"If you want peace in your life, strive to make your own life peaceful" - Anonymous
"Look for opportunities throughout your day to practice compassion towards yourself & towards others. Compassion is peace in action" - KM
Day #30 - #goWFPB - A WFPB Lifestyle & Compassion
Like many of you, I initially made the decision to adopt a Whole Foods Plant-Based Lifestyle for health reasons. I had been a vegetarian (on & off, with a stint or two as a "pescatarian") since I was about 15. But completely eliminating animal products was an entirely new experience. I suddenly felt so much better - physically & emotionally. I never realized all the negative consequences animal products had on my well-being until I stopped ingesting them. I had more energy, better focus & concentration, & I could fully breathe for the first time in years. I would occasionally "indulge in a little dairy" on the weekend or on vacation. And I always paid the price: I felt awful - headache, tired, foggy, congested, sluggish. Physically, mentally, emotionally ... I began to realize that it just wasn't worth it.
But the more I became educated about the far-reaching & tremendously damaging consequences of animal consumption, not only to individual human health, but the global interconnection of political, social, economic, environmental, humanitarian, & moral issues, something much more profound began to shift. Emotionally … & spiritually.
I believe that mind-body-spirit are inseparable ... & we are all interconnected. So how could I eat animal products when to do so makes me an accomplice in the cruelty, violence, & torture inflicted on these animals? ... in promoting the illness, oppression, & suffering of other human beings? ... in the destruction of our environment, through global warming, pollution of our rivers & oceans, deforestation, & the suffering & extinction of other living beings? ... in the demise of our planet?
Call me a radical ... dramatic ... I've been called worse. But, really ... you can't "unknow" what you know ... & incongruence between heart & mind creates the worst kind of suffering. Mind-body-spirit need to be in alignment ... in balance ... congruent ... for optimal health & wellness. So, for me, a WFPB Lifestyle is the only choice that brings mind-body-spirit into congruence. It's the only choice that allows me to practice compassion. Compassion for myself, compassion for others, compassion for all living beings. Compassion is peace in action.
Here's a list of some of some of the best documentaries to date about the vast impact(s) of a WFPB lifestyle. Many of them are available for free just follow the links.
https://www.livekindly.co/vegan-documentaries/
May you be happy, safe, peaceful & well. Namaste.

​​In a world where we are constantly moving, thinking, worrying, rushing from one task to the next, and bombarded with news, information, sound bites and screens, it's easy to feel overwhelmed, anxious, unbalanced, and stressed-out. 
How do we find peace amongst the chaos, noise, and uncertainty?  We practice.  We practice the self-care tools and activities that help us to still the mind, center and ground ourselves, so that we can respond to the demands in our lives from a place of wholeness and calm.  We practice not to be perfect (because none of us are or ever will be).  We practice to have peace. 
Practicing the tools that bring us into peace is like building a muscle, the more we practice, the stronger, and better able we become to respond from that place of peace and integrity to the daily challenges and experiences in our lives. 
Practice doesn't make perfect but, Practice DOES Makes Peace.   
Join us for this Experiential, Holistic Self-Care Day Retreat and immerse yourself in a full day of self-care practices to nurture the whole person.  Learn, experience, & practice an array of practical, evidence-based tools & self-care practices that will help you reduce anxiety & stress, become more centered & present, & empower you to create a more balanced, peaceful life, including:

• Breathwork
• Meditation
• Yoga (Asana)
• Relaxation & Mindfulness techniques
• Guided Imagery & Music (GIM)
• Mandalas … & More

Register Today @ TheHealingArtsCenterOfRichmond.com