I A YOGI? Introducing The Yoga Diaries
SELF-CARE CORNER FOCUS ON PERSONAL POWER
MINDFULNESS WHAT IS IT REALLY?
ALONE OR LONELY WHAT IS THAT? ARTHA RECIPES & FOOD DELICIOUSNESS 8D MEDITATION AUDIO https://themindfulsoulcenter.com
why we exist The Mindful Soul Center magazine was created as a tool to help women connect with their higher selves, to live with less stress, more consciousness, less anxiety, more presence and more joy.
LETTER
MEDITATION MINUTE
FROM THE EDITOR
MINDFULNESS WHAT IS IT REALLY?
05
CHARITY COLLIER'S MEDITATION MINUTE
TIME
32, 33, 34
YOUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE
08, 09, 10
MEDITATION ( LISTEN ) 8D SOUND MEDITATION HEADPHONES REQUIRED
CALENDAR
35
OCTOBER NOVEMBER 2019
11
WORKSHEETS PRACTICE TRACKER SHEETS
12, 13, 14, 15
MINDSET MATTERS CHANGING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ANXIETY BROOKLYN STORME'S MINDSET MATTERS
36, 37, 38, 39
FUNDRAISING EFFORT DOGS NEED HOMES: LILI AND FRIENDS
40, 41, 42
ALONE VS. LONELY POSITIVE NEGATIVE
43, 44, 45
INSPIRATION QUOTES & REMINDERS
16, 24, 25, 26, 46, 47
THE YOGA DIARIES:
WHAT IS THAT? ABUNDANT LIFE: ARTHA
49, 50, 51
AM I A YOGI? CHRISTINE BOYD MILLER'S
TMSC RECOMMENDS
YOGA DIARIES
BOOKS | PODCAST | MUSIC
17, 18, 19, 20
52
GODDESS
RECIPES & FOOD DELICIOUSNESS
FOCUS ON PERSEPHONE
BERRY GOOD OATMEAL 54-55
AKA KORE OR PROSEPINA
MINT & FOREST FRUITS TEA 56-57
21, 22, 23
TANTALIZING TZATIKI 58-59 EXQUISITE ENDIVE SALAD 60-61
SELF-CARE CORNER:
53-61
SURRENDER & STRETCH DEJA DREWIT'S SELF-CARE CORNER
27, 28, 29
TMSC OFFERS PLUS GRATITUDE SHMATITUDE BOOK CLUB DISCOUNT 2 GRATITUDE SHMATITUDE THE BOOK 3 UPCOMING COURSES 48
DIY MAKE IT FRESH
SUBSCRIBE, BUY THIS ISSUE, SHARE THIS
BODY BUTTER RECIPE
MAGAZINE, LIKE & FOLLOW US, JOIN OUR LIST
30, 31
2, 3, 48, 62-65
AM I A YOGI? Written by: Christine Boyd Miller, PhD The morning sun filters through the redwood trees. I open my eyes, the dementia of dreams slowly lifting. I take day
my
first
and
mind.
No
seeping grateful
awake
breath
contemplate regrets
in
so
my
from
that’s
of
state
the of
yesterday
positive.
I’m
for having remembered to
set the auto brew on the coffeepot last
night
as
the
aroma
of
fresh
Chocolate Blues Breaker wafts down the hall. I follow my nose out of bed stealthily
as
not
to
wake
the
four-
year-old sleeping sweetly beside me. Just as I’m setting my toes on the
Fortunately,
floor, he sits up and exclaims, “Let’s
uncertainty,
play Legos!” while rubbing the sleep
My
from
flow with the sun so I can usually rally
his
eyes.
Sometimes
I
have
a
energy
for I’m and
a
this
daily
morning
mood
person.
pretty
much
few minutes of quiet solitude in the
for
kitchen before he wakes up. It’s hit
calm and ease. Although I do have to
or miss. Either way, there’s gratitude
wage heavy battle against my inner
so the morning is a win already.
busy person who is nagging at me to
a
7
or
8am
Lego
session
with
do chores and be productive. Then my
inner
child
reminds
me
that
spending an hour playing Lego with my
son
and
filling
his
emotional
bucket is a productive use of time. The added bonus is that it gives me an
opportunity
to
practice
a
little
self-care, which I need desperately.
The Yoga Diaries 18
The Mindful Soul Center | The Yoga Diaries
Am I a Yogi? Am I a yogi if I don’t go to yoga regularly? I struggle with this question. I feel like I'm always trying to “get back” to yoga. Squatting low over a puddle of Lego
Most days this is what my yoga practice
bricks
looks
with
a
warm
mug
of
coffee
like.
I
am
a
fulltime
parent
and
cradled in my hands, I elongate my
childcare is hard to come by these days.
spine
My
and
reach
my
crown
to
the
husband’s
new
job
requires
him
to
inhale
commute about three and a half hours a
deeply. With a long exhale I relax my
day and he’s been traveling quite a bit too.
face
Our
sky.
I
close
and
yoga
my
eyes
shoulders.
teacher,
I
can
Juko,
soothing
sage
shoulder
blades
and
hear
my
in
her
say
tone, drip
schedule
is
erratic
and
weeks
pass
without an opportunity to get to a yoga
“Feel
your
class.
Other
times,
even
if
a
kind
friend
down
your
offers to watch my kid so I can go, I’m too exhausted or incapable of getting my son
back,” and they do.
and myself together enough to make the effort.
After
I’ve
had
Batwoman
a
little
has
coffee
visited
and
Zombie
Construction Worker’s house for a sufficient my
amount
attention
of
back
time,
to
I
my
focus
spine.
I
stack each vertebra toward the sky, one
by
one.
against
the
I
press
insides
my
of
elbows
my
knees,
palms and fingertips meeting with Lego Batwoman tucked between my pinky and ring fingers. I play around with
my
center
of
gravity
as
I
contemplate crow pose. I press my hands
against
the
floor
offering
Batwoman a reprieve, spreading my fingers
wide
and
pushing
in
Am I a yogi if I don’t go to yoga regularly? I struggle with this question. I feel like I'm always trying to “get back” to yoga. I get stuck in my gerbil wheel of never-ending daily
chores
and
then
berate
myself
for
not trying harder to make the time for a 75-minute
yoga
class.
Then
I
tell
myself
that yoga isn’t just a class; it’s a mindset. If I think regularly about my posture and symmetry, I find myself contemplating the intention of each movement. My breaths become whole. My mind and body connect for moments of yoga throughout the day, not just all at once in class.
my
thumb to make a supportive dome in
my
palms
(Thanks,
Juko).
I’m
almost in crow but my left big toe keeps floor.
bobbing I’m
not
gently
quite
against
there
the
yet
and
don’t want to tumble face-first into a pile of sharp Lego bricks so with slow careful breath I put my weight back on my feet again. As my son travels
further
imagination experiment dog
and
hovering
into
next with
plank, above
a
my
his
to little face
the
own
me,
I
downward and
Lego
heart
sea
of
bright rainbow colored possibility.
I spend most of my day either upright on my feet doing chores or squatting on the floor too,
playing. which
On
takes
good
days,
dedicated
I’m
writing
sitting
time.
Over the last year or so, I’ve been slowly integrating
small
yogic
habits
into
my
daily routine. When I sit, I sit square on my pelvis. I don’t use my hands to get up and down from the floor; I engage my core and legs. Sometimes I go into tree pose when I’m standing still. When the energy around me feels chaotic, I close my eyes and take a few slow deep breaths. The adjustments are small enough to not be overwhelming or unachievable but profound enough to make a significant uptick in my wellbeing.
The Mindful Soul Center | The Yoga Diaries
19
Am I a Yogi?
I’m certainly not unique in my tendency to
invest
most
of
my
energy
into
my
loved ones without keeping enough on reserve enough for myself. After awhile, I
end
up
empty
feeding
plate
my
utterly
family
spent,
from
an
depressed,
five pounds heavier, and exhausted with a
red
total
wine
hangover.
depletion
self-careless habits.
to
snap
coma
Whenever
It
and
my
takes me
out
almost of
my
reprioritize
bucket
my
feels
full
again, I take on more responsibility and obligation,
suffocating
myself.
It’s
an
endless cycle that is abusive to my body and my mind. Each time it gets harder to hit the reset button. I become angry and resentful with myself.
When
I
get
stuck
on
the
downside
of
these cycles, my ability to manage time and
routine
go
out
the
window.
Few
plans are certain and getting to a yoga class unlikely. I do have some stabilities in my life though that cannot and do not change even if I’m feeling depleted or lacking a babysitter. One is playing with my son every day no matter how poorly
Tree Pose, illustration: Mohamed Hassan
If I try to commit to planking for ten minutes a day, I will never plank. But if I’m on the floor anyway and have some space
for
a
good
stretch,
it
doesn’t
take much effort to put my body into plank for a few seconds here and there throughout the day. It works for me. Even
on
more
bad
days
than
not,
I
things
are
'rain
or
such
a
going
shine' good
practice
in
life.
That’s
occupational
one.
moments
He of
just
duty
reminds
me
mindfulness
a
and to
as
I
immerse myself in play, living briefly in some glorious imaginative space. Even if that feeling only lasts for seconds, it still matters because I feel it.
spend a few seconds in plank staring at the floor in a different headspace, a short
reprieve
from
the
surrounding
energy. For that few seconds, at least,
I’m
getting
better,
with
practice,
at
focusing on the useful sporadic seconds that make up the nows of my life. I might pause to float above the rainbow Lego
I am a yogi.
sea or seek an occasional vinyasa with Self-care
seems
routine
nonexistent.
is
impossible
when
However,
if
I
can manage to work just a few seconds or minutes of routine into my day, the unstructured
part
manageable.
This
becomes
more
applies
everything of course, not just yoga.
to
Batwoman myself
and
every
available
friends.
challenge
day
to
remember
seconds
of
pure
these
magic.
The
brief flashes of yogic mindfulness help balance
out
the
whirlwind
of
uncertainty; even on the days I just want to go straight to Savasana.
Notes:
vinyasa - a specific sequence of yoga poses usually paired with breath savasana - a yoga pose usually at the end of a class aka corpse pose
20
I
The Mindful Soul Center | The Yoga Diaries
PERSEPHONE THE GODDESS
PERSEPHONE PROSERPINA KORE Written by: Amy Adams Persephone the goddess of springtime flowers and vegetation becomes the Queen of the Underworld and her mother Demeter the Goddess of the Harvest come into focus as we have entered Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and darkness comes.
To the problems of your life, you are the only solution. - Jo Coudert The Mindful Soul Center | Goddess
21
IT'S SIMPLE Life
is
complicated
interested
in
but
Charity
simplicity
comes to mediation.
when
is it
Letting go of
the hype and mystery she teaches people how to practice mindfulness. Her mission is to change the stigma around
meditation
everyone
in
the
and
least
bring
it
to
intimidating
manner.
Charity coach,
is
a
meditation
expert
teacher and drug addiction
counselor.
She
holds
a
Master's
degree of Mindfulness Studies from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA as well as a certificate in Substance Abuse
Counseling
and
a
BS
in
Exercise Physiology both from the U Mass, Boston.
She
offers
through
her
Together welcome
meditation company
and her
we're
at
The
coaching
Meditating thrilled
Mindful
to
Soul
Center as both a contributor to the magazine
and
teacher
(stay
tuned
to future issues to learn more in the upcoming months.)
CHARITY COLLIER, MA in Mindfulness Studies, CADCII
MEDITATION MINUTE
MINDFULNESS
WHAT IS IT REALLY? Written by: Charity Collier, MA in Mindfulness Studies, CADCII Mindfulness is such a buzz word these days. There are
articles
everywhere
saying
“if
you
meditate
you will be happy,” or “mindfulness will bring you happiness in life.” I am not writing to sell you that. What
I
would
like
to
share
with
you
is
what
mindfulness is and how it relates to meditation.
Mindfulness 2600
years
was ago.
founded In
today's
by
the
Buddha
Western
society
over the
mindfulness most often spoken of and utilized is mindfulness
in
a
secular
manner.
Mindfulness
starts with a practice of meditation. A meditation practice is what many articles - talking about how mindfulness can help a person live a happier and less stressed - neglect to mention.
The Mindful Soul Center | Meditation Minute
33
ALIGN & SHINE When
things
alignment.
flow,
Yet,
conscious
we’re our
mind
can
in
subcreate
resistance from time to time. It seems we might even get in our own
way
creating
some
low
vibe feelings. That’s why mindset
matters.
topic
and
It’s
we
an
are
important
pleased
to
welcome Dr Brooklyn Storme as a
contributor
here
at
The
Mindful Soul Center to help us all sort through the mire.
In
her
work
as
Strategist, upon
an
Alignment
Brooklyn
her
twenty
experience
as
psychology.
a
draws
years
of
doctor
of
She helps people
to understand the role that the subconscious each
mind
person’s
success.
With
promises
to
and
we
ways
plays
well-being each
offer can
issue
us
in and she
insights
manage
our
state of being helping us to get into alignment.
When
she’s
not
busy
helping
others to shine their light, you can find her at Kilcunda backbeach walking
in
Victoria,
her
Australia
Maltese
cross,
Gabe or singing (very badly so she says) in her car on weekend country drives.
BROOKLYN STORME PhD
MINDSET MATTERS The Mindful Soul Center | Mindset Matters
Mindset Matters
CHANGING CHA YOUR N YOU GIN G RELATIONSHIP R REL A WITH ANXIETY WIT TION HA SHI P NXI ETY Written by: Brooklyn Storme, PhD
It’s that feeling you experience in the pit of your stomach, the rush of heat, adrenaline, the fast
breathing
sense
of
dread,
something happen.
and a
dizziness.
seeming
absolutely
It’s
completely
the
the
that
knowing
that
unwanted thought
irrational
It’s
and
yet
is
about
that’s still,
to
often
has
the
power to change every fibre of your being at that moment.
But anxiety wasn’t always experienced like this. In fact, the function of anxiety dates right back to early (hu)man times when our limbic brain was smaller than it is today and was covered by a
thin
layer,
differently fields,
called
then.
hunted
We
our
the
cortex.
walked
food,
We
lived
through
open
dwelled
together,
prepared meals together, cared for each other. It was a tribal way of life in the truest sense.
The Mindful Soul Center | Mindset Matters
37
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