New Year’s- Are you up for the 1 month challenge?
As the New Year fast approaches, it is a great time to make
small shifts and de-clutter. Outside. Inside. Anything! The
beginning of a new year is a perfect time to re-evaluate and
make changes. Even a small shift in consciousness can bring
about tremendous rewards. 12 Months seems like a long time..
Why not one month? Or try one small change each month? Here’s
the challenge: Write down a small wish list of things you would
like to improve or change in your life. Then write one above
each month of the year in your calendar. March- Meditate. October-
Chant OM every morning. Do some exercise every week. Get to
bed early. Write in your journal. Read one book a month. Take
a class in something new. Organize a drawer. Clean out a closet.
Call friends you haven’t spoken to in a while. Try anything
you feel like changing for one month, every month. If it works,
keep it, if not, move on to the next! One year of shifting 12
small things could reap huge benefits. The size of the challenge
can vary from month to month, just as the significance.
I chose January- Yoga Food, because of a run-in I had with a
buffet. I am ashamed to say, when the strength of my willpower
was pitted against the breakfast buffet, the buffet won. After
sampling everything not stapled down, I went from happy and
energetic to a dough ball in desperate need of being rolled
out of the restaurant in the space of 45 minutes. For the next
2 hours I was exhausted and my stomach couldn’t cram in
my much needed coffee to keep going.
Eating within yogic principles is probably the healthiest balance
between the two extremes of veganism and a food coma. After
trying all the fads- food combining, blood type, cabbage soup,
Atkins (wasn’t that fun?) and The Zone... Why not try
eating within the Yoga Principles? It’s healthy, balanced
and most of all makes sense.
The principles of eating ‘yoga food’ are basic,
simple, easy to follow, and fun because it goes against our
spend spend spend culture. (home made is best!) Here’s
how it works:
Everything is made up of prana, or energy. Fresh food has more
prana than dead food. Once you cut fruits and vegetables the
living energy starts to fade. So, it is best to eat everything
fresh rather than processed, packaged, frozen, canned or left
over. Ideally, eat within the first 3 hours of cutting the fruit
or vegetables. Also, the energy with which food is prepared
goes into the food. So, if the person cooking is angry or upset,
than that energy goes into the food. (So- Kiss the Cook!)
Yogis
are vegetarian! If you eat meat, why not take a month off? The
easiest way to switch from eating meat based food to vegetarian
is to start one meal at a time. Don’t think of switching
overnight! Start cutting down on the meat-based food, and upping
the veggies. It really isn’t that hard! We know the benefits
and nutrients fresh food gives us. Why not try to stock up on
more of it? Buy fresh, local fruits and vegetables to have in
the house. If they are there and you are hungry, you will eat
more of them.
Try
not to eat foods cooked with a lot of oil, spice, garlic and
onions as yogis believe they increase emotion and disturb the
energetic balance.
Yoga
food also consists of dairy and butter in moderation. Ideally,
at the end of every meal your stomach should be filled: 1/2
full of food, 1/4 liquid, the rest air and room for mixing.
(For yogis, the 1/4 air is left for Lord Shiva)
How
you eat is just as important as what you eat. Don’t eat
while rushed, angry, depressed, or watching TV. Chew each bite
thoroughly. Yogis believe it is better to eat with your hands
as you can feel the temperature of your food and the energy
from your fingers has a positive effect on your food. Also,
sitting on the floor with your legs crossed enhances the energy
in the abdomen.
While yoga does not have a specific principle for juicing, it
fits beautifully into the yoga diet. Juicing is both fun and
filling. If you have problems with insulin levels, please be
careful juicing fruit, carrots or beets as they contain lots
of natural sugar. Juicing releases the energy and nutrients
contained within food without ingesting large quantities of
pulp. Experiment and see what you like!
There are a few tricks to stop the hunger pangs and keep you
from running to the local fast food chain and eating everything
on the menu. Carry healthy options with you. Pack a light snack
such as a banana or button mushroom dipped in houmous. Anything
fresh and delicious will do! Carry a bottle of water and drink
plenty of water throughout the day. Yoga food is the basic balance
of both raw and cooked foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, grains,
legumes, milk, nuts and seeds.
While
a shift in diet might not be the choice for you, hopefully something
will inspire. Are you up to a one month challenge?
Caron
Bosler - http://www.cor-e-nergy.com
