MOM's SEATED DEEP RELAXATION

I invite you to take a seat at your favorite MOM'S COSMIC DINER booth for your de-stressing session...

*Click here

HAWK TOTEM

When my computer crashed it took all my spiritual practices to stay focused, savoring the present and not freak out. Especially since I've been lax in saving my files. Can you relate?

Meditation, yoga, tai chi, deep breathing, attitude adjustments and becoming a hawk helped. Now you may be wondering what I meant when I wrote "becoming a hawk." The Native Americans believe that animals, each with their unique qualities can teach and guide us. Hawk energy is the ability to hover high above one's life to "see" the entire landscape, the whole picture. And in doing so, this awareness helps in dealing with arising challenges. 

Next time a mini-crisis or shift happens, close your eyes, breath deeply then spread out your wings and soar like a hawk for a different perspective. 

(P.S. My computer is back from the Apple Hospital and it's like taking care of a newborn who has no memory.)

EXPANSION VERSUS CONTRACTION

In these trying economic times it seems as though the energy being generated is contraction. A pulling in, tightening, dwindling... OUCH, it hurts even typing this information. In my previous post *"We Have the Power to Manifest," I write how humans are manifesting beings. We also have the ability to live our lives with the tool called consciousness. Yes, it's a tool especially when we know contraction's opposite force is ~ expansion ~.

When we shift our own energy into expansiveness then we begin to move away from the delusion, "the world has scarcity." One just needs to see nature in action to know her life force is growth. So how do we become more expansive and abundant in our own life? 

1. Smile when you meet people. A smiling face is contagious. It's easy, free and it releases endorphins to that person with the upturn mouth.
   
2. Do good. Be good. Donate your time, even in small ways. Actions create reactions.
3. Visualize what you desire with clarity. 
4. Take time everyday to feel grateful for what is positive and works in your life. 
5. Ignore negativity; since it feeds on attention.
6. Invite your friends for an ongoing weekly "potluck meal" and in the sharing you all create abundance, laughter and a continued shift in energy.
7. In your workplace or home, have a healthy plant or vase of even one flower to tune-in to nature's beauty and vibration.
8. LAUGH. Rent movies that move your breath into the belly. Belly laughter is actually the yogic "Bellows Breath". Your brain will release uplifting mood-elevating chemicals and you'll also be cleansing the bottom portion of the lungs.
9. Create community. Be part of something greater than yourself.
10. See yourself as a glowing light-being emanating love outwards from your heart center.

When you invite the above tips into your life, positive changes will occur.

In MOM'S COSMIC DINER we love it when customers share their feedback. 

Looking forward to your discussion as I sip delicious rose tea.

MOM

MMMM... TASTY LITTLE NUGGETS

FYI: The Car = Your Life

So there you are in your car's driver's seat, barreling down a windy road.  You're busy turning the steering wheel left to right when you realize it isn't attached to the vehicle. Mmmm, perhaps it's  time to STOP, LET GO, and TRUST in your HIGHER POWER ; who happens to be a great mechanic.

MOM'S FAVORITE JUKEBOX SELECTION

We offer an eclectic, musical mix at Mom's Cosmic Diner.

Here's one of my favorites. MOM

Click here to listen to Regina Specktor

TODAY'S MENU SPECIAL

Scrumptious Broccoli Soup (4 servings)

Ingredients:

6 cups water or vegetable stock

4 cups broccoli flowerettes (Click here for benefits)

1 medium onion chopped

1 cup raw cashews, roasted (in frying pan on medium heat until golden)

3/4 cup celery, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

2 teaspoons celtic salt (to taste)

1 teaspoon fresh dill minced

pinch red pepper flakes

Add water or stock, broccoli, onion, celery and garlic to a large pot .

Cook over medium/high heat until all vegetables are soft, stir occasionally.

Remove from heat, cool 10-15 minutes.

Place in blender, add roasted cashews, blend until texture is creamy. (Blend in batches: starting with low speed then increasing until smooth).

Return to pot, add remaining ingredients and stir well.

ENJOY

MMMMM...TASTY LITTLE NUGGETS

"Life is like shifting sands and... sometimes you need a snorkel." MOM

THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

An early Tai Chi master once wrote... "The ultimate purpose of learning Tai Chi was to live forever in the spring season of your life."

THE BIG PICTURE

In my Mind Over Matters Workshop we fine-tune our attitudes with "THE BIG PICTURE." Whenever we seem "stuck", hyper-focusing or "looping" the same thoughts in our minds, why not see this particular time as... one piece of the puzzle that is the entire story of our life. 

When we have this awareness we can bring a new and powerful perspective on what seems to be an overwhelming problem. Our thoughts have an immediate effect on our body. Feeling stuck is being in a state-of-contraction (tightness). Our muscles will begin to tighten up (shoulders, neck, lower back), blood vessels will constrict (headaches), our digestive organs will become sluggish (stomach-ache, indigestion). HELP IS ON THE WAY... by consciously remembering this specific time is a small piece of the entire picture of your journey; you'll create a feeling of expansiveness. And the body will be in a state-of-ease.

Here's a helpful TIP to remember this concept. When in this "stuck space" you can hold or visualize a jigsaw puzzle piece in your hand. This will change the thought pattern and bring awareness back to the BIG PICTURE.

"In reality... the only thing we can really control is our attitude." MOM

MMMMM, TASTY LITTLE NUGGETS

A Mom's Spiritual Lesson

Once upon a time there was a little boy who adored his father and shared his Dad's passion for fancy cars. The father worked long hours for many years so he could buy the car of his dreams. One evening when the boy was ten years old he heard an unfamiliar honk from the driveway. When he looked out his bedroom window he saw his father in a shiny, new German vehicle. He flew down the stairs... there stood his mother by the front door. She embraced him and whispered in his ear, "Remember, cars don't hug."

RX for HOLDING ON

Are you holding on to something that's just not working in your life? A belief, person, job, learned behavior *(glommer) or an attitude that's holding you back? If so, here's a great image to help you release the negativity. Visualize your hand squeezed tight as it's holding a ball until it hurts. Then begin to open each finger allowing the ball to fall away. Feel the total release of constriction in your hand. Now you're ready to catch something great that's coming your way.

*Glommer is my description on what happens to our souls as we grow-up on Planet Earth. As children we often accept negative descriptions and/or actions from others and adopt them as our own truths. These "glommers" are like sticky scales that attach one by one onto our psyche. (When in this state we look as if we're related to armadillos.)

Through daily practices like: yoga, tai chi, mindfulness, moving, sitting and laughing meditation we can begin to release each glommer... the gift is the incredible lightness of being and BE-IN one with your higher-self.

TODAY'S MENU SPECIAL

MOM'S Famous Cesar Salad

Ingredients:

3 heads Romaine Lettuce (washed, dried, bite-size pieces)

6-8 cloves garlic finely chopped

2 eggs 

1/3 cup virgin, cold pressed, Olive Oil

1/3 lemon's juice

1 cup Asiago Cheese grated

3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1 tin flat anchovies

salt and cracked pepper to taste

Prepare romaine lettuce and place in large salad bowl

Put eggs into small pot with water; cook on high flame for 2 minutes. Remove and separate egg yolks in medium-size mixing bowl.

Add olive oil, anchovies (with it's oil) and garlic; beat well and set aside.

Grate cheese in separate bowl and set aside.

Add the above to romaine with Balsamic Vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce, and lemon juice; toss until leaves are coated.

Add cheese, salt and cracked pepper to taste. Toss well.

This salad is also wonderful with grilled fish, chicken, etc. 

ENJOY!

WELLESLEY's SUNDAY FUNNY

Above is MOM'S COSMIC DINER's mascot and his favorite cartoonist.

*Click here for a romp in the Bark Park.

TAI CHI FOR A BETTER BRAIN

Dr. Andrew Weil wrote this article... and Mom agrees!

Tai Chi for a Better Brain

This traditional Chinese martial art may do more than keep seniors strong, flexible and mobile. A new study from China found that practicing tai chi three times a week can increase brain volume and improve both memory and cognitive function. Researchers at Shanghai's Fudan University and a team from the University of South Florida conducted an eight-month trial comparing a group of Chinese seniors who regularly practiced tai chi with a control group that did not. The trial was the first to demonstrate that tai chi could result in improved memory and increased brain volume. Previous studies have shown that aerobic exercise can lead to an increase in brain volume, and some improvements in thinking were seen in seniors who participated in a discussion group that met three times a week. The researchers noted that gradual cognitive deterioration and dementia are associated with brain shrinkage. They said that the group that did not participate in tai chi or discussions showed a decrease in brain mass consistent with their age. The study was published June 19, 2012 in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 

My take? I've long viewed tai chi as an effective exercise for both mental and physical stimulation, and I often recommend it to promote flexibility, balance, stress reduction and relaxation. This study's findings suggest that practicing tai chi can do much more for seniors. If further study reveals that it consistently leads to increases in brain volume and improvements in memory and thinking skills, it may become a core therapy to help seniors maintain their intellectual as well as their physical health.

Click here for more info on MOM's Tai Chi for Enlighteners DVD Program...

http://www.enlighteners.com/


Below is a link to MOM teaching the Wu Round Form to some of her advanced students...
https://vimeo.com/137029380

MAJORITY RULES

Sri Swami Satchidananda in his wisdom would say,

"When you point your finger at someone whether mentally or physically... 

~ there's one thumb that represents your belief (higher power), 
~ there's one index finger that is you pointing at the object,
~ however there's three fingers pointing back at you, majority rules!"

A great time to think about what you need to learn from the situation aka spiritual lesson!

*Click here to learn more about Sri Swami Satchidananda's teachings

MOM's MENU SPECIAL

MOM’S COSMIC DINER MISO DRESSING

2 Cups filtered water

1/3 Cup safflower / canola oil

1 Cup organic carrots or substitute with daikon radish 

1/3 Cup onion

2 Tblsp umeboshi plum vinegar or apple cider vinegar

3 Cloves of garlic

3 Tblsp raw tahini (sesame seed paste)

3-4 Heaping tblsp mellow miso (can add more)

½ Squeezed lemon

Optional: 1/3-cup fresh cilantro or substitute with parsley

Put all the ingredients in a blender and puree. Store in glass container and refrigerate.  (Can be stored in refrigerator for 2 weeks).

And remember what MOM says…

“This veggie dressing will make your taste-buds hum”

 ~  Miso is an important fermented soybean product that has the following nutritional  benefits:

• Protein (reduces blood cholesterol, maintains elasticity of blood vessels, prevents cerebral apoplexy)
  
• Vitamin B2 (promotes oxidization reduction in the body)
  
• Vitamin B12 (help blood formation, reduces mental fatigue)
  
• Vitamin E (inhibit generation of lipid peroxide, anti-aging)
  
• Enzymes (helps digestion)
• Saponin (inhibit generation of lipid peroxide, reduces blood cholesterol, prevents hardening of arteries, prevents hepatopathy)
• Trypsin Inhibitor (anti-cancer, prevents diabetes)
• Isoflavon (deoxidization, alleviates stiff neck and shoulders, helps to prevent breast cancer)
• Lecithin (reduces blood cholesterol, prevents hardening of the arteries, prevents senile deterioration)
• Colin (prevents fatty liver, anti–aging)
• Prostaglandin E (prevents high blood pressure)

JACK-in-the-BOX

I'm  a "dinosaur" with modern technology especially when on my computer. It doesn't come naturally. I'm in awe of the Post-Baby-Boomers' wizard-like abilities. It's as if they arrived with every chip in place. There I was thinking those thoughts while on line waiting for my turn at Apple's Genius Bar. I had dutifully typed my name into the store's computer and pressed ENTER as I reconfirmed my appointment, when suddenly the lights flickered and the electricity went off.

Everyone in the store stood completely still for a few moments. After awhile the people who were playing on the newer computer models left. There were about fifteen of us who had appointments with the Geniuses. We were all  loaded down with our computers, cables, external hard-drives, etc. and were determined to wait out the outage and get our fixes.

The first thing I noticed... our names weren't being called-out for an obvious reason, the large screen with that information was black. So, there we stood as if frozen in time. After my observation I walked up to the "bar" and asked a young man wearing his black, tee shirt with the "GENIUS"  logo and hanging from his neck was his name tag, "Jonathan, by any chance do you have a piece of paper and a pen?".

Jonathan gave me a quizzical look as I continued, "We all seem to have our own computers which still have battery power and I thought we could jot down a list-of-names. And then you and the others would be able to assist us.".

It was at that moment I realized this was a perfect example of the "Jack-in-the-Box Syndrome". It seemed as though without the network in place there was a lack of creative thought process to keep the "system" moving. Maybe it's from years of being in front of computer screens. Could the screen create a box around our minds? 

It was an A-HA moment and understood that being "Jacqueline-out-of- the-Box" was advantageous. Allowing the mind to be a free agent with lots of space to roam in. 

With this written I do want to add... this "Jacqueline "very much appreciates the gifts of the younger generation. Yesterday, I once again found myself at the Genius Bar. 

WHO'S DRIVING THE CAR

FYI: The Car = Your Life

So there you are in your car's driver's seat, barreling down a windy road. You're busy turning the steering wheel left to right when you realize it isn't attached to the vehicle. Mmmm...  perhaps it's  time to STOP, LET GO and TRUST in your HIGHER POWER, who happens to be a great mechanic.

MMMM...TASTY LITTLE NUGGETS

Here's what is written on the back of every menu in MOM'S COSMIC DINER...

"If you know of anyone on the spiritual path and they seem loaded down with heaviness ~ just point them in the direction of MOM'S COSMIC DINER. Next time you see them, they just may be skipping." MOM