The Law of Dharma. We made it!!!

Finally! Here is it! The last of Deepak Chopra’s Spiritual Laws of success! Took long enough for me to get here. If you are a new reader, make sure to look back in the blog archives for the other six Spiritual Laws of Success:

    1. The Law of Pure Potentiality

    2. The Law of Giving  

    3.     The Law of Karma, or Cause and Effect

    4.  The Law of Least Effort

    5.  The Law of Intention and Desire

    6. The Law of Detachment

    7.  The Law of Dharma ß- Today!

The Law of Dharma tells us that everyone has his or her own unique gifts within, which come together to form our life’s purpose. According to Deepak, “when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of our own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of all goals.”

Every single one of us has our own individual talents and gifts that the world can benefit from. A great example of this for me came from my college roommates. The four of us in my house were all completely different. However, we were the same in that each of us had our own certain passion and expertise, which we planned to build our lives around. One had a crazy knowledge on all things broadcast journalism, TV production, screenwriting etc. Now she’s working for “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?”. Another was artistic, and a great graphic designer who plans to go into branding and advertising. The other is a huge advocate for global health, who will be traveling to Ecuador on a Fulbright Fellowship studying infectious disease (I think I got that right!). Then there is me, the business minded roommate with my outrageous passion for wellness and helping every person live the best quality life possible. We are all going to make a difference in this world in our own way. No one of us is superior to the other.

Putting the Law of Dharma into effect can help this process along. Deepak suggests:  

   

1.     Nurturing our own souls, paying attention to our own spirits, and awakening ourselves to the stillness in our own hearts. This can be done through meditation, deep breathing, and taking time to enjoy silence. (See The Law of Pure Potentiality for some overlapping tips)

2.  Making a list of our own unique talents, and listing all of the things we love to do while expressing these unique talents.

3.   Asking ourselves daily: How can I serve? How can I help?

By doing these things, we can begin to put our life purpose into action. If you are truly passionate about something, and want it to be your life’s work, start now! Get all of the knowledge you can about that thing, reach out to other experts in the field, join clubs and groups for that interest, start projects focusing on it, follow blogs, twitter accounts, and Facebook pages.  You never know where opportunities will arise! Ask yourself how what you are doing will benefit others, and start doing that!

In a great panel discussion from Mind Body Green that I just watched (I will post the link to that this weekend), plant-based Iron Man athlete Rich Roll emphasized the importance of acting out of service. Don’t pursue you passion solely for financial or self-serving reasons. Take into consideration Deepak’s third step of this law. How can you serve? How can you help? Bask in the joy of living your passion and sharing it with others.

For me, this blog is it. This is my passion. As I progress through my own wellness journey, I want to share the blessings of good health and a happy life with anyone who will listen. I have dreams of helping people be free of disease and emotional turmoil. Yet, I am young, with limited resources, and need to be patient. So this is my offering right now. Vitality U, my wellness organization, was my offering in college. My Zumba classes were my offerings several years ago. What can you do to start to realize your life’s purpose? No matter how small, everything counts.

Be Well.

Love, Julie 

Julie Does A Juice Cleanse : Recap

Ok...as promised, here is my juice cleanse recap experience.

I know. You’re doing the math. It hasn’t been three days.

I may or may not have only completed a day and a half…

Failure? No.

Cool learning experience? Yes.

I was so excited to start my juice cleanse on Day One. The package arrived a little after ten. I unpacked my goodies and sat down with my first “sweet green” juice. It wasn’t bad at all! Definitely could taste the greens, but the sweetness of the apple made it a very nice little drink. 

 Next I had grapefruit mint. I was iffy about the grapefruit after my experience with sea breezes…However, I was pleasantly surprised! It was absolutely divine. Must have been the Mint! I also loved the spicy lemonade later in the day. These juices truly are delicious. They are so thoughtfully formulated to have small additions like mint, cayenne, and lime to make otherwise boring juices divine and tasty.

All of Day One went really well. I was not very hungry at all. Now, I kind of attribute that to me still going off the food I had the day before. I felt great until nighttime. After my almond milk I felt a bit queasy and was low energy until the morning. 

This morning, Day two, I felt ok. Still pretty sluggish. I decided to lift (which may have been a little too much) and was definitely low energy. Today I had a watermelon lime juice and coconut water as my #2 and #4 drinks. They also did not disappoint, but I think were more just hydrating than nutrient filled. I usually am not a fan of coconut water, but I really enjoyed this one! Today I felt unbelievably low energy, like I couldn’t get anything done. My friend kept asking me why I was doing this when I already eat so healthily anyway. I came home to relax and enjoy my #5 red juice early, hoping it would make me feel better. No such luck. Sitting with Mom, I told her I thought it was time to stop. 

Now, let me tell you, I am no quitter. However, I can tell when my body absolutely needs fuel. I thought of what I had learned so far, and what would happen if I stopped the cleanse. Even with just a day and a half, I had been inspired to only eat fresh, whole (mainly organic) foods without any processed ingredients, focusing mainly on fruits and vegetables. Any extra bloating is already gone =) . I crave light meals and want to stay away from overly heavy things. I also learned that I do not need to eat every five seconds! I have felt what true hunger is and realized what is not. So, I don’t look at this as a failed 3 day cleanse. I look at it as an awesome day and a half cleanse! Who sets the rules on time anyway? I’m a big believer in doing what makes your body feel best. If I didn’t have such a whole foods, plant based diet anyway, I probably would have felt worse about stopping this cleanse. But, I just feel like I’m continuing it in my own way! I felt so hungry and empty that I couldn’t do anything. I would rather have energy to work out, and eat well until I’m satisfied but not overly full!

Part of me wondered if people who complete these cleanses more easily do so because they have more in them in the beginning to keep them feeling ok throughout the process. Who knows! Everyone is different!

Anyway, I still definitely encourage everyone to try juicing out. For however long you decide to do it, it is a great way to get in tune with your body and reset a little bit! Think about how long you realistically think you can make it and give it a whirl! I never thought I wouldn’t make it through the whole thing…that just isn’t me. But, life happens. I’m glad I gave it a shot! And, now I have some delicious juices for snacks tomorrow!

Will it be going vegetarian or vegan for a few days? Will it be going raw? Will it be juicing? Will it be skipping refined sugars? What will your reset be??? Give it a try! You will be surprised how much you can inspire yourself to be healthier =)

Be Well.

Love, Julie

You knew this post was coming...time for resolutions!

Hi everyone! Ok, now that the holiday season has basically come to an end, all the craziness is over and I’m back! For real this time. I had an absolutely amazing New Year’s with some of my absolute best friends in Burlington, VT. Yes, they dragged this beach bum even more north than I needed to be. Despite the cold, it was a wonderful few days of fun, relaxation, and girl talk with some of the best people I know. Today, I am home, feeling rejuvenated and ready to take the world by storm this year! 2012 was such a huge personal growth year for me. Although I know there is a long way to go, I feel that I have come so far, and am ready to put all of the lessons I have learned into action for an awesome life. Yay!

Also, I just started Chalene Johnson’s 30 Day Push challenge http://www.30daypush.com/ . You all know she is one of my complete favorites. This challenge is all about priorities and achieving your goals. Just take about ten minutes a day to log in, watch her video, and do the small brainstorming activity. Today was Day 2, but you can catch up! It’s also perfect for the New Year and will help you hone in on those goals and resolutions.

So, resolutions! I must say, I do not usually make them. I usually just go with the flow and do my best. However, after this year full of revelations about how to realize your dreams and goals, I recognized how important it is to write them down somewhere, and to focus on how you can achieve success!

Here are a few of mine =) By sharing them with you, I hope it will hold me more accountable.

1. Make myself my number one priority. – Continue to focus on my own health, emotional well-being, confidence, purpose etc. To not let other people dictate my happiness or self-confidence, to become more present in my everyday life, to put an end to self-criticism, to not accept less than I deserve. Without taking care of myself first, I cannot be a positive force in other people’s lives. As Osho says, we need to love ourselves before we can love another.

2. Be a better friend everyday- Continue to work on truly listening to my friends, and being there whenever they need me. Enjoying and being present in all social situations.

3. Cultivate ease in my life- (Inspired by Tara Stiles) Breathing deeply, choosing not to be stressed, being present, ending the constant “I need to do this” in my head

4. Establish a daily meditation practice- The challenge starts today! We will see how I do in this. Yet everything I read says, in order to unleash your fullest potential, you need to connect with your deepest self first.

5. Continue AND improve this blog- I’ll admit, I am not a natural journal-er, or writer. I always give up on my projects, or lose motivation. Starting this was a huge step outside of my comfort zone, and a huge challenge. I hope to learn more about the blogosphere, and grow my audience! (If you have any tips, please share).

6. Get my personal training certification.- I think this is the next step in my professional wellness journey. It is something I can afford to do right now, and pursue as I further my career and work towards my ultimate goal of health coaching etc! I plan on buying the book this week. I know it will not be easy, but I’m determined to make it. That way, I can share more physical fitness tips with you!

7. Become an awesome chef! – I’m more of a natural baker than chef. Yet, I have been gradually tackling this resolution recipe by recipe. I want to be able to whip out killer healthy meals for my loved ones.

8.  Live life to the fullest- Cliché, yes, but necessary. I have noticed, at times I choose to veg instead of going on adventures. No more! I have been steadily making improvements on this for a while, but writing it down helps=) Here is to fun, friends, and seeing all this beautiful world has to offer. Yay!

These are my resolutions in a nut shell! Have you made yours? Let’s make 2013 the best year yet, by taking care of ourselves, becoming the best versions of ourselves, not being weighed down by negative energy, excess weight, or toxins in our body, loving who we are, and having tons of fun! We can do it. I know we can.

Be Well.

Love, Julie