When people come to us they're usually looking for help with a problem they have. Often what appears to be the problem is some extra weight they can't get off or keep off, or giving into cravings for foods they don't really want to eat, or they're overeating. And it looks to them like when the problem is resolved, they'll find a sense of peace and satisfaction that they don't have now.
In this video, we share a short exercise to point out that it isn't the peace that is missing, but a lot of busy thinking that keeps us from experiencing the peace that is always there within us.
Join us to hear more.
When we reflect on a time in our lives where we felt peace within, we see there were qualities of love, calm, trust and exaltation. And it's interesting to see that we didn't make those qualities happen. They just show up when we're in that space of peace within. No techniques are required.
If we explore our experience of when we felt peace, we begin to see that that peace and those wonderful qualities are there within us all the time. But what keeps us from experiencing them is our busy thinking about something that we feel isn't right in our lives, like the extra weight or overeating.
Oddly enough when our attention shifts from the "problems" in our lives to seeing life as it is, perceiving our lives without a resistance to what is showing up, the problem nature of our circumstances diminish.
As I let go of wanting life to be different that it is, more of these qualities of peace, love, calm and trust increase. And from that calmer space of trust, I find my best thinking and deal with the extra weight or overeating more effectively.
Finding this place of love and peace within changes everything. And it isn't a passive state or a denial of what's occurring. It's a place of clarity and intention to improve our lives as best we can. Then we can enjoy life as it really is, and experience that the deep nature of life is love and to thrive in that.
The recipe is really yummy. It is a Buttery Squash Soup with Peanut Butter added to give it a rich, creamy taste. We love it and have made it a mainstay in meals we enjoy.
To Your Amazing Health,
Connie and Bill
Buttery Squash Soup (Serves 4) *Adapted from Mary McDougall
- ¼ cup filtered water
- 4 cups Winter Squash—Buttercup, Kabocha, Kuri, Delicata or Butternut Squash
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup crunchy peanut butter (salt & sugar free)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped or ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts for garnish
Place ¼ cup filtered water in a large soup pot. Add squash, onions, garlic, soy sauce, cumin and coriander. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until onion is tender.
Add the broth, peanut butter, tomato paste and red pepper flakes or Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy. Mix well and bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for about 20 minutes until squash is very tender.
Mash with a potato masher while in the pot. Mix well. Serve with chopped cilantro or parsley and peanuts to garnish each bowl.
NOTE: You can eat the skin on the Buttercup, Kabocha, Kuri and Delicata squash. Just not the skin of the Butternut, the fleshy colored one that looks like a big peanut.