Have you ever been stressed and not realised it? Caught in a constant cycle of doing more, wanting more, achieving more? If you’re not sure, take a minute to focus on your body. Are your shoulders tense? Is your breath shallow? Is your stomach in knots?
Just as eating a healthy vegan diet is important, so too is looking after your mental and emotional state. The two go hand-in-hand to create a balance that will serve you well into old age. One without the other creates ailments, illness and dis-ease.
There’s something magical about just stopping and doing absolutely nothing. The “nothingness” might be reading a book, watching a funny movie, or simply sitting in silence and meditating. The key to doing nothing is to release any guilt that might arise from not sticking to your usual routine. The Tao Te Ching is a 2,500 year old book, written by Lao Tzu, that speaks of just this. Do nothing and you’ll actually achieve more. One of my favourite translations of this ancient text is by Dr Wayne Dyer: Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao
Simply looking to nature shows by doing nothing, so much is accomplished. An animal, regardless of its species, doesn’t have a to-do list. It just does. It follows the flow with trust and without question, knowing that everything is in perfect order—and it is.
Neurophysiologist and owner of Jubb’s Longevity, David Jubb, says rest is integral to achieving and maintaining complete cellular health.
“Rest allows one to regain nervous system energy potential,” he says in Jubb’s Cell Rejuvenation: Colloidal Biology: A Symbiosis
In the fast pace world we live in, it’s often difficult to find the time to just stop and take a check of our emotional and mental state. But getting in the practise can not only bring greater joy to your life, but also prevent the onset of illness and dis-ease. Doing nothing at some point every single day can bring you closer to your true self and closer to source, or God.
Here are my top 5 ways to relax…
1. The morning is the perfect time to meditate. The day is fresh and so are our minds. When sitting in silence to meditate is challenging, I reach for my iPod and select a guided meditation by Kelly Howell
2. Walking in nature. Getting away from the concrete jungle if you live and work in a city environment is crucial. Putting your feet into the sand or grass not only feels great, it also connects us to the living, breathing earth and is literally very grounding.
3. Spending time in the kitchen. Food is much more than something to stop hunger. While the art of at-home food preparation has been greatly lost with food-to-go and frozen meals in a box, taking the time to connect to our food, through conscious preparation can do wonders for mental, emotional and physical health. It’s also a great way to forget about everything and focus on creating works of vegan food art.
4. Having a Reiki session. Reiki connects us directly to life force energy, through the hands of the practitioner who shares it. Reiki not only puts us in a relaxed, meditative state, but it also allows the receiver to work through particular issues they may have to restore physical and emotional wellbeing. A qualified Reiki Master can also teach and attune you to this energetic healing modality, so you can give yourself the gift of Reiki energy whenever you need it.
5. Taking a candle-lit bath. Breaking out the lavender oil, soy candles and playing some chilled tunes is a great way to de-stress. To clear your mind while you’re soaking, concentrate on your breathing. Be sure not to load your tub up with toxic bubbles, instead, pop in a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin coconut oil to give your skin a moisture infusion. Be sure not to slip when getting out! Also, as many city municipal water supplies are polluted with flouride, chlorine and the like, it’s best to have your home plumbing fitted with a reverse osmosis filtration system.
Photo courtesy of Richard Stowey
A few years ago, I was completely addicted to coffee. A soy latte here, a mocha chino there. But from the moment I became vegan I also gave up my love affair with caffeine and switched to health-boosting herbal teas. Now, I drink just about every herbal tea around, from dandelion leaf to sage. There are now loose leaf teas in my kitchen I’d never dreamed existed.
One of my favourite places on the planet to drink tea was Dr Tea’s on Melrose Ave in Los Angeles, until it temporarily closed its doors last year. The man behind the much-loved tea sanctuary Mark Ukra dared opened the tea garden in a city known for its countless Starbucks and loyal coffee addicts who frequent them.
So while the English swear by it and the Japanese cherish it, in the United States, Mark (or Dr Tea as he is affectionately known) says tea is one of the least favoured drinks, despite its documented health benefits.
Considering he comes from a family of Middle Eastern tea merchants dating back more than 400 years, it’s little surprise Dr Tea has become the unofficial spokesperson for tea in the United States. His book, The Ultimate Tea Diet, also showed that tea was good for more than just getting your daily dose of antioxidants.
I recently caught up with Dr Tea and asked him to share some interesting tid bits about the ancient beverage that comes in many varieties, yet is derived from just one powerhouse plant: the Camellia Sinensis.
SD: How can tea help coffee drinkers kick their habit?
DR TEA: I had this exact issue. I found that tea is essentially consumed exactly like coffee, hot and or cold. It can be placed in the same cup so you have the same feeling. They both have caffeine, albeit, tea has less as well as L-Theanine which counteracts caffeine’s harmful effect in the brain. Now taste of course is not easily matched although I sell a coffee tea, which is a tea I have roasted in a coffee roaster so it looks and smells like coffee.
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If you’ve ventured onto Diary of a Vegan before today, you may be wondering where all the colour went. Well, since 2010 is a new year, I figured it’s time for a fresh start. I’m planning to add more content, interviews, the occasional guest blogger, a regular newsletter and perhaps even a vegan giveaway or two. Oh, and a gorgeous new template.
But just as that city in Italy wasn’t built in a day, nor will my blog be. It’s a creative work in process and I hope you’ll stick with me as I build all of the elements into the site. I promise it’ll look pretty in the end. Besides, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?
I feel different this New Year’s Eve. Last year I was busily putting together a vision board and my list of goals, all while willing a fabulous new year ahead.
As 2010 approaches tomorrow (or the day after for the Northern Hemisphere folks), I’m all about going with the flow. Letting go. Trusting in what lies ahead.
Sure, I know what I’d like to achieve, goals I want to reach and places I want to see. But this year, I’m going to recognise my dreams then simply turn up, kick back, relax and trust.
I’ve decided life is a journey we’re not always meant to be in full control of. An apple doesn’t force itself to grow on a tree. I just lets go and trusts that it will reach its full potential. Whether it does or doesn’t is really up to the flow, not to the apple.
So next year, starting right now, I’m going to take my lessons from that apple. Hang in there, soak up the sunshine, live as nature intended. That means seeing the blessings in everything, loving others as you want to be loved, not judging anyone or anything and being grateful for whatever comes, and goes.
With that said, sending you love and blessings for a magical 2010. Thanks for taking time to read this little blog. May the vegan love spread far and wide 
Elite ultra-endurance athlete Harley Johnstone is giving Aussie livestock producers something to worry about, according to a story on ABC Rural News.
What’s making the meat industry quake in their bloody boots? The fact that Harley has ridden more than 160,000 kilometres in the past 10 years on a diet of fruit and water. No meat. No dairy. Just a good ol’ helping hand from Mother Nature.
“He could be every fruit grower’s best mate, and every livestock producer’s worst nightmare,” the reporter quipped.
The Aussie vegan has founded a raw food vegan group, 30 Bananas A Day, and says he’s the country’s biggest fruit lover.
“A typical day, well I’m quite active so I need a lot of calories. So that’s typically 35-40 large bananas, or if I’m not eating bananas that could be 20 or 30 mangoes, or a couple of kilos of dates from California,” he said.
“A lot of people say, are you nuts? And I say, no, I’m bananas.”
Harley’s fruit of choice, the banana
One of the things I told myself when I transitioned from meat eater to vegan was, be kind to yourself. Don’t beat yourself up if you happen to fall. There are bound to be hiccups along the way. It’s what you do with the hiccup that counts. Allow it to pass with ease or make a fuss trying to cover it up.
This conscious kindness has also extended to others in my life who may not have experienced the same lifestyle transition as me. Sure, I lectured my family on the health and moral issues associated with animal consumption. But I learned. This is my journey and it’s not for me to force it on others who are also on theirs — whichever path they may ultimately choose, is completely and utterly up to them.
Loving leader or persistent preacher? Results always speak louder than words. That said, we vegans (who, more often than not, have much energy to burn) can certainly channel that passionate energy into positive self-talk, as well as projects to help spread the word. Here are just a few of my favourites:
1) Start a blog that’s dedicated to helping meat eaters transition to a vegan diet. Fill it with hints and tips you’ve learned along the way. There are many out there who want to give veganism a go, but may not know where to start!
2) Throw a vegan dinner party. Invite friends and family to a three course (or more!) spread that will change the way they think of vegan, forever. For recipes, check out the myriad vegan books on Amazon or head to blogs such as Vegan Yum Yum.
3) Animal shelters are filled with animals who need love and people who want to give it. Volunteer one day a week. Share your stories with animal lovers who may well be inspired by your story.
4) Write to restaurants that don’t include vegan options on their menus. A kind letter with some good ideas, positive facts about the vegan diet and stats on how many vegans live in the area can work wonders. The promise of extra customers may well be an incentive for restaurateurs to get their vegan on.
5) Ask the question: how can I serve? Write a list of your talents and skills and then look to non-profit organisations (that resonate with the vegan in you) which could benefit greatly from your help. Check in with your local Vegan Society which may also have some great ideas. Just being you (and vegan) will help to spread a positive vegan message amongst everyone you meet.
Love this (except the curse bit)
Now Santa’s letter is on its way, I’m shifting my focus to my beautiful family, whom I’m sure would love to gift me all sorts of wonderful things this Christmas…
Before you go shopping for those (quite possibly) not-so-vegan goodies Mum and Dad, I’d like to offer some wee suggestions of my own: Firstly, forget “stuff”. There aren’t any material things I’m really lusting after … oh, hang on, I’ll gladly accept a Vita Mix blender if you feel like a splurge … but I digress … stuff, is well, just stuff. It clogs the mind and the planet, and to be honest, I’d rather leave it on the store shelves.
Christmas is about giving, that’s true. But gift giving ought to be re-thought. It’s about so much more than making those big chain stores richer. This time of year is about appreciation. About celebrating. Not about how much someone spent or whether the gifted item comes wrapped in a Tiffany bow. A gift can be the smallest thing. A word. A gesture. A batch of homemade vegan cookies (see option 5).
To help you out this Christmas, my dear loved ones, I’ve put together this little list to help you out should you insist on giving me a present this year.
Option 1 – Save an animal’s life. Adopt a pet. Buying from pet stores at Christmas means loving animals are, more often than not, left homeless and on death row. Find out more here.
Option 2 – Donate money to The Vegetarian Charity, a UK-based global organisation that helps needy vegans around the world and assists with poverty relief. Also consider donating to the Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation, which helps to educate about the link between diet and health.
Option 3 – There are some great books I’d love to add to my bookshelf, including The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone and Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. Secondhand copies will do just the trick.
Option 4 – A handmade card made from bits and pieces you find around the home will make for a perfect Christmas gift. Otherwise, an e-card will mean just as much and help save some trees too.
Option 5 - You know how much I love biscuits (ie cookies). I’ll be one happy vegan if you whip me up a batch of these. If you’re stuck for how to wrap them, a recycled jar with a re-used bow will be just lovely, indeed.
Joanna Krupa helps get the Christmas message across for PETA
