Four Months Gluten Free!

I find it absolutely unbelievable that I've seen such benefit from becoming gluten free. The biggest plus, of course, is that my pain goes from non-existent to manageable. I have not had a huge flare up for over four weeks, even with gardening! That is just huge.

What it makes me wonder is how much of our diets affect who we are, how we feel, how we behave, and how we view the world around us. I have found that the world looks a bit brighter, even on bad days, than it did four months ago when I was in the throes of unmanageable pain. The medication that I take for managing my pain has decreased, and my hope is that the longer I'm on this diet, I will be able to cut it out of my life once and for all.

I look at the future with rose-colored glasses when I feel this good, which worries my hubby, since I crash when I have a flare-up. But I do believe with a positive attitude, my need for medication will be a thing of the past. (Jeff, if you're reading this: Don't worry, I'll take my medication so that I'm nice to be around!)

The only thing I miss on occasion is being able to go to a restaurant and order anything off the regular menu without a thought of what I'm putting in my body. I guess the up-side of this is that I am practicing being more mindful which of course brings me back to the present.

Note to everyone who is reading this: Please know I don't live this positively all the time , but it is my intention to catch myself when my mind goes in a bad neighborhood without backup, so I can calmly bring myself back to center and focus what is around me. I hope you all are taking the time to enjoy October and the beautiful leaves and their brilliance of colors. Namaste.

Compartmentalizing Feelings

It seems that when I have time to blog, I go on a frenzy and blog all the time. But since school started up again, my teaching job and home responsibilities of course have become my priority. So I finally decided that I needed to blog about different parts of my life that are separate, but also make up who I am. Who we all are.

More often than not, I have not been able to compartmentalize my life: Family, work, friends, etc... If one area of my life was off, my entire being would be down the toilet. But yoga has helped me to be able to differentiate what is important at the current time: my family, my friends, my work, and my alone time. If one area is suffering, I try to remember that the people I am with at the moment (including myself) are the most important people in that given time and space. To not devote my all to those people would be cheating myself out of a wonderful experience. Each person that comes into my life has been put there for a reason. I do not believe in coincidences or accidents. The good and bad all have a purpose. How we choose to deal with each situation is up to us.

Again, I bring this all back to yoga. When I find myself in the middle of a maelstrom inside my head, I have to physically stop myself and breathe--and to do it well, I need to find a quiet place to close my eyes and breathe in healing energy, then as I exhale, remove all the negative thoughts and the weights that are on my shoulders. This mindfulness is vital if I am to stay centered within my day. Mantra for the day:  I will enjoy every encounter I have today and be present with all of my being. Namaste.