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A Mindful Moment The Body Scan  “Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future; live the actual moment. Only this moment is life.” - Thich Nhat Hanh   “Meditation is to be aware of what is going on: in your body, in your feelings, in your mind, and in the world.” - Thich Nhat Hanh How to deal with boredom, questions, and tedium with the body scan - and realize the body scan’s incredible value. Our initial exploration of mindfulness is to invite your attention to follow your breath. Feeling into the breath as it enters your body and as it exits your body. As our minds wander, we gently invite our attention to come back to the breathe. Simply following the breath. Some use a mantra as an anchor for their attention and others will use their hands or feet… Mindfulness is the awareness that our minds have wandered, gently redirecting our wandering minds back to our anchor.  Read more Nutrition Notes Listen To Your Body “If you listen to your body when it whispers, you won’t have to hear it scream.” This wise saying is adapted from a Cherokee proverb and is so true!   In our society, we are used to wanting that “quick fix” when we feel uncomfortable - we take the advil or tylenol, we take an antacid, we might eat high sugar foods or refined carbs, or grab a beer or glass of wine to soothe our bodies. The problem with these “band-aids” is that our symptoms will keep happening over and over. We may get that quick relief from aches and pains, heartburn, fatigue, headaches; but we won’t find the reason for our symptoms, and address the real issues.  If we really listen to our bodies, physically and emotionally - and investigate the “whispering-type” symptoms - we can perhaps find that “root cause” of our aches and pains, uncomfortable sensations, fatigue, or mood swings. We can dig a little deeper and repair our bodies in a way that will lead to optimal health, vitality, energy, and joy. So what does this mean, to “listen to our bodies”?    Read more 

Meditation Body Scan Exercise, Jon Kabat-Zinn UPCOMING EVENTS: March 16: Please join Laurie weekly for meditation practice at 9:00am. (Click here for the Zoom link)

HOMEMADE BONE BROTH FROM THE CLEVELAND CLINIC  INGREDIENTS Bones (4 lbs) Beef, chicken, turkey or venison. Ask your butcher for organic or grass-fed. Apple cider vinegar (3 tbsp) + a squeezed lemon. Acid helps pull collagen from bones. Carrots (2, chopped). They’re a very good source of Vitamin A. Celery (2 stalks, chopped). It’s a very good source of Vitamin K. Onion (1 medium, chopped). You’ll get antioxidants and prebiotics. 2 bay leaves 1 bunch parsley 1 Tbsp salt Water (2 quarts) DIRECTIONS Add all ingredients to your crockpot. Cook for 4+ hours on high (until the nutrients come off the bones). Enjoy. But be careful not to burn your mouth! And don’t be put off by a gel-like texture once refrigerated. That signifies a quality broth!

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Stay Safe and Be Well,

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