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Showing posts from 2017

Supporting the Buddhist Theory of Anatman, or Not-Self

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Let me preface this by saying I love Jesus. I believe he incarnated and died for our sake. You can say I'm a Christian, after all, I have been baptized, commune and have been through Lutheran Confirmation. However, my beliefs and spiritual experience is to wide and deep to be confined to any box that is religion. I am currently enrolled in a free course at Princeton University called, "Buddhism and Modern Psychology." What follows is my mid-term assignment: The Buddha makes the claim, which may draw some support from modern psychology, that the self does not exist. Describe the self that the Buddha says does not exist and explain the Buddha's principal argument against it. Do you agree or disagree with the Buddha’s argument that this kind of self doesn’t exist? Or are you unable to take a position? Give two specific reasons for your view, and explain why your reasons support either the existence of the self or the non-existence of the self, or why they explain w

5 Things I Wish People Knew About Alcoholism

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1. It's a disease classified by The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.  The definition of disease is as follows: a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that produces specific signs or symptoms or that affects a specific location* and is not simply a direct result of physical injury. *The location in this instance being the brain. 2. It can be considered an allergy.  Definitions of allergy : A) altered bodily reactivity (such as hypersensitivity) to an antigen in response to a first exposure. B) exaggerated or pathological immunological reaction to substances, situations, or physical states that are without comparable effect on the average individual. According to William D. Silkworth, M.D. a prominent physician who specialized in the treatment of alcoholism, the action of alcohol in alcoholics is the manifestation of an allergy; the phenomenon of craving that develops is limited to this class and never

The "Shred" in Review

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“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” ~Ancient Ayurvedic Proverb  Every 35 days, your skin replaces itself and your body makes new cells from the food you eat. What you eat literally becomes YOU. This is my why -- This is why Juice Plus is so important to me. I'm among the 75% of Americans who fall short of 5-13 servings of fruits and veggies a day - even when I try my best! Juice Plus bridges the gap between what I should be eating and what I actually eat; it's whole food based nutrition, including juice powder concentrates from 30 different fruits, vegetables and grains. Plus soil erosion has lead to nutrient depletion, so today's grocery store tomato isn't exactly the same as the tomato farmed for Juice Plus, but that's a whole other blog. Shred 10 was new for me, but as a part of the Juice Plus family, I saw the value. I didn't lose any weight, but I noticed an increase in my energy, especiall

Confessions: A Former Model's Food Diary

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No Sugar, No Gluten, No Dairy... My 10 Day "Shred" Begins... Throughout my teenage years I struggled with bulimia - I started modeling when I was 10, and my obsession with food, restricting and purging became a big problem. My face was always bloated. Blood vessels in and around my eyes were burst. I was in NYC for an event with my agency, and in my hotel room, my mom heard me throwing up after I turned the shower on. It wasn't long after, by the grace of God, I managed to stop the cycle of binging and purging. In college, counting calories, diet pills and exercising 3 hours a day became my obsession. When my drinking and partying escalated from 2011 -2014 I lost a lot of weight. I liked that, plus how alcohol made me feel. I began my sober journey in 2014 . (This was 2012-ish, I weighed a little over 100lbs, at 5'6") Controlling food was considered an "old way of thinking" - so since 2014, I really haven't made any attempts

Bloom Where You Are Planted

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I haven't been too inspired to write lately, but the truth is, sometimes it's just about starting. I've felt like if I didn't have some profound message, it wouldn't be worth reading. But God speaks to me through people. How am I to know how what I say will affect others? I trust the words will find the hearts it's meant to... and I still stand by sharing My Truth and revealing What's Under My Yoga Pants , despite the Lemon I was dealt as a result. Now that I'm in a new area, I think it's important for those just meeting me to know my authentic self. I write a lot about my recovery from alcohol and addiction . I had a "burning bush" experience after working my twelve steps, and knew I was meant to leave my stressful, draining job, take a leap of faith, trust the universe and follow my heart, pursuing my passion. That's how YOGA by Brittney was birthed. I'll be 18 months sober on May 20th - One day shy of my first weddin

The Opposite of Addiction

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When I was younger, I moved to LA for a short while, and to NYC as well. I also traveled frequently to Minnesota. I always loved to "get away." It was nothing for me to pick up and go, and it didn't seem I was close enough to anyone for it to impact me. After college the world travel and moving around continued into and all around DC. I found friends, but kept them at a distance. (Me in Paris, where I enjoyed too much champagne.)  In March of 2014, I found my way into the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous. I managed to string together my first 30 days of sobriety after a messy year of trying to escape myself. I'd come to the realization I had a problem - that once I started drinking, I couldn't stop or control my drinking.  Around the 40 day mark, I was to go on a trip to Vegas with the start-up I was working for. I decided to start drinking again, already having made the decision I would drink on the trip. It was immediately clear to me, I wasn't dr

What is Yoga?

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There is much more to yoga than meets the eye. The practice of yoga was developed in ancient India over 5,000 years ago by monks and other enlightened beings for health, happiness and longevity. Following is a very brief and simplistic overview outlining what Raj yoga, or Ashtanga yoga is according to Patanjali's Sutras, from my Advanced Teacher Training lecture notes. The goal of yoga is union of the self with the supreme reality. There are eight limbs. 1. The Yamas {Purification of Nature}: a) Ahimsa (non-violence), b) Satya (truthfulness), c) Asteya (not stealing), d) Aparigraha (non-collection), e) Brahmacharya (non-indulgence) 2. The Niyamas {Purification of Nature} : a) Saucha (cleanliness), b) Santosha (contentment), c) Tapas (self-discipline), d) Svadhyaya (self-study), e) Ishuara Pranidhana (surrender to God) 3. Asana {Purification of the Body} : The physical practice of yoga postures 4. Pranayama {Purification of Energy} : Breathing exercises to control th