For the past 3 weeks I've been participating in a "40 Days to Personal Revolution" practice alongside my fellow yogis at Sigh Yoga. The practice is based on Baron Baptiste's book by the same name and it includes 6 days of yoga each week, one day of rest, meditation twice daily, journaling and reflection, readings geared toward mindfulness and personal growth, and a cleansing Fruit Fast midway through. Today is Day 22 and I am part way through my fast. To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to the fast...actually feeling a fair amount of anxiety about starting it because, well...NOTHING BUT FRUIT. "In for a penny, in for a pound" as they say...
Fruit Fast Day 2...Last night's yoga practice was great. I had much more lightness & energy than I anticipated and it was a vigorous practice. Headed to 6 am yoga this morning...feeling a little tired. I didn't push my practice...took child's pose a few extra times and did a 20 minute meditation. Oddly, enough, I left the studio feeling quite strong and nourished. Headed, home to ginger tea and a fruit plate (pineapple, coconut, kiwi, apple and blackberries). I had planned to make a smoothie along side it but found I was full. Overall, I'm not as hungry feeling as I expected...less so this morning than yesterday. Hunger is a strange sensation...we are so used to eating whenever we choose...whatever we choose, that I think we often identify our feelings (literally) as hunger when they are something else entirely (boredom, for example). I love to eat. I love to cook. I love cookbooks and studying nutrition, recipes and traditional foods. In planning for this fast, my intention was to explore the real feelings of hunger in my body, as well as identifying those things that aren't real hunger...those things that could be better "fed" in other ways. There are many truly hungry people in this world and it's important to me to acknowledge and honor both that and the good fortune my family has to not be experiencing true hunger.
I am feeling a little cold, though! Fruit is considered a very cooling food in many health traditions and here in Minnesota, we are in a cold, cold (did I mention, bitterly cold?) season. Hot herbal teas help with that but it leaves me wondering if fasting or cleansing with fruit is quite right for this season when warmth is both desired and even necessary for survival. "Food" for thought...
My overall yoga practice has taken on new dimensions. Strength. Flexibility. Openness. Flow. All of these carry over into my daily life. Certainly, there are welcome physical benefits, but the greater benefit lays in how I feel. Yoga is so much more than a form of exercise. On the surface it's a physical practice but it's core is Presence. Last year at this time, I was in the middle of a "30 Days of Yoga" challenge. I loved that, but I was plagued by mild injuries and quite frankly, exhausted by the end. This year, I am finding so much more goodness in a practice that allows for restoration.
One of my favorite parts of this process is the meditation. I have meditated at irregular intervals throughout my adult life. Most of the time, I've sought out meditation in times of high anxiety or stress; leaving it behind when the crisis passed. This is different. This time I'm establishing a daily practice of sitting with my self, wherever I am at. Doing that lets me take a pause. It lets me drop judgement of myself and others. Allows room for compassion and change. It doesn't stop me from anger, frustration or fear but it's a "reset button" and I find myself coping with those emotions in a more balanced way. Don't get me wrong...Sometimes Usually, I sit down to meditate and begin making ridiculous mental lists or designing dog food bowls, or pondering important questions like "Why are lemons yellow and limes green?" My mind is a busy, crazy place, but at least I can see that for what it is and release it.
May the Fruit Be With You.
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti....Hari Om Tat Sat
