Daily Yoga Meal Record:
9/29 Lunchtime. 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. I ate outside with Jen and Michelle. We practiced a yogi meal together. I ate a cup of fresh fruit and a small serving of a rice salad with tofu and golden raisins.
Remained seated? Yes ✓ No.
Refrained from conversation while chewing? Yes. No ✓ (if no, % of meal = 80%)
Refrained from any external distractions? Yes ✓ No.
Waited until food was completely chewed and swallowed before picking up my next bite. Yes. No ✓ (if no, % of meal = 90%)
Refrained from putting more than two handfuls of food on my plate at any given time, finished eating my two handfuls, then waited 3-5 minutes before taking more food. Yes ✓ No.
Waited 2-6 hours before taking my next meal. Yes✓ No.
Comments: There were a few times that I realized I still had my fork in hand and had to set it down before preparing my next bite. I also found myself tempted to speak but more conscious that I was still chewing my food and waited before joining in the conversation. Overall a successful meal. Satisfying and delightful to sit outside in the company of others.
Daily Meditation:
9/29 After practice/class today I came home and had dinner with Philippa and Bryce. We sat around together in the living room for a while, then they went to bed. Around 9:45 p.m. I settled in for an evening meditation. I struggled with my biggest enemies: antsy-ness (agitated and restless) -- craving other things -- like doing anything but meditation. Not feeling the benefit of my practice, rather struggling/retaliating against the most basic principle: just focus on my breath. My brain kept talking and saying, "No! Listen to me! I have more important things to do; I've already spent 8 hours on yoga today, do I really need to dedicate more time?" Complain, complain. That's right, I even checked my watch, only 5 minutes down... and 15 more to go. I shouldn't open my eyes, but the back of my neck is still and my eye lids feel sticky and I'm starting to get warm sitting near this fireplace. Excuses. I need to breath through this. It is a long 15 minutes. I say to myself: tomorrow will be better. Now, start again.
Daily Practice:
9/29 Ashtanga Vinyasa at Highland Park. Instructor: Jason
Fun observation: my arms were less wobbly today doing Sun Salutation A (specifically chaturanga dandasana) than they were last week. I made my own modification and instead of hovering a few inches off the mat, I sank down into the floor and then lifted into cobra/up dog.
When it was time for shavasana, my lower back screamed at me. I don't know what I did to my back to make it feel so out of alignment... it definitely felt like a pinched nerve. Thankfully with deep breathing and slow movement things released and I could sink into deeper relaxation.
Daily Gratitude:
9/29 Grateful that I was able to finish my reading before class this morning. Finished the first three chapters of The World Peace Diet. I am grateful to be challenged by a subject which is frequently taboo: ethical vegetarianism/veganism. I still eat meat and animal by-products such as cheese, milk and eggs. I have the opportunity to begin a 21 day cleanse next Sunday where I eliminate these from my diet alongside caffeine, added sugar, alcohol (which I have already removed) and gluten. I don't know how it will go since I commune with others who consume meat, etc. I haven't decided how dedicated I will be to this cleanse but it would be interesting to see how my body would respond to a more holistic diet. Being aware of intelligence systems (I think is how the book put it?) makes us individually more responsible for the choices we make. I am currently grateful for a comfy couch and a softly glowing fire. I enjoy this slow evening before the beginning of a new week at work. I am privileged to have the chance to transfer locations; I do need to make a decision in the coming days. I am grateful to the people I currently work with but I appreciate the chance to start somewhere new and become a little less jaded in what I do -- a chance for a fresh look and understanding of Daymaking with a new crew of people and guests I have never met before... expanding my network and opening my life up to finding surprising new challenges. ALSO: I am glad to have clarified with my yoga instructors what is expected of our daily practice -- I now have permission to either practice by myself at home or join a class on a daily basis -- I was thinking I had to do both and was feeling strained. It is good to know that if my schedule feels stressful or uncannily busy that I can do a practice on my own and consider it a good day sufficient for growth/learning without going to a Life Power class, though that is always encouraged.
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