Seeing Fruits and Vegetables Through New Eyes

Most of us know that foods grown in earth’s soil offer vitamins and minerals that nourish our physical bodies. But did you know it is the color pigments in rainbow foods that provide an energy supply that helps support and balance our emotional feelings and spirit?

When you shop for fruits and vegetables, what do you really see? An ingredient for a meal? An attractive taste? Chances are, you see a lemon, not the yellow color. If you did view it for its sunny vibration, you might think, I’ve got a meeting coming up; I can use something yellow to support my confidence and intellect. You might look at asparagus and see a bunch of the spears in a rubber band. If you focused on the rich green color, you might say to yourself, I can use these to help release resentment and heal my broken heart.

Your Emotions Can Tell You Which Food Color You Need

Each of our energy centers can become imbalanced at any time. By observing your thoughts and behaviors, you can determine the colors of the energy boosting foods you may need.

You May Need A Red Energy Boost If You Feel:

• “I wish I had more energy to succeed.”
• “I worry about being ripped off.”
• “I am always late for everything.”
• “I feel insecure about what is happening next.”
• “I am spacey.”
• “I wish I were more practical or down to earth.’’
• “I keep questioning my decisions.”
• “I feel invisible.”
• “I am alone and I can’t connect with people.”

…from the “Orange” Chapter…

Orange: Sacral Chakra
Creativity, Sensuality, Going With The Flow

Unlike the guarded Root Chakra whose job it is to keep you safe and secure, the Sacral Chakra, orange energy, throws caution to the winds and is related to more zest for life – spontaneity and an openness to the world – a sensual wonderment very much like the curiosity of young children. Emotions, including those related to our sexuality, are meant to be felt in full, fueling creativity and self-expression. When you feel free to be who you are and enjoy a passion for life, your Sacral Chakra is vibrating properly and balanced.

Located in the area between your lower abdomen (groin) and your navel, this energy center is where masculine and feminine energies are found. The Sacral Chakra governs our reproductive, urinary and lower digestive system: Sacral body parts include all sexual organs, kidneys, bladder, prostate and spleen. This is also where your attitudes about sexuality are located and feelings about finances. The lower back is your source of physical support. “Oh, my aching back” is all about financial support.

 As the Sacral Chakra oversees the liquid functions of the body, it helps you “go with the flow in life.” The fulfillment of life’s greatest passions, dreams, ambitions and fantasies are possible when this chakra is balanced.

The Balanced Sacral Chakra

A person whose Sacral Chakra is balanced has a natural ability to connect with their feelings and with others with warmth and openness. In other words, relationships come easy. Balanced orange energy helps support motivation – a clear vision of where you want to be and how to get there. To maintain balance, eat orange foods, and use orange aromatherapy extracts. Physically open your hips where orange energy is stored, through dance (how about belly dancing) and strengthen your core with Pilates and yoga. And be sure to have a good belly laugh every day.

The Underactive Sacral Chakra

People who are socially stiff, cold, unresponsive, and inflexible can use more orange. When Sacral Chakra energies are taxed or clogged and spinning slows down, one might become sluggish, uncomfortable with sex, lacking in creative inspiration, cold to others, and they might abandon their dreams.

The Overactive Sacral Chakra

Too much orange energy can cause us to take our “joie de vivre” to the extreme and become addicted to pleasure. Perhaps we have an excessive libido. As a result, we may find ourselves attracting co-dependant relationships. Or, we can be greedy, money hungry, addicted to booze, and overeat.

Did You Know…?

• Yunani and Ayurvedic Medicine have been using honey for thousands of years to strengthen men’s fertility.
• In China, Japan and the Far East, women have been taking cinnamon powder for centuries to strengthen the uterus. It is also known to be an aphrodisiac.
• It is believed by some that the bee pollen in the honey prolongs the life of the egg during ovulation.
• Pumpkin seeds are especially beneficial for expectant mothers because of high amounts of protein, zinc and other vitamins.
• Oranges help maintain great skin and vision.
• Mangoes may protect against several kinds of cancer.
• Peaches are rich in potassium, fluoride and iron.
• And how about a navel orange powering the orange chakra? Looks just like a belly button!
• Carrots were first grown as a medicine.

ORANGE FOODS

butternut squash • yams • sweet potato • pumpkin • honey • carrots • cinnamon • mangoes • papayas • nuts and seeds • oranges • tangerines • cantaloupe • golden kiwifruit • nectarines • peaches • apricots • flax seed • paprika • ginger

ORANGE FOOD RECIPES

CANTALOUPE GINGERED SMOOTHIE

20 ice cubes
2 cups cubed cantaloupe (about 1/2 medium melons)
6 ounces low-fat plain yogurt
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1. Combine ice cubes, cantaloupe, yogurt, honey, and ginger in blender and purée until smooth.
2. Taste and add more honey if you like.

Yields 3 to 4 servings

Clear Orange Energy With This Belly Exercise

Breathe deeply into your belly. As you do, rub the skin of your belly with your hand in a clockwise direction. Keep taking those slow deep breaths. Meditate on feeling free to express your emotions and follow your dreams.

Increase Energy Flow With A Good Belly Laugh

In addition to stimulating the orange energy responsible for sexuality, digestive systems are stimulated. It’s a great aerobic workout too. Dr. William Fry from Stanford University measured that 20 minutes of laughter is equivalent to 10 minutes on a rowing machine. And according to a study by heart specialists at the University of Maryland, people with heart disease were 40% less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.

Laughter has been found to benefit the way blood flows around the body, reducing the likelihood of heart disease. Researchers claim that 15 minutes of laughter a day is as important for your heart as 30 minutes of exercise 3 times a week!

Laughter Is Good For You

• Hearty laughter assists in releasing endorphins, natural chemicals that help promote a sense of well-being.
• Stress levels (cortisol) can be reduced by 75%.
• Laughter relaxes tense muscles and they can stay relaxed for up to fortyfive minutes.
• The average person laughs thirteen times in a single day.
• A six-year-old child laughs about three times more than an adult.
• Cats and dogs also laugh.
• A hearty laugh is known to decrease stress hormones and increase immune cells and antibodies.
• Laughter can increase blood flow which can help protect against heart attacks.

How To Have A Belly Laugh

Take a private moment and say to yourself out loud, ”Hee-hee-heee-heehah-hah-hah-hah-hah-ha! Ho-ho-ho-hah-ha-ha-ha-ha!” Do it again, enjoying the sensation of the laughter. Do this several times – feel the belly move!  It is suggested suggested that we do belly laughing every day.

Join A Laughter Club

You can also enjoy therapeutic laughter in the company of fellow laughers by joining a Yoga Laughter Club, originally created by Dr. Madan Kataria, a physician in Mumbai India. In his scholarly work, he revealed that laughter is extremely beneficial to mental and physical health. To find a Yoga Laughter Club near you, visit Laughter Yoga International.

Laugh With A TV Laugh Track

Laughter is contagious! To get your belly laugh going, simply download a laugh track – the background laughter used in television (Ultimate Laugh Tracks For Sitcoms, Game Shows, Talk Shows and Comedy
Projects, Vol. 2). They have 50 tracks to choose from. We recommend track 26. It’s online at Amazon.com.

Affirmations

“I feel the pleasures of life with every breath I take.”
“I am open to touch and closeness.”
“I enjoy being in the moment and being spontaneous.”
“I am worthy of love and sexual pleasure.”
“I enjoy going with the flow.”