Day 10 ❍ New Patterns
One of my favorite mantras is Om Mani Padme Hum which means: The jewel is inside the lotus. I love it so much that I ended up recording it and putting it on Spotify. This mantra is all about transformation, moving from darkness to light, from heaviness to vitality. Just like the lotus flower, which grows through dark, muddy water, you too can become the jewel inside. Talk about a detox.
During these ten days, we have practiced yoga, eaten nutritious foods (for the most part), and really dug into addressing the insidious toxins buried under the weight of stress. Some of you might feel like, "Well, I’m not sure she’s talking about me.” I had ice cream for dinner, I only went to three classes — I was just too busy to do everything." Well, I am talking about you. This moment is for all of us.
As we close our final day of practice, I encourage you to reflect on one thing you did well during this cleanse, even if you fell off at some point. How did you show up? This reflection is crucial, especially for those who feel they ‘fell off’ the cleanse. We change our neuroplasticity when we shift our behavior to integrate new habits from our cleanse. We undergo a 'pivotal change' when we redefine what it means to fall off.
Often, our tendency to ‘fall off’ is buried deep in our subconscious. When we fall off, we might beat ourselves up, only to forgive ourselves later. This negative feedback loop can repeat itself, binding us like a chain. It brings us to self-forgiveness, but what if there is nothing to forgive? The way to become free of this pattern is to recognize it first. And then break the link of beating yourself up which can seed as self-loathing. Eventually, you may find yourself falling off less often. You will commit to things you can keep because accountability matters. And when you need to change course, you will move forward. No penalty.
Whether it’s food or a toxic thought, many heavy things can weigh us down. Like giant boulders on the side of the road, we might pick up should-y thoughts without even realizing it. With awareness comes transformation. Now is the time to move towards self-compassion and choose how we want to move forward.
Celebrate your body and all of its capacities and humanness. And ask yourself: What is important for you to focus on moving forward? It’s been a joy to be with all of you.
SIMPLE SUSTAINING HABITS
Plan your yoga, exercise, meditation at the beginning of the week. Sign up in advance and put it on the calender.
Drink warm lemon water in the morning before coffee.
Practice 12-hour intermittent fasting.
Hydrate early in the day.
Have savory breakfasts.
Take a shot of diluted apple cider vinegar 10 minutes before a heavy meal.
Eat fiber or protein before carbs to help slow down the absorption of sugar.
Go to bed and wake up at a regular time.
JOURNAL
What were your successes on this challenge?
What were your challenges?
What are some positive and supportive thoughts you can cultivate towards yourself and your body?
What is important for you to focus on moving forward?
ACTION
If you adhered to the food protocols, reintroduce foods one at a time so you can see how your body reacts to each.
Continue on with hydration, warm lemon water, using apple cider vinegar, and food combining.
If transitioning back to coffee, try bridging this by having MudWater or Yerba Mate for several days.
Refer to our previous emails for more inspiration.
LISTEN
“Om Mani Padme Hum’ - listent on Spotify or Apple Music.
You Matter’ - listen to this captivating talk by Iyanla Vanzant.
I love you. Keep going!
❤️ Alex
“Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean —
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down —
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
”