The Experiment: Day 103 ~ Meditation, Mindfulness, Peace and Ease (And NSV!)

Day 2 of the 30 day meditation challenge. I am starting the year off with with teacher Susan Piver of The Open Heart Project.

I lit a candle — in this practice you meditate with your eyes softly open gazing upon a fixed point. For me, it is the candle flame. You meditate with your eyes open because this is a practice of awareness. I meditated for 10 minutes until the gong sounded at the end. I am sitting here very peaceful. What I like about the words above, “Just Be” is that they show all the activity in the world around us, swirling, crowding in, but a meditation practice helps you Just Be in the moment. You follow your breath, your whole being is centered on the breath, breathing in, breathing out, for those 10 minutes nothing else exists. You end the meditation at peace in a profound way, and it stays with you once the meditation period is over. I am so calm right now, I am at the state that I seek and want to maintain, a state of peace and ease. I walk into my day gently, silently, no rushing, no wayward emotions, nothing but this moment, right now. In this moment there is all the peace that one might ever have in the world.

In this moment the pugs are sleeping and snoring around me. I gaze out the windows to watch a steady stream of birds coming and going at the feeders, my fireplace app that I live with every day is popping and crackling, my little heater beside me hums as it warms me, my Christmas tree lights still blink and bring me joy. I have written all the little movements and small moments so far in this day in my logbook. I have picked my Journey of Love Oracle Card today, it is called “She is The Moon,” and counsels me about the wisdom of patience, about the fact that things are happening in my life in perfect timing. I can see that though it is hard. My weight has been stalled for weeks even though I am eating perfectly on the ketogenic diet. It is so frustrating, but I know other good things are happening in my body. I have an appointment for a physical at 1:30 today. It will be good to have everything checked out and charted, all areas of my health, my bloodwork. This is a perfect time, nearly 3 months in and roughly 25 pounds down, to check other areas of my health. It is not happening fast enough for me, but weight is only one factor. I just have to do everything right each day and I am, and I must be patient as this body which has been very overweight for some time is finding out how to adapt to this new way of eating when everything in my body is changing. Stalling is a normal part of the process. I must have patience.

In this moment, just after meditating, I am noticing something rather astonishing. I feel no pressure about anything at all. I am so at peace, I just am. Letting go of all the plans I had about building my mentoring business again at the present time is such a blessing. This is the year I focus on my body, mind, and spirit, allowing each to come to a place of wellness that will create a new balance in my life. So many people push, push, push, rush, rush, rush, promote, promote, promote and their lives are a frantic search to make more, more, more. We all need to be able to survive, to pay our bills, but this year is an experiment in doing my work with all the love in my heart and then being open to receiving what comes to me in return. The Universe is full of delights and surprises!

Later…

Well it is now 8 p.m. I didn’t have time to finish the post before going to the doctor and oh mercy me was my appointment ever good! It was full of what we call Non-Scale Victories (NSV)! And she loves keto! She knows a lot about it. She told me not to worry about hitting plateaus, that it’s normal, and that 25 pounds in less than 3 months was great! She said it’s much better for you to lose slower. And her daughter had a health problem for years, a serious one, and she went on the ketogenic diet and it completely reversed, it was a miracle, and she feels great today. My blood pressure has never been high, always normal, until about the last 6 months or so. It wasn’t high high but it was pretty high for me. Well it dropped 30 points and I am normal again! AND my A1C was 5.5, NORMAL, I’ve been pre-diabetic for the last 3 years. I am totally in the normal range now. The doctor was amazed and thrilled. And she told me to keep on keeping on keto! She thinks my numbers will be really good with all my bloodwork, I’ll get those results in the next couple of days. But the ketogenic diet is the best gift I gave myself in 2017 and now I’m committed to it for life. It’s thrilling!

I will leave you all here with a hug and a goodnight and sweet dreams. I’m ready to tuck in with the dogs and watch  Mindfulness: Be Happy Now again for the 3rd time. Oh, it is SO good! I’m going to take notes tonight. Adding daily meditation to the ketogenic diet will improve my health and well-being a lot. It feels so good to be taking care of myself. It’s all part of a deeply spiritual journey I’m on and it feels so good…

 

The Experiment ~A 365 Day Search For Truth, Beauty &
Happiness: Day 1 ~ Introduction To The Project
“Do or do not. There is no try.”
Yoda

Comments

  1. Oh how exciting for you Maitri after your doctor’s appointment. I am so happy for you. My friend Jane is on it too.

    Who is starting a new year of blogging? I’m curious.
    I so agree with you about no pushing anymore. I tried the marketing, not very successfully though. I did a newsletter and other things. It didn’t work. I finally let go and it feels so much more peaceful. I want to JUST BE too. I’m practicing with it.

    Love, Jean

    • Hello Dear Jean and thank you so much honey, it was good news indeed. And I believe my ketogenic diet and my daily meditation practice together are going to do amazing things for me in the coming year. I am completely committed to both. And I don’t know who all might be blogging but I’d love to find out so I can check out their blogs! And yes, no more pushing and stressing, I am going to do my work with love, offer it from an open heart, and be open to receiving all the goodness the Universe will surely send me. I believe that when we give all that we can from an open, loving heart we receive blessings as a natural flow of energy that exists. I believe this to be true. I hope you have a beautiful year ahead dear Jean. And yes love, Just Be…

  2. Oh!!!!!! How I wish I could get going on the Keto Program I so need to lose weight it seems to be the one thing that keeps me in such a bad place. No I don’t want to go to your party, No I don’t want to go out for dinner, No I don’t want to do this and that ……All because my clothes are to tight and yet each day I do nothing about it. I am a bad one for skipping meals I had no breakfast, no lunch as I normally do and then I eat a huge dinner and it does not stop until I fall asleep. I know this is all wrong. I said I was going to go to Nutra Systems today but I did not do that instead about 4:00 P.M. I went and got a Chicken Salad Sandwich and a small pint of potato salad. No Control…..None and I did not say on New Years Eve I would go on a diet I have done that for forty plus years and I am still fighting the battle of the bulge. So Happy for you that you are going strong and committed to your new way of eating. I need something that is easy and I don’t have to do a lot of prep of food. I did buy the Keto Reset Diet Book it is sitting on the nightstand by my bed…….
    Such good news for you today, you do deserve to be proud of yourself…….Hugs..JIM

    • Ah, my darling Jim… FIRST of all you can do anything you set your mind to. It is a choice. The choice is in your hands.

      Next, you can eat keto and still go to the party, still go out to dinner, still live your life fully. The ketogenic lifestyle is not one of subtractions, it is about what you receive, weight loss, enhanced health, amazing mind transformations, so much more.

      It is a choice. And I’m not here to tell YOU what you SHOULD choose, only you can decide that, but do know that it is within your power. You could commit to trying it for one month and just see where you land with it. It has so completely changed my life in so many ways I consider it a great gift and a blessing. It is my choice for life. I will never go back. I don’t miss certain foods, I feel grateful everyday for all I CAN have — and it’s a lot! — and for my health improvements and how good I am feeling mentally and physically. I will never go back. Go back to what? This is for me, if it’s for you one day you will wake up and decide to do it. If yours is another path I bless you on your journey.

      Much love to you honey. May beautiful blessings be yours in 2018…

  3. Maitri–first of all, thank you for sharing your heart with us….that takes courage and love. I tried to find “Mindfulness-Be Happy Now” on Netflix, but, alas, it is not there–however I found a Nature Vision-Sky Paintings video that I can mediate with–so I am thankful for being lead to that space.

    I am very interested in your Keto diet–would you be able to share a general idea of what you have for the 3 meals a day–I have been on line researching Keto and there are just so many interpretations…yours seems to be working–based on your excellent results from the doctor!

    I thank you for whatever you are able to share and understand if you are not….again, many blessings to you–I read you every day….you are a light in the darkness….Barb

    • Hello Dear Barb,

      First of all I watched the Mindfulness video on amazon. Are you an amazon Prime member? I couldn’t live without it! And you get a lot of videos for free but I actually paid a rental fee for the three days, a couple of dollars I think but I will be watching it for the 4th time tonight before the rental runs out. This is one I’d consider buying!

      Next, Keto. When I started in October I found, like you, that there were so many people telling you what to do and they all conflicted. I now essentially follow one person, Casey Durango. She lost over 100 pounds in 4 years and works very closely with Dr. Eric Westman of Duke University who is an expert in keto and has treated hundreds (maybe more, thousands?) of people with the ketogenic diet. Watch his videos and Casey’s on youtube. They are free and stick to their advice and leave the rest. I am also a Patron for Casey and get her videos every morning and so much more. This has helped me tremendously.

      Casey on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrgWwBHZYlZ9oOs5EoI7CFA
      Casey’s website and blog: https://caseydurango.com/
      Casey on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GoKetoWithCasey
      Dr. Eric Westman: This is the MUST WATCH video when you are going on keto. You can subscribe to his channel from this one video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNZsfluh0Uo&t=58s

      I hope this helps honey, these things will really get you going. These are the people I follow and what I do and the only ones I can really recommend. I hope it helps. Bless you on your journey. And thank you for coming here and reading my blog, it means a lot to me… 🙂

  4. I’m sop leased for you, Maitri. I’m sure it is frustrating when you’re doing everything right as per the Keto method and hitting a plateau but is t it wonderful to hear how well your body is?
    I know exactly what you mean about wanting to let go of the pushing and rushing in life. I’m working on that!! I have a little mantra I repeat regularly to myself: “My every need is catered for I the present moment” and it’s so true, even though we’re spending the month of January in the hospital while Brendan has his radiotherapy treatment. Even here my every NEED is being met. We have a lovely room to stay in, beautiful food is provided for us, every member of staff we meet is warm and kind to both of us and of course Brendan is going the treatment he needs. And all of this in a public hospital. Yes my every need is being catered for. Of course I WANT to be home but, at this present moment, my need far outweighs my want (does that make sense?? I hope so) and I am blessed 💙

    • Oh Dear Moira, both your husband, and you, are in my thoughts and prayers. I hope all will go well and you will both go home with good news. I’m so pleased to hear that your needs are being taken care of so well and I love your mantra, it is perfect! Keep me posted as to how things are going and I will continue to pray for you both. And many blessings to you in the year ahead. And thank you for your kind words about keto. Yes, I am keeping on keeping on, it’s the best thing I have ever done for myself… 🙂

  5. Congratulations on your improved physical and blood measures Maitri! It does help to get outside confirmation for our efforts from time to time, both to boost our spirits and bolster our commitment.

    It seems you have created very helpful practices to support the ongoing healing of body, mind and spirit in this New Year. Very inspiring!

    I am getting back into daily meditations after a break over the holidays. I like listening to audio ones with music in the background. It definitely makes a difference in my day to do them.

    • Happy New Year Dear Joan! And thank you, yes, that doctor’s appointment was very affirming and especially needed since I have been stalled, weight wise, for weeks! BUT I know I have stayed true to keto all along the way, I have not had one bite of non-keto food since I started, and it shows with my good results at the doctor yesterday. Keto is so much more than the number on the scale as I am slowly learning!

      And yes, meditation, I think meditation is the perfect accompaniment on the keto lifestyle, I think the two go hand in hand for amazing health benefits. I am very happy to be back to daily meditation. It feels good. It feels right. Again as I have so often said, I am so glad that you are here, it’s so nice to have a companion on the journey. Onwards and upwards in 2018! Keto ON!!! 😀

  6. Suzanne Dulin says

    Happy New Year Maitri!

    The nonscale victories are the best. I started the diet I am on because I was becoming pre-diabetic. The day I learned I’d reversed the prediabetes I’d actually gained a few pounds. My doctor was apologizing (even though he doesn’t really care that much about weight, but everyone wants to be skinny), and I was jumping up and down with happiness to no longer be heading toward diabetes.

    I am so glad that you are seeing benefits and that your health is improving. Good health is such a blessing.

    Many more blessings to you in the new year.

    • Oh Darling Suzanne, it’s SO good to hear from you honey, I wish I could give you a great big hug! And CONGRATULATIONS!!! That is absolutely wonderful that you have reversed your prediabetic state, doesn’t it just feel fabulous? I am so proud of you and so happy for you. We can DO this girlfriend! We will ROCK this in 2018! Onwards and upwards! And I hope you have the best new year EVER full of blessings and delights. I love you dear Suzanne… 🙂

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