Be Careful What you Wish For; Christmas 2011

I remember being in love with the Christmas season many years ago. More than in love; passionately, head-over-heels buzzy, fanatically frantic, Lady GaGa “Bad Romance”, 12-Step program addicted to this season. This included the requisite Christmas Eve rush to the mall just to be among the other last-minute lunatics who enjoyed the manic marathon of midnight shopping. Then I’d be up to all hours wrapping gifts just so I could present each loved one with a tag, bag, bow and a story. Not a Christmas story, but a shopping story of the critical consideration invested into that elusive “perfect gift”….all to prove how much you mean to me.

If only I’d taken all that energy and funneled it into building a multi-million dollar empire! Imagine the gifts I’d be able to shower my loved ones with now! But, alas, hind sight is twenty-twenty. No regrets about how I spent Christmas’ past, or any other season for that matter. As I get older I actually get better at being able to look back and understand I was right where I was supposed to be, when I was meant to be there, my entire life. There were lessons to be learned, big and small, all year round. Thank goodness a lot of them have stuck. But even so, there are many more I continue to learn, and learn again. With some, it’s starting to feel like I could teach the course.

Just in time for the season of wishes, wants, intentions and resolutions, I’ve found an unwelcome re-realization coming about in my life that I felt important to share. And, for those of you who know about my personal circumstances over the past two and a half years, you’ll probably find this both humorous and hypocritical. After all the crying, hand-wringing, complaining, supporting, anxious days, weeks and months of teetering on the brink of financial crisis, my husband finally received an offer and accepted a full-time job. This well-deserved turn of events follows a grueling 30 months of unemployment, the last six without any support from the government. And despite how positively this new stability will impact our financial lives, I’m genuinely….well….sad.

The sense of abundance and relief felt after so many months of barely scraping by was sweet and overwhelmingly joyful….for about 2 days. But then the subway-train like screech of metal on metal braking resounded deeply in my head for the week following. That was the sound of the life to which I’d grown accustomed coming to a complete stop. I was finally going to get what I’d wished for, and I realized I wasn’t sure I wanted it anymore.

Not wanting, but needing this stability, is a simple reality of our situation. Intellectually, rationally, emotionally, we all know this. But it doesn’t change the fact that our two children have had two at-home parents for almost three years, and neither of them recalls clearly a time when both of us weren’t there when they got on or off the school bus. Despite the fact that we’ve explained many times how very unique and special our arrangement, educating them on how few families enjoy this privilege… the true understanding of our good fortune won’t be realized until a few weeks into this new arrangement. And I dread the transition on so many levels, for so many reasons, I can’t even begin to explain it in one blog post. But I will say this; I’m losing my right arm, left leg, grocery runner, gardener, laundry service, and lunch companion. Worse, the kids are losing their summer weekday beach-buddy, winter-break sledding Sherpa, kitchen-table tutor, fake wrestling coach and short-order breakfast cook…well, Monday through Friday anyways.

While self-employed, I tend to work very long hours and the busiest part of my day tends to run between 2:00 and 6:00 p.m. When I have west coast clients, I will work as late as 9:00 p.m., even on those days that start around 5:30 a.m. EST. I have been able to work as many as fifteen hours a day, take few breaks yet still manage to throw dinner together and help put the kids to bed. However, most of the shopping, housework, childcare and general home maintenance has fallen onto my husband’s plate. So, as you can guess, things just got a little bit harder. Or, a lot harder…yea, I’m thinking the latter.

Admittedly, we had actively hoped, prayed and waited very patiently for this day to come. If you’re not a religious person, you may still have appreciation for the system of setting universal intention and receiving blessings. I can tell you it works, but not always the way you anticipate, and often not so literally. In our case, we got pretty much what we wished for, and the timing is (for better or worse) what it is. But that there was ever a time when I didn’t completely value the consistency of my husband’s presence, the investment of time he made every day in home-making, or didn’t weigh properly the advantages to having my partner here against a steady paycheck and benefits is just unthinkable now. I’ll even go so far as to say that the major reason most families don’t have this lifestyle isn’t because they don’t want it, or they think it’s unhealthy, it’s because it just isn’t affordable.

I used to complain that I wanted him to have a job so we could have a “healthy separation” and so we would enjoy each other more. Believing the old adage that absence makes the heart grow fonder. When I think about those complaints now, I hear a woman struggling to maintain a safe personal distance so she can maximize her earning potential without distraction…and who enjoyed her solitude perhaps a little too much.

At the height of our too-close-for-comfort arrangement, it seemed we were taking each other for granted a bit, and there was no consistency to our communication regardless of how much time we spent together. Well, maybe that was true for the first year, but we finally found a rhythm and rhyme to our days. By the following summer, we had settled into the new arrangement and I began to wonder how anyone runs a household without this kind of daily, hands-on management from both partners. Oddly, we still struggled to find downtime most weekends despite all of the “found” hours during the week.

Now the countdown back to “normalcy” has begun. We are less than one week away from Shawn’s return to the 9-5 grind. We are both, decidedly, resignedly, plodding through this week trying to think about all of the things we wanted to accomplish before next week’s arrival. Now, ironically, we are wishing for more time as a two parent household. And I’m trying every day to peek around the corner and rediscover all the bright sides to our old/new arrangement.

So what’s the lesson here? Well, that’s obvious. This holiday season…when someone asks what you really want during this season of hopes, expectations and gift giving/receiving, consider this; is what you are wishing for something that will make you truly happier? Or, would you be trading in one set of problems for another? Are there things you can afford to live without, but want just because you’ve set up an expectation for yourself and now don’t want to compromise? Does purchasing a brand new car, getting a dog or upgrading to a bigger house mean owning and enjoying them? Perhaps wonderful to have at first, bringing a few months of joy to your life, but eventually, will they own you? Will they take up even more time that you really don’t have, or result in a financial burden that cannot be easily sustained through lean times? That’s the problem with consumerism and modern conveniences, it doesn’t always make your life better or easier…like the advertisers would have you believe.

As to our lifestyles, I wonder how many of us really think about the trade-offs of our hyper-active, overly-committed, achievement-oriented tread-mill of existence. Is this making us happier? I wonder if you sat still long enough, cleared your calendar, sat quietly without distraction, what would you find? Or, more curiously, what would find you?

It took a great effort for me to slow down over the past two plus years, both physically and mentally. It took a very, very long time to get used to, and accept graciously the deepening quiet of my mind. I learned a lot about what’s normal and healthy for me, and the truth about how much I really can handle. I’m now to a point where my mind and my body work together to tell me when I’m taking on too much. And I’ve learned a few valuable lessons about how not to get caught up in the vicious cycle of churn and burn…in particular when someone else wants to man the controls.

Making a daily effort to keep these things in check means being very honest with myself and others, particularly as it relates to work, social commitments and volunteering. Call me a miser, but I’m kind of cheap about how I spend my time and energy. I won’t be using it to chase down all the sales at the mall this year. Who needs that when you have the Internet? (I LOVE online shopping!!)

Instead of wishing for what you want this year, maybe wish for what you need. Figuring that part out shouldn’t be too difficult. We all know what we really need…and we can have it…so long as we’re courageous enough to ask for, and accept it…with love.

In closing…and it deserves repeating…Be careful what you wish for this year, because you just might get it.

Wishing you a joyous, slow-paced, environmentally sensitive, memorable and warm Holiday Season!

(P.S., Check out the Super Tuscan’s right now (Italy). I had a really wonderful red at Stockholders in Weymouth, MA this past weekend. For $8.00 a glass, it was an absolute gem!)

K-

Post Script from the 7 Day Detox Cleanse

This is one of my all-time favorite poems. I keep it tacked up in my bathroom cabinet and found myself reading it a lot this week. It has a special significance for me, and I hope the words inspire a deeper connection with your self, too

Love After Love

The time will come when,
with elation, you will greet yourself arriving,
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and say, sit here.

Eat.

You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you all your life,
whom you ignored for another,
who knows you by heart.

Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

Author: Derek Walcott

Day 7 of the Cleanse

Today was a very unusual day, full of ups and downs, and I struggled to stay connected spiritually to my purpose thoughout. But there were a few high points worth mentioning.

The day started off at 5:45 with a more vigorous yoga practice. I used Comcast's On-Demand service to tune into a yoga flow sequence as I had just woken up and wasn't ready for the restorative video offered on the Yoga Journal's site for Day 7. Tea and breakfast around 8:45 and a frantic race out the door for church. And that's where the fun began! Today the sermon was a religious, cultural and historical dive into the subject of Fasting. Not simply the starving of oneself for days or weeks, instead we explored the text book definition of fasting which entails the ritual of eating only one type of food for a period of time, or the elimination of particular foods for a period of time...much like lent. We also heard about the origins of fasting and details on the more severe forms, including religious purification and hunger strikes for civil, political or other causes.

I couldn't believe this was the topic of the sermon, talk about kismet! At the end there was a discussion where members of the congregation were encouraged to offer their experience with, or ask questions about, fasting. So, of course, I did "the Big Share". I had a lot of people approach me after service to ask about the purpose of the cleanse, my primary motivation, and what the results were for me. In short I told them I would do another cleanse and may try something different next time for variety, but that I would also do this again next year.

The other realization I had today was that I need a bit more variation in my diet going forward. It is very easy to start incorporating more exotic varietals of vegetables and fruits on a regular basis. I also want to make rice more of a staple versus a once a week side dish for me and my family. I plan to continue to practice yoga and meditate every day, and journal as often as I can. I have also begun mapping out plans to participate in other local wellness events, including a women's day-long retreat in October. It is more critical now than ever that we stay in touch with our higher selves, stay grounded and connected to ourselves and others. It is equally important to look for opportunities to give back to our communities and our planet. There are so many great organizations out there to consider, and many only require a small amount of time and focus for regular participation...such as Moving Planet (www.moving-planet.org). Selecting one that has meaning and resonates for you is the first criteria, and it's great if you can get a friend to do it with you.

The other high point of the day was realizing that I have choices tomorrow for sustenance, and that I still have kitchari leftover if I have a craving. I really like the heartiness of the dish and have started to think about variations.

The low point today was fatigue, and I did get a headache tonight, too. I am slightly anemic so this may be the culprit, and though I was tempted to cook a steak for dinner, I took a different tack and ate a handful of organic raw pepitas to add a shot of iron to my blood. I chased that with a half litre of water just in case mild dehydration was the culprit.

The headache was my only discomfort in this whole process, and it may be unrelated to the Detox. My son came home from school on Thursday with a little something extra...this year's first cold. While I had been hopeful that the cleanse would throw up a road block against such trespassers, it's possible that had I started the cleanse a few days before, my system might have been less vulnerable. In any case, now I know what to do with the leftover potatoes and carrots from the potassium broth. In my experience, there is no better way to feed a cold than with homemade chicken soup!

Ok, so clearly I'm not going the vegan route, not permanently anyway. I can deal with a twice annual 7-Day Detox Cleanse, but the girl likes her New York strip, occasional pulled pork and chicken sausages. Moderation!

Whatever your reason for reading this, I hope you found the informaton useful, helpful or, at the very least, entertaining. Feel free to email me with questions at karen@greensearchpartner.com

Namaste!!

Day 6 of the Cleanse

I was up at 5:00 on the dot, my internal clock now completely adjusted to the new schedule, and was struck by how dark it was inside the house. Coming downstairs to the sunroom and looking up at the sky, I knew it would be another hour or so before the sunroom actually saw the sun. This is my favorite time of day because I'm alone with little to no likelihood of a break in the silence. I started with the Day 6 yoga sequence. For me this proved a bit more challenging than should be attempted first thing in morning, my body needing more warmth before asking it to take on those positions. But I got through it, and moved onto tea and breakfast.

I infused the jasmine rice I'd cooked the night before with cardamom and tons of cinnamon, so it had a pretty pink shimmer to it. Rice milk and honey the only accompaniments, and then I had company. Saturdays through the summer and fall we participate in the Farmer's market, so my husband was up and out into the garden right away to gather in vegetables and herbs. Silence for a few more minutes until the kids are up and the day really takes off.

I am amazed that we've both done so well this week without coffee and neither of us feeling too groggy or irritable. Cool! I've already started the gradual mental shift into drinking only decaf from now on, and maybe just one cup a day instead of my usual two or three. After all, it does get expensive and I like the organic stuff. So it would seem my personal coffee drinking habit is more luxury than necessity as drinking decaf and less overall coffee would benefit both my stress level and my wallet.

The toxin/metal/impurities aspect of the cleanse is a lot harder to measure. I had no baseline for where I started, and there have been no visual signs of cleansing of toxins, but my skin looks great and I feel good physically. I expect this has as much to do with the lack of stimulants and the diet, but there may be other ways to measure the results of the detox that I don't know about. I will admit that my diet had already been pretty clean to start with, I try to eat whole foods as much as possible and avoid processed items. I love dairy, occasional sweets, but stick to mostly vegetables, whole grains, plant-based proteins, fruit (not as much as I should) and water-based drinks (not a big juicer). And while meat is not something I'm totally ready to give up, it's not a weekly indulgence either. I don't know what a release of toxins looks/feels like, so I have no way to know whether the cleanse was effective this way.

One of the biggest positive visible signs of the cleanse has been the increase in my flexibility and physical strength attributable to daily yoga practice. That has been absolutely amazing. Stretches and positions that have been a bit out of my reach or comfort zone are coming more easily to me now, and I'm more likely to attempt a position at the studio that I know could land me on my face, rather than save it for a moment of private humbling. Pride no longer takes up any real estate on my mat.

I am happy to say that I made it through Saturday without much struggle. Though the usual managerie of delicious organic and whole foods offered at the Farmer's Market is always a wonderful temptation, I bought only what I needed for the potassium broth. It doesn't taste like anything and I'll probably throw in a dash of salt today so that the requisite 2-3 cups goes down in a more palatable fashion. But it's very easy to make and doesn't take a lot of time.

I ended the afternoon with a facial, and that was fantastic! And, by the way, why don't we do this at least once a month? It's so good for your skin and such a great way to relax and get that hands-on TLC we all need more of. I went shopping at the local fruit market adjacent to the spa afterward and rediscovered this local gem and all their domestic and exotic produce. I'm going back on Wednesday to their salad bar...how could I have forgotten about this place?

Dinner was more kitchari, my best batch yet, and potassium broth followed by a sliver of the mung bean cake I created. Came out a little drier this time so I'll need to revise the recipe a bit. Anyway, by 9:30 p.m. I was dog tired, fell gratefully into bed, and slept until 5:45 this morning.

Today is the final day of the cleanse and the realizations have already begun. While it is supposed to be a day of quiet solitude and periods of silence, I'll have to get a walk in later to fulfill this need. It's practically impossible to be silent during church and the following coffee hour. Not to mention my nine year old has been chatting me up since she came downstairs this morning.

Ahh, the gift of gab...wonder where she got that?

Day 5 of the Cleanse

Day 5 began with meditation, the Yoga Journal Day 5 Yoga sequence and journaling. The urge to write and release has become a part of my daily routine, and it makes sense that all the cleansing physically would lead to advanced emotional and spiritual clearing out as well. I am now picking back up on the spiritual journey I began in my late teens/early twenties that I put down while I got busy with career, family and the daily busy-ness of living, knowing it would always be there for me.

The same person who asked me whether "stuff was coming up" asked me today how I was doing with the cleanse. I told her I felt remarkably relaxed, and deeply aware of my inner world. In the same breath I told her I also feel a bit lost, and that I don't know what to do with "all of this". All of this meaning my renewed awareness, my clearer understanding of what certain stimulants do to increase my stress level (do I really feel ready to give up coffee??), how do I strike a balance between what I typically do and doing what may be healthier albeit a lot harder? Can I give up meat, milk and sugar as a part of daily living and enjoy them sparingly from time to time? Or do I go hardcore? How do I make time every day to read, journal, meditate, practice yoga AND raise a family, work, keep house, run errands, pay bills and have a life? Do I swear off red wine forever? And what about the extra cooking that going vegan would mean? She just smiled and said "moderation" And, of course, she is right...but I'm not very good at it. Deciding what's moderate is very subjective and individualistic. So lots of questions with answers have yet to come.

I found a dynamic parallel between that "feeling lost" conversation with my friend, and the activities of the day. After a 6:30 yoga glass and 9:15 Reiki appointment, I came home to get ready for a hike with my friend Maureen. I couldn't pack the Kitchari stew so I made the Mung Bean/Rice bars. They came out more like a thin moist cake, but very delicious and perfect for a quick mountain-top lunch. When we came down from the peak, we decided to take a different loop that would extend our hike but bring us back to the car within 45 minutes. Since Maureen and I never seem to run out of things to talk about, it was a lively conversation with occasional pauses to stop and appreciate the beauty of our surroundings. I realized several times during our walk that we'd either missed or ignored a few markings and ended up, well, a bit lost. It wasn't as though we'd been walking for a long time without seeing the guide marks on trees, but it was clear we did not stay on the intended trail. And there is always a sense of uncertainty and excitement that comes with these moments. Had we been in uncharted territory, I may have been a lot more apprehensive. But we knew we were safe, if not a little vexed by a vast network of well used and well marked numbered trails. So, it took us a little longer than expected to get back to the parking lot, but it was a wonderful and peaceful walk on a beautiful day! How does it get any better than that?? Getting a little lost is probably better for you then you think.

After dinner, I asked the kids if they wanted to go for ice cream...what do you think they said? We piled in the car and I gave them their choice of ice cream destinies. All three are well known to us, and they were unanimous in their vote. I was just happy to have a little one on one time with them so put the car in gear and started driving to their favorite spot. I'd been to this shop about half a dozen times, but got caught up in answering the typical twenty questions from the back seat. I took a left, then took a right, and after about 10 minutes I asked aloud "Am I going in the wrong direction?", and my daughter answers "Yeah, Mom, but it's ok. You can get there from here" I realized I had zigged when I should have zagged...but still, it was ok even if I was a bit lost, because in the end we got where we wanted to go. It's ok if you're doubtful about your journey, if you have a basic idea of where you want to end up, you can get there from here.

What was true for me in my twenties is just as true for me now. In realizing that we are all in this together, that no one has all the answers, it's ok to be feel a bit lost now and then. I think that's a big part of the unease that goes with evolving...you have to be ok with being rudderless at times. That's when you float and drift, enjoying the day instead of racing pell mell across the abyss.

Day 5 had the most poignancy for me, and while I'm growing a little bored with the food, I realize the cleanse is working on many levels. Having a ready food staple prepared in advance is not just for cleansing and sustenance, it also means taking a break from having to think all the time. We make a million little decisions every day, and what to eat occupies a good amount of our time, up to three or four times a day. With having that removed from your plate (no pun intended), it frees you up to think and do more important activities. And it takes the pressure off if you're really hungry to have something nutritous and filling at the ready.

Only two days of the cleanse remains and today I will prepare the potassium broth for the final phase. While it is the morning of Day 6 now, I expect the weekend with its social opportunities will present a few challenges from a diet/temptation perspective. In particular, the coffee hour after church service tomorrow offers a variety of really healthy foods, and the typical baked goodies one expects. If Chris brings his tebouleh or cabbage salad, I may have to bring home a doggie bag to be enjoyed on Monday.

Namaste!

Days 3 and 4 of the Cleanse

Yesterday and today followed very similar lines. I got up early (5:30), heated my herbal tea, meditated, and did the Day 3 yoga routine and left Day 4 for tonight. Except...I went to a 9:30 yoga class and used my elliptical for 1/2 hour tonight and don't feel like doing anything else. It's 9:44 p.m. and my bed awaits. I walked to/from yoga class today so I did get out, but this afternoon's well intentioned walk was thrown off-track by a wild afternoon thunderstorm. That, in and of itself, was beautiful and I was grateful for the change in temperature, even going outside to watch the thunderheads roll in and the low flying clouds swirl together tempestuously above my head. Nature at it's best!

I had to work yesterday and today, so peeling myself away from the computer here and there was the best way to find a good compromise. I put a few calls off to next week, and only kept those that were critical. Even if I am slow tracking on work and domestics, my body and mind are fast tracking toward wellness. Someone asked me the other day if I found "stuff coming up" as I was going through this process. Remarkably, I told her "Yes, all kinds of things...from decades ago. I'm journaling like a mad woman!" And she responded "I know, it's really crazy how much stuff gets trapped inside your body." She is right. While I've always believed our life experiences stay with us on a cellular level, I didn't realize the difficult ones could be exorcised through cleansing. So, this will be a seasonal dedication for me.

One of the strangest but coolest physical experiences thus far is waking up at 1:30 this morning with a temporary case of TMJ or "LockJaw". It was the only time I considered taking anything outside of the prescribed diet, so I went for the Tylenol because getting back to sleep became an issue. I just couldn't get comfortable and it really hurt. When I got up at 5:30 a.m. I went right to my Louise Hay book "You Can Heal Your Life" to seek reference. And sure enough, there it was in black and white, "Harboring angry thoughts/feelings. A desire to control. Inability to express feelings"...who? me? Inability to express feelings? Surely, you jest! But when I peeled a few more layers off the onion I realized it was deadly accurate. I do have a difficult time expressing the deepest feelings I have when I'm in conflict with someone. It's almost as though I feel its more important, more polite, to keep those ones to myself. So they get shoved underneath the less hurtful feelings...and those have no problem getting voiced. I don't want to hurt or alienate, and I'm not always as choosy with my words as I should be. I am direct and to the point...figuring it saves everybody time, and no one is wondering what's beneath those gauzy layers of well chosen words and sentences. I don't like it when I feel like someone is hedging when they speak to me. Though perhaps some people feel more of a responsibility for how they communicate and want to leave little room for misunderstanding, I expect people to ask questions instead of assuming they got the message. If they don't, then I figure we're square. In hindsight, perhaps I'm too busy telling it like it is, and not coming to the table with the vulnerability and openness one truly needs to in order to have open communication. I need to work on that.

This phenomenon also explains those recurring dreams I have had about wearing braces on my teeth that come loose, pull away, cutting up the insides of my mouth and taking my teeth with them. Those dreams are awful, and I'm always disturbed by them for days. So I'm paying alot of attention to my inner world, my emotions and expression thereof, and hope to have more epiphany's this week.

As to the diet, I'm starting to crave a little variety but don't want to blow it completely. I'm going for a hike tomorrow and decided to innovate tonight on what to bring for lunch. I've decided to have the Kitchari in the morning for breakfast, and use my prepared rice and mung beans (cooked separately), add some shredded coconut and enough honey to bind the ingredients. I'm going to press this into a pan, bake it, and cut it up into bars. I'll also take a fresh apple with me, and lots of water. I hope this recipe works, because they don't have microwaves at the top of the mountain!

Day 2 of the 7-Day Detox

This post will be brief as I'm getting ready for bed and need to be up and out the door in time for a 6:30 a.m. yoga class.

The rice porridge for breakfast is definitely just as delicious with rice milk as with soy. Add your cinnamon and cardamom to taste, a half dash of course sea salt and a bit of honey. I will definitely be adding this into my diet as a breakfast staple!

The kitchari is more than 1/2 gone now as I've probably eaten around a cup and a half at each serving...slightly more tonight as I was a bit hungrier. I have already stocked up to make more kitchari tomorrow, and grabbed a few beets, heads of broccoli and more zucchini and summer squash for side dishes. By the way, Italian beets...absolutely gorgeous and delicious!! If you can get them where you are, I highly recommend.

Tonight, I played a bit with the kitchari by adding some of the shredded coconut from the cilantro pesto, a bit more cinnamon and cardamom, and just a touch of honey. This gave it a nice sweetness that made it seem like a treat. Plus I added a heap of steamed broccoli and about half a sliced beat as sidedishes.

Since the cleanse suggests drinking two to three cups of the coriander/cumin/fennel tea daily, and the triphala twice daily, I decided to blend them to make a much more palatable drink. This may not be "kosher", but it sure makes the triphala drinkable and gives the coriander/cumin/fennel tea a more traditional black tea bitterness that tastes a lot better than straight up triphala. Also liberal with about a teaspoon of raw honey per cup. Tonight I dressed up the coriander tea with a few sprigs of clove. That definitely pepped it up a bit.

What was really thrilling today was feeling my body responding to the cleanse...little gurgles of bubbles working their way through my intestines. It wasn't uncomfortable in any way, and it gave me a sense of confidence that the diet is doing its trick.

The massage oil was a lovely addition to my morning routine, and instead of showering, I left it on my skin for a few hours because it felt great. A fifty minute yoga session this afternoon followed by another 17 minute video provided online by the Yoga Journal offered an opportunity to get a workout in, but I think I may jump on the elliptical for a few minutes tomorrow to bring my core temperature up a bit before yoga.

While the entire goal of the Detox is to slow down, shift your focus inside, and realign your body, mind, spirit, I have found that it's impractical and unrealistic for most people to do this unless you can really dedicate yourself every day to the process. That may mean taking a week off, or tailoring the program to accommodate your work or home life. The dietary recommendations can work for anyone, if you're willing to prepare in advance. While you should really be heating your tea and food on a stove top, the microwave is really the only option for people who are working or on the road.

It's 9:30 p.m. and time for bed. I will say, these last few nights I've had the most gorgeous sleep...best it's been in years. I may have to kick the coffee habit permanently! Or, at least, switch to decaf.

Namaste!