This weekend I completed my 30 out 60 day challenge, meaning that I haven't missed a yoga pratice in 30 days straight. For some, this task is seriously daunting, however, for me it is routine - much like brushing your teeth. Previous to this, I had only missed one class in 4 months. My practice has come a LONG way. I remember when I couldn't touch my forehead to my knee like posture 24 or how I wobbled my way through postures 3-7. And even 5 days straight of Bikram was pushing it. Much like anything in life, yoga of any kind takes practice and dedication. Sometimes, in posture 22 I still feel like I am going to vomit everything I have eaten over the past week, but hey, it's all good, dizziness is normal! It's just the flow of toxins leaving the body through the pours and your heart chakra opening up, releasing all that supressed emotion, fear, and anxiety. I'm a work in progress, but I find that since beginning Bikram my entire mind, body, and soul has been transformed. Phyiscally, I am more flexible and have more muscle than I ever did running and lifting weights. I can also feel the effect it has had on me interally, squeezing all those toxins out of my organs and increasing the strength of my breathing; also a form of detox. Mentally, I feel more calm, centered, rational, and in tune with myself and the world around me. Soul-wise, I am much more greatful for the life I have been able to have; even when things don't go my way I know, that just like my yoga, all will come together in good time. Here's to the rest of my 30 days! On to less sweaty weekend events!
This weekend Kevin and I traversed to Laguna Beach for a potluck in this fantastic hexagone, multi-level home. It was literally, at the top of the world! The hill we had to drive to get up there was MASSIVE and just kept going and going. We were like, "Does this ever end???" However, the drive up there was well worth it as the view from the top was breath-taking. Laguna in an of itself is an amazing beach community; very quaint. The potluck was fun, other than the fact that it took forever to start eating..which would be fine, but I hadn't eaten in about five hours in preperation for the onslaught of the food combos (I wanted to give my digestive system a rest). I did my best to pace myself as usual, but still woke up the next morning bloated and uncomfortable. Something about those flax seeds and dehydrated goodies that just wreaks havoc on my digestive system! ugh!
Just because you are a raw foodist doesn't mean you are immune to these problems. I think people assume this is the case. That all of a sudden, you go raw, and your body magically becomes a perfectly functioning mechanism..maybe for some, but certainly not for me. Raw has helped me with many issues like my migraines, horrible PMS, fibroids, more energy, but my digestive issues press on. I thought for a long time I was the only one - why can all these other raw foodists eat nuts galore with no adverse reactions? Why can everyone else seem to handle these complicated raw food dishes from restaurants and i'm stuck eating soup that I can easily make at home for half the price?? And then I started talking to more people about it and I found that A LOT of people have these issues too. Except, people just don't like to talk about them because I guess they have the same fears that I do; that those who aren't raw will be like "AH HA! This lifestyle isn't everything you claim it to be!!! We've got you figured out!"
No one can deny all the amazing benefits that raw food has on the body and the mind. However, it can be more difficult for some to figure out the perfect balance and knowing exactly what the body needs to fuction. The cleaner you become, the more difficult it is - at least I think so. We're not all scientists here and the body is a very complicated organism. Right now, I am just trying to figure out how to feel good EVERYDAY, not somedays. I'll be writing more on this in an upcoming post. As this goes much deeper for me than just some bad potluck combos!
No one can deny all the amazing benefits that raw food has on the body and the mind. However, it can be more difficult for some to figure out the perfect balance and knowing exactly what the body needs to fuction. The cleaner you become, the more difficult it is - at least I think so. We're not all scientists here and the body is a very complicated organism. Right now, I am just trying to figure out how to feel good EVERYDAY, not somedays. I'll be writing more on this in an upcoming post. As this goes much deeper for me than just some bad potluck combos!
Friday's Dinner:
- Ezekial Wrap with Romaine Lettuce, Sun-dried Tomato Sunflower Seed Burger topped with Smoked Gouda Cheeze Sauce and Organic Whole Grain Mustard (ACV & Sea Salt) w/ a side salad of Romaine, Nutirional Yeast, and Agave-Mustard Dressing.
- Crudite of Organic celery and Organic red beel pepper w/ avocado topped with Sea Veggie Dulse & Cayenne sprinkled on top and some Himalayan Sea Salt.
- Dip: Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Whole Grain Mustard, Nutitional Yeast, Organic fresh Dill, and chopped up Jalepeno pepper.
Sunday was spent in the kitchen, re-stocking for Kevin's lunches/dinners and cleaning/organizing. Spending my Sundays making food and dehydrating makes my weekday mornings super easy. All I have to do is reach into the cabinet or fridge and pull out what I made on Sunday and within 3 minutes i've got his whole lunch ready to go! This weekend I made a big batch of Chocolate-Coconut Flake-Raisin Granola, Sunflower-Dill Crab Cakes, Jalepeno-Cilantro Burgers, Snap-Pea Chips, and a Mediterranean Chickpea, Adzuki, and Mung bean grain bowl with organic Millet seasoned with fresh garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. (non-raw).
I'm fortunate enough to have a live-in taste tester for all my raw-vegan and vegan recipes. He's my hungry high-raw vegan guinea pig! Kev's a picky eater, so when he likes something I know it must be good. We've been together for six years so I trust him to tell me if something needs more seasoning or is too sweet; we by-passed that whole sugar coating stage a longgggg time ago! He's come leaps and bounds in his diet since I first met him. Somehow, he used to live off sugary cereals, micro-waved veggies in cheese sauce, shake n'bake pork chops, eating whole Dominos pizzas at midnight w/ cheesy bread. You know, Standard American Diet processed crap. I'm very proud of him. He may never be a salad-lover like me, but he can drink a 64 oz Green Smoothie with the best of them. Even when i'm not around to remind him he still always chooses an Organic and Vegan option which is fine by me!!
Eating Vegan Chocolate Chip Pancakes from Swingers in Santa Monica.
Isn't he adorable? I think so!
My nicely organized fridge and cabinet.
Sunday night was very relaxing. We watched television, I read my new health magazine from Mother's, and Kevin worked on his park project for Urban Design class. Good weekend!
...and this concludes my SUPER long weekend post! Au Revoir!
This post made me really hungry :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a bikram-lover, too. Nothing makes me feel better than 90 minutes of sweaty poses.