1/4/11 Wednesday – Getting better at writing less. :)

Tried to go to bed by 10 pm last night.   Got there by 10:30.  Had to deny my fiancé his favorite bedtime event in favor of falling asleep, then I couldn’t fall asleep till maybe 11:30.  So I upset my liver and have nothing to show for it.  

5 am. Wake.  It was actually easy today.  My stomach felt like poop all night long.   Adzuki bean stew?  Never again just in case.  And the itchiness is just awful.  I felt a super concentrated itch for about an hour right on my fibrocystic lump.  Weird symptom.  Speaking of boobs, they are even bigger and hurt like HELL. 

 

Dream: Dreamt of Joe and Helena last night.  Nick’s brother and his wife.  Love them.  They got the family hang -gliding wings for Christmas so Nick, Helena and I decided to give them a try.  They got two “runs” in but I only got one because I was fumbling with a surf shirt Nick had gotten for dream Christmas when a cop came over and ordered me to stop.  Boooo

I finished my entire morning routine today again.  35 minutes of yoga, 5 minutes nadi shodhana (alternate nostril breathing)  3 minutes savasana (couldn’t stop my brain) and 5 minutes of meditation.  I know, it’s not long, but it’s good for my morning routine.  I have been having a really hard time focusing on the great abyss while meditating.  

I read something yesterday in the Yoga Journal magazine that helped me when I tried it today.  It was to state your name inside your head.  “I am Joy.”  And notice that there is a part of the mind that thinks the statement and a part that watches the statement.  So identifying with that watching part of the mind is the goal.  I have heard many times about watching my thoughts instead of identifying with them, or analyzing the, but it really helped me to state my name.  I was able to immediately notice the other part of my consciousness.    Then I tried to remain there…for 5 minutes, anyway.  I’m also going to start keeping a notepad next to me when I practice yoga and meditation.  I have found so many distracting thoughts come up lately that I need to remember after my practice, but when I put everything out of my mind (one major aim during my practice) it is impossible to recall them later.  

Went to Reading Terminal before work today to buy raw milk from the Amish stand.  I was surprised how easy it was 8:30am.  There was street parking and it wasn’t crowded at all.  My favorite new time is 8:30.  I am still having a hard time finding curry leaves and jaggery.  Any ideas?

FOOD:

Breakfast: ON TIME!  2 egg omelet with spinach, feta and leeks + 2 pcs. gluten free toast

Lunch: ON TIME! But not great.  Couldn’t find anything at whole foods.  Split Pea Soup with half of a gluten free bagel with ghee.

Dinner: NOT on time.  7:30 again.  Chicken soup in the Pressure cooker. 

Recipe:  

½ Organic Chicken cut up, add 1/8 cup leeks, 1 whole small onion pierced with 4 cloves, ¼ fennel bulb, 1 inch piece of ginger, 7 carrots cut in half, 3 stalks celery cut up, 3 green chilies sliced in half lengthwise seeds removed, handful of fresh rosemary, thyme and parsely,  ½ tsp turmeric, salt and pepper to taste.  Cook in pressure cooker for 10 minutes at peak pressure.   Release pressure and remove chicken and carrots.  (If stock is not strong enough remove chicken from bone and add bones back into pot to cook awhile longer.)  Add kale and bring pressure back up and cook for 3 minutes at peak pressure.  In the meantime, remove chicken from the bone if you haven’t already, and shred.  After kale is cooked add everything back to the pot (remove bones, ginger, onion and fennel bulb if still in pot) and serve.