Mind|Body|Spirit Academy

I’ve known I was gluten intolerant for over 10 years, but I just learned about how it impacts the thyroid – you can read more about it here.

This recent news post on Food Consumer caught my attention, reporting that the governor of Connecticut had interfered with a bill containing a requirement for labeling foods with GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) that was predicted to pass easily. The section of the bill requiring the labeling was removed in a closed door meeting of the governor and his lawyers.

This makes me sad. What is so awful about labeling and allowing us to know what is in our food and choose? I’m guessing that Monsanto, the company who controls the market for gmo agriculture, is worried that if we have the opportunity, we will choose real food instead of engineered.

This issue is very political, and you have perhaps heard about the bullying and subversion of legislative processes used to promote the agenda of this very large corporation through PBS shows or other news. The size and gravity of this issue can be overwhelming for anyone, and my intention here is not to depress anyone, but to educate, and to point at the connection to mind and spirit of the food we put into our bodies.

The connection I see here is the way in which attempts to control the natural processes of the earth for agriculture, with things like chemicals and GMO’s seems to be backfiring on us in a huge way. This extreme resistance to what is – pests and diseases that are a natural part of growing food, is creating a chain of negative consequences – depleted soils and contaminated food, air and water. Any organic farmer or gardener will tell you if you care for the soil and respect the workings of mother nature and the place even the seeming pests have in the web, you can still reap plenty from agricultural pursuits.

One of the core tenets of mindulness is acceptance of what is – because suffering results when we resist reality. Man’s attempt to ignore reality and force nature into submission through manipulation of plant biology is failing and seems to be already causing suffering and even death (I can’t believe how many folks I know now with puzzling digestive issues that can’t be diagnosed, and it just makes me wonder…).

The other relevant mindfulness concept here is the GMO focus on yield without respect to quality. When we get trapped in or fooled by the importance of appearances, it’s a struggle that never ends, because it never stops to look beneath at the empty feeling that’s driving this focus on appearances in the first place. Just like the bigger better looking fruit we are fooled into buying that doesn’t have the flavor or nutrition of the authentic version.

I’ve talked recently in the meditation group about the idea of being aligned with what is and how this promotes more peace and balance, and allows us to make wiser decisions. What is there in your life that you resist to your own detriment? The key to finding out what those things are is to notice what things you keep fighting or wishing were different.

Stop and ask yourself, “what would it be like if I accepted this thing as it is?” How would it feel? What might you do differently as a result? It could be something as simple as accepting the truth of how much sleep you need. Some of us even resist other simple facts such as needing to eat, or take breaks, or go to the bathroom. For others, it’s about accepting the boss or the job as they are. Whatever it is that you’ve been resisting, once you identify the truth of it, the next question is, “given what is, what’s the completely and totally obvious next step?’

I’d love to know how this turns out if you try it!

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Note: For a little basic information on the reasons you might want to consider avoiding GMO foods, you can check out this article at the Non-GMO Shopping Guide.

Here’s a neat article about 10 superfood spices and herbs that are easy to include in your diet. I’ve been trying to eat whole foods as much as possible instead of using vitamins to make up for eating badly.

Some people are intimidated by fresh herbs. They’re pretty easy. Just pull off the leaves, discard the stems, and chop a little for big flavor, a lot for milder flavor. This is because the oils usually carry most of the flavor, and all natural oils evaporate. So the more you chop, the more the oils dissipate.

I don’t use all of the herbs listed in the article, but some are quite easy to use regularly. I grate a teaspoon of ginger and add boiling water for 10 minutes, then strain and add honey for ginger tea in the morning. I coat chicken breast with a simple combination of salt and dried thyme just before cooking, or sometimes substitute oregano, rosemary, or basil, for a fantastically easy and flavorful effect. Cayenne, cumin and turmeric go into mulligatawny stew.

Parsley and cilantro aren’t on the list, but they also have great health benefits. You can chop them fresh and top your sandwich, potatoes, soup or salad. I think you’ll be surprised at the punch of flavor they add. Cilantro is a nice balance to anything with a spicy heat, for instance on top of curry, or in guacamole. You can slip parsley in with whatever you are putting into your juicer or smoothie for a superfood boost. Among other things, parsley is rich in vitamins C, A, and K. You can read more about parsley’s benefits here.

I want to try to start using more cinnamon and cloves because of their great health benefits, but am not quite sure how to make that happen yet.

Ideas, anyone?

I don’t really follow Dancing with the Stars, but today I saw a clip today of advice from Sherri Shephard, one of the hosts from the television show The View, after her elimination from the competition yesterday:

“That thing that scares you the most, that makes you say, ‘I don’t know if I can do it, I’m scared’? Run towards it, because it’s so amazing on the other side.”

I tried to find video I could link of her saying this because it really gave me goosebumps. What I found was articles on entertainment websites querying readers about whether she “overreacted”, an ABC World News clip with the hosts making fun of her emotional response, and recent rebuttals and explanations from Sherri’s camp. You can find the ABC clip on YouTube pretty easily if you want to see it, but I didn’t want to link it here and give it any more status because I was so disappointed in their treatment of her.

In light of my recent post here on vulnerability, I wanted to bring attention to the attack on Sherri Shepard as a valuable example of how we perceive vulnerability as weakness, and how the societal reaction to a show of courageous vulnerability makes the rest of us so reluctant to risk a show of such courage. Something makes me wish Sherri would have declined to explain herself and the emotionality of that moment and just let it stand for itself.

Brene Brown says in one of her TED talks that vulnerability is the most accurate measure of courage we have. It felt true when I first heard her say it, and I still think she is right. I feel sad for those who are so afraid that they must ridicule and criticize the others who have the courage to be vulnerable, and am grateful to Sherri for saying what she did on national television. There’s great truth in what she said. In nondual spirituality, the path to freedom is said to be through fear. Fear is actually the doorway. We typically run from great fear because it is so uncomfortable, but if we knew what was really on the other side of it, perhaps we’d reconsider and try to walk through instead of beat a hasty retreat.

Namaste.

There’s a wealth of wellness information all in this one site that I found completely by accident – can’t even remember how I got there. The site seems to be about cellulite, interestingly enough, but it’s really so much more. You have to see it to know what I’m talking about.

I started out there reading about new findings on the removal of lymph nodes in breast cancer treatment, and wound up reading about cellulite, then about fat, then diet, then about Broda Barnes’ easy home test for hypothyroidism.

Check it out and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. If nothing else, you’ll see cellulite in a whole new light :).

This post is just sharing a video and a quote today – powerful messages that don’t need embellishment from me.

Brene Brown TED talk on vulnerability

One of the comments (which I have not yet verified) for this TED video was:

George Vaillant has spent over 30 years as the Director of the Study of Adult Development at Harvard. It is a longitudinal study that has charted the lives of over 800 men and women for over 60 years.

Paraphrasing material from him, Vaillant has said: “Positive emotions make us more vulnerable than negative ones. One reason is that they are future-oriented. Fear and sadness have immediate payoffs-protecting us from attack or attracting resources at times of distress. Gratitude and joy, over time, will yield better health and deeper connections – but in the short term actually put us at risk. That’s because, while negative emotions tend to be insulating, positive emotions expose us to the common elements of rejection and heartbreak.”

“It’s very hard, for most of us to tolerate being loved.” -George Vaillant

I would love to hear your thoughts on any of this.

I liked this recent post detailing the evolution of Buddhism in the West. I thought it was fairly accurate, and mostly matching the research I did last year to come up with a synopsis of the history of western Buddhism for my paper.

One point of contention: though I know mindfulness originates from Buddhism, I have a bit of a tough time with the attachment to Buddhism as a necessary element of nondual spirituality as this article subtly implies.

There are a couple of schools of thought regarding how mindfulness ought to be practiced. One is that mindfulness is an aspect of Buddhism that has many benefits from practice for nearly everyone, and studies continue to show favorable impacts to brain and body, as well as psychology.

Another school of more traditional practitioners tends to advocate the need for the trappings of Buddhism as safeguard against the pitfalls folks can fall prey to after an awakening experience which might happen as a result of mindfulness practice, such as depression, meaninglessness, or spiritual bypassing. The thinking is that there’s good reason such practices were reserved for monks who only were allowed access to such teachings after much toil and labor intended to train one in correct behavior and break the habit of functioning from ego. The behavior training (and the monastery walls) would act as a safety net during  the shift from the unawakened state until full realization or ability to embody the realization is achieved.

Teachers like Adyashanti do a good job, I think, of trying to assist with this transition and many of his teachings and recordings address the fallout after spiritual realization or awakening. There are Jewish, Catholic, and other Christian teachers, philosophers, poets like Mary Oliver, and even Albert Einstein, who also speak from a nondual philosophical perspective, and what I love is how they all seem much more concerned about truth and compassion than belonging to a school of belief.

The nondual teacher who has had the greatest influence on me also cites teachers and ideas from multiple spiritual traditions in his talks. I personally tend to eschew organized religion, in general, for its rigid beliefs, in favor of what is universally applicable and accessible in spirituality. I once heard Karen Armstrong, the former nun, asked in an NPR interview what she thought the value of religion was. Her response was “practical compassion”, and she went on to say, if it doesn’t inspire practical compassion, what good is it?

The universal concepts in nondual spirituality that can be practically investigated through the use of mindfulness include:

• Impermanence – everything changes and is in constant flow, and we suffer because we resist this fact, rather than because of the impermanence itself. Acknowledging impermanence as fact frees up much energy otherwise spent anticipation, anxiety, and depression responses (Shapiro & Carlson, 2009, p. 32-33).
• No self – since everything changes, including the self, it is possible to investigate the nature of self, and discover that it is larger than the flow of thoughts and feelings,  and not the assumed permanent, solid entity that requires constant defending (p. 34-35).
• Accepting what is – that suffering arises because we resist what is actually happening, and that suffering magnifies and prolongs pain, and that avoidance uses a great deal of energy. Acknowledgement of what is leads to more accurate responses to reality (p. 35-36).
• Conscious responding versus automatic reactivity – the idea that reactive, habitual responses, such as the assumption that thinking can solve problems, which can lead to rumination. Bringing awareness to thoughts and feelings in the present moment can delay automatic responses and can lead to a better solution (p. 37-38).
• Curiosity and investigation – the “close and careful exploration of the present moment” (p. 38) which is difficult to do when we are caught in reactivity. This involves taking a stance of openness and curiosity toward experience in order to have a direct knowing, rather than automatic labeling and judgment of it (p. 38-39). Developing this attitude leads to a more curious, less reactive response to life.
• Paradox – involves acknowledging the duality of experience, the knowing and the not knowing, and giving oneself permission to rest in the experience of not knowing rather than engaging in a fruitless struggle to eliminate ambiguity and uncertainty (p. 39-40).
• Interdependence – the idea that “all things are connected in a complex, multidimensional web” (p. 40), and the investigation of whether there really is a “mutually dependent web of cause and effect” (p. 41). This leads to a sense of connection and a feeling of responsibility toward others (p. 40-41).
• Essential nature – the innate goodness of human nature, and the suffering caused by the delusion of unworthiness. Questioning unworthiness and deficiency, and examining the effects of judgment and shame in order to develop a clearer more compassionate view of self (p. 41-42).

References:

Coleman, J. W. (2001). The new Buddhism: The Western transformation of an ancient tradition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc.

Goldstein, J. (2002). One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Hanson, R. & Mendius, R. (2009). Buddha’s brain: The practical neuroscience of happiness, love & wisdom. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.

Seager, R. H. (1999). Buddhism in America. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

Shapiro, S. L. & Carlson, L. E. (2009). The art and science of mindfulness: Integrating mindfulness into psychology and the helping professions. Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association.

Sharf, R. H. & Cooper, A. (2007). Losing our religion. Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, 64, Summer.

Welwood, J. (2000). Toward a Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path of Personal and Spiritual Transformation. Boston, MA: Shambala Publications.