zenthoughts

This little book is a daring approach to eating and losing weight, except that it is not a diet book. Instead, it is an application in the context of Zen about healthy food and eating habits that should be part of everyone’s life. It provides anyone the framework for achieving their ideal weight.

Eat Smart starts with the basic proposition that most of the diets we are bombarded with daily on television, in books and other media just don’t work! They just don’t. And the dieters who appear to benefit generally gain all the lost weight right back. The Zen Anti-Diet is a practice of learning to be mindful of what you are putting into your body and allowing your body to reach a natural state of peace and contentment.

Fundamental point of this book is about Zen and becoming attuned to the present moment. Practicing the Zen Anti-Diet is a recipe for happiness, health and long life

 Aaron Hoopes’ book Eat Smart is a holistic approach to eating which follows the precepts of Zen in its emphasis on experiencing the present moment and on connecting with the core of one’s being.

Starting at the most basic levels, Mr. Hoopes counsels a slowing down of the food consumption process and underlines the importance of water in the human circulatory system. He suggests maintaining a peaceful and happy environment for eating and urges you to pay attention to the usually unheralded nutritional value of chewing longer. He also recommends you try to avoid achieving sensations of fullness by being mindful of the timing and the size of your meals.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the book is to refrain from consuming the many additives, chemicals and poisons found in processed foods.

Hoopes provides a number of exercises to help imprint the Zen Anti-Diet concept in your mind and offers tools to enhance the beneficial habits of food consumption.

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There are those who spend their day

Living in a different way

Apart from all the hectic noise

Away from shows and ads and toys

Away from stores and shops and such

They have enough, they don’t need much

They touch the soul of Mother Earth

They live in peace and joy and mirth

In their hearts no room for fear

Theirs eyes are bright, their thoughts are clear

Each step they take the ground is kissed

These walkers in the sacred mist

A lot of emphasis has been put on the winter solstice of 2012 as a point of transition, but like the moon that is full three days before and three days after the actual full moon, we have already entered this significant time.  The ancient Vedic texts called this time the Kali Yuga, a time when humanity has reached the depths of selfish materialism. I don’t think there is any doubt that we are seeing this unfold before our eyes daily…and yet still most people seem oblivious to the tremendous changes that are taking place. It has been determined that on the solstice of 2012 the Earth will come into precise alignment with the galactic center. What this means exactly is up for debate. However, one thing that is becoming clear is that there are going to be significant fundamental changes to our lives and the way we live. I’m beginning to look at this time as a moment of opportunity for consicous evolution. It is there waiting for those who are ready for it while everyone else will be caught up in the fear and chaos of the changes. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we get our own house in order. We need to have our physical body in a healthy state - srtong, flexible and free of chemicals and poisons….and we need our mind calm, clear and able to react to whatever situations we are presented with… Most importantly, we need to open our hearts and reconnect with the Earth. For to long we have taken from her for our selfish needs without acknowledgement of the lifeforce energy she provides us. The Earth will survive for millennia to come, if the human race is to continue to have a purpose on this planet we need to get our act together. We have passed the time for debate about whether climate change, overpopulation and depleted resources are real problems. If you think that we will soon be returning to unlimited economic growth, rampant expansion and magic technological breakthroughs that will end our dependency on fossil fuel…please simply ignore this.

  Too busy to relax they say

Complaints, excuses everyday

They sound so weak, so stressed, so tired

A mundane world in which they’re mired

No time to sit and just be quiet

Their mind’s a rush of thoughts, a riot

No chance they have to hear the sound

Of nature’s wonder all around

Of birds and trees and clouds and air

Too much work, it’s just not fair

This really seems quite sad to me

So much to do, no time to be 

Breathe I say and move a bit

Then after that we can just sit

And watch the world at its own pace

There is no rush, it’s not a race

And if it were, what is the goal?

Where are you going mind, body, soul? 

Too busy to relax I hear

These words seem like they’re based in fear

Tired, weak and too much stress

How did our lives turn such a mess?

We don’t need to look above

To find a place that’s based in love

Turn instead and look within

Find your self, it is no sin

Forgive, let go, open your heart

It is the only place to start

Think on that and you might find

Throughout your life you have been blind

Breathe I say and move some more

Run, walk, jump, stretch on the floor

Move your body, get up and go

Feel the energy, let it flow

Don’t get caught in negative

Habits that won’t let you live 

Too busy to relax? Not true!

This hoax must end, it starts with you

If all you do is just the same

You never will escape this game

Do something new, do something Zen

Begin right now, not ‘if’ or ‘when’

Do one thing different, or two, or five

Change how you live, become alive

Do or do not, there is no try

Step off the cliff and start to fly

Begin with this, you won’t go wrong

Remember to breathe, deep and long. ©Aaron Hoopes

So, another holiday season is upon us…yet this one seems different somehow. Obviously there are a lot of things happening in this world that are having significant impact on many people.

Usually we want to think of the holidays as a time of joy and happiness, however, more often than not the holidays can stir up quite a lot of stress. Combine this with a general uncertainty about the future and we can find ourselves a little overwhelmed.

Fortunately, just as it feels as if things are unravelling, there is also something quite amazing taking place. We are beginning to sense a shift in consciousness. No longer are the old patterns working for us and many people are starting to look for answers deeper within.

Obviously this is a long process, but there can be no doubt that things are accelerating.

It would serve all of us this holiday season to try to be a little more forgiving and humble in our thoughts and actions. We always have a choice as to how we react in any given situation. Everyone has felt the energy change when an angry person walks into a room. Everyone gets a little on edge. Remember…this dynamic works both ways. If we can find a calm center within ourselves, then we give others a reference point to find calmness within their own selves. The holidays really need to be about cultivating peace and harmony in the world. Finding faults in others or laying blame for things elsewhere simply creates friction and unease.

Like dropping a pebble into a pool of water and watching the ripples spread out, we determine the ripples we send to the people around us. Let it then be positive and loving.

I wish you happiness, health and peace for this holiday season

…and as always…
Remember to Breathe!

Aaron Hoopes
http://www.artofzenyoga.com/

Most people are familiar with the Yin/Yang symbol, sometimes called the Tao. The curved black and white flowing together with a spot of the other in the center.

The symbol expresses the movement back and forth from light to dark…Like a pendulum swinging, our lives are often a reflection of this back and forth movement.

In life however, the trick is to travel along the curve between the two, never slipping too far in either direction, for that only makes the pendulum’s swing become more pronounced…

Peace generating practices such as Zen Yoga, tai chi and meditation are a wonderful way to cultivate this.

A fit, healthy body and a calm, clear mind lay the fertile ground for our spiritual nature to grow and develop –zin

One of the biggest hurdles we face when making life changes in body fitness is starting from a negative.

The first step is to approve of the body you have right at this moment - NOT the body you want, NOT the body you are going to have in six months after you work out, NOT the body you had last year or ten years ago, but the body you have right NOW.

Oh no!…you say…OH YES!…that body with the belly that pops over the belt buckle or the thighs that rub together, or with the yellow stained teeth, or whatever you think is wrong with you.

Regardless of all the faults, real or imagined, it is the only body you have.
And here you are…alive.

If you have to live with it, you might as well come to terms with it instead of fighting it.

Acceptance of that fact is like opening a door to a new world.

Imagine a line of numbers

-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Zero is the center point..the place to begin so you can go up into positive numbers.

Instead, if you begin with a negative number, you spend all of your time trying to get to zero, so you can begin.

Your body…right now…exactly as it is….is zero.
From zero…go up.

How strong, how fit, how healthy you are is how strong, fit and healthy you are.

Start from there.

Everyone can do some sort of breath and movement practice in order to start the process of getting the body feeling better.

www.artofzenyoga.com

The new book by Aaron Hoopes, founder of Zen Yoga is called Eat Smart: The Zen Anti-Diet. It is a practice of learning to be mindful of what you are putting into your body and allowing your body to reach a natural state of peace and contentment.Fundamental point of this book is about Zen and becoming attuned to the present moment. Practicing the Zen Anti-Diet is a recipe for happiness, health and long life.

The book is a holistic approach to eating which follows the precepts of Zen in its emphasis on experiencing the present moment and on connecting with the core of one’s being.Starting at the most basic levels, Mr. Hoopes counsels a slowing down of the food consumption process and underlines the importance of water in the human circulatory system. He suggests maintaining a peaceful and happy environment for eating and urges you to pay attention to the usually unheralded nutritional value of chewing longer. He also recommends you try to avoid achieving sensations of fullness by being mindful of the timing and the size of your meals.

ORDER NOW!

“We meet people for a reason, we meet people for a season…and sometimes we meet people for life.”

I don’t really know where this quote came from but it is very true. All of our relationships fall into one of these spaces. Sometimes they overlap. It can be challenging when we think the relationship is supposed to last for life and instead it falls into one of the others.
At times like this it is important to protect your heart center and care for your own energy. We can get very weakened when a relationship ends. Breathe deeply and allow the passage of time to heals the wounds.

in peace,
Zin

Recently I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the idea of living in a state of happiness and peace. The world is a hectic and stressful place and if we don’t allow ourselves time to cultivate our inner calm we set ourselves up for conflict and pain. When there is too much anger and unhappiness things fall out of balance. In order to restore the balance we need to start by looking inward.

How do we do this?

Imagine a door. This door is deep within us. Behind that door lies the potentiality of perfection. It is based in love and formed out of joy and happiness for all things. When the door is open we glimpse the vistas of unending possibilities based on living in the present moment. Sadly, for many people this door is often locked. The weight of obligations, stresses of life and a lack of care for personal wellbeing conspire to keep it sealed tight. We find ourselves banging on the door with no way to open it.

Now, imagine a key. This key is also within us. It is the key that fits the lock on the door. This key is the vital energy of the universe. We can use this key to unlock the door. Unfortunately, access to the key can be a problem. As with real life, keys can be lost or misplaced. Sometimes the key becomes so rusty that it won’t even fit into the lock. Maybe we have too many keys and spend all our time trying to figure out which one fits the lock. In frustration, as a last resort, we might use a paperclip to try and pick the lock.

What we really need to do is to take better care of our key. If we can put the key in a safe place and keep it free of rust and grime we can then use it whenever we need it to open the door and reach that place of happiness and joy.

How do we do this?

As with most things, it starts with breathing. (You really didn’t think I was talking about anything else, did you?) Every so often we need to slow down and take a deep breath. Not a big puff into the chest, but a deep abdominal breath that fills the body up from the belly. The breath is our connection to the energy. It brings us into the present moment and aligns our mind with our body. From there we can begin to explore the other things we need to do to connect with our selves.

Remember to Breathe!