Days 4,5,6 and 7 Traveling in Connecticut

It's Sunday, May 29th, 8:33pm, Eastern time. I have been in Connecticut for three days, and I have not been tempted to stray.


The story begins on Thursday, May 26th. Just a typical day of yoga, work and packing for a weekend getaway. My yoga practice on Thursday morning was once again blissful. I love how my body feels before, during and after. I have noticed that my lower back does not ache as often in Svasana(final resting pose) as it has in the past. I loved teaching my students and I felt a clarity in my teaching that I haven't experienced before. Thursday's stress came from my "to-do" list. I spent all day watching my mind and as soon as I noticed it focusing on the "to-do" list, I came back to what was happening in my present. Once I was finished with work, I had to come home and finish packing. This mainly consisted of prepping my dinner(a large salad) and preparing extra fruits for nourishment. I'm glad we chose the red-eye, so I could spend the most of my time sleeping. I was surprised how much a bunch of grapes kept me satisfied between flights.

Friday, we spent the first half of the day sleeping...it was soooooo goooood! For the evening, we went to Josh's sister's house for apps...none for me because they were pretzels and chips. Then we headed off to a diner for dinner. I enjoyed a house salad with lemon as the dressing and a bowl of fruit. It was all delicious. The others enjoyed hamburgers, omellettes and pizza...I'm thankful that I was past the hump of craving, because to looked like it would be tasty, however, I didn't even want a fry!

Saturday, I enjoyed a tasty watermelon and Angie(Josh's sister) took us to a fabulous market, think Henry's or Whole Foods, and I purchased many delicious fruits for my own consumption and plenty of veggies for a large, communal salad and one for myself. I am thankful that I find the cutting of veggies enjoyable and creating works of edible art for others.

And finally, today. Today was the big party with the Big Green Pizza truck. Wow! This was awesome and a little part of me did wish I hadn't made the choice to partake in this challenge, but then I feel that my pants are fitting, even becoming a little big and I like what I see in the mirror and I remember how my yoga practice has been feeling and I am reminded of the importance of this cleanse for me and my health. The party was from 11:00-5:00 and as I watched everyone become lethargic, I was graciously complimented on my energy and light as though I had just arrived.

I am beginning to believe that the "raw foodies" may be on to something with all their enzyme talk and increased energy. And I have noticed that my my ego may still want or crave, the rest of my mind and body have lost the craving.

Peace :)

They say, "Third Times the Charm"!

As day three comes to a close, I feel vibrant! I feel that I can sustain this way of life for the next 27 days. What lingers in the back of my mind, however, is my pending trip. I leave tomorrow (5/26) on a red eye flight to Connecticut. It is a trip I have known about for two years. Why, do you ask, would I do this cleanse now? Well, when it happened last year at around the same time, I made the excuses that June is a busy birthday month for my family and I didn't want to get mocked and ridiculed about eating raw foods. But when the challenge came around this year, I decided to do it regardless of what others may think. I had well over a month to think about doing it or not. I knew I would be leaving town to celebrate a graduation...with a pizza truck that makes made to order pizzas, no less.

So why now?, why not wait until I get back?
As my teacher reminded me, life is always happening. And as my other teacher has taught me, there is no later, only now, the present moment. So I did it.

Is it selfish? Well, a friend reminded me that it is none of my business what others think of me. Some may think that I am being selfish, some may even laugh behind my back, but I am stronger this year and I know deep inside that I am the only one responsible for me. So I take this challenge as a challenge of Self Love, as a challenge of bettering my health and my life.


Peace :)

Today's Menu
Breakfast- Some honeydew melon, an apple and an orange
Snack- some pineapple, blueberries and an apricot
Lunch-Salad and the rest of my pineapple, blueberries and the other apricot
Snack-an orange
dinner- the rest of my salad I couldn't finish at lunch(it was huge) and some watermelon

Day Two

Day two is coming to a close and as I sit back and reflect, I can't help but smile. The food I prepared was yummy and satisfying but what has stayed with me, all day, is my yoga practice. I practice every Tuesday and Thursday morning and I can honestly say in the last 10+ years, my practice has never felt the way it did today. I felt light, strong, energized. My fellow yogi's may have a sense of what I am trying to describe. And the best part, is that I still feel amazing...twelve hours later.

I will share that I did battle with my mind a lot more today than yesterday, but then again I had to go to the grocery store and pick up a few baking items for a gift I am making. So I eased the ego by first picking up some apricots, then some apples, then some delicious looking yellow cherry tomatoes...this seemed to help and I made sure I ate right when I got home. It's amazing how loud the ego voice can be and how coercive it can be. I am thankful for my mindfulness training and using the breath to come back to the present and to my body and to take time to remember how I felt today during and after practice. Self love is really what this detox is all about.

A dear friend of mine requested I post my menu each day...what a great idea!

I started the day with a fuji apple.
After yoga, I had some watermelon, a few strawberries, and an orange.
Lunch consisted of a large salad, with homemade salsa for dressing. (remember this is a raw thing, so nothing from a can or jar allowed)
I had an orange as a snack between teaching my two classes.
Dinner was a bunch of grapes, an apple and some pineapple.

Peace :)

Warning...

what you are about to read will challenge every fiber of your being. The content in this link goes against everything we have ever learned from our parents, teachers and mass media...but as with every story, don't we need to hear both sides first then decide for ourselves what's best?

Click here for the other side of the story.
raw food talk


Peace :)

Elephants, Apes and Giraffes...Oh My!

What do these animals and me have in common? Well, for the next 30 days, we are all vegan raw food-ists. Since deciding to do this challenge, I have been most interested in other people's response to my wanting to take it on. Why are we so fascinated by consuming tons of protein from animal products? I did a miniscule amount of research last night and found out that for my age, the US RDA (http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/protein-requirement.php) of protein is 46 grams...that seems like A LOT. I was also informed by the creator of the challenge that when a person eats a chicken breast that has 7 grams of protein, the body will only absorb about 2-3 grams. But if a person consumes 7 grams of protein from fruits and vegetables, the body will absorb all the protein(note: I have not actually done this research yet to verify, but I plan to within the week). So which sounds more logical as a way to get protein? When I think about an ape, I think strength, not weakness. And sure, you could mention that lions eat meat, but it is a fact that they eat the intestines of their kill first and then move on to muscle. I guess even mother nature knows the importance of protein from plants.





I have completed day one and I feel fantastic. I had a lot of energy during my fitness class today and I have already noticed that my forward bend has deepened. I am motivated by how I feel inside to continue this challenge, and I can already feel my mind letting go of the challenge and embracing the lifestyle.

Peace :)

Cleansing the Body with Raw Food

For the next 30 days, I will immerse myself into the world of Raw Food. Not gourmet raw food, but good ol' wholesome whole foods...like carrots and apples and watermelon. I have joined in with many others from my yoga studio to cleanse my body of gross, putrid food stuffs and toxins from my cells and intestines. I will admit that the idea of not being able to eat a sandwhich for lunch or my yummy egg scramble in a whole wheat tortilla for breakfast was a bit frightening. So, I practiced. I actually started to eat fruit for breakfast, giant salads for lunch and more fruit for snacks, with the occasional processed food on the weekends. So, I'm ready. Ready to detox. Ready to cleanse. Ready to be rid of the stuff that is clogging me up and holding me back from a deeper forward fold and a "lighter" look at life. Follow me, if you will, as I share what is happening to me physically, emotionally and even spiritually.

Peace