Live in the Now!

*.:.Namaste.:.*

Namaste is a common greeting in coming and going among Hindus and Buddhists. You will hear this saying in yoga at the end of the practice and it is accompanied with a bow of the head and hands together in front of your heart. I did a short run today then I did 90 minutes of hot yoga today which was challenging and soothing at the same time. My yoga instructor explained the saying, Namaste, in such a great way today. She said Namaste is as if you are saying to the person, the best part of me is greeting the best part of you. I loved thinking about that. It's so much more than "Hi, how are you? Good, how are you?" That is so monotonous and we are trained to say "good" no matter what you're feeling. If someone replied to you, "I'm terrible, I've had the worst morning ever, and and the day isn't even half way over yet." You would probably sit there dumbfounded not knowing how to respond to them, because we are trained to respond with good or great.

So, when you are greeting your friends, loved ones, and strangers in passing today, greet them with the BEST part of you. Be the smiling face that can brighten someone's mood. Live in the now and be happy and free. Yes, you still have a to-do list, yes, you may be stressed out, but give your heart and mind a break and clear your head to complete one task at a time. I feel so much more focused after yoga, I need to start every day with some "me" time by working on a few poses and clearing my mind at the end. Even if it is just 10 minutes, I feel that my stress level will be lower and my mind and body will be happier. This is MY challenge to myself. What is YOURS?! Set a goal today for the next 3 or 4 weeks, what can you do to better yourself? That's what life is all about, being the best YOU that you can be. Don't compare yourself to others, compare yourself to the way you were yesterday.

Smile. You have so much to be thankful for. :)

After yoga, I treated myself to a tai chi latte from Starbucks while I sat in the sun and caught some vitamin D. Sunshine always lifts my mood. It was a very peaceful morning.

Now, let's talk FOOOOD!

Here is my salad from yesterday and today. I made it very different both days by what type of protein I added on top of it. The base is spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, pico de gallo, nutritional yeast, and avocado. Yesterday I added grilled chicken and salsa. Today, I added my turkey/quinoa/edamame mix and salsa on top and it completely made it a different salad. YUM!

Get creative and throw things together and enjoy the flavors. Eating healthy is not as hard as you think. Just buy fresh produce and avoid the processed yuckiness!

That's all for today!

NAMASTE! :)