Malala Wins Nobel Peace Prize!

Malala Yousafzai wins Nobel Peace Prize

You might have heard that Malala Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize and is the youngest recipient in history. Interestingly, I’ve been studying the idea of Reverence for Life as a practice this week and feel this young woman embodies this idea with her North Star of education for every woman, man and child regardless of race, religion or creed. Whenever she speaks I’m inspired. She’s a clear voice, resourcing her own experience of being shot by the Taliban yet living to become an advocate for forgiveness, love and fostering the best in people, no discrimination. Here’s her heart felt Nobel Prize acceptance speech. If you don't know her story, you may wish to view this 38:00 minute documentary on the Inner Constellation Poster Child, Malala Yousafzai. Enjoy and be nourished.

Thich Nhat Hanh's 88th Birthday is Saturday--Join the Celebration!

This Saturday, October 11 is Thich Nhat Hanh's 88th Day of Continuation! He is one of my beloved teachers and when I received an email from the TNH Foundation about his birthday wish, I thought to share it with those of you who also love him so....

Here's what Thay says is the greatest gift we can offer him:

Of course we can buy a present from the market and we put a lot of love into it. But to tell you the truth, my hut in Upper Hamlet in not large enough to store all these kinds of presents. I would like to have a kind of present that I can enjoy every day and you also can enjoy every day – a present that can last for a long time, a present of the heart. I think that the best kind of present you may like to offer is a promise that you are sure you can honor, like: “Dear Thay, I promise that from now on, every time I hold a cup of tea, I will see the cloud in the tea and the cloud within myself.” That kind of present would be wonderful. Don’t make a big promise, like: “Dear Thay, I promise that from now on every step I make will be in mindfulness.” That may be a little bit too difficult! So, look deeply and make the kind of promise that you believe you can honor. Not too much, just one. And the maximum is two…I suggest only one promise…the kind of promise you are sure you will do. Just a little promise that will last all your life. That would be the most wonderful birthday present for Thay.

How precious is this request--are you going to do it? I am...So here's what you do...in honor of Thay’s 88th Continuation Day, you're invited to offer a present of the heart – send Thay your promise via Facebook, Twitter, or email this Saturday, OCTOBER 11th.You can share your promise via Facebook using the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation Facebook page, via Twitter @TNHFound using the #HappyContinuation, or by email using the address: info@ThichNhatHanhFoundation.org

Let Thay know that you are committed to a mindful life and the practice is alive in you. Happy Continuation Day, Dear Thich Nhat Hanh!!!

"Let Go and Be Nourished" Fall Mindfulness Retreat

This past Saturday Lake Tahoe Mindfulness Community participated in our first half-day seasonal retreat. The theme was, "Let Go and Be Nourished." I left feeling entirely rejuvenated by the community and the fall season. My practice is inspired! I thought to recap a brief post of what we soaked in to continue to nourish ourselves throughout this fall season:

1) Fall Meridian points - Large Intestine and Lung were highlighted as connected to the season of fall. These articles are a recap of what was discussed in more detail:

• Blog article on LI  
• Blog article on LU

2) Silent Walking Meditation - Ahhhh, we headed to Paradise Park down the road from The Studio and had a beautiful, still morning of walking mediation. We practiced matching our breaths to our steps, following the needs of our lungs. Mindfulness verses (Gathas) were introduced as a way of matching words to steps while taking in the beauty of our fall surroundings. Here are some further blog articles to support your walking meditation, including the IC poem read, Walking the Veranda. 

3) Loving Kindness Meditation - one of my favorite topics! Here are some Inner Constellation blog articles which are what informed the talk:

• What is Metta or Loving Kindness Practice
• Loving Kindness Phrases adapted by Karla
• Buddha's words on Loving Kindness/Discourse on Love
• More articles on Loving Kindness Practice

Lastly, we enjoyed our warming agents (tea and soup) tremendously, and folks were wondering the delicious ingredients. Our tea was compliments of Crissy Jory, a special fall health mix that was included in the Fall Studio Share Basket. It infused the air with spicy fall goodness, thank you Crissy! If you would like more information on our seasonal Studio Share Baskets, please contact Crissy. And lastly, here's the recipe for the Hungarian Mushroom Soup, delish!

If you would like to deepen your work with Mindfulness and the season of Autumn, please don't hesitate to contact me and we can set up a private session. Also, Lake Tahoe Mindfulness Community meets every Wednesday morning, 7:30a-8:30a at The Studio Lake Tahoe for community practice. Check out LTMC's Facebook page for the latest. Thanks to everyone who joined together on Saturday to practice--may it nourish us, our loved ones and our community. Look forward to Winter Retreat, December 13, 2014 from 9:00a-12:00pm. 

Hungarian Mushroom Soup Recipe

We enjoyed this soup as a warming agent for our Fall Mindfulness Retreat with the theme, "Let Go and Be Nourished." Yum, did it ever help us do just that!

Oh, and it's compliments of Eunie Lyle, who is an awesome culinary instructor at Lake Tahoe Community College, I've adapted it a bit for my tastes:

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

4 T butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 # fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 t dried dill 
1 T paprika
1 T soy sauce
2 cups veggie broth (I make mine homemade, if you want to know how, contact me)
1 cup soy milk or other non-separating product (Milk is delicious too)
3 T all-purpose flour
1 t salt
black pepper to taste
2 t lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (good for that Large Intestine meridian we discussed) or sour cream

Method:
Melt butter in large pot. Saute onions in butter for 5 minutes. Add mushies and saute 5 more minutes. Stir in dill, paprika, soy sauce and broth. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk milk and flour together. Pour into soup and stir well to blend. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Finally, stir in salt, pepper, lemon juice, parsley and Greek yogurt. Mix together and allow to heat through over low heat, about 3-5 minutes. Don't boil, serve immediately. Enjoy!