Day Fourteen

Woohoo! Two weeks through the cleanse!  Now I start cutting back on the cleanse powder stuff. I was exhausted last night, but I think that's more to do with the busy schedule I've had than the cleanse. I'm looking forward to seeing how this week goes, though.

Day Thirteen

Energy levels - high
Practice - great
Overall feeling - awesome!

I have a feeling that during the middle of the cleanse here things are going to remain pretty constant. =)  Nevertheless, I will still let you know how it's going day by day. Have a great week!

The Fire of Purification - and Day Twelve

I am sore. This has nothing to do with day 12 of the cleanse, which was another great day as far as all of that goes. My soreness has everything to do with the intensity of my practice. A couple weeks ago I tweaked my left rhomboid (back, between the shoulder blades) to the point that I needed to take a day off. No problem. These things happen on occasion. I have since been back at my regular practice schedule but the past few days that rhomboid and trapezius have become tighter and tighter. I've been rolling on a can of sunscreen (I have no tennis balls) trying to release the spasms, with some success, but I've been thinking more and more about taking another day off. Fortunately, I came across an article written by Kino MacGregor about pain in daily practice (you can find the article here) that set me straight.

In her article, Kino explains that when your intentions shift from a fitness oriented approach to yoga to a devotional one, your practice becomes an exercise in dedication and the mental, spiritual, and devotional determination to attain soul liberation.

"If you only practice when its convenient or when you feel good then yoga is more of a hobby than a lifestyle. But sincere spiritual practice has never been a leisurely activity if it is to produce the results of awakening. True spiritual practice is an unbroken commitment to do everything it takes to see the deepest truth there is. It is not something you can choose to look at only on Monday and Wednesday for an hour and pretend it does not exist for the rest of the week."

She goes on to explain that the pain your body feels through daily practice is the pain of purification. Experiencing this pain teaches you the mental strength and stability needed to stay through the uncomfortable healing phase. "Practicing six days a week accelerates the rate at which pains that purify weakness and stiffness arrive and therefore also accelerates the rate at which the purified result of more strength and flexibility both in the body and mind also arrive."

There are two important things for readers to understand about this. 1) Nobody is telling you to practice through an injury, that is not the kind of pain referred to here. 2) Beginners who aspire towards a devotional practice can and often should begin with three days a week, adding one day a week every 6 months until you are comfortable with practicing six days a week.

Kino's words came at just the right time for me. My practice today, though done through a sore body, was deeply introspective. I could feel my Self slowly overcoming the deep-set patterns of giving up in the presence of pain. It was a very small step towards awakening, but a step nonetheless.

The only way that the inner fire of purification works is if you learn to stay in it and not run away.

Full Awareness in Fatigue

Everyone has tired days, including yoga teachers. But if you can find the motivation to get your mat out, a good practice can really revitalize you. And as with all aspects of yoga, there is something valuable to be learned when you practice through fatigue.

A lot of injuries occur when people are tired. This is generally due to a lack of concentration. However, if you approach your practice knowing that you are tired you can turn it around to bring even more focus to your mind. This past Thursday I was tuckered out. All I wanted to do all day was curl up and take a nap. I resisted the urge though and ended up having a great practice. The key was to slow my practice down, just a bit. I still moved on each breath, I just stretched it out so I could really focus on alignment, technique, breath, and dristhi. Giving myself something to fully concentrate on (moving into dharana) ensured that my mind wasn't wandering. Even on days when we're bursting with energy, there is knowledge to be found in slowing down our day and really being present.

Day Eleven

Yesterday was far better than Thursday as far as energy levels go. I'm not sure why I was so tired Thursday. I felt like I was back on track yesterday. Halfway through!!!!

I don't have much else to say that's different from how I've been feeling the past several days. I think this is sort of the plateau of the cleanse. 

Day Ten

I was super tired yesterday - day ten - but it was still a good day. I skimped a bit on food which may have contributed to the fatigue. I just didn't feel like cooking, which dramatically decreased what I could eat on this cleanse.

I'm going to write a bit more about practicing safely when tired tomorrow. Stay tuned! =)

Day Nine

Yesterday was more of the same - good energy, great practice, lots of energy. Loving the cleanse! =)

Day Eight

The beginning of week two of the cleanse was wonderful! I have been feeling my mind focus more on the "right" things - the spiritual side of my yoga practice - and simultaneously have been feeling my body open up more. I don't know exactly how much of the cleanse is to thank for this, but I do know that clean eating is a major part of mental and physical health, so it is definitely helping! I'm happy to be over yesterday's craving hump and back in the swing of things. I'm really pleased with how things have been going! Yay for week two!

Day Seven - Reading Labels

Day seven of the cleanse was a tough one! I had to grocery shopping, but I was confident in my ability to find foods on my "include" list given the success I had last week. I was able to find the staples, but I wanted to try some new things this week so I started reading labels to see what I could include. Not much! It's amazing how many products have either soy or sugar in them! I even had to look for nuts in the cooking section because all of the "snack nuts" had other stuff in them. I also made a little mistake and went to the store when all their baked goods were coming out of the oven. Hello bread cravings. But, I made it out of there with a healthy supply of cleanse-friendly foods for the upcoming week.

Learning about all the junk that's included in "healthy" food makes me want to start making everything from scratch. I'm appalled at what goes into foods and that I never realized it before! Lesson learned.

Day Six

I don't have much to report on day six, it was much like day five. I had a lot of energy, I was focused in my practice again, and I felt good all day. I didn't sleep very well, but I don't think that had anything to do with the cleanse.

Today, not Everyday

I am often asked if I practice everyday. I generally try to evade this question because once you say you do something everyday your ego is prone to get behind the wheel and steer you away from whatever discipline you've acquired. Here's the mind's sneaky process:

You've decided that you are going to start practicing everyday. As your mind starts contemplating this, you realize that this means you won't have a day off to rest. Then your mind starts thinking of times that you would have a day off. Let's see, there's moon days, so that's two days a month you don't have to practice. And 'female days', so there's another three days a month you get to take off. But what if your 'female days' coincide with a moon day? Then you're getting jipped on a rest day! And your body needs rest, right? So maybe instead of doing a daily practice you should only do it four or five days a week. And here we are, WAY off track and we haven't even started yet.

So how do you get past this viscous cycle? By living purely in the present. Don't tell yourself you're going to practice everyday. Everyday is in the future. When you wake up in the morning tell yourself you're going to practice today. You're going to practice now. Take your practice, and everything else you do, a single day at a time. That is where you will cultivate discipline.

Day Five - A Focused Mind

The most noticeable part of day five for me was in my practice. I was very focused, my joints felt loose and open, and I must have slipped into a bit of meditation in motion as I found myself wondering how I had reached the end of my practice so quickly. I'm really starting to agree with that old saying, 'you are what you eat.' I'm looking forward to seeing how my body feels as I continue with the cleanse. 16 days to go!

Day Four - Spinach Puree

Day four of the cleanse was good. I had a surprising amount of energy and it was consistent throughout the day. I didn't have any of the slumps I usually get. I'm not sure precisely what this should be attributed to, but I definitely plan to incorporate some of the dietary guidelines of the cleanse into my regular diet once it's done.

This recipe for spinach puree is also from the cleanse booklet. I had it over a baked sweet potato. Yum!

Spinach Puree
1lb fresh spinach, rinsed and stemmed
1 clove minced garlic
Sea salt
Pepper
1/4 cup water

1. Cook spinach in a covered pot with no additional water for a few minutes until tender and bright green
2. Transfer spinach to a blender/processor and add 1/4 cup water
3. Puree until smooth
4. In a small bowl combine pureed spinach, garlic, sea salt, and pepper

Day Three

Yesterday was day three of the cleanse. It was similar to day two except my lower intestines seemed to be in overdrive. Hopefully that stops... (Sorry if that was an over-share). I have the advantage of being a week behind the rest of the people doing this cleanse, so I can look into my future a bit. Week two cuts out meat and fish, which as we know I already don't eat, so I imagine it will be an easier week for me. =)

In other news, it's taken nearly a month, but things are set up now for volunteering with Habitat for Humanity! I'm going to be working in their ReStore on Thursday mornings! The volunteer coordinated looked very excited when I told her I was a marine engineer and had my refrigeration technician license. I don't imagine using any of my licenses working the register in the store, but we'll see what develops. I'm just excited to get started!

Neti Kriya - Nasal Cleansing

Neti is one of the most well known kriyas as the popularity of the first part of this nasal cleansing technique has taken off. Neti is used to clean the nose, nasal passages, and sinuses removing foreign matter, preventing colds, and keeping the olfactory nerve healthy.


Jala Neti - Water Cleansing
Add a teaspoon of sea salt to a glass of lukewarm water and stir well. Using a neti pot (lota), pour the water into your nostril tilting your head to the side and slightly forward. Allow the water to pour out your other nostril. Be sure to breath through your mouth. Repeat on the other side.

Jala Neti may be practiced daily.



Sutra Neti - Thread Cleansing
Dip a catheter into lukewarm salt water. Insert the catheter into the nostril. When you feel it on the back of the tongue, slowly and carefully draw the catheter out through the mouth using the index finger and thumb. Repeat on the other nostril. (I often have a hard time getting a grip on the catheter once it's in the back of my throat. This happened today while I was trying to do pictures, so this is just the beginning step. I'll try for a better pic in a few days!)

Sutra Neti can be practiced twice weekly.
Do not do sutra neti if you have an upper respiratory infection as it may cause it to spread.

Day Two

Day two of the cleanse was better than day one! I had a ton of energy and didn't suffer the headache I had on Monday. I even decided to go for a 5 mile walk despite the wind advisories. I'm pretty excited about all the new ways I'm learning to prepare food, too. I'll share the good recipes as I go along.

Later today I'm going to get my camera out and take some Neti Kriya (nasal cleansing) pictures for you guys. Mmmmmm bet you can't wait for that!

Day One - Roasted Bell Pepper Sauce

I survived day one of the cleanse! =) I had a little bit of a headache starting late morning through early evening. It could have been caffeine withdrawal - those who know me know that I have a serious love of caffeine - but it didn't deter me from doing anything I usually would. Another symptom that may be connected with cutting caffeine, I slept incredibly well!

I finally bought a blender yesterday which is a vital part of being able to do this cleanse (hello, smoothies). I tested it out on a great little recipe for Roasted Bell Pepper Sauce. It's from the booklet that came with the stuff we're taking for the cleanse.

Roasted Bell Pepper Sauce

3 medium red bell peppers
Balsamic Vinegar

1. Cut peppers in half and remove seeds
2. Place peppers skin side up on a cookie sheet
3. Broil peppers on the top rack of oven until skins are completely black
4. Remove from the oven and cool
5. Peel/wash the burnt skin from the peppers
6. In a blender, add the peppers and a splash of balsamic vinegar and puree
7. Add salt and pepper to taste

I used it on a baked potato, but it would be wonderful on ANYTHING!

Cleanse with Dr. Potter

Today is day one (for me) on the cleanse my sister's clinic is doing! I'm excited about it and will keep you all up to date as it goes along. If you would like to check out what we're doing you can find more information on Dr. Jennifer Potter's website under "About Us" - "Special Offers".

I won't get into details about what the cleanse entails on here as you should consult your physician before participating in anything like this. I will, however, be talking about my experiences so you can determine if it's something you're interested in discussing with your health care provider. This cleanse is intended to detoxify the liver.

I figured this would also be a good time to discuss yogic cleansing techniques, so stay tuned this week for more information on the six kriyas:

1. Neti - nasal cleansing
2. Nauli - abdominal churning
3. Dhauti - upper digestive tract cleansing
4. Basti - colon cleansing
5. Kapalabhati - cleansing of lungs and bronchial tubes
6. Tratak - steady gazing

All kriyas are especially beneficial during fasting as they speed up the detoxification process. 

Practice!

Sri K. Patthabi Jois

"Practice, practice, practice. That is method.... Whole life is practice."

ॐ

वन्दे गुरूणां चरणारविन्दे
सन्दर्शित स्वात्म सुखाव बोधे ।

निःश्रेयसे जङ्गलिकायमाने
संसार हालाहल मोहशांत्यै ॥

आबाहु पुरुषाकारं
शंखचक्रासि धारिणम् ।

सहस्र शिरसं श्वेतं
प्रणमामि पतञ्जलिम् ॥

ॐ

auṁ

vande gurūṇāṁ caraṇāravinde
sandarśita svātma sukhāva bodhe |

niḥ-śreyase jaṅgali-kāyamāne
saṁsāra hālāhala mohaśāṁtyai ||

ābāhu puruṣākāraṁ
śaṁkhacakrāsi dhāriṇam |

sahasra śirasaṁ śvetaṁ
praṇamāmi patañjalim ||

auṁ

Joy In Any State

He who with proper regularity eats, relaxes, works, sleeps, and remains awake will find yoga the destroyer of suffering. Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6, Verse 17

I'm not sure if it's just my personality type, or if this is common among other people, but I have a tendency to become absorbed by things that are new and exciting to me. I will work tirelessly at whatever this new fascination is until I ultimately burn myself out. This verse of the Bhagavad Gita points out that the beginner yogi should not try to remain in meditation (including meditation in asana) and thus ignore the performance of good outward actions. Don't forget - yoga isn't just about balancing your body on your mat, it's about balancing your life and thus settling the movements of the mind.

He who, in a balanced way, tries to be both human and divine will automatically find that he experiences equal joy whether he is in the state of human activity or in the state of deep meditation. -Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda


(This passage from the Gita has many layers of interpretation, this is the outermost, that most related to the outer kosha...which I promise we will get to soon!)

The Garden

A man planted a flower seed in his garden. He looked after it, steadfastly weeding and watering the soil around it. A robust plant appeared - but, for years, no flower. He thought of destroying the plant, but finally decided: "My business is to look after the plant; it is for God to produce the flower. I will keep myself busy in tending the plant and not in concentration on my flowerless labors." Years passed; he contented himself with the care of the plant and forgot all about the flower. One sunny morning, when a breeze was gently blowing, he smelled a strangely attractive fragrance. He ran to his plant and stood speechless in joy - there in front of him was the gorgeous flower! The aromatic beauty had always been present in the plant, a hidden potential awaiting the right moment of blossoming made possible by his labor of love.

The yogi should similarly keep himself busy nurturing his plant of self-realization; if he is not impatient, he will find (one day when God in His infinite wisdom deems it proper) the amaranthine flower of eternal freedom.

Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda in his commentary on Chapter VI, verses 20-23 of The Bhagavad Gita.

The End of the World

I'm sorry. I can't resist talking about the whole "the world is going to end" buzz of 2012.

Vedic texts divide time into four ages. The Satya Yuga, or Golden Age, is a time of high morals and spirituality, and is the longest age. The Treta Yuga, or Silver Age, brings a decline in spirituality with increased intellect and decreased intuition. In the  Dwapara Yuga, or Bronze Age, demoniacal-type beings begin to be born. And in the Kali Yuga, the Iron Age, unrighteousness prevails. Kali Yuga is the shortest age. Like the four seasons, these four cycles continuously revolve. At the end of the Kali Yuga there is mass destruction of the old and the Golden Age is once more ushered in. By calculation, we are now approximately 5,000-10,000 years into the Kali Yuga.

The last episode of a  fascinating mini-series documentary called The Pyramid Code discusses the correlation between the Mayan long count calendar (the one ending December 21, 2012) and the Vedantic Ages. (It's 45 minutes long and WELL worth watching!!!) In this film, they discuss our current position in the cycle of darkness (Kali Yuga) and align the end of the Mayan long count calendar with the turning point of maximum darkness; the moment at which we begin to come out of unrighteousness and see the opportunity to open ourselves to the divine.

The narrator questions what our world would be like if we held super-consciousness as our highest value instead of material wealth. And so I will continue the question: Would it be so bad if the world as we know it did end in December of this year?

Aliens and Spiders

Pretty much every day strange thoughts pop into my head at even stranger times. I've learned two things about these thoughts; 1) to never say them out loud when they come into my head - people will give me weird looks, and 2) if I ignore them, they are usually gone as fast as they appeared. Today, however, was a bit different. I was standing in line at Dunkin Donuts (no breakfast food in my house.....what? that's a legitimate excuse) and when the girl at the register asked what I would like the first thing to come to mind was this quote from Men In Black (is this a nerd alert? I feel like it may be...), "1500 years ago, everybody knew that the earth was the center of the universe. 500 years ago, everybody knew that the earth was flat. And 15 minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow."  Fortunately, lesson 1 of 'Stephanie's Pop-up Thoughts' kicked in and I did not say this in the place of, "black coffee, please."  However, this thought didn't leave me. All day long.

I seriously love this quote. And no, not because I think there are aliens among us. I love this quote because it points out an incredibly simple yet profoundly difficult aspect of yoga - transcending the mind. As the great eighteenth century philosopher, Kent, noted, there is a point beyond which our intellect cannot penetrate. "What is the purpose of life? Who am I? Where will I go? Is physical death the end of everything? It can be seen as foolish to search for truth with an instrument as limited as the intellect, to attempt to measure the unknown depth of eternal questions with a finite instrument." The same goes for that which we all take for granted, like what we see around us. Yoga teaches us that this world we see is not real.

When we transcend the mind, the intellect, we discover our Soul within us. In yoga philosophy we talk about the soul being veiled by sheaths, or koshas. I will get into these koshas at another time. For now I would like to share a couple analogies I learned to help explain the unreality of the physical world:

The Spider and the Web
The pure consciousness (Brahman or Siva) is the spider that projects mind and matter, which are the web. The spider is now the subject, and the web is the object. Before the web was projected, it was one with the spider, symbolizing the universe in causal or unmanifest state. When the web is withdrawn by the spider into itself, then there is no subject-object, but a union of the two, known as yoga. The spider is both the efficient cause (the life principle within the spider), and the material cause (its body). The spider's body provides the material from which its web is formed. But, there could be no web without the energy that is necessary to spin the web.

The Movie Screen
The screen is unaffected by the movie projected on it. One sees fires, floods, disasters of all sorts on the screen. Yet the screen remains unaffected by the apparent activity upon it. So, also, the pure consciousness is unaffected by creation, which is projected from itself by its active power of Maya (the cosmic drama, the "world").

Confused?  Don't worry. We'll keep discussing this! And yes, all of this came from one little movie quote. =)

Mushroom, Cheese, and Vegetable Strudel

I made this for my family on Christmas! It was WONDERFUL!  (from Vegetarian Times)

(Serves 12 - for reals, it's huge)
Filling
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1½ cups)
1 medium red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
2 tsp. dried thyme
1 lb. white mushrooms, sliced (5 cups)
2 10-oz. bags baby spinach
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 14-oz. pkg. firm tofu, drained
8 oz. Neufchâtel cheese, softened
1 cup grated extra-sharp
Cheddar cheese (4 oz.)

Strudel
¼ cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 lb. whole-wheat phyllo dough, thawed
½ tsp. poppy, sesame, or fennel seeds, optional

Directions

Step 2 - salivate

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 18- x 13-inch baking sheet with cooking spray.


2. To make Filling: Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Sauté onion, bell pepper, garlic, and thyme in oil 10 minutes. Add mushrooms, and cook 10 minutes, or until wilted. Stir in spinach and nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until spinach has wilted, stirring occasionally. Drain, and cool in bowl.

3. Purée tofu, Neufchâtel cheese, and Cheddar cheese in food processor until smooth. Stir into mushroom mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 3

4. To make Strudel: Heat oil, garlic, and thyme in small pot over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Cool.


5. Cover bottom of prepared baking pan with 2 phyllo sheets, allowing sheets to overlap each other and hang off sides. Brush with garlic oil. Place 2 more phyllo sheets on top, and brush with garlic oil. Repeat 4 times, until you have a 6-layer bottom crust.

6. Spread Filling in crust, leaving 3-inch edge all around. Brush edges with garlic oil. Fold sides of phyllo over filling. Cover filling with 2-sheet layer of phyllo (4 sheets total), overlapping sheets in center. Brush with garlic oil. Repeat layering 2 sheets at a time until you have 4 layers (16 sheets phyllo total), brushing every second sheet with garlic oil. Tuck under edges. Sprinkle top with seeds, if desired. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting into slices.

Ready for the oven!

Filling in, ready to tuck the phyllo in!

Endless Opportunities

I started looking for local organizations that need volunteers today. Wow! There's so much you can do here as a volunteer! The hard part will be deciding where to begin. I'm the kind of person that is prone to overdoing things in my excitement, so I want to make sure of two things:

1. It's a commitment I can regularly keep given the studio schedule
2. I am not replacing any part of my existing practice with service; this is an addition, not a substitution

I have it narrowed down to a few options. I'll start getting in touch with people tomorrow. (Who knew today was a holiday?!) Ideally, I would like to find something (or start something) that I can use my yoga skills and knowledge for, but for now I'm just going to get out there and start working wherever the need is. I'm confident that I will be led in the right direction at the right time.

Interested in volunteering where you are? Check these out:

http://www.volunteermatch.org/

http://www.serve.gov/

http://www.habitat.org/

http://www.volunteerinternational.org/

http://www.peacecorps.gov/

There are literally thousands more! Go online and see what's happening near you! =) 

Purification in Service

A few days ago I started thinking about what to blog in the new year. I was considering writing some sort of yoga "challenge." I mean that's what people do in January, right? We push ourselves for a month or so trying to attain whatever goal we set on New Year's Eve. Well, fortunately, I've been led in a new direction that will *hopefully* carry not only this blog but my own spiritual journey throughout 2012 and many years to come.

"It is difficult to find a better method for mental and spiritual purification than serving others without regard of reward. Passive goodness is insufficient. Active service is essential for one's spiritual growth. Give as the sun, as the trees, as the flowers, that we may sustain and perpetuate the evolutionary cycle of the universe and its strongest force, which is love. Love vibrates in the form of service. Regard others' happiness and pain as your own. There is not stranger nor alien in this world. We are all in the process of evolution. As you develop this spirit of selflessness, ideas of egoism and 'mine-ness' melt."

I don't really believe in making New Year's resolutions, but this year I am resolving to extend my service where I can; to make my goal learning, not achieving. And my blog is going to be a chronicle of my experiences and what I learn about myself and others along the way. (Don't worry, the other stuff you loved last year will still be here, too!)

Happy New Year, everyone!