Soul

Over the weekend I was able to catch an episode of The Joy Behar Show featuring Dr.Oz of Oprah fame.  He mentioned three things most of us are not doing that can dramatically take a toll on our health: 1)Not stretching first thing in the morning, 2)Not eating breakfast and 3) Running late.  I started researching more of Dr.Oz’s advice and found that these three are the first three of his 7 Deadly Sins.  The remainder of the list is:

4) Mindless Eating

5) Becoming a couch potato

6)Disconnecting

7)Not Having a Bedtime

Click here to read the replacement habits for these sins on his website as well as watch him talk about the sins on his show.

And note that I am guilty of all of these!!!!!!

xoxo, Vanesa

There’s nothing like a little Davey Dance Blog for a Friday…..

Davey Dance Blog -6- PARIS – Katerine – “Apres Moi” from Pheasant Plucker on Vimeo.

xoxo, Vanesa

I know I’m a little late to join the Food Inc. bandwagon since I’ve heard rave reviews about this documentary for the past year.  Driving around LA I’ve seen food trucks with stickers of the film in their windows and even restaurants with full blown posters.  It seemed like this film was the new Obama campaign and all the hype made me want to see what it was all about.  I got around to watching it over my break and wow…just wow.  I’ve spent the past few years being mindful of what I put into my body trying to buy Organic as much as possible and limiting the amount of red meat I eat, partly from reading Skinny Bitch as well as the information I got from my partner who read The Omnivore’s Dilemma.  But Food Inc sealed the deal.  Like the film’s website reads, I will never look at dinner the same way again.  And I’ll also never look at food at the supermarket the same way either.  The key things I am going to try and change after seeing Food Inc. are to buy local, seasonal and organic from local farmer’s markets; eat grass-fed meat; and read the labels of what I’m eating!!!  I can preach this from the high mountains all day long but seeing this film will truly open your eyes.  I will warn you that there are scenes that are not for the faint of heart.  I shuddered like a small child under a blanket unable to bear the brutality of some of the images.  But the overall film is extremely well done and packs a plethora of information into a great presentation.  On my new year and Food Inc. kick I am now on Day One of life without Diet Coke…so don’t blame me if my posts come off crankier in the next few weeks

xoxo, Vanesa

I’m back from “Winter Break” and thrilled to be in 2010 with a brand new layout!!!  The new look is just one of many things that I hope to upgrade in this new year.  I sat down during my break and wrote down a few key words that came into my head as I thought about what I want out of life: Happiness, Joy, Love, Growth, Freedom, Beauty, Serenity, Strength, Calm, Courage, Living in the Moment, Prosperity, Confidence.  I wish these things for myself, my family, friends and to my readers in this coming year.

Since I went off the grid during the break my next few posts will be a recap of all the trouble I was up to.

xoxo, Vanesa

Sometimes I feel like the smallest fish in the sea staring at all the great big sharks and sparkling seashells wondering, “Why am I here and they are over there?”  I need to get over this…not only is this feeling annoying, it makes me the block standing in my own way.  I don’t want to operate my life from fear, I want to let my own light shine!  I read this quote from the great Nelson Mandela and instantly felt strong and empowered.  I hope this brings you similar feelings of positivity and lifts any self-doubt you may be experiencing:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Nelson Mandela

xoxo, Vanesa

Vanesa:Oooh you look fancy, where are you going?

Friend who will not be named: On a date!

Vanesa: New guy?

Friend who will not be named: He’s just the guy I’m practicing on until I go out with the guy I really like next week.

There’s the gift, there’s the spirit, and there’s the work—all three have to come together. If one of those things is off, it can stop you from becoming who you were meant to be.
-Jay-Z in his interview with Oprah availabe in the October 2009 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, on newsstands September 15th

After I read Skinny Bitch cover to cover I became obsessed with decaf green tea.  After trying several different brands I stumbled upon Yogi Tea’s Pure Green Decaf Tea as well as their Green Tea Kombucha Decaf.  Both are wonderful teas that give me a soothing and healthier replacement to my love affair with Skinny Vanilla Lattes. Besides the wonderful taste I look forward to the cute little sayings that come on the labels of the teabag.  I love them so much that I started posting them as my daily Facebook status update and have become somewhat famous for them   Okay I can’t say I’m faaaamous for them but I can say when I don’t post my daily Yogi Tea saying, people inquire about the absence.  These small sayings can turn around my whole day with words of inspiration, strength and serenity.  I have taped to my computer the Yogi Tea reading, “I am beautiful, I am bountiful, I am blissful.”  And I swear to everyone my life turned around from the Yogi Tea reading, “Life is a flow of love.  Your participation is requested.”  You can read more about the Yogi brand here and get your daily tasting of inspiration from their sayings here.

Meryl Streep taking direction from Nora Ephron on the set of "Julie and Julia".

Today I woke up thinking about Reinvention.  Madonna has mastered this so well from Material Girl to Erotica to Evita…it feels like she is always growing into a new phase of her life.  I for one am ready to grow into something new.  I was inspired when I saw the story of Julie Powell and Julia Child in the film “Julie and Julia”.  And even more inspired when I read an article in Ladies Home Journal with Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and the writer/director of the film, Nora Ephron.  You could say that Nora Ephron is to me what Julia Child was to Julie Powell.  Her films have been a cornerstone of my life.  What 10 year old rattles off “Sleepless in Seattle” and “When Harry Met Sally” as some of her top favorite films?  Reading the article in LHJ I felt even more connected to the wisdom, strength and courage that is Nora.  Here are two really great quotes from Nora Ephron and Meryl Streep on REINVENTION in the LHJ article:

Nora Ephron: One of the things I love about this movie is that the women in it are able to reinvent themselves.

Meryl Streep: Because we’re less about what we do and more about what we are. I can never get over the fact that Julia Child’s famous book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was published when she was almost 50 years old. So she didn’t really become “Julia Child” until she was 50.

Nora Ephron: I started as a newspaper reporter, then I became a magazine writer, then I became a screenwriter, then I became a director. Every 10 years or so there was a moment when I’d say, even subconsciously, Is that all there is? You’ve got to find ways to keep it fresh for yourself. To do the thing, as they say, that is a stretch.

To get more inspiration and soul power from the women of Julie and Julia, click here to read the full article from Ladies Home Journal.

Let’s be honest. I tried to avoid this book. It seems that everytime I would talk to someone about a spiritual pathway in my life they would recommend this book to me. I had thumbed through it a few times while it was on display at my local Jamba Juice. I thought to myself, can I really get enlightenment from a book being hawked at me while I’m waiting for my 16 oz Berry Fulfilling? But then a friend gave it to me as a Christmas present and I figured I would give it a go. The Four Agreements may not be the end and final answer to your quest of spiritual enlightenment but I can say it did me a whole lot of good. Now when there’s a bump in the road I turn to the agreements and seem to always find an answer. I’ve posted the agreements at my desk and let the teachings influence me in my everyday. I hope you can find some peace in them as well:

1. Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don’t Take Anything PersonallyNothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.