Day 7 and The 5 Tibetan Rites

Hola!!

Sooo...Day 7.  I think I'm more proud today than yesterday.  I'm more proud because I had a moment yesterday at the end of my shift that was like staring at the edge of a cliff and either taking the leap or choosing to hang on for dear life and save myself.  Okay, so slightly melodramatic analogy, but it was a rough moment.  I was hungry.  I wanted a muffin.  I wanted spaghetti.  I wanted to sit in front of the television and eat mindlessly.  Instead, I had a hot shower, picked up my new favourite book, cuddled into bed, and ate 2 avocados with a spoon and a dash of sea salt.  Who knew avocados could taste so good?!  Seriously, these special fruits are sooo creamy and decadent...mouth is watering right now...

I guess I'm sort of doing a modified version of the juice feast.  I'm drinking my fresh pressed vegi and fruit juices during the day and evening, and then have a satisfying snack before I fall asleep.  This is keeping me sane and feeling balanced.  I have always been a person who needs to eat something at bedtime, it's like one time where I really enjoy the food that I'm eating...without guilt.  We all have our rituals, and that is mine.  I choose to honour what feels right for me.

I just listened to Natasha from Raw Radiant Health (http://www.rawradianthealth.com/) talk about the importance of exercise for getting our lymph system flowing and moving.

She talks about how unlike our circulatory system, our lympatic system does not have a pump and so it depends on us to jump and move around to get into flow.  Just thought I'd share a set of yoga poses that I unearthed from my toolbox of  "Things to Do to Feel Less Crappy,"called The 5 Tibetan Rites.

 These five rites are five different exercises that the Tibetan monks have used for centuries up in the peaceful mountains of Tibet. The story goes something like this...In the early 1900's a British army colonel decided to go on adventure and enter the world of a Tibetan monastery. He was astonished by the fact that the men in the monastery did not age.  They were without wrinkles, could bend and contort their spines in ways that 10 year olds in North America could ever dream, and they did not suffer from the chronic illnesses that plague our society.  He discovered that these monks held a secret that was so simple and yet so miraculous...The 5 Rites.

The five ancient Tibetan rites are said to normalize hormonal imbalances in the body, thereby holding the key to lasting youth, health, and vitality. The rites stimulate the energy system in the body, wake up the chakras, and get energy moving from your core outward to your extremities. The theory behind the rites is that your Kundalini (spiritual energy) is stored and lies at the base of your spine and that these rites access that energy in a very efficient, fast, and user-friendly way. http://home.acceleration.net/clark/COOL938/Email.Essays/Tibetan.Yoga/Five.Rites.html

I know that just doing a few sets of these a day, I feel more balanced immediately.  It really is amazing how such brilliant secrets are rarely shared in this society, while diet products and cosmetics are sold as "miracle cures."

Here's a printable version that is great as well:  http://www.mkprojects.com/pf_TibetanRites.htm

Okay, again I'm running late for work, must dash.  I hope you all have a FABULOUS FABULOUS DAY!!  (as Natasha would say).

xo
Erin

Woot woot! Day six!

Day Six?!! Really?!  I'm so proud of myself.  I'm so proud of US.  I agree with Margaret, this is definately much easier than the first few days of the juice feast.  The first few days were sort of...torturous at  times. 

My cravings for whatever everyone else is eating has reduced significantly.  I bravely made my nephewkins fried eggs and ham this morning, and it kinda grossed me out more than made my mouth water like it may have a few days ago. I don't even LIKE meat, but it's funny how when you can't have something, your brain rebels and screams at you for the (supposed) deprivation.

I can't say I'm feeling as rockstar as Margaret.  In fact, I think I'm experiencing some yeast die-off reactions such as achiness and fatigue.  I've been taking probiotics in the form of Bio-K in the morning and Candex later in the day.

 For those of you who don't know, Candex is an awesome product that contains enzymes that dissolves the cell walls of yeast and fungus.  To learn more about the fabulous topic of yeast see: http://belovedbefree.blogspot.com/2012/02/erins-response-to-yeast-issue.html.  Bio-K is a fermented milk formula that contains a minimum of 50 BILLION active L. Acidophilus and L. Casei bacteria in each little 98g bottle.  You would have to eat a lot of commercial yogurts to come close to that, and commercial yogurts often contain a lot of sugar and articial flavouring which feeds yeast anyway.


So, I have to dash off to work again, but just wanted to write a little post to say that I am excited to be sharing this experience with dearest Margaret. She is an inspiration.  Just reading her last update on Day Six made me want to guzzle gallons of green juice.  I want to wake up at the "buttcrack of dawn" :p and feel all glowy, inside and out.  Those before and after pics were way more uplifting than the with and without makeup photos of celebs I posted a few days ago. 

Oh yeah, just wanted to share a book that is keeping me entertained when thoughts turn to food:

White Girl Problems, by Babe Walker, a memoir of a spoiled rotten Beverly Hills princess who lands up in shopping rehab:p. 

 "I'll eat anything, as long as it's gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, low-fat, sugar-free, and organic," Babe. 

Okay, later homies.  Love you lots.

Erin

Day Six

Today I'm really feeling the affects of the cleanse in that I have insane amounts of energy; my knees are no longer aching, my complexion has never looked as clear, my eyes are brighter, cellulite next to gone (+++),  and my face is already starting to shrink. Let me explain: as we get older, carbonic gas is what makes our heads expand and when we cleanse and get rid of the putrified matter that is hanging out in our bodies, our bones start to shift due to all the gas pressure unless we intercede. On that note, I think it's really cool to see before and after photos of those who have done these kinds of cleanses, so let me see what I can dig up.

I woke up at the butt crack of dawn (perhaps too much energy and enthusiasm for the day? something I haven't experienced since I was a kid at Christmas). Anyway, just very cool to see how worth it this all is. Oh yeah, I haven't mentioned this yet but I've read that you can slow down your cleanse by having small slivers of avocado everyday; so I've been having about 2 avocados/day (so much for small slivers) dipped in salsa, eaten alone, or mixed with chopped onion, celtic sea salt and fresh garlic. I thank the avocados from the bottom of my heart for making this all possible and I should have mentioned that earlier. There is just no way I could get succeed on this cleanse otherwise.

Now, off to church, hopefully to return with more depth. Oh yeah, before that, here are some before and after pics. If you look at them each closely you can see how their skull structure *literally* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9GVKxSiQVM] changes. This and 'that glow' just fascinates me for some reason. I think it's because of the life force that you can see present in them and that is so attractive to me! also, just interesting to me how our Creator designed us to see beauty in the form of health, only we're a society that resorts to quick fix counterfeits to mimic the real thing.  Anyway, 'nuff about all this superficial nonsense! "Looking better" shouldn't be a primary motivator anyway to embracing this lifestyle-I think of it as eating to truly *live* and these things just happen to be really neat-o side affects. 

The second one is of this girl going from year 1 of a raw food lifestyle and what she looks like 10 years later. Ay ay ay!