Practice Heroically

These words were used as an introduction to an amazing yoga video posted by my favorite instructors, Avery Jones (check out his studio, it's a great place to practice!). It seems a bit morbid at first glance, but it's really resonating with me lately:

"Encouraging Words" by Zen Master Guishan

Some day you will die.

Lying on your sick bed
about to breathe your last,
you will be assailed by every kind of pain.

Your mind will be filled
with fears and anxieties
and you will not know
what to do or where to go.

Only then you will realise that
you have not practiced well.

The skandhas/aggregates
(matter, sensations, conceptions,
impulses and consciousness)
and the four elements in you
will quickly disintegrate,
and your consciousness will be pulled
whereever your ancient,
twisted karma leads it.

Impermanence
does not hesitate

Death
will not wait.
You will not be able
to extend your life
by even a second

How many thousands more times
will you have to pass through
the gates of birth and death.

If these words are challenging
even insulting,
let them be an encouragement
for your change.

Practice
heroically.

Do not accumulate
unnecessary possessions.

Don’t give up.
Still your mind,
end wrong perceptions,
concentrate, and do not run
after the objects of your senses.

Practice diligently.
Be determined not to let your days
and months pass by wastefully.

I keep hearing the same three lines in my head:

Practice heroically.
Don't give up.
Be determined not to let your days and months pass by wastefully.

I can't help but think that these are words to live by.

191

Slowly creeping towards the 180s...whew.

Let's Get Funky

A couple of weeks ago, Smith decided it was time to add something to my diet and exercise routine: a fat-burning supplement. As someone who's struggled with weight for more than two decades, I was really skeptical. However, I do trust Smith, and at this point I'm always willing to try something new. I started taking the stuff per his instructions. Whether or not my "purple crack" is actually melting away fat, I can't say. What I can tell you is that it gives me a lot of energy, makes me sweat even more than usual, and has helped to curb my appetite. Over the last couple of days, though, I've encountered a less than pleasant side-effect.

I STINK.

Now, I know everyone stinks a little in their own special way (pheromones, right?) and thanks to the modern convenience of deodorant/antiperspirant, we rarely notice each other's funk. But I'm not talking about a casual your-Degree's-not-really-cutting-it-today smell. I'm talking about foul, old gym bag, meat-sweat, holy HELL that just PONGS, straight up, STINK.

I pride myself on being one of those people who always smells yummy -- not perfumey, so much, but a faint mix of Gain, soap, and the occasional essential oil. So this stinky business? Not making me really happy right now. Smith's explanation is that I've started burning off older fat that's full of junk (or my favorite word -- TOXINS) and the junk is making its way out of me via my armpits. "That's what you get for eating crap!" he said. Oh so comforting, Smith.

I'm hoping that this stinky phase passes quickly. In the meantime, if you have any coupons for Degree, send 'em my way, okay?

194.2

I won't say it. I won't say, "ONLY a pound this week!" A pound is a solid loss, friends.

Other accomplishments this week:

1. I did my first warm yoga class. And I kicked its ASS.
2. I'm having another awesome week at work, slowly building a steady stream of regular clients.
3. I survived the death of our washing machine without having an epic meltdown. I've stayed on top of the laundry all week, so everyone has enough clean underwear to last until the washer's fixed. And I sucked it up and washed my work uniform in the bathtub.

How's YOUR week been?

195.2

Woo hoo! That's a 4.6lb loss, friends!

Ten Things

I really enjoyed Renée's positive post today, so I decided to do my own. (Well, not so much the week in review, but the Ten Things part.)

10 Things to Look Forward to This Week

1. Hanging out with Rachel tomorrow afternoon (MacArthur, here we come!)
2. Working out!
3. Work. I really do love my job.
4. My birthday! It's Thursday.
5. A manicure and pedicure, thanks to my mom, on Thursday.
6. Like Renée, I only work three days this week.
7. Dinner and a kid-free night on Friday.
8. Sleeping in on Saturday morning.
9. Possibly getting my hair cut (the back is growing out & fast approaching mulletdom).
10. Clothes shopping. Now that I'm in "normal" sizes, I actually enjoy it.

How about you? What are you excited about this week?

The Fall of the Old Regime

Oh, my face. My pale, round, chronically imperfect face. I've spent so much money and so much time trying to get my skin into peak condition. The best it's ever looked was the day I got married:



I had virtually no makeup on in this picture. Eyes and lips of course, but no foundation. Just powder. How did I make that happen? Well, I didn't. My mom did, by sending me to an esthetician every week for six months. What a glorious six months THAT was! I was put on a strict cleansing/toning/moisturizing routine; I used AHA, I exfoliated, the whole nine yards. And it was totally worth it. (Thanks, Mom!)

Since then, I can count on one hand the number of facials I've had. And GOOD facials? Psht. Maybe three? Product-wise, I've tried everything from fancy, overpriced organic stuff to plain ol' antibacterial soap. Nothing really seems to work for long. I end up too oily, too dry; I go from flaky to broken out. Lately, I've started wearing more makeup to hide some of the problems that have developed, and of course that only makes things worse. The cycle goes on, and on, and on.

So what to do? Why, turn to teh Intarwebs, of course! And how perfect is this timing -- one of my favorite bloggers, Linda, just posted about her own skin and how she's trying something new. It's called an oil cleansing routine. I'd actually heard of it before; one of my instructors in massage school had gorgeous skin and swore by her castor oil and face brush. I'll let you follow the links in Linda's blog to find detailed explanations and instructions, but the short version is that you rub good, healthy oil on your face to cleanse it. I gave it a try last night, and I was pleasantly surprised:



You can see my spots, and some redness. What you can't see is my giant pores, which have been driving me bananas. Supposedly, the oil cleansing routine will help reduce their appearance by getting all the goop out of them (sounds delicious, doesn't it?). After cleansing, my skin felt very soft and surprisingly clean. The oil did a good job of removing my makeup, too.

I'm going to try this for a few weeks and see how it goes. Fortunately, I have tons of oils laying about. Last night, I used a product called Aura Glow from a local health food store. It's a blend of peanut oil and a few other oils. If I need to, I'll add some castor oil, but for right now it just feels too heavy. In the morning, I'll be washing my face with nothing but water while I take my shower.

We'll see how it goes. I'm happy to try something new, to do something that doesn't involve soap and chemicals and expense. I'll be posting an update (with pictures!) next week.