deepak chopra - The Secret of Healing - Meditations For Transformation a...

 Beautiful meditation... 
"the body does not create the spirit, but the spirit creates the boby" Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra : Physical Healing, Emotional Wellbeing

Very interesting, but more than that, it is inspiring. For me it makes real sense and brings light and hopes into our life...!
To know more on that topic from Deepak Chopra (named by the Time Magazine as 'The poet-prophet of alternative medecine') do not hesitate to read his book : Ageless Body. Timeless Mind.
'Drawing on both modern science and ancient wisdom, here is a model of health and illness that can stand the test of scientific scrutiny because of one simple fact: it works' Larry Dossey author of Reinventing Medecine.

Body Image, Society, Fitness and Spirituality

Well, this a very ambitious and complex topic, not sure I'll be able to cover it completely, I mean it's going to be hard to be as exhaustive as I would like it to be. But I hope to be able to share some of my experience and point of views on it. I'll try to synthetize my reflection on the subject :) Quite challenging for me!! ;)

It seems that over the centuries the ideas of beauty have shifted around. From round curves and sensuality image in the nineteen and start of twenty centuries, we moved to slim in between the 2 world wars and then "the early 1960s has as a symbol, model Twiggy, who has two defining features: height 1.67 m and a weight of 48 kg. This is the first time that beauty is not defined as health but by sexuality and fame. Hence, cosmetic and plastic surgery, are a central woman “tools” in her way toward the ideal.
XXI century beauty is taken to extremes, where everything is allowed, and nothing is shameful. The hair may be left, trapped in a bun or even be missing, as a vital link to the concept of beauty is the attitude.
Throughout history, the concept of beauty has revealed society the way she thought and action. Always there was an interdependence between the way it was viewed, the beauty and cultural ideals of society.
Now, Hong Kong scientists say that the beauty depends on the volume-height index.
The ratio is calculated by dividing the volume of the body, to the square of height (distance from chin to heel) and assume that it indicates not only the attractiveness of women but also health and fertility.
Therefore, in future it is possible that cultural ideals about beauty, to be confined to canons based on limits, with the role of establishing the degree of sexual attraction and that of fertility"
Extract of the analyse : The concept of woman beauty over the centeries

The fact is that today, women think they can't BE socially, or even sexually credible if they do not fit in the dictates of what magazines and fashion generate. This idea of being physically perfect poisons women's existence. But not only women's, probably men's as well and this in 2 different ways : first, like women, men have a pressure of being cosmetically perfect, but also they will be identified by the society to the woman they chose to be with, so they will go more for someone who looks cosmetically good (according to the fashion dictates) rather than for someone maybe with a less conventional beauty (always according to the fashion dictates), but with whom he could be happier (and by the way he probably would not even notice this second one, being too focussed on "cosmetic perfection"...) Not the healthiest way to make a decision... I talk here, as an example, about women and men in bisexual relationships, but, of course, this is probably the same issues in homosexual relationships...

Through my years of working as a Personal Trainer, I have witnessed so many depressions, unhappiness, phobias, addictions, compulsive eating habits, and most of the time these conditions are  triggered by a deep lack of self-estimate, non-acceptance of one's own image, one's physical differences, bad treatments, tough chilhood etc. And as we guess this can have some serious impacts on our psychological field. Of course we all want to make the right changes to feel good, valued and accepted, but, some of us are so driven to make it that they became obsessed and addicted to exercise, diets and other extremes, so end experimenting a very austere lifestyle which eventually showed its limits as ruled by too much deprivations and rigidities. A lifestyle which at the end reversed onto unhealthy habits again. Others tried without believing or without being ready to make the right moves (not extreme moves), so do not succeed, and then there are some who are opened to take the problem from a different angle; forgetting for a while the dictates of the society and listening to their heart, learning to follow their intuition and to believe they are or can become again (as we are all at birth) a Beautiful person.

The first moves are the tougher... Forget how many kg you have to lose, forget the way you look, forget who you want to be, just sink inside you and start to learn about yourself... Make a list of what you value about yourself, what you know you can achieve on a daily basis, what you do not want any more in your life (anything which pollutes you). Then get outside and breathe, breathe, breathe believing that what you are breathing it is life, pure life and pure energy which is going to accompany you in this journey. Understand that your body needs to be strong and healthy to support the healing of your mental condition and for your true self to feel great and aligned with your real needs and vocations. For that combine physical exercise with relaxing and meditative moments. There are plenty of fantastic sources on Youtube to initiate and guide you in your journey, for instance Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, Greg Barden and many others who are very accessible in term of comprehension, very clear, with often an interesting scientific approach which gives even more credibility to their theories.

Make the changes you need to make, to be at peace with yourself. But having cosmetic surgeries will not be enough to make you feel aligned and happy if it is not combined with much deeper transmutations like : learning to be gentle, respectful and tolerant with yourself, eating well (organic or non spray produce cooked the right way, with moderation and pleasure) and exercising to maintain your body in good working order because this body is our spirit's house here on hearth, looking at yourself with pride for what you can achieve, opening your mind to more subtle believes like:
- the food I eat empowers me, I eat with respect and gratitude, in full consciousness and with moderation, and through this action I do my best for the environment.
- I feel good because I want it to be and believe in it,
- I love myself so I'm able to love the others and I'm loved because I love,
- I respect myself so I'm able to respect the others and I'm respected because I respect,
- I do not judge myself so I'm able not to judge the others and I'm not judged because I do not judge,
- I accept the way I'm so I'm able to accept the way the others -and situations- are and I'am accepted the way I am because I accept Life the way She comes to me,
 - I have the power to change my life, and the limits are infinite.

I believe the majority of the humanity is absolutely beautiful because it is authentic and true. Some people radiate so much care and love for the others, some do so much to improve the world!! They are a permanent inspiration, the beauty of their soul shines on us bringing protection and comfort...

We reveal our true beauty once we let the light get in and radiate through us, once we have understood that life is eternal, that we are One, and are experimenting this material life thanks to our body, a body that we have to take care of in the best way possible without never thinking it is limited (progress, healing, changes are always possible even in the smallest proportions).

Being always positive, optimistic, letting go of fears and anxiety related to social ladder, society uncertainty and insecurity, believing in our heart that everything is always possible and that we are valuable and loved, will help to make the changes we need for feeling great, beautiful, happy and peaceful in this very demanding world, and this no matter what are the latest dictates of the society and fashion.

The power and the choice of not being affected by others' high expectations is ours, we make the choice to be bothered or not and to belong to this big "circus"or not... We can all live a very simple, honest, peaceful and extremely pleasant life just by responding to true priorities and fulfilling simple needs.

Peace of mind for all of us :)

Organic Food, Environment, Fitness and Life Style

My involvement in a better future focusses also on eating organic or spray free food and preserving our environment. And my challenge is to convince the most people possible that eating the good stuff (mainly organic or spray free and cooked the right way) does not cost much more to our budget and for sure does cost much less to the environment than eating processed food packaged individually and none organic food. Also, very importantly, it improves our physical and mental health and the quality of the world around us.

More than two years ago, a bit as a family challenge but also because of some health issues I was going through, we decided to eat, where possible, only organic or spray free food and also to avoid eating almost all types of processed  food. Said like that it seems quite challenging in today's reality... But actually it sounds much more impressive than it really is! Yes, you need to put more of your time in the cooking process, need also maybe a bit more organisation, you have to re-think the way you do your grocery shopping as you'll spend less time in the supermarket and more in small local retailers, but the result after just 2 weeks of doing it and having started to adapt to this new way is SO rewarding!

First, you'll realise that cooking more is very pleasant and makes people around you happy. Also you'll start to feel free from the imperialism of big labels as you are in control of what you eat (no more preservatives, additives, nasty chemicals, artificial colorings, pesticides, abusive use of sugar, wrong cooking oils etc. etc.) then you'll realize that actually you can save money, yes you can...!!! I've noticed that lots of fruits and veggies that I buy at my organic shop are less expensive than non organic ones sold in supermarkets... so if you plan carefully by shopping some of your food at the supermarket, other at your local organic butcher and organic grocer, if you buy the right produces at the right time, season and place then you can really save money (indeed it's going to take a bit more of your time, but the experience of shopping will be much more enjoyable as you get a true connection with the local retailers). You can also save money because you bake more, you barely buy any more biscuits, crackers and others, which often accounts for a lot of our budget and filled up our bins with their packaging. So what a good surprise too, when you will be noticing that the amount of rubbish you produce has decreased radically! You can also adjust your budget allocated to meat by buying organic quality in smaller quantity than the quantity you use to buy your usual non organic bits. Decreasing the amount of meat consumption is excellent for health and the environment and when combined with organic quality it without no doubt, adds huge benefits!

The thought and sensation of doing the right things for our health and for the environment are an absolute reward! And on top of that when you combine the right amount of exercise you can be sure that you put all the best chances on your side of having a healthy and environmentally responsible lifestyle.

Buying fresh local produces promotes and supports the local economy, allows some traceability of the products, probably also, pushes others farmers to go for organic productions because the demand in organic food increases more and more. This increasing demand is the result of a better awareness of health issues triggered by pesticides, herbicides and other nasty chemicals, but also because we are now much more educated on environmental questions and issues than we used to be in the past.

You definetely can shop quality (fresh organic or non sprayed) products without spending more or much more, and not all foods need to be organic, but there are some which never should be eaten if non organic or non spray free. I wish you to find the way to reach this amazing feeling that doing the right things for our health and for the environment generates.

These are just small individually done things, but if we all do some and put them together, they will for sure contribute to a better living and a cleaner world. It is our responsibility to the future generations. Also being conscious of what we eat and eating what's good for us brings spirituality in our life, but also an amazing energy to enjoy life much more and to exercise with true pleasure because we are empowered by quality nutriments brought by real food.

Want to know more? then check out the following link: 15 reasons to eat organic food

Here are 2 lists which could help in choosing your produces if your food budget is tight.
20 Foods we should buy organic:                                       
1. Bananas
2. Kiwi
3. Mangoes
4. Papaya
5. Pineapple
6. Asparagus
7. Avocado
8. Broccoli
9. Cauliflower
10. Corn
11. Onions
12. Peas
13. Watermelon
14. Mushrooms
15. Grapefruit
16. sweet potatoes

16 Foods we don't need to buy organic :
1. Bananas
2. Kiwi
3. Mangoes
4. Papaya
5. Pineapple
6. Asparagus
7. Avocado
8. Broccoli
9. Cauliflower
10. Corn
11. Onions
12. Peas
13. Watermelon
14. Mushrooms
15. Grapefruit
16. sweet potatoes                       

Gilles Lartigot : Le pouvoir de l'alimentation (The power of food)

I wish this interview of Gilles Lartigot who wrote the best seller book Eat, would be translated in English for you to be able to enjoy it.

It has, from my point of view, everything we need to understand why what we eat and the way we eat have a direct influence on our physical and mental health and how it affects (or not) the environment.

It explains how important it is to eat in full consciousness and with repsect towards the food.

Here again love is a key. Eating our food with love, respect and in a healthy way changes the whole experience of eating. It brings more pleasure, more curiosity about food so much more diversity in our plates, more effective energy and bring spirituality to the moment. And above all this makes us feel healthier, stronger so we can be even powerful in our workouts. All good!
NB : I'll try to post an English summery of the interview in the next few days. 

Outdoors and exercise, why is it such a great combination?

Studies over the last 10 years have shown the benefits of outdoors exercising. Here are some very obvious conclusions of one of these studies that the Glasgow University in Scotland did: Glasgow University Studies

Being outside is not only good for boosting the mood, but it creates a connection (or re-connection) with what we belong to : Nature. By being aware of it, we can get an amazing amount of positive energy and a feel of total unicity.
While working out we activate all the "instinctive or primary" functions of our bodies, even often the focus on the body is so strong that we do not think about anything else at that very moment; only the body expresses and we can feel every bit working (we are aware of our breathing, the sweat and the heat it generates, aware of our heart beating, blood flow ect.), making us feel so alive. That is true in all circonstances of exercising (indoors or outdoors, alone or in team ect.).

When this happens and it's combined with an outdoor workout, the perception of aliveness increases in massive proportions. From my personal experience, feeling simultaneously what's going on inside of my body and what is around me, brings pure pleasure, satisfaction, joy and true sense of accomplishment. By being outside, we can feel the wind cooling us down, or just passing on us, feel the irregularity of the terrain underneath our feet, feel the shade of the trees, breathe their smells, hear the birds, see the colors of the world, feel the sun, the rain, the humidity, the heat... and combined with our internal feelings it generates a burst of raw sensations that make us realize how alive we are and how beautiful the experience and life around and inside us are. We feel one with everything and we are right here in the moment, in the present to make the most of it and get the best of it. We forget then all negativity or issues we are going through, we give our self a break free of worries which would help for example in a process of healing some mental illnesses.

Go out there, walk, run, bike, have rests, look around, touch the ground, the grass, the trees, the flowers and feel with your body and with your senses, do not intellectualize what you see or what you feel, just feel without putting words on it, just let it go through your body and with it. Feel the joy, the serenity, the peace, the perfection and smile at it :)

You'll be surprised after a few times doing it that this experience has positive impacts on all aspects of your life; you, for instance, will feel more relaxed, more gentle with yourself, accepting better who you are and how you look, less obsessed with little insignificant things, more in the action of the present moment and less preoccupied with the future, you'll feel proud of yourself... but not only; your level of fitness is going to increase very quickly because you take pleasure in being there and working out, pleasure that you will want to feel a bit longer every time you exercise again (thing that plays a big part in improving your performance thus your fitness level). You'll also start to eat differently, more healthy, and it will be a natural move for you because loving Nature means more respect for Her and more understanding of the idea that what is good for Her is good for you. Your whole lifestyle will benefit from it and you'll feel much happier, healthier, self-confident and in peace.

Exercising outside gives more chances to succeed in our fitness goals, but also to make the right changes to the way of a balanced, healthy and enjoyable lifestyle.

With my best wishes

Gregg Braden- Feeling Is The Prayer

Really inspiring. This way of thinkng can really change our life and how we feel about ourself and the "outside" world.