The "Aha!" Moment During the Master Cleanse

I glazed over the fact that I was fasting for the past week in my last post, but I feel like I should dive deeper into the subject because of my "Aha!" moment.

I guess the real reason I started the "master cleanse" 9 days ago was because i wanted to feel what it was going to do to my body. I also thought i might have some sort of epiphany or something. Only drinking a mixture of water, maple syrup, lemon juice and cayenne pepper for 10 days aught to make you feel something, right?

I have to admit that this has been the absolute hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Going on all day only drinking this "lemonade" mixture whenever I feel hungry is such a hard thing to do when all you really wanna scarf is some Doritos. Or even some fried tofu with green beans and garlic sauce. Or a Boston Creme Donut. Here I go again.

Halfway through the fast, when it started becoming increasingly hard, a friend reminded me that when the body doesn't have to use its energy digesting food, it can use its energy to help other areas of your body that may be otherwise neglected. This thought helped a lot...and it was the beginning of me internalizing what was going on.

A few hours ago while I was feeling a little bummed that tomorrow would be my last day on the fast and I had yet to experience an "aha!" moment, it came to me. Much like digestion, my feelings toward my "American" eating habits were also being changed by the cleanse. The past 9 days, I have only drank when I was hungry. And though I was only taking in about 650 calories a day, I felt more alive than I have ever been. I for once was allowing myself to stop thinking about food all the time and was then able t focus on other things in my life that I had been neglecting.

I tried to begin listing "for instances," but none came to me :) But I do feel an indescribable difference. A difference large enough to convince myself that though this cleanse has been the hardest thing I have ever done, I need to do it every year. If only as a reminder of this indescribable feeling I have.

When I can eat regular food on Sunday (there is a "weaning off" process that last a few days after the 10 day of the cleanse), I will admit I am going to have some guacamole...some Mexican food! But hopefully I will carry on a bit of the habits I started with the cleanse.

Some weird things that happened during the cleanse:
-Lactic acid built up faster in my legs when I was at rehearsal
-I felt more focused when I drove my car
-Oddly, I felt more energetic, and more flexible than normal
-I lost almost 15 pounds...in 9 days
-I craved Doritos like you wouldn't believe...and I also craved meat, which is weird because I have been a vegetarian for 15 years

All in all, I know that I said earlier that I wouldn't recommend this cleanse to anyone, but after tonight, I think it is necessary to recharge your body and mind at least once a year.

Procrastination?

Wow, it has been over a month since my last post. Where did the time go? Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to completely dive into those three Yoga videos I wrote about in my last post. They will just have to wait until I am done with the zillions of projects I have going on both with my job and extra curricular dancing as well.


Speaking of projects, we added a cool new shirt to YogaDirect.com It says "I'll Be OHM for the Holidays." It comes in men's and ladies' sizes. They make great gifts!




Busy busy busy! There's also been some photo shoots going on! My good friend Amy who will be a Certified Yoga Instructor in January came by to do a photo shoot with some of our new items, like the Dome Yoga Balls, our new Printed Alignment Yoga Mats, the new sizes and weights for our Weighted Pilates Balls, and our new Zafus. Here's a sample of some one of the great shots we got of her using Resistance Bands.




I also had a photo shoot with a photographer trying to build his portfolio with dance and dancer photos. Here's a funny photo of myself posing with a Yoga Ball I got from YogaDirect.com




I have also been on the "Master Cleanse" this past week. I am currently on day 8 of the 10 day fast, and I am actually feeling great. (Although working in an office full of food has made it a little more rough than expected). I did a fruit and vegetable fast in the spring, and after experiencing this one, I feel that it is a good idea to continue this spring and fall fasts every year...kind of like spring cleaning for my body.

That's all for now. Hopefully I will be able to get in a few more posts before the end of the year...just in time for new year's resolutions! I know what is going to be #1 on my list: MORE YOGA!