I find this to be very important; especially when you want to make healthy changes in what you eat!  Changes that will last for a lifetime:

It is the idea of adding-in.  Not taking certain foods away each day, but adding healthy choices into your daily food intake will help you stay positive and know you are doing you body good! 

When we focus on what we can not or do not have there can be a feeling of deprevation.  When we feel deprived then there is  a high chance of binging on poor quality foods and then feeling down on ourselves for not being successful with our diets!

 When we focus on putting yummy, healthy foods into our bodies, we focus on what we did that was good for us and less on what we did or did not do that was not so good for us!

Start by adding-in a green smoothie  or the Ultimate Green Machine each morning.  BEGIN your day with it!  When it is the first thing (after water with lemon, of course) you give your body as nourishment, then this is what your body wil want for the rest of the day; you will be less likely to want to eat junk later in the day!  Your body will say "Hey! Gimme some more of that green stuff...you know, the stuff that made me feel so good this morning!"

If you begin your day with a bagel and cream cheese and think to yourself "I'll drink the smoothie for lunch" you will be more likely to go out for a sub sandwich with chips and soda. 

Believe me.
 
More people write in to me with this issue!  I have spoken/ emailed hundreds of people that have lived this scenario! 

By simply adding-in your green smoothie first thing in the morning, you can give yourself props for doing your body good!  Your body will thank you.  And I promise it will bleed over into the next meal or snack...and into the next as well until you are eating more and more of the good stuff that really keeps you light, energized and in a good place physically, mentally and spiritually!

So, add-in my friends!  Add-in!
In peace,
Kirsten

When the same old thing just doesn't seem to be working like it used to, perhaps it is time to make a change.

I have my daily yoga practice and although I change it up I have been feeling out-of-whack or not quite right for some time.  (Something wasn't flowing within myself and I felt there were areas that were stagnating.  Things began to grow within the stagnation that I didn't necessarily want to grow!)

My yoga teachers are in N.M. and I really miss the sessions I had with them. The newness they would help bring to my practice was a gift and although I can bring freshness and life to my practice as well, it really helps to have a great teacher. 

I have found a very special teacher here in the Dallas area; Ricky Tran. He does not teach kundalini yoga, the style of yoga I am familiar with.  Studying with him has kindled a light within. With this light, I am better able to sense a deep understanding that is inside of me. With this light, I am better able to see the path on which I step; gently, lovingly and full of devotion.

This new yogic experience is as profound as that of my initial kundalini yoga class which lit a path that has forever tranformed my life for the better.

I am grateful for my experiences every day. I am grateful for the  teachers I have had.  As I learn through my experiences and as I grow through those travels, I am better able to live wholly and help light a world that can be called many things; cruel, dark, scary, evil.

In darkness there is fear; for fear is bred from ignorance. Holding the breath, one fears what might be right in front of one's face or behind one's back, lurking.

In light, there is breath and with breath comes life; forever seeking to exist, to grow. When strong, life will adapt and exist even in tumultuous times.  Life will find a way.

When I feel stagnant.  When I feel fearful or nervous, I must be strong and find a way.  Change happens and so I, in turn, must change.  Adapt.  This can happen on levels both subtle and gross and everywhere in between. 

It is my hope to always have a teacher.

If you would like to check out Ricky Tran, Go here:
www.rickytranyoga.com