Apr 2, 2013

New Blog!


I will no longer be writing on this blog. You can continue to read my writing at:

www.dearkajal.wordpress.com

Feb 12, 2013

Recipe: Sweet Potato Fries


Sweet Potatoes are an excellent source of nutrients, minerals and vitamins. They are also perfect for a diet that is grain-free.





Benefits: 

1. Great fiber content
2. Contain larges amounts of vitamin B6 which keeps blood vessels walls healthy
3. Vitamin A, prevention for several types of cancer and internally protects your skin by repairing cell damage
4. Great source of magnesium which support healthy blood sugar levels
5. Rich in Vitamins C & E that keep the hair healthy and helps to maintain elasticity of the skin








Ingredients:

2-3 Sweet Potatoes
2 tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil
Spices of your choice (sea salt, garlic powder, red chili powder, black pepper)




How to make:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Peel and slice sweet potatoes and then put them into a bowl
3. To the bowl, add olive oil and spices, toss by hand evenly and thoroughly to coat the mixture onto the sweet potatoes
4. Prep baking sheet by covering with aluminum foil and drizzling a little bit of olive oil to coat the foil
5. Toss the sweet potatoes onto baking sheet
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until slightly brown and tender


Enjoy! 

Feb 11, 2013

What is the meaning of life?

I won't be responding to this question; although, someday I know I want to be able to (I'm not quite there yet). Not too long ago, I began reading about Joseph Campbell, while researching him it led me to Einstein. I've always been fascinating by people and their perspective on life, and especially people in history who've changed and questioned what is considered the norm or people who've greatly influenced the world as we know it today. For example, Galileo, the Buddha and Einstein.

Here is Einstein's response to the question, What is the meaning of Life?

"If we speak of the purpose and goal of an action we mean simply the question: which kind of desire should we fulfill by the action or its consequences or which undesired consequences should be prevented? We can, of course, also speak in a clear way of the goal of an action from the standpoint of a community to which the individual belongs. In such cases the goal of the action has also to do at least indirectly with fulfillment of desires of the individuals which constitute a society. If you ask for the purpose or goal of society as a whole or of an individual taken as a whole the question loses its meaning. This is, of course, even more so if you ask the purpose or meaning of nature in general. For in those cases it seems quite arbitrary if not unreasonable to assume somebody whose desires are connected with the happenings. Nevertheless we all feel that it is indeed very reasonable and important to ask ourselves how we should try to conduct our lives. The answer is, in my opinion: satisfaction of the desires and needs of all, as far as this can be achieved, and achievement of harmony and beauty in the human relationships. This presupposes a good deal of conscious thought and of self-education. It is undeniable that the enlightened Greeks and the old Oriental sages had achieved a higher level in this all-important field than what is alive in our schools and universities."



There is your dose of inspiration, something to ponder on a Monday. What do you think of his response? 

Feb 8, 2013

Describing Me ♡

The other day I started writing down adjectives that describe me just so I can see it on paper. There is just something about visually seeing something, that triggers the feeling initiators of the brain to come forth. I also did this little exercise on a day when I wasn't feeling so good about myself, out of balance, to perk my mood.

Here is what I came up with.

Silly.
Headstrong.
Fighter.
Strong.
Stubborn.
Passionate.
Compassionate.
Funny.
Caring.
Dreamer.
Giving.
Enlightened.
Spiritual.
Inspiring.
Creative.
Adventurer.
Traveler.


I know myself to be those things I listed above, but I doubt every single one of them. Why? Lack of acceptance for who I am, constantly comparing myself to others. I do realize (and know) that I cannot be anyone else and will only live in my skin. I have to embrace, accept it, own it and most of LOVE IT. I've been constantly told I don't practice what I preach, its the truth. I give it my all to help someone see the light within themselves, to help them breakdown the roadblocks they've constructed within their brain, but I cannot do the same for myself. Perhaps I can't be my own guide, maybe sometimes I wish a fairy godmother would magically appear out of nowhere and make everything better.

But, I also do know the secret to finding youself is to turn inward, look within yourself, sit in meditation {which is another post on its own}.

The list I created above is a guideline of the "me-ness" I want to focus on in my mediation, get clarity about, so I can really turn the adjectives into verbs, actions.

What adjectives would you use to describe yourself?

Feb 3, 2013

♡ Love yourself ♡

I've always wanted to make a YouTube channel. After thinking about it for over a year and talking myself out of it many times, I decided to just do it. It's an extension of my blog. You can check it out {here}, I appreciate any feedback you have! Thanks for watching :)

Jan 31, 2013

What is Anxiety?

You feel your heart hysterically screaming, yelling, pounding on your chest walls as if enlarged twice its size and beating faster than the speed of light. You try to softly sing a lullaby that oozes sweetness to help it make sense of what it's feeling and why it'll be okay. The hysteria just keeps getting worse, and you feel like you're losing a battle that wasn't even yours to win.

This scenario is all to familiar, but ever wonder why anxiety lurks up?

When we don't take action, this is what causes anxiety. 

Anxiety is a symptom of fear based thought, which are usually irrational. Irrational because they are not real, they are just an illusion of your worry-some mind. It has convinced you that feeling this way is 100% normal, a-okay. And we repetitively keep letting ourselves feel this way because its the only way we know how to feel.

What now? How do you fix it, make amends with your anxiety?

Heal yourself. Healing is to make whole and complete.

How to?

Use this simple phrase throughout your day, "I love......{fill in the blank}". Do this as often as you need to during the day. The point of this is to shift your focus or perception inward, to you.

For example:
I love writing, traveling, inspiring others.

Then pick 1 thing that you love and do that 1 thing. When you're taking action and allowing that passive energy to be released, you'll also release anxiety. Eventually, you will begin to center yourself as you shift your attention onto all the lovely things that make up who you are.

The most important thing is to keep up with it and make it a part of your spiritual practice. The only way to master something is to keep at it; even when you don't want to.

Remember: passive energy without action is laziness, which increases anxiety.

Jan 17, 2013

My Little Ray of Sunshine




Self doubt consumes me like a deadly Virus consumes its prey, the cell, until it has completely taken over, and can finally reign its rule to focus on expanding its newly conquered kingdom. That is exactly what self doubt does to my mind, to me, my hope, and my little ray of sunshine. It settles in slowly sometimes, but most of the time it chooses to make a bold entrance in, to make sure I know that it has arrived, for a permanent vacation. Anytime, my little ray of sunshine gathers up all the courage she can possibly breathe in with a single breathe, into her being to express herself, to showcase her talents, abilities, skills and intellect for a small or big cause, the self doubt , the “Virus” makes sure she is put in her place of rest and told harshly that this is where she belongs: in a caged realm of delusional reality that was put into existence with precise methodology by the “Virus”. Yet, the little ray of sunshine knows something deep within her that this delusional reality that she lives in, is not really her home and she is longing to go home, to go back to Love. Where an eternal energy filled with limitless warmth from the Sun's long arms touch her skin, the smell of the salty ocean, sweetness of red velvet cupcakes, and smokiness of firewood will fill her essence with goodness and a huge dose of openness to an infinite awareness of what she is capable of being. A peaceful soul, filled with love, compassion, proactively day by day living her calling back to self; back to the source. 

The “Virus” isn’t willingly to let her go because she to him is the companion who he has always longed for, his deepest connection it has ever had and a feeling that only she gives. Each day he shows her the greatness of his power: to multiply and divide, to rationalize all her thoughts that enter her space of being. He tells her that she does not need to pay attention to these useless thoughts and worry her little self. The “Virus” demands her to leave the 'complex words strung together' for him to decipher, all he wants her to know is that he will faithfully protect her and stand by her side no matter what, smothering her with his artificial, endless promises that some how seem and feel as special as the unconditional love her kitty gives her.  She, so mesmerized by his allure and kind gesture, succumbs to the convincing words the “Virus” speaks. Yet, she still continues to question their validity until she can no longer reason with them. Then she quietly lays her head to sleep drifting off to meet her most beloved, Dream, who shows her the world, through whose eyes she is able to feel alive, awakened and aware! Dream, serving as her guide she sits on a magic carpet as it floats gracefully through a field beaming with bright sunflowers, who wave her hello, to whom she waves back with the biggest smile her little mouth can possibly shape. The little ray of sunshine can no longer feel the wrath of the "Virus" tightly coiled around her, as another unknown yet very known sensation takes over her perception, the familiar open arms of Love.

Here no self doubt, “Virus”, will trouble her, here she is free: to fly, to roam, to dive deep, to listen to the heartbeat of silence, to immerse herself to find that she isn’t flawed, but just imperfectly perfect as she is. She is kind, beautiful and infinite, she is home.

Jan 1, 2013

Miracles are like Lightening

Miracles occur naturally in nature.

I have never seen, heard or even fathomed the possibility that the word miracle could be used in such a way. What I like to refer to as the 95% {people}, see miracles as black and white, a rarity, something that happens to a person who is 'lucky' or even as a rare occurrence.

But have you ever wondered what a miracle is, what its components or secret ingredients are, how you can make miracles happen for you? I have. Miracles are like lightening that ever so quietly yet quickly shatter the stainless steel mind of matter into ity bity tiny pieces sending shocks of sensation through every inch of your body...to form a visual clarity that you can taste and grasps onto...it amends to your reality, the state of being as you are.

Don't sit here and count on miracles to grasp tightly onto your hand and walk you through life, but simply remember that miracles occur, but in divine timing and they are in fact part of your everyday existence, just look around!

Be mindfully present in the moment that is now. Live this moment with passion. See this life {your life} as a miracle, love it deeply.

Make it memorable, 2013 is yours to write, brand new 365 pages to fill. How will you write this miraculous chapter?