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Saturday, January 16, 2010
Winter detox, day 7
Halfway there. I, unlike many of the people I am doing this detox with, am not doing the juice fast this weekend. As I have a full day of work tomorrow, and my metabolism is notoriously slow - I figured it was for the best. However, one day I might like to try it.
Things I've noticed so far as a result of the detox: I feel that I have more energy. Mornings aren't so hard, and I make it through the day. I don't feel sluggish after meals, like I often do when not on detox. I notice how many of my eating habits are just that - habit - not for reasons of hunger or nutrition - but just habit. How much food and drink is a part of being social. It also reminds me how wonderful food can be - the flavors, textures, aromas... and how I need to remember to be present and enjoy that when I eat, instead of letting it be mindless and habit.
It's a little odd, I know, but I've been reading Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' which seems a bit masochistic in the face of detox. However, I find that as I read the recipes and descriptions of dishes and sauces, that the richness is illuminated and while I can't wait to do some cooking involving obscene amounts of butter - I plan to do it with awareness, and to savor it.
It comes back to being present, and mindful - something I personally tend to go in cycles with. I wish to cultivate more of it. That is why I am doing this.
Things I've noticed so far as a result of the detox: I feel that I have more energy. Mornings aren't so hard, and I make it through the day. I don't feel sluggish after meals, like I often do when not on detox. I notice how many of my eating habits are just that - habit - not for reasons of hunger or nutrition - but just habit. How much food and drink is a part of being social. It also reminds me how wonderful food can be - the flavors, textures, aromas... and how I need to remember to be present and enjoy that when I eat, instead of letting it be mindless and habit.
It's a little odd, I know, but I've been reading Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' which seems a bit masochistic in the face of detox. However, I find that as I read the recipes and descriptions of dishes and sauces, that the richness is illuminated and while I can't wait to do some cooking involving obscene amounts of butter - I plan to do it with awareness, and to savor it.
It comes back to being present, and mindful - something I personally tend to go in cycles with. I wish to cultivate more of it. That is why I am doing this.
Labels: acupuncture, being present, chinese medicine, detox, mindfullness
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Winter detox, day 3
Support.
Makes all the difference.
At yoga today we did a lot of downward facing dog (the bane of my existence, I swear). But we did it a little differently, with partners - and used them as support. For me, as someone who has probably never done the pose correctly - it was amazing. Having the support allowed me to do something I was previously unable to. I could feel how the pose was meant to be done, even though on my own my body won't yet do that.
It was a great experience. Support can get you places you may never get on your own. Same with doing a group detox - it's good to have other people to talk to, share thoughts, feelings, and knowing they face a similar challenge.
What have you done with support that you might not have otherwise been able to do?
Makes all the difference.
At yoga today we did a lot of downward facing dog (the bane of my existence, I swear). But we did it a little differently, with partners - and used them as support. For me, as someone who has probably never done the pose correctly - it was amazing. Having the support allowed me to do something I was previously unable to. I could feel how the pose was meant to be done, even though on my own my body won't yet do that.
It was a great experience. Support can get you places you may never get on your own. Same with doing a group detox - it's good to have other people to talk to, share thoughts, feelings, and knowing they face a similar challenge.
What have you done with support that you might not have otherwise been able to do?
Labels: acupuncture, chinese medicine, community, detox, support
Monday, January 11, 2010
Winter detox: day 2
Many of you may ask, why detox? It seems restrictive and you wonder what you could possibly get out of it. I can't speak to everyone's reasons for doing a program like this - it might be to sort out digestive issues, clear up a skin condition, take a break from unhealthy foods, cleanse your system after long term medication use... there are myriad reasons. I am doing it to devote some time and energy to myself.
I often find it hard to make time for me - to eat how I want to eat, to do the activities I want to do. This isn't necessarily because I don't have time - but often I'm more concerned about what other people need. Maybe you've experienced the same thing - for instance cooking meals for more than just yourself can be a negotiation between what you want to eat, and what other people do. Or sometimes your time is not your own - there's always something to do and somewhere to be, and often none of that is for you. Don't get me wrong - I love caring for other people, making them feel better, brightening their day. But sometimes, I find that I am always doing for others and I neglect doing the things I need to do to feel nourished and alive.
For me being on a detox program allows this. It's 2 weeks all about me. It's all about what I'm eating, and how I treat my body (today was great, I did yoga and got a vitamin IV - tomorrow I'm getting acupuncture), what I'm thinking and how I want to feel. I don't do this for myself on a daily basis, even though I know how important it is. And yes, on an on-going basis perhaps my routine would be selfish, and maybe financially unfeasible, as living and working with others necessitates some sort of compromise. To be able to find that balanced place in the middle where you can care for yourself in order to be more productive, to care for others, can be a difficult place to find, if you're always on the giving side.
These two weeks give me a different perspective (we did inversions in yoga today and I love the idea of looking at things differently) on how I'm living. It allows me a physical and mental holiday from a lot of stressors I didn't realize were there. This is why I detox.
So, whether or not you decide to participate in one - remember that taking care of you is important, and doing things solely for yourself is vital to health and coping with stress.
I'll leave you with another of my favorite quotes - from the neuroscientist Antonio Damasio:
I often find it hard to make time for me - to eat how I want to eat, to do the activities I want to do. This isn't necessarily because I don't have time - but often I'm more concerned about what other people need. Maybe you've experienced the same thing - for instance cooking meals for more than just yourself can be a negotiation between what you want to eat, and what other people do. Or sometimes your time is not your own - there's always something to do and somewhere to be, and often none of that is for you. Don't get me wrong - I love caring for other people, making them feel better, brightening their day. But sometimes, I find that I am always doing for others and I neglect doing the things I need to do to feel nourished and alive.
For me being on a detox program allows this. It's 2 weeks all about me. It's all about what I'm eating, and how I treat my body (today was great, I did yoga and got a vitamin IV - tomorrow I'm getting acupuncture), what I'm thinking and how I want to feel. I don't do this for myself on a daily basis, even though I know how important it is. And yes, on an on-going basis perhaps my routine would be selfish, and maybe financially unfeasible, as living and working with others necessitates some sort of compromise. To be able to find that balanced place in the middle where you can care for yourself in order to be more productive, to care for others, can be a difficult place to find, if you're always on the giving side.
These two weeks give me a different perspective (we did inversions in yoga today and I love the idea of looking at things differently) on how I'm living. It allows me a physical and mental holiday from a lot of stressors I didn't realize were there. This is why I detox.
So, whether or not you decide to participate in one - remember that taking care of you is important, and doing things solely for yourself is vital to health and coping with stress.
I'll leave you with another of my favorite quotes - from the neuroscientist Antonio Damasio:
"Perhaps the most indispensable thing we can do as human beings, every day of our lives, is to remind ourselves and others of our complexity, fragility, finiteness, and uniqueness. And this is of course the difficult job, is it not: to move the spirit from its nowhere pedestal to a somewhere place, while preserving its dignity and importance; to recognize its humble origin and vulnerability and still call upon its guidance."
Labels: acupuncture, chinese medicine, detox, stress management, yoga
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Winter detox, day 1
Hi and welcome to 2010! I hope you all made it through the holidays intact and are having a great start to the year. For the next two weeks I am going to be writing about my experience and thoughts while going through a detox program.
Some of my wonderful colleagues at Awakening Lotus put together a 14 day detox program for our patients, and we decided to do it as well. While I have done a detox before, I am excited about this one for a number of reasons. As much as I usually prefer to do a detox in the warmer weather (it seems easier to me, to eat mostly vegetables in the spring and summer), I find some synchronicity in this - it's a new year, I've been organizing and cleaning out my office, my papers - so why not my body and my mind as well? There are some eating habits I got into over the holidays that I'd like to get rid of, and for me, remembering how good my body feels without all the sugar, caffiene, alcohol and dairy is a good way to get back on track and eating in a way that gives me energy and makes me feel good!
So, that being said the other thing I am most excited about is doing this detox as a group. I have only ever done them on my own previously, and I think dialoguing with people, and knowing that they're going through a similar experience can be enormously helpful. Support and community is something that is beneficial beyond words , all the time, but especially during challenging times. I can't wait to see how it goes!
Another thing I decided to do along with the detox is to post something daily about my experience or some thoughts. I'm using this time to recenter, get back to yoga and meditation - to start this year feeling good, thinking clearly and being joyful.
As for the detox report - just finishing up day 1 and it went pretty well. This morning (and the next 13 to come) I started with an olive oil, lemon and garlic concoction to help flush out the gallbladder. Which actually wasn't as bad as it may sound. I didn't mind drinking it as much as I minded the 4 hour garlic aftertaste. Had enough energy to get through work, and felt satisfied with my food. It was a good day one.
With that I am going to leave you with a paragraph from "Turning the Mind into an Ally," by Sakyong Mipham, a great book on meditation that I would recommend to anyone.
Some of my wonderful colleagues at Awakening Lotus put together a 14 day detox program for our patients, and we decided to do it as well. While I have done a detox before, I am excited about this one for a number of reasons. As much as I usually prefer to do a detox in the warmer weather (it seems easier to me, to eat mostly vegetables in the spring and summer), I find some synchronicity in this - it's a new year, I've been organizing and cleaning out my office, my papers - so why not my body and my mind as well? There are some eating habits I got into over the holidays that I'd like to get rid of, and for me, remembering how good my body feels without all the sugar, caffiene, alcohol and dairy is a good way to get back on track and eating in a way that gives me energy and makes me feel good!
So, that being said the other thing I am most excited about is doing this detox as a group. I have only ever done them on my own previously, and I think dialoguing with people, and knowing that they're going through a similar experience can be enormously helpful. Support and community is something that is beneficial beyond words , all the time, but especially during challenging times. I can't wait to see how it goes!
Another thing I decided to do along with the detox is to post something daily about my experience or some thoughts. I'm using this time to recenter, get back to yoga and meditation - to start this year feeling good, thinking clearly and being joyful.
As for the detox report - just finishing up day 1 and it went pretty well. This morning (and the next 13 to come) I started with an olive oil, lemon and garlic concoction to help flush out the gallbladder. Which actually wasn't as bad as it may sound. I didn't mind drinking it as much as I minded the 4 hour garlic aftertaste. Had enough energy to get through work, and felt satisfied with my food. It was a good day one.
With that I am going to leave you with a paragraph from "Turning the Mind into an Ally," by Sakyong Mipham, a great book on meditation that I would recommend to anyone.
"It's fine to take pleasure, to enjoy good food, and to listen to beautiful music. Becoming curious about how we suffer doesn'tmean that we can no longer enjoy eating ice cream. But once we begin to understand the bewilderment of our untrained mind, we won't look to the ice cream and say, "that's happiness." We'll realize that the mind can be happy devoid of ice cream. We'll realize that the mind is content and happy by nature."
Labels: acupuncture, chinese medicine, detox, meditation, new year, winter
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