Mindful Journey - Week 2

In a not very mindful moment I just accidentally deleted my last mindfulness post!  I began a mindfulness course online through one on the Uni's here in Victoria and it's a 6 week course I am now in week two although I have forged ahead a little bit as its self paced and with 2 of my boys returning from holidays tomorrow I needed to get ahead. I am up to week 4.

I am noticing some amazing changes mostly with my senses. They all seem to be at a heightened state the more I practise the mindful exercises. I can hear birdsong on my walks in the bush easier and time almost slows down when I notice these things.

My vision seems sharper in that I am catching sight of Butterfly's and Blue Wrens and little red birds I cannot name that I might not have noticed on my walks before.

I am drinking more water and picking up hunger cues I missed prior.  I am now eating again initially just increased my very basic set meals but today I felt like expanding and cooked two old favourites. I had already walked 5 km and cycled to yoga and it was during the Savasana asana (that relaxing end bit). I realised I was starving and craving eggs.

Eggs, Mushrooms and Spinach on Sourdough.  24 hours prior I wasn't eating egg yolks bread was a one piece a week deal so this is pretty huge for me.

Yes, I did walk around the lake afterwards but that's ok, the market was on and it was a beautiful day.

This was dinner a tofu spicy stir fry.  The dietician I see wanted me to expand on the veggies I was consuming and add tofu which I love, I have noticed taste is really sharp since I've been focused on mindfulness.

I lost a lot of muscle and weight with recent stress, I don't think I've ever been this fit and I have always been very healthy and fairly fit but certainly I am no longer strong and I need to be super strong to do my work so my mission is to get strong fast so I can return to work. These meals high in protein and nutrition will mean I can slowly start to lift weights and rebuild muscle.

I am back at hot yoga a few times a week have also taken to Hatha yoga which I usually reserve for Summer and am back cycling every day, getting stronger.

Cycling is excellent for mindfulness in this town if your not sharp on the bike the cars pretty much run you down!! I am blessed in that I live so close to town I can cycle anywhere and do, the Library, shops, Yoga and Post Office. I have a few bikes for my purposes one is a 25 kilo vintage bike with no gears at all and two large baskets on it.  That baby builds leg muscle like nothing else.

 

In some other mindful moments from today, this I spotted on my walk, these gorgeous babies, the father Swan was in the background watching me and I had my dog so I was scared make no mistake (Swans are to be feared at all times particularly when babies in tow) however, I trusted something divine would protect me taking the picture as I stood in the middle of fearful dog and bold swan.

I also stopped the walk to do a mindfulness practise running through each of the senses;

The wind on my face.

The scent of the blossoms from the nearby trees and water.

The touch of my hands in my lap.

The view of the sparkly water.

The sound of the water lapping against the pontoon.

Then 5 deep breaths the out breath always longer and deeper than the in breath to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Calms everything down.

It was lovely actually and although I got the urge to cartwheel back to shore, very happy mood with this sunshine,  I held back and kept serene before continuing my walk.

I have better shots of my Tulips but wanted to explain this flower opens to the eastern sun and seems to close again as it gets to hot later in the day. Not that it's getting hot we have literally had 3 warmish days in 6 months but never the less that's what happens.  I was weeding next to these Tulips - there are 5 opened now and I heard this constant buzzing. I worked out a Bee had gotten stuck as the Tulip had closed much like a Fly trap plant but without the morbid end.  I gently opened the flower and Bee flew off.  I am pretty allergic to Bees so I was pretty happy it didn't sting me. Heightened hearing!

Just look at the centre, I feel like some  random stranger off the street has been in with a textas colouring in my flower to perfection, this is perfection for me and for me this is what life is about noticing the beauty in the simple things. You don't do this when consumed with thoughts particularly stressful ones.

I do wish I could get a decent shot on this iPhone camera but I've yet to actually work out how to use it, suffice to say the sunset looked much prettier in real life than on here it was such a magical moment.  Visual bliss.

I'm loving this course!

Spring 2015.

Still raining!!!! Everyone up here keeps saying not enough rain.  They need need to get over to my place, the clouds are hanging this way, constant drizzle!

I did get out in the garden this week to take some pictures during some moments when it briefly stopped.

I do love how my Russell Lupin leaves catch the rain though, one of our more scientific garden helpers at the school explained how this works once a couple of years back, I can't re explain as I didn't retain the information, it's more fun for kids with Nastursians and cabbage leaves. I remember having hours of fun with a bit of water and Mums Nastursian leaves.  Clearly no Internet when I was a kid!

One of my weirder Daffodils. 

Such a cheap pot! Happy flowers, no clients to greet for them right now, hopefully soon.

Wish I clever and could make eczema creme with these Marigolds for the first time since a baby my youngest has broken out with a nasty patch of eczema & it I prefer the natural methods first.  Although it's so bad you just have to treat before it gets too bad. Maybe I might boil some flowers up and research for later on.

I think I brought about 10 other varieties of these Hellebores last year I must go searching for where they were planted.  Maybe under all the weeds I suspect...

Typical cat has to stand right in the weeds for a picture.

Plates are broken so often in this house - kids dry the dishes, I have decide they look better in the garden in a bare spot than in the recycle bin. Might look better with a plant in front of it.

Chooks have started laying again, right when my sports mad eldest has decided he's sick of eating eggs and I have stopped eating them! Must be a sign it's time to start eating them again!