Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Do You Treat Your Body Like a Temple or a Trash Can? Time for a Spring Detox

DO YOU TREAT YOUR BODY AS A TEMPLE OF YOUR SOUL OR A TRASH CAN? TIME TO DETOX

 Do you treat your body like the temple of your soul or do you treat it like a trash can having to process every low vibrational energy you take in via all your senses? We are exposed to 2.4 BILLION pounds of toxic chemicals each year in our environment ! Thats a B for Billion !This does not include the toxicity of habitually carrying negativity , frustration and chronic fatigue in our minds and bodies.

    The word STRESS is mistakenly lived as a badge of honor. We buy into the false premise that being overly scheduled and exhausted is a measure of modern success. Really? When is the last time you laughed, sang or danced? Chronic stress and the inflammation it creates in our systems is a killer over time. Physically, emotionally and spiritually. Stress is really just how we respond to  the experiences of our lives. If we are in alignment with health and conscious wellness , there is positive stress that appears as motivation for growth and inspiration. If we are out of sync with the natural rhythms of our bodies, minds and nature, then stress is experienced as a huge, ever present burden of what we feel  we haven't yet gotten done and what we still feel we have to do!

Time for a serious shift and reorienting to a more compassionate, sane way of being in these amazing bodies and minds and in this amazing life we have been given. Time to DETOX!
Despite the mountains of snow here in the northeast ( 2 feet in the last week alone) Spring is less than a month away and our internal systems are sensing that. In the medical heritage of Ayurveda, the sister science of Yoga, it is traditional to do a detoxification diet at least twice a year, in the Fall and the Spring.
    Now is the time to simplify what you are ingesting on all levels; food, screen time, busyness of mind and body, distractions with too much TV, sedating with alcohol and overeating or overstimulating with sugar and caffeine, the holy grail of the SAD diet, Standard American Diet. When we consciously take some time to simplify our diets, an interesting thing happens, we begin to reconnect to a more honest picture of how we are engaging in life. Are we moving like an automaton through the daily motions of getting things done , exhausting ourselves with too many commitments, feeling agitated, sleep deprived and soothing our inner emotions with variety of habits that continue the downward spiral of energy? 

  Clarity comes with simplicity . Detoxing creates simplicity long enough for you to get clear about your priorities. What do you value the most and are you living in alignment with that? Detoxing also clears us of some amount of 'victim consciousness'. That habit of blaming or disowning our own behavior on outside circumstances. We cop out saying its  the job, the economy,  the relationship, the kids, the weather that is the cause of our malaise ! Detoxing connects us back to some basic truths . We are what we think and what we think can shift. We are what we eat and what we eat can shift. We are what we feel, and what we feel is always TRUE. Stop , pause, take a breath and FEEL. Time to move back into your body and out of your over thinking mind.

 Most people I meet through their introductions to yoga are carrying 3 basic burdens. They are dehydrated, overfed and undernourished and dead tired. This is the result of treating your body like a trash can . Our bodies do an amazing job at processing all the unnourishing things we expose it to but despite that, over time you will feel and look like a trash heap. You will slowly, over time, lose your vitality, your energy, your inspiration and be so caught up in managing your symptoms of imbalance that you will begin to feel that is what life is about. Hense the slogan 'Life's a B.....ch! 

   Lets say you want to shift out of that dead end paradigm and reclaim your innate wellness, health and vitality . Where to start? Start with doing a Spring detox. Eliminate from your consumption for at least one week(  2-3 weeks is more optimal) the main culprits of trash can energy; inflammatory foods like meat ,wheat, simple carbohydrates, sugar , alcohol, dairy and caffeine. Replace with plenty of clean filtered water, steamed vegetables and broths, green smoothies to shift your toxic acidity to healing alkalinity, simple to digest basmati rice or non- wheat options like quinoa. In Ayurveda, Kitchari, a soup or stew made with mung beans is the standard diet during a detox. Rest more ,get to bed by 10 pm and up by 6:30 am to align your energy with that of the natural cycle of the day. Meditate to clear the excess from your overloaded mind and connect to spirit, take slow walks, gentle stretching or yoga to facilitate the accumulated toxins moving out. Try changing ONE THING for ONE WEEK, and see how you feel.
If you want some support and guidance, enroll in Opening Lotus Yoga's Spring Seasonal Detox Course which begins one week from today . Wed. Feb. 26,2014 :7:30 pm for 4 weeks. All the info is on the website listed under Vibrant Health Courses.
If we honor our body's basic needs for healthy hydration and elimination, nutrition, breath, healthy movement, rest and meditation we soon discover the Temple that it truly is . The Temple that houses our soul, our light of consciousness, our spirit in all its brightness. Let this Spring be a sacred invitation for you to move back into a Temple relationship with your body! Your soul will thank you eternally! Namaste and Blessings for a beautiful day! Anne Townend-Duffey

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