Meditation is a mental exercise practiced through concentration, observation, and awareness. By concentrating on an object (internal or external), paying attention to the present moment and whatever is happening, and trying to get rid of the distractions that come to mind, one is able to calm the mind and provide solid moments of introspection. While mediation is often associated with stillness there are walking and moving meditations as well, and the ultimate goal is to bring mindfulness into most of our everyday lives.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and add moderate- to high-intensity muscle-strengthening activity (such as resistance or weights) on at least 2 days per week.
During this 30-day period, every day I will try spend 30 minutes in some type of meditation and at least 30 minutes doing a form of exercise that gets my heart up, thus setting aside an hour each day for self care.
Day 13:
Meditation, for me, takes so much effort and this is probably why it’s been so hard over the past few days while I’ve been tired. It's Friday, and by the end of the week I’ve generally pushed my mind and body to their limits and I’m exhausted. Today I took a break for lunch and sat outside. Students were doing their art projects, and some of them asked me what I was doing. I explained about mindful eating and meditation, and soon after they went inside. I was able to eat my food slowly and with enjoyment plus do a 15 min meditation before I went back inside and completed the rest of the day. I missed hot yoga after school because I was enjoying my chat with the principal and planning things for next week. By the time I got home I was beat and chose to veg out on the couch for a couple hours before heading upstairs to try to do a little more meditation. Unfortunately, about 5 minutes in I fell asleep and then woke up and went to bed.
Day 14:
Energy was still low all day today and I really love recovering on the weekends. It's my time to be relaxed and fully enjoy the time of having no real obligations. I had breakfast with my husband Javier, went walking in the park with the dogs, came home and rested for a few hours lounging around the house. I did manage to get a 30 minute workout of pushups, squats, pull ups, and planks, before we went out to see a movie (Stephen King's 'It'). We didn't expect the movie to go so late, and when we got home we were both so tired. I didn’t meditate today because it I wasn't really up for the battle between my exhaustion and my desire to have a clear mind.
Day 15:
Spent the majority of the day doing nothing...again. Because of this challenge, I got up and kicked my butt into a yoga class. I'm glad that I did so because while there, and before practice started, I felt a bit depressed. I think this was my body's way to say, "get your ass moving," as it needs to be constantly active to not feel this way. The hard part about this is that being lazy is always so tempting! It maybe better to really hold onto the feeling of depression as a motivator, and know that if I'm not active I will begin to feel down and out. After cooking dinner and completing a project for work, Sunday evening meditation was easy and I was finally able to devote the 30 minute timeframe to focusing on my breath. I'm going to try to bike to school tomorrow.
Day 16:
My goal of the week is to meet the challenge every day! I was able to bike to school and already got the 30 minutes in with this (it's actually an hour to do the back and forth) and spent 15 minutes at lunch enjoying the scenery around me and meditating in silence. After school I practiced Kung Fu for an hour and then biked back home. I got home in enough time that I was able to meditate, after making dinner, and before my husband came home. I'm feeling super relaxed and better about life. While I realizeI definitely need to have a form of movement daily.
Day 17:
Today we had to go through the expulsion hearing process for two of our students who tried to sell drugs in the school. It was rough and heartbreaking, leaving me feeling drained and saddened. Had to step in as Student Leadership supervisor, again, so this meant that the time that I would normally have lunch was taken away. I like the position, but it’s going to be a lot of work and I’m worried about ANOTHER time commitment, especially one that means I won't be able to take lunch every Tuesday. I had to speak with a teacher about physically taking a phone from a student, and that this isn’t our policy at the school. Right after school we had to deal with a rumor of a gun threat against the building, so we contacted the police and parents. So, in general, it was a heavy day on the job. This all took up the time that I was supposed to go home and let out my dog, because she's trapped in a cage all day, so I missed hot yoga again 😞. My chemistry class is super difficult, but we were let out an hour early. With this time, I was able to eat dinner, walk/play with the dogs, and meditate for 30 minutes. I’m surprised that I only made it two days before I missed my target again and didn't do a 30 minute set of exercise. It’s so difficult to do!
Day 18:
Spent lunch talking with my friend, the social worker, and didn’t get to meditate during the day. I’ve been assigned student counsel as their teacher liaison, permanently. This is going to be extra work, which I’m not looking forward to, but I also think it will be a nice move for supporting the student body. What I will be need to work on is being able to shoot down students' bad ideas without them feeling insulted. After meeting with the principal to discuss this, we went to an all staff meeting and found out that one of the Assistant Principals is leaving, and today was her last day. I’m shocked and saddened by this because I had really started to have a good relationship with her. I spent the afternoon shopping for groceries, going to practice yoga, and getting my hot yoga certification. I spoke with the owner, and there’s a possibility that I can start teaching classes at the studio on the weekends. This is ideal for me as it’s the time that I have available to teach. After discussing this, I hung out with my yoga hot yoga mentor and we chatted about the beauty of the unexpected in life and how important it is to being open to the events that happen, no matter what emotions may come with them. I don’t know if this attitude of 'roll with the punches' is an extension of the daily meditation practice, but it probably doesn’t hurt.
Skillet Fajita Pitas
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce wing sauce (I used Taste Domination), divided
4 (6-inch) whole-wheat pita rounds
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, thinly diagonally sliced
1/4 cup green onion diced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup sour cream
2 cups chopped lettuce (either Bibb or substitute - Kale, Spinach, mixed Greens)
How to do it:
1. In a small bowl Stir together 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce. Set aside.
2. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Working in batches of two, add pitas to skillet, and toast until lightly browned, about 1 minute per side. Cut in half, open, and set aside.
3. Increase heat to high. When skillet starts to smoke, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add chicken in a single layer, and cook, undisturbed, until browned, about 2 minute. Flip all of the pieces and cook on other side another two minutes. Move to sides of skillet.
4. Add bell pepper, and cook, undisturbed, until slightly charred, about 2 minutes. Add zucchini to bell pepper, and cook 1 minute. Add green onion, salt, pepper, and sauce mixture; stir together, and cook 1 minute.
5. With rest of ingredients, stir together sour cream, remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce.
6. Fill each pita half with a bit of lettuce and spoonfuls of chicken-and-vegetable mixture. Spoon in sour cream sauce, and serve immediately.