Stop Binge Eating & Transform Your Life
Posted on July 2, 2014 Leave a Comment
Do you suffer from binge eating?
Have you ever had problems with body image or self-esteem?
Are you ready to transform your life and make peace with food?
If any of that sounds like you, then I’ve got an amazing offer from a personal friend and fellow health coach.
Pauline from Respect Yourself is a well-respected health coach who specializes in eating disorders and positive body image. She has just launched a course on Udemy that combines all of her health coaching knowledge and experience, and packages it into a fantastic online guide to transform your health. All of the goodness from her one-on-one health coaching sessions is packed into powerful video lessons and assignments to help you achieve your goals.
Until July 7th she’s offering a discount to anyone who follows LaurenJeanYoga. All you need to do is check out the link below and enter the code LAURENLOV3 at the checkout to get 30% off this incredible program.
When you enrol before July 7th you’ll receive:
- An incredible 30% off the course by using this code LAURENLOV3
- FREE email support with Pauline personally to make sure you get the best out of the program.
- A FREE copy of Pauline’s recipe book with heaps of easy and healthy recipes.
So, if you’re tired of trying to eat the perfect diet and control your weight, just to end up bingeing when you’re alone, don’t waste another minute. NOW is the time to take action and an amazing tribe of women is here to support you!
The time to change your health is now. Do something for yourself today.
xxx
Lauren
Simple Gratitude Meditation
Posted on November 26, 2013 Leave a Comment
As the holidays get nearer it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle. Though there is no Thanksgiving Weekend here in Taiwan, and I definitely tend to miss friends and family back home, what I don’t miss is the blatant commercialization of what should be a time to reflect on our blessings and spend time with our loved ones. Along with every other holiday, Thanksgiving seems to have been diminished to nothing more than a couple of days off work to spend excessive amounts of money on more things we don’t really need.
As this is the season for giving thanks and counting our many blessings, I’m offering an opportunity- An opportunity to reflect and focus on all the wonderful and beautiful things we already have, and forget about the voice in our head that says, “I want“.
For this week, or for as many weeks as you like- maybe even continue it all the way through to the end of the year- begin a simple practice of gratitude meditation. This doesn’t have to be more than five minutes, just a brief moment in our day to focus solely on the good in our lives.
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Gratitude Meditation:
Find a comfortable seat, on a chair or on a cushion on the floor, in a quiet, calm room. Relax your shoulders and rest your hands lightly on your knees. Close you eyes and bring your attention to your breath.
Begin to slowly deepen your inhales, drawing breath down into the belly, and lengthen your exhales, completely emptying your lungs of breath. As you continue to breath, inhale for a count of three and exhale for a count of six. Repeat this 5-6 times. If your attention wanders, gently bring it back to your breath.
Start with your immediate surroundings. Express gratitude in your mind for physical things you have. This could be the chair you’re sitting on, the house you live in, your car, a bed, or central heating. As the list grows, recall the many people who do not have these items. Be happy that you have these blessings.
Continue on to less tangible things. Consider your relationships with friends, family, and loved ones, as well as Include other intangibles such your health, freedom, and knowledge. Experience a deep sense of gratitude for each of these.
Focus your attention on the people who support and uplift you. Remember positive experiences you’ve had in the past and acts of kindness others have shown you.
Continue to cultivate a feeling of deep gratitude and rejoice in the beauty of this life. Think of ways to express this gratitude to those around you today. Resolve to become more focussed on gratitude in your daily life.
Gently bring your attention back to your breath. Close your meditation with 5 deep breaths.
Drop your chin to your chest and say one final thanks to yourself for taking the time to be grateful today. Slowly open your eyes and end your meditation.
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This practice can take as much or as little time as you like. Try it today and notice the difference- continue this practice for the rest of the week. Jot your thoughts and experiences down on paper. You will noticeably feel a difference if you start your day with an attitude of gratitude.
Happy Thanks Giving and thank you for reading along.
You Are Your Community
Posted on November 22, 2013 Leave a Comment
Hit the Reset Button
Posted on November 17, 2013 1 Comment
Getting caught up in the holiday season makes it easier than ever to ditch our good habits in favour of something cheaper and easier. Routines get forgotten and we take on too much. It’s like we’re trapped in a constant state of catching up- catching up on sleep, catching up on work, catching up with friends, on exercise, on eating properly. Stress increases and time seems to disappear.
It’s time for that to stop.
While I was doing my teacher training I stuck to such a great routine and really noticed the benefits. I was getting to bed early, getting up early, exercising and meditating daily, and eating right. Consequently I had more energy, was happier, and I think I even looked better. Unfortunately, I let my priorities shift and those habits have fallen by the wayside. I can tell you I have certainly noticed the difference, especially in my energy levels. Blah. So it’s time to get back on track! It’s definitely tougher when I’m not in Bali surrounded by fluorescent green rice fields having my meals catered twice a day, especially now that school is in session and it’s back to work. But despite all that, it’s definitely possible and very worth it.
Hit the Reset Button: Surefire ways to have more energy and feel amazing
Get to bed early. Set a bedtime. I know it sounds stupid as an adult, but seriously, if you don’t set one, you won’t have one. Make a goal to get to bed by 10:15, or 10:45pm at the latest, every night and stick to it. Streamline your nighttime ritual to squeeze in all those extra minutes of sleep. Get rid of the smartphone/tablet/laptop in bed. I’m totally a culprit of having my smartphone right next to my bed, instagraming instead of snoozing, facebooking when I should be hittin’ the hay. Just put it away! There’s really no reason that those notifications can’t wait ’til morning. I mean do you really need to know who liked your photo right now? The suspense won’t kill ya, I swear.
Wake Up Early. The most successful people will tell you, you’re most efficient in those first early hours of the morning. Right when you wake up is when you’ll have the most motivation, inspiration, and will-power to get things done. Aim for 6:00am, that’ll give you plenty of snooze time.
Exercise Daily and Early. Remember what I said about motivation and will-power in the morning? It’s strongest in the early hours and only gets weaker as we fill our day and mind with more stuff. It doesn’t have to be long, or intense everyday, but put aside 30 minutes in the morning to sweat a bit. Put in a couple of miles on the pavement, do a yoga flow, cycling, kick-boxing, there are a million 30 minute workouts on youtube, mix it up.
Meditate. It’s like a reboot for your brain and your soul. Find a quiet space and start with five minutes of silence. Just five to start, then work your way up. Taking that time out for yourself and your thoughts will help you be calmer and more focused for the rest of the day. 
Eat Less Meat. I don’t necessarily mean cut it out all together, but we could all do with a little less. Try eating a small portion of meat once a day, with one meal. It takes a lot of energy for the body to digest meat, energy that could be used to do more productive things.
Get Outside. Everyday. Fresh air, sunshine, birds, and blue skies. ‘Nuff said.
Rock Out. Music truly does soothe the soul, and it can also pump you up! Put together a rockin’ play list and jam. Music is proven to lower stress, improve mood, and actually affect the way we see the world. If you can combine that with a couple of dance moves, you’re definitely in for a good time. 
Try it out. I’m working on it this month and hopefully all the following months to come. Let me know how it goes in the comments below! What do you do to “hit the reset button”?
The Sexiest Food on Earth: Raw Chocolate
Posted on November 11, 2013 Leave a Comment
One of the highlights of my stay in Bali was meeting so many insanely interesting and talented people. One of those talented people was Juliette, who just happened to be the founder of Gaia Balls, an Australian company whose team hand-makes raw, organic, super-food balls. She has yet to decide if the job description, “I make balls all day!” is appropriate.
On our last of the three free days we had during the course of the month, the lot of us gathered together at this amazing villa, for a raw chocolate extravaganza! And by that I mean that Juliette taught us how to make raw chocolate and before it had even hardened, it had all but disappeared.
So what is raw chocolate? Before I went to Bali, I had no idea what raw chocolate, or even raw food was, but it’s everywhere there, so I was quickly informed.
Let me give you a brief overview, and then if you really want to geek out you can watch the video at the end of this post.
This is a raw cacao bean, more often called a cocoa bean in western culture. The cacao bean, is in fact not even a bean, but a nut. The nut comes from the Cacao Tree, which is native to South America, and grows in large pods.
The biggest difference between raw cacao and the everyday stuff is the temperature at which it is processed. Raw cacao, or raw food in general, never surpasses 45 degrees celsius, unlike commercial chocolate which is often heated past 130 degrees. By keeping the processing temperature low, the nutrients and enzymes remain intact. When raw processed, cacao actually has tremendous health benefits. It’s chock full of antioxidants, iron, zinc, copper, and magnesium (which is why women crave it at certain times of the month). It also contains tryptophan, which is one of the 10 essential amino acids required for protein production in the body, and is also associated with neurotransmitters like seratonin which help regulate mood, sleep, and create the feeling of falling in love.
Raw chocolate is made in a blender, as is a lot of raw dessert, so it isn’t heated. We added raw cacao powder to melted raw cacao butter, coconut oil, some vanilla beans, a bit of organic palm sugar syrup, and a pinch of salt. Then we just blended it up until it was smooth (There is a point when it’s blended too far and starts to separate again, so be careful if you try it at home). Before it was all devoured on top of strawberries, we poured some of it into little chocolate molds and added some orange, nuts, and berries before popping it into the fridge to set.
The best part about raw chocolate, besides tasting amazing, is that it’s not full of refined sugar, milk, crappy fats, and artificial flavouring. It’s real food from the source, just like it should be. There are tons of amazing raw chocolate recipes out there, so go ahead and experiment. The worst that can happen is you end up with a bunch of chocolate you have to eat…. darn!
Daily Inspiration: Meditation
Posted on November 9, 2013 Leave a Comment
I used to think meditation was simply letting my mind go blank. That I was supposed to think of nothing and somehow this nothingness would bring me to that state of zen, or whatever it was people talked about. Honestly, I’ve always struggled with meditation, at least in the sit down and set aside this time to meditate sort of way. It’s tricky for me to clear my mind and sit still for long periods of time like that and feel like it’s accomplishing something. Mostly I end up following my mind off on tangents then berating myself for getting off on a tangent and then trying to force my mind back to some sort of peace. Not helpful or peaceful! What I’ve learned through my, often sporadic, meditation practice is that A: It takes practice and exercise to strengthen the “muscles” involved in meditation, and B: my mind doesn’t have to be blank! I can have thoughts, and insights, and follow little tangents. It happens. What is most important is that I keep trying, and trying, and then try some more, to carve out that space to just be with myself, alone in my own mind space. So what I like so much about this quote, is that though I’m not always (or perhaps ever for that matter) “fully present”, I can be at peace with all the discomfort and the challenges that I’m facing, both in life and in my meditation practice. One day maybe I’ll find a place where things are quieter up in my head, and maybe not. All I can do is be present one moment at a time.
laurenjeanyoga 