" Expiration Date ... "

“ … It’s an emergency

But I'm a say it clear and loud

I bet you care and hear me now

The expiration date that I gave to you

Has now come and gone so I have to move

It's too late for me to hold on

The expiration date that I gave to you

Has now come and gone so I have to move

It's too late for me to hold on … “

~ Jhene Aiko ~ Expiration Date ~ 

***

About five years ago I was told of my expiry date.  If I didn’t follow the treatment protocol advised, I would be lucky to live another 5 years at best.  The diagnosis was stage 2b, grade III with prescribed treatment was mastectomy, radiation and chemotherapy.  The surgeon provided no other option.  And alternative treatments were not even to be considered.

As the story goes, I didn’t follow their advice.  

And so far, I’ve outlived my expiry date.  

So far, So good.

Living with an illness means coming face to face with death every day.  Not a clue what you are going to get, when it is going to happen and how.  So you live your life with what you got.

I no longer fear death.  It is a natural process.  It is inevitable.  

I have the awareness of my mortality at any moment.

And it is not about being extraordinary or special.  We all have the ability to decide how we are going to live our lives.  No health crisis necessary to shift.

On a large scale, our lives are an infinitesimal dot between two infinite spans.  On a personal scale, a lifetime is long enough to do amazing things.  To pursue and master your passion.  To build and future relationships.  To love and lose and love again.  To chase your dreams and working hard enough to reach them.  To have an exciting, fulfilling, meaningful, awesome life.  

At times when life gets really really tough, I remind my self that 

“ … this body is on loan from the Universe.  It is an incredibly fortunate collection of atoms forged in stellar furnaces … pulled together by gravity or some deeper hidden force … “.  Once we are finished here, the atoms will recycle to further serve spirit along its upward journey towards ever more complex and useful forms.  Perhaps we can just take a moment to celebrate our participation in such a beautiful process.

Most of us don’t like to think about mortality, fearing that it renders life meaningless.  Yet the transience of life renders the urgent search for meaning.  Live your life urgently.  Once your live your ideal life, you’ll love every day.  

The practice is not ruminating on your mortality … it is how this awareness affects your behaviour.  It is how your live by cultivating gratitude, compassion, selflessness, health, boldness, presence, and meaning.

www.walkstrong.ca

" Muladhara ... "

The Root or Base Chakra 

***

Zodiacal signs Capricorn, Virgo and Taurus 

Furnishes the energy used to create and maintain our foundation. 

This is the energy that keeps us on firm ground and provides us with the basic skills to uphold a place in the world

The 4th Ray of "Harmony through Conflict" governs the base chakra or root. 

This chakra symbol represents the most earth centered chakra. It stands for our inherited beliefs through our formative years. Self-preservation, personal survival and our identification with the physical world centers in this bottom most of the main seven chakras.

A healthy root chakra connects you with vitality to your family of origin, your immediate society and to the global community. If your 0-7 years were challenging and without love, then this damaged root chakra will function much differently. Issues of survival such as emotional dysfunction, stress, anxiousness, and restlessness will plague you.

Possible fears of letting go, scarcity, poor boundaries, and more. It’s during the 0-7 years that we learn about where we fall in our relationships with siblings, parents, our community, and how we relate to them.

Healthy issues

Joint pain, lower backache, elimination problems, obesity, constipation, anorexia, and poor immune system function.

Questions

What beliefs did you inherit or learn from your family?  

Is there unfinished business between you and your parents?

What limiting beliefs did you learn about personal survival and money?

Do you have personal boundaries that you maintain?

Is it difficult for you to bond with others?

Are you often sick or suffering from illness?

Transcendence of unloving imprints in this chakra

"Others show you yourself and what you need to work on within, by their reflection of your own rejected or denied emotions."

" I Deserve It … "

Many miles many roads I have traveled

Fallen down on the way

Many hearts many years have unraveled

Leading up to today ...

I have no regrets

There's nothing to forget

All the pain

Was worth it

Not running from the past

I tried to do what's best

I know that I deserve it

***

~ Madonna ~ I Deserve It ~

***

Have you ever thought about what you deserve in your life?  

And do you believe you deserve it?  

I love the saying, “What other people think of me is none of my business.” by Wayne Dyer, because we tend to get caught up in others opinions.  And this leads to making excuses as to why we don’t deserve the very best.  Think about it ... we don’t try to improve our relationship with our spouse rather we compare to much worse relationships and therefore we figure it is good enough.  Or we don’t reach for our dreams because we feel it may project selfishness.  

Realize that the only thing holding YOU back is YOU .... 

Personally, I started to make a list ... a list as to what I think I deserve, in hopes to live this code, and focus on what & whom I accept in my life.  This provides clarity, alignment and a release of what is blocking and propels me forward.  This, I believe, is in full support of the Universe.

The following is my list which I continue to add to … I Deserve ...

• GOOD HEALTH ~ my journey for the last 3 years has allowed me to take care of my body from the inside out.  I have learned a wealth of information regarding wellness, continue to do so and hope to continue to pay it forward

• LOVE ~ I am blessed to have meaningful friendships dating back to over 30 years, while others are still budding.  I am excited to meet more beautiful souls.

• PEACE ~ I support my mental health with meditation & yoga, as I am committed to keeping my practice going on my personal growth journey.

• HAPPINESS  ~ the key is to learn to live you dream ... love what you do and do what you love

• RESPECT ~ there is no room for relationships in my life that are not respectful as the serve you no purpose

• ABUNDANCE ~ I’ve developed the self-worth to know in my heart that I deserve success and abundance as equally as others

Knowing what you deserve and practicing what you deserve are two totally different things.  The bridge is ... commitment.  A commitment to yourself.  This involves times when you have to have the ability to speak up and stand your ground, say your truth because YOU now know what YOU deserve … 

" Inflamed ... "

And now you turn to me and say

Is your heart on fire? ...

And now you look at me and say

Is your soul aflame? ...

Inflame my fantasy

Enhance my reality

Kindle the fire in my soul

Give me the energy

To face my own destiny

Give me the strength to keep moving on

Is your soul on fire? Is your heart on fire?

Is your soul on fire? Is your heart on fire?

~ Loudness ~ Inflamed ~ 

***

Here’s a warning ... the next time your doctor tells you “inflammation is cancer”, don’t take it as face value.  Trust me ... do your homework and check the facts.  There is a difference between acute and chronic inflammation ... and their implications.

Acute inflammation is a normal immune system response to injury in a localized area.  It is an essential part of the healing process as when the site becomes red, swollen, warm and/or painful, inflammation is at work.  This is when nutrient-rich blood rushes to the area and immune-system cells heal the injury and inflammation subsides.  This is good news.

Chronic inflammation isn’t limited to a specific area or amount of time.  And since there is no obvious symptoms it can harm the body over time.  Oxidative damage to cells caused by free radicals in the body, inflammatory foods and overactive immunity can initiate chronic inflammation.  And this is where degenerative dis-eases come into play.  

Anti-inflammatory diets can help ...

We can shift our bodies back into balance with what we consume.  Dietary components may modulate inflammatory responses within the body.  Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and wild seafood.  Add generous portions of deeply-pigmented vegetables to every meal and snack for their fiber and natural anti-inflammatory compounds. Many herbs and foods such as oregano, garlic, green tea, blueberries, and ginger contain bioflavonoids and polyphenols that limit free-radical production in the body

Also, particular vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals may have therapeutic benefits in inflammatory diseases.  Studies show that certain spices such as turmeric (curcumin) and ginger may inhibit the pro-inflammatory pathways.  In addition to specific dietary components, achieving or maintaining a healthy body weight is important to prevent or control chronic inflammatory diseases. 

An anti-inflammatory diet begins with choosing the right foods, but it continues with using anti-inflammatory cooking methods to prepare those foods. You can undo a lot of the good in your healthy foods by cooking them the wrong way.  Avoid the microwave as it destroys the nutrients in the food due to high heat.  Try steaming, poaching, grilling, broiling or stir-frying instead.  Take care not to over cook your food.

Personally most of my food is in raw form to ensure I not only ingest the nutrients of the food but also those amazing enzymes to nourish my body.  And the food that we do cook is cooked slow to ensure that we retain as much goodness as possible.

As said before ... do your research.  It can be tough at first to make changes but the payoff is huge.  From experience, it can make a tremendous difference in how you feel in a surprisingly short period of time.  So take the time to tip the balance away from pro-inflammatory, toward anti-inflammatory and heal your body ...

" Inner Search ... "

You've got a right to take what life offers you

don't let others mark out your scope

You better break out from all what chained you up

there is more to be than they said

The inner search needs more than words

Just hear the call for the inner search

You can hear a lot, but to understand

let the confusing voices die first

blow the flickering light out that's in your head

see the one that's always been there ...

Get up for a sense, take your life in your own hands

hear your inner voice leading you to the right choice

That you are is yours, belongs just to you ...

~ Rage ~ The Inner Search ~

***

Sometimes I just need to get my Kali on.  Kali, being the Hindu Goddess of empowerment and shakti (strength).  Sometimes I just need to be strong and stand up for myself.  And this is hard when striving for a non-violent, yogic lifestyle.  

The yogic calm can at times be a mask that is covered with difficult emotions, knotty feelings and desires that feel socially unacceptable.  Yet the deeper I reflect on my yoga practice, I learn to confront those parts of myself that may be suppressed by fear, trauma, or social conditioning.  I uncover what squelches my joy, undercuts my confidence, an sabotages my health.  

So where is the gift in all this ... bringing forth repressed passion and purifying it into energy ... accessing sublimated anger and wisdom that is now owned and channeled to renew my mind, body and soul.

“Invoking deity energy is a way of opening yourself to energies within that can support, protect, and act with a kind of numinous power ... “

The goddess Kali can be found in yogic art and is suppose to have arisen out of the warrior-goddess Durga during fierce battle with demons.  This would explain her association with spiritual and psychological liberation.  Kali symbolizes enlightenment ... freedom from conditioned beliefs, false personal identities and preconceived notions that keep you from recognizing your true identity.  Kali represents the power to release that which is true in you.  

Personally, I am finding that Kali in my daily life often means tuning in to aspects of myself that I normally don’t have access to.  I don't become free just by going with the flow. I become free by knowing when to say no, fighting for what is right, and engaging with the fiercer forms of grace.  So by “getting my Kali on”, I seek out permission ... to realize in those moments when suppressed anger or fear is threatening to overwhelm me, I can look to discover and integrate Kali, my energy.  

You see we seek Kali when we feel like we are living in dissonance with parts of ourselves we may not fully understand or know.  Kali helps us by pointing toward those parts of you that you have rejected, feared, or ignored.  Kali inspires you to transform your identity over again, letting go of the old rigid ideas of who you are, stretching your emotional range, your mind, and life itself in beautiful ways.

So explore your daily dose of Kali and bring an extra dose of ferocity ... just what is needed to keep growing through this wild journey called life.