Did you know that only five percent (5%) of how our physical and emotional health turns out is from genetics? The other ninety five percent (95%) is from environment; what we choose to feed our body, both nutritionally and emotionally. This taps into what I call, "Learning how to shift our cellular belief system, or 'cellular DNA'."
We are never too old to start giving our bodies new messages to reverse and recondition the old messages that were fed to us. A large part of what I do in counseling, whether guiding someone who is in an abusive or high-conflict relationship or working with a person with long-term eating disorder (my two areas of focus), is to have them create a new vision for their lives and their health.
Initially, when we are suffering and in emotional or physical pain, it is hard to perceive or believe this is possible. Shifting the glass from half empty to half full may seem like a stretch, but it only starts with a small step that is infinitely large.
"Change your thoughts to change your consciousness," the quantum physicists teach us. Dr. Masuro Emoto, who wrote, "Messages from Water," microscopically photographed water molecules both when "fed" negative, hateful verbal messages or loving, positive affirmations. These molecules shone whole, healthy and sparkling, like diamond crystals, when receiving the positive messages. They looked diseased and dark when fed negative human dialogue. Astounding, right? Not really, when you begin to understand molecules or atoms as energy, and energy as shiftable or mutable.
We are comprised of seventy eight percent water, and we, too, respond by either sparkling as our highest selves or shrinking into pain and suffering, depending upon the messages we feed ourselves. We want to continually feed ourselves messages that affirm our highest worth, and if that seems untenable to reach for, we can do it in small increments.
Here is a great technique that anyone can bring in to start the process of reconditioning their cellular DNA. Early morning, before you get out of bed and while you welcome in the start of a new day, is the most powerful time to begin this process. We have just come from our sleep state, where all the truths of our subconscious have been dancing in our dreams. Often, we wake up carrying dark messages without even knowing. Here are some cellular affirmations you can say out loud at this time:
I am worthy
I am filled with self-love
Everything I eat today digests perfectly in my body
I trust my food to love and nourish me
I am loveable
I am perfect exactly as I am
I love and trust my body
I have the most fabulous day
I stay clear and focused today
I move through my day easily
Notice that these statements are in the present; not the past or future. We say them as if they already exist. Even if you feel "fat and ugly," you can say, "I love and trust my body" as if you already do. When you wake up with shame, you can still say, "I am loveable," and picture yourself smiling with self-love. We literally shift our cellular belief system by being "in the activity" of speaking it as if it is already so.
We have the capacity to personally design and choose our lives in the way we sometimes only secretly desire and long for them to be. We have the opportunity to shed any old messages that were fed to us, no matter how abusive or harmful. Because we are energy, and energy is able to change, we can change, too; just by saying we are. I have seen extraordinary responses and results with clients from following this method. I encourage you to try it for yourself. Once we rise up to meet ourselves from this higher place, the universe rises up to meet us there as well; it's the law of quantum physics. And remember, it's not about perfection; it is all part of the process, so play with it and see what happens.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Fall Foliage
I am in awe of the tree. I frequently bring it into counseling as a metaphor for our lives. I see the tree as a tool for grounding, balance and resilience and guide clients in visualizations of becoming like the tree in their own energy. So, what is it about trees that elicits this response in me?
Have you ever seen a tree that is two hundred years old? Its roots plunge deep into the earth with both solidity and gracefulness. Looking at a tree is like gazing into the eyes of an old soul; you can feel the wisdom emanating from within; she is not going anywhere and is comfortable in her own skin.
Can we say that? How many times do we want to run from ourselves?
Trees have the amazing ability to be foundational, stable and flexible under any circumstance. It is extraordinary that a tree can withstand warm, hot, cool, cold, snow, sun, wind, rain, hail, ice and storm and still stand strong. It is precisely because it is rooted so powerfully that it is capable of resilience. When we, too are grounded in our core, we can adapt to our ever-changing circumstances and environment. It is then that we can bend and sway but not break when life comes at us; we can be with life as it is, maintaining our self-esteem, confidence and personal power. We can be passionate and protected at the same time.
It doesn't matter if your mother says something critical or you have a difficult night with your boyfriend; if you suffer a real loss or feel stress. If your core is solid and your path is clear, then nothing can take you away from your vision ultimately becoming your reality. It is the decision to allow you to stay connected to you, no matter what, that is most important. What are your goals; your dreams and your passions? Who are you and who do you desire to be? No one and no thing can take you away from your truth; unless you say so.
As the seasons change, the tree adapts as well, shedding, growing and changing colors to match the environment needed to survive and to thrive. What do we need to do to adapt more easily to our surroundings yet stay in our core? What leaves do we have to shed? What new colors do we need to bring in? Perhaps you decide to let go of the sadness of a relationship ended and shift into possibility and hope. Maybe you try something completely new and colorful in your life; something you've always wanted to do but never dared.
Yesterday, when I drove up to the Berkshires with a friend to see the fall leaves, we were overwhelmed by the beauty of perfection. Each of the hundreds of trees had an aura of godliness surrounding it. As we drove through canopy after canopy of color; reds, burnt reds, bright yellows and oranges, we understood the mystical nature of the tree.
We are given the gift of nature to teach us how to live according to our truth. A tree can only be a tree; a cloud a cloud. They know no different than to be who they are; perfect as they are. Because we are given the gift of cognitive ability, we begin to question the rightness of who we are. Let us use our minds not to criticize ourselves, not to question ourselves or put ourselves down, but to enhance the already-existing perfection of who we are. When we begin to embrace ourselves as perfect, we start to take on the beauty of the tree; some of us red, some yellow and some orange; some with leaves and some without, but all perfect exactly as we are. It is from this place that we truly live.
Have you ever seen a tree that is two hundred years old? Its roots plunge deep into the earth with both solidity and gracefulness. Looking at a tree is like gazing into the eyes of an old soul; you can feel the wisdom emanating from within; she is not going anywhere and is comfortable in her own skin.
Can we say that? How many times do we want to run from ourselves?
Trees have the amazing ability to be foundational, stable and flexible under any circumstance. It is extraordinary that a tree can withstand warm, hot, cool, cold, snow, sun, wind, rain, hail, ice and storm and still stand strong. It is precisely because it is rooted so powerfully that it is capable of resilience. When we, too are grounded in our core, we can adapt to our ever-changing circumstances and environment. It is then that we can bend and sway but not break when life comes at us; we can be with life as it is, maintaining our self-esteem, confidence and personal power. We can be passionate and protected at the same time.
It doesn't matter if your mother says something critical or you have a difficult night with your boyfriend; if you suffer a real loss or feel stress. If your core is solid and your path is clear, then nothing can take you away from your vision ultimately becoming your reality. It is the decision to allow you to stay connected to you, no matter what, that is most important. What are your goals; your dreams and your passions? Who are you and who do you desire to be? No one and no thing can take you away from your truth; unless you say so.
As the seasons change, the tree adapts as well, shedding, growing and changing colors to match the environment needed to survive and to thrive. What do we need to do to adapt more easily to our surroundings yet stay in our core? What leaves do we have to shed? What new colors do we need to bring in? Perhaps you decide to let go of the sadness of a relationship ended and shift into possibility and hope. Maybe you try something completely new and colorful in your life; something you've always wanted to do but never dared.
Yesterday, when I drove up to the Berkshires with a friend to see the fall leaves, we were overwhelmed by the beauty of perfection. Each of the hundreds of trees had an aura of godliness surrounding it. As we drove through canopy after canopy of color; reds, burnt reds, bright yellows and oranges, we understood the mystical nature of the tree.
We are given the gift of nature to teach us how to live according to our truth. A tree can only be a tree; a cloud a cloud. They know no different than to be who they are; perfect as they are. Because we are given the gift of cognitive ability, we begin to question the rightness of who we are. Let us use our minds not to criticize ourselves, not to question ourselves or put ourselves down, but to enhance the already-existing perfection of who we are. When we begin to embrace ourselves as perfect, we start to take on the beauty of the tree; some of us red, some yellow and some orange; some with leaves and some without, but all perfect exactly as we are. It is from this place that we truly live.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Food is Our Most Intimate Partner
This evening I was over at Irina's, who is still cleansing for a few more days. As I ate my delicious dinner, leftovers so lovingly created by me yesterday for a women's gathering I had last night, I could feel Irina's cleansing energy different than my eating energy. At the end of the 31-day Juice Feast, which we did last April to May, I felt that I could have gone on for the 90 days taken on by some of my colleagues in the field of raw and living foods. However, I stopped after day 31, because I feel that having a healthy relationship with food also means honoring the commitments that you and food make to one another. We can easily be disordered in our eating when we change those just to cater to the "high" of the moment.
Counseling intensively and extensively in the world of eating disorders, I understand how a loving relationship with food can easily beome a controlling one. I do see the health value in a 90-day cleanse, and at some point I may undertake it, but on May ninth of last spring, I resumed my regular eating. This time around, I might have extended my cleanse, but ironically, I was entering into some mealtime sessions with eating disordered clients and knew I couldn't show up to lunch drinking a bottle of clear liquid. There is sometimes a fine line between a loving, healthy and nurturing relationship with food and a withholding, anxious and controlling one. If someone has lived in the latter for many years, as is the case with many of my clients, and they see their therapist drinking yellow liquid, they don't see "cleanse." They see it as another way to keep their disorder alive. My question is: How many ways do we find in our lives to keep our own disorders alive, and how does food play a pivotal role in this?
As the unique species that we are as human beings, we have a myriad of subtle and self-deceptive methods to keep ourselves small when we are yearning to be large. As a counselor, I see this all the time. Food is only one of these ways, but it is the foundational one that is merely a metaphor for all of our other relationships. How often do we choose one more way to obsess about our food and body imperfections instead of putting our focus and energy into something that will make us grow and expand; something for which we secretly long? It's easier to take this beautiful sustenance we call food and abuse it rather than to look at what's missing in our lives and go for it.
When you are struggling in your relationship with food, try this exercise: Think about the most passionate and loving relationship that you either have or desire; your spiritual soulmate, so to speak. Then write down all the adjectives that would describe this relationship, such as; loving, compassionate, adventurous, exciting, honest, trustworthy....whatever you desire in this person. When you are finished, read the list again. Now think about your relationship with food. Does it meet this description, or does it sound more like this; angry, starving, fat, ugly, scary, unpredictable...
Our relationship with ourselves begins with our relationship with food. We are fed from when we are born.
If you are looking to quell the source of some of your personal conflict and unrest, look no further than your relationship with food. Food creates the energy in every cell, organ, tissue and muscle in our bodies. It feeds our blood and nourishes our brain. The way we feel directly correlates to what we eat, and what we eat determines how we feel and what we attract into our lives. If we keep suppressing our souls in this most intimate relationship; punishing ourselves by either withholding or overconsuming food or eating foods that do not honor us, we disallow ourselves from the intimacy we so desire. If we cannot be intimate and loving with our own self first, how can we allow for others to love us appropriately?
Dream large and create. Then start each day by nourishing your body with the foods that make it shine. Never say you are "bad" or "good" because of what you eat. Choose your foods with love and let them love you back. Let go of any unwanted thoughts that keep you stuck in negative body image. Instead, put your energy into your passions and desires and keep your focus there. Allow food to elevate you into action rather than suppress you into sadness.
Having returned to the world of eating again post-cleanse, I am conscious of the space I was given through those ten days to reconnect with and reaffirm my relationship with myself. That was my commitment in undertaking this cleanse; to clean out whatever old "waste" was stopping me from being my highest self; physically, emotionally and spiritually. That has been met, and now I can lovingly renew my relationship with food and all of my relationships; those present and those yet to be.
Counseling intensively and extensively in the world of eating disorders, I understand how a loving relationship with food can easily beome a controlling one. I do see the health value in a 90-day cleanse, and at some point I may undertake it, but on May ninth of last spring, I resumed my regular eating. This time around, I might have extended my cleanse, but ironically, I was entering into some mealtime sessions with eating disordered clients and knew I couldn't show up to lunch drinking a bottle of clear liquid. There is sometimes a fine line between a loving, healthy and nurturing relationship with food and a withholding, anxious and controlling one. If someone has lived in the latter for many years, as is the case with many of my clients, and they see their therapist drinking yellow liquid, they don't see "cleanse." They see it as another way to keep their disorder alive. My question is: How many ways do we find in our lives to keep our own disorders alive, and how does food play a pivotal role in this?
As the unique species that we are as human beings, we have a myriad of subtle and self-deceptive methods to keep ourselves small when we are yearning to be large. As a counselor, I see this all the time. Food is only one of these ways, but it is the foundational one that is merely a metaphor for all of our other relationships. How often do we choose one more way to obsess about our food and body imperfections instead of putting our focus and energy into something that will make us grow and expand; something for which we secretly long? It's easier to take this beautiful sustenance we call food and abuse it rather than to look at what's missing in our lives and go for it.
When you are struggling in your relationship with food, try this exercise: Think about the most passionate and loving relationship that you either have or desire; your spiritual soulmate, so to speak. Then write down all the adjectives that would describe this relationship, such as; loving, compassionate, adventurous, exciting, honest, trustworthy....whatever you desire in this person. When you are finished, read the list again. Now think about your relationship with food. Does it meet this description, or does it sound more like this; angry, starving, fat, ugly, scary, unpredictable...
Our relationship with ourselves begins with our relationship with food. We are fed from when we are born.
If you are looking to quell the source of some of your personal conflict and unrest, look no further than your relationship with food. Food creates the energy in every cell, organ, tissue and muscle in our bodies. It feeds our blood and nourishes our brain. The way we feel directly correlates to what we eat, and what we eat determines how we feel and what we attract into our lives. If we keep suppressing our souls in this most intimate relationship; punishing ourselves by either withholding or overconsuming food or eating foods that do not honor us, we disallow ourselves from the intimacy we so desire. If we cannot be intimate and loving with our own self first, how can we allow for others to love us appropriately?
Dream large and create. Then start each day by nourishing your body with the foods that make it shine. Never say you are "bad" or "good" because of what you eat. Choose your foods with love and let them love you back. Let go of any unwanted thoughts that keep you stuck in negative body image. Instead, put your energy into your passions and desires and keep your focus there. Allow food to elevate you into action rather than suppress you into sadness.
Having returned to the world of eating again post-cleanse, I am conscious of the space I was given through those ten days to reconnect with and reaffirm my relationship with myself. That was my commitment in undertaking this cleanse; to clean out whatever old "waste" was stopping me from being my highest self; physically, emotionally and spiritually. That has been met, and now I can lovingly renew my relationship with food and all of my relationships; those present and those yet to be.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Day 10 Final Day of My Autumn Cleanse!
October 9 Day 9 Master Cleanser:
7:15 AM Enema
9:15 AM 1 Quart Master Cleanser with: 1 quart warmed water, 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, pulp (and seeds), 4 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne spicy
11:15 AM Core Strengthening Exercises
1:30 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
7:30 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
Total: 3 Quarts
October 10 Day 10 Master Cleanser:
9:55 AM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
1:30 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
7:00 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
Total: 3 Quarts
I cannot believe it's almost over, and that tomorrow morning, I'll be starting my day with 8 ounces of soaked organic prunes and no Master Cleanser. Moving right into my life, I'll be having a lunchtime counseling session as well, though I will be somewhere that I can eat raw and light. Still, it feels strange to think about.
Though I feel complete and in gratitude that I cleansed according to my vision and commitment, I also feel a little sad to let it go. If I weren't moving into some venues where I would be sharing meals with other people, I would keep it going for a few more days. My body feels like it is in its truth, so to speak. I am releasing old beliefs and ways of coping every day, and meeting myself in all aspects of my life without food as an avoidance masked as pleasure.
How often do we just eat for the pure joy of eating? When I cleanse, I see an even deeper layer than I was aware. As much as I counsel others in Ecstatic Eating! and what it means to purely nourish ourselves and have a passionate relationship with our food, our bodies and our health, I understand how even I can deceive myself sometimes around food. I would say that I quite often do know the distinction between eating for the unadulterated sake of eating and eating to momentarily fill, avoid, numb or push away life. But even I witnessed a number of times during the past ten days, where if I had been eating solid food, I would have reached for it in relation to my experience of my life at just that moment. It's subtle sometimes, as those moments can also correlate with true hunger or mealtime; but it's that moment when food becomes a reaction rather than an action.
In the wild, animals don't look at the clock or even the sun to gage their hunger; they feel it instinctively. Because their emotional senses are not nearly as developed as ours (though their spiritual senses are, if you've ever had a cat), the stuff of life does not cloud their instinct. Even if a lion cub gets killed by another lion, its parent does not track down food to quell the sadness. It is only the human species who acts out their life experiences with food.
Today was a particularly difficult day for me emotionally. I had a major disappointment and an expectation of something in my life that didn't come to pass. I even had what I would call a meltdown in terms of the depth of emotion, pain and frustration I felt about this. At that moment, I felt physically wiped and exhausted, with no desire to uphold all the fabulous commitments in my life. Luckily, my commitment to myself and self-love rose above this painful period of time, and I put one foot in front of the other, walking through my day where I needed to be, until the feelings passed. There is no doubt that had I been eating solid food, I would have reached for something healthy, raw and fabulous a few times during those hours; I would have used food to soothe my mood.
Cleansing not only cleans out the waste and toxins; it is also a time for us to retrain our somatic, body response in not acting out with food in reaction to the intensity of emotion; that if we remove the food at that moment, the intensity will still pass, not by numbing out, but by allowing. Even more, the emotion will not be digested along with the food. Throughout my years of counseling, I have encountered a number of clients who, even after shifting into very aligned eating for weight loss, were not losing. Once we cleared out the old emotional waste, then the weight could come off. We digest our food with our lives, and cleansing is an opportunity to heal that response mechanism and return to our highest relationship with food; the one with which we were born and were meant to have.
I will take this gift with me tomorrow as I move into Ecstatic Eating!
I want to also thank my Facebook Ecstatic Eating! community for supporting me and one another in this adventure called a cleanse. As I finish mine, others are now inspired to start theirs. Thank you.
7:15 AM Enema
9:15 AM 1 Quart Master Cleanser with: 1 quart warmed water, 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, pulp (and seeds), 4 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne spicy
11:15 AM Core Strengthening Exercises
1:30 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
7:30 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
Total: 3 Quarts
October 10 Day 10 Master Cleanser:
9:55 AM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
1:30 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
7:00 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
Total: 3 Quarts
I cannot believe it's almost over, and that tomorrow morning, I'll be starting my day with 8 ounces of soaked organic prunes and no Master Cleanser. Moving right into my life, I'll be having a lunchtime counseling session as well, though I will be somewhere that I can eat raw and light. Still, it feels strange to think about.
Though I feel complete and in gratitude that I cleansed according to my vision and commitment, I also feel a little sad to let it go. If I weren't moving into some venues where I would be sharing meals with other people, I would keep it going for a few more days. My body feels like it is in its truth, so to speak. I am releasing old beliefs and ways of coping every day, and meeting myself in all aspects of my life without food as an avoidance masked as pleasure.
How often do we just eat for the pure joy of eating? When I cleanse, I see an even deeper layer than I was aware. As much as I counsel others in Ecstatic Eating! and what it means to purely nourish ourselves and have a passionate relationship with our food, our bodies and our health, I understand how even I can deceive myself sometimes around food. I would say that I quite often do know the distinction between eating for the unadulterated sake of eating and eating to momentarily fill, avoid, numb or push away life. But even I witnessed a number of times during the past ten days, where if I had been eating solid food, I would have reached for it in relation to my experience of my life at just that moment. It's subtle sometimes, as those moments can also correlate with true hunger or mealtime; but it's that moment when food becomes a reaction rather than an action.
In the wild, animals don't look at the clock or even the sun to gage their hunger; they feel it instinctively. Because their emotional senses are not nearly as developed as ours (though their spiritual senses are, if you've ever had a cat), the stuff of life does not cloud their instinct. Even if a lion cub gets killed by another lion, its parent does not track down food to quell the sadness. It is only the human species who acts out their life experiences with food.
Today was a particularly difficult day for me emotionally. I had a major disappointment and an expectation of something in my life that didn't come to pass. I even had what I would call a meltdown in terms of the depth of emotion, pain and frustration I felt about this. At that moment, I felt physically wiped and exhausted, with no desire to uphold all the fabulous commitments in my life. Luckily, my commitment to myself and self-love rose above this painful period of time, and I put one foot in front of the other, walking through my day where I needed to be, until the feelings passed. There is no doubt that had I been eating solid food, I would have reached for something healthy, raw and fabulous a few times during those hours; I would have used food to soothe my mood.
Cleansing not only cleans out the waste and toxins; it is also a time for us to retrain our somatic, body response in not acting out with food in reaction to the intensity of emotion; that if we remove the food at that moment, the intensity will still pass, not by numbing out, but by allowing. Even more, the emotion will not be digested along with the food. Throughout my years of counseling, I have encountered a number of clients who, even after shifting into very aligned eating for weight loss, were not losing. Once we cleared out the old emotional waste, then the weight could come off. We digest our food with our lives, and cleansing is an opportunity to heal that response mechanism and return to our highest relationship with food; the one with which we were born and were meant to have.
I will take this gift with me tomorrow as I move into Ecstatic Eating!
I want to also thank my Facebook Ecstatic Eating! community for supporting me and one another in this adventure called a cleanse. As I finish mine, others are now inspired to start theirs. Thank you.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Contrast Deepens Our Relationship with Ourselves
Day 7 Autumn Cleanse October 7:
10:00 AM Core strengthening exercises
11:00 4.5 mile walk and run at the beach, with 1 mile of it slow run - nice, soft rain coming down
12:15 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser with 1 quart warmed water, 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, pulp (and seeds); now lessening the lemon from 6 to 5 tablespoons; 4 tablespoons grade B maple syrup; and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper spicy
2:15 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
Afternoon: Extraordinary session of reflexology with Irina Breslav
40 Minute sauna
5:45 PM 8 oz. Master Cleanser
7:00 PM 16 oz. Master Cleanser
Total: 2 Quarts, 24 oz.
Day 8 Autumn Cleanse October 8:
11:45 AM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
2:30 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
7:00 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
Total: 3 Quarts
As some of you may know, I fractured my metatarsal (i.e. broken foot) during the beginning of July and spent the summer healing my broken bone. That meant no running, swimming, or yoga; no rebounding on the trampoline when it was messy outside. I wore a specialized sandal (in lieu of a boot) and used a cane. It was an intense time and a time of quiet contemplation.
Some of my readers may have seen the video of joy that I shot as I was about to go swimming in the Long Island Sound, when my foot was finally healed enough to swim.
This past Friday, I went running for the first time in three months; while cleansing, of course!
Those who know me well and have followed my blog know I am an avid runner and athelete, lover of movement, exercise and the outdoors, and have been running on and off since I was sixteen. You might have read when I blogged about shifting my entire relationship with winter a few years ago, while healing a broken heart, simply by running outside all winter; whether forty degrees or six degrees. This relationship with winter moved from "I can't stand it," to become the most intimate and adoring relationship, which unbelievably, I have been sad to see go the last couple of seasons (even though I am a beach bum).
Running is "in my heart, it's in my soul," and it will "be my friend till I grow old," and beyond. My father ran until he was seventy nine. He was my first running partner. On Friday, I put on my old best friends, my running shoes (saucony-s) and walked over to the beach. Very carefully, I began a slow run once around; just under a mile. My goal right now is to continue to realign my foot after months of it being dormant. Where in counseling, I am often helping people to recondition, reframe or clear our their old "cellular belief systems," those experiences housed in our bodies that cause us suffering, in my case, I am doing the opposite. I am reigniting my body's cellular memory, specifically that foot, to run and move the way it used to. This requires a slow process, literally, meaning that I am starting to run very slowly, just to have my foot re-remember what it felt like logging all those miles in its shoe; what each step and bounce was like for every muscle, nerve, tendon and ligament. It's part of my personal foot therapy.
Here I was, both on Friday and Sunday, running one quarter or one half of my usual speed with a huge smile on my face; feeling the feeling of well being that comes when one is doing something they love. Much like my relationship with food, it was a time of Ecstatic Running! even though I was lightly jogging. When we are aligned with what is right for us, it's not about the perfection; it's about the sheer bliss of the process. I was as exuberant as if I had just run a half marathon.
Contrast is a wonderful thing. When we get back that which we temporarily lost, the appreciation we have is far larger than it was. I thought I was passionately grateful for every minute of every run I have had in the past, and I was, but the gratitude I had on those two days outmeasured even that. The difference was that for three months, I had met myself where I was at, and learned to love myself through my limitations.
It was a kind of cleansing of the soul to go through the process. I loved myself even more for all parts of me; the whole and the broken; the light and the shadow.
As I wind down from my eighth day of no solid food, I wonder what I will feel this Thursday morning, when I bite into my first meal. I know that the first food I ate after my 31-day juice feast, which was only some soaked organic prunes, tasted like the nectar of the gods. I look forward to experiencing the act of eating on a whole new level, and deepening my relationship with food and my body. Each new path upon which we embark changes us forever. Food is only a metaphor for the rest of our lives, and I thank God I can transform all my relationships, most especially that with myself, through my ever-evolving relationship with food.
10:00 AM Core strengthening exercises
11:00 4.5 mile walk and run at the beach, with 1 mile of it slow run - nice, soft rain coming down
12:15 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser with 1 quart warmed water, 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, pulp (and seeds); now lessening the lemon from 6 to 5 tablespoons; 4 tablespoons grade B maple syrup; and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper spicy
2:15 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
Afternoon: Extraordinary session of reflexology with Irina Breslav
40 Minute sauna
5:45 PM 8 oz. Master Cleanser
7:00 PM 16 oz. Master Cleanser
Total: 2 Quarts, 24 oz.
Day 8 Autumn Cleanse October 8:
11:45 AM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
2:30 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
7:00 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
Total: 3 Quarts
As some of you may know, I fractured my metatarsal (i.e. broken foot) during the beginning of July and spent the summer healing my broken bone. That meant no running, swimming, or yoga; no rebounding on the trampoline when it was messy outside. I wore a specialized sandal (in lieu of a boot) and used a cane. It was an intense time and a time of quiet contemplation.
Some of my readers may have seen the video of joy that I shot as I was about to go swimming in the Long Island Sound, when my foot was finally healed enough to swim.
This past Friday, I went running for the first time in three months; while cleansing, of course!
Those who know me well and have followed my blog know I am an avid runner and athelete, lover of movement, exercise and the outdoors, and have been running on and off since I was sixteen. You might have read when I blogged about shifting my entire relationship with winter a few years ago, while healing a broken heart, simply by running outside all winter; whether forty degrees or six degrees. This relationship with winter moved from "I can't stand it," to become the most intimate and adoring relationship, which unbelievably, I have been sad to see go the last couple of seasons (even though I am a beach bum).
Running is "in my heart, it's in my soul," and it will "be my friend till I grow old," and beyond. My father ran until he was seventy nine. He was my first running partner. On Friday, I put on my old best friends, my running shoes (saucony-s) and walked over to the beach. Very carefully, I began a slow run once around; just under a mile. My goal right now is to continue to realign my foot after months of it being dormant. Where in counseling, I am often helping people to recondition, reframe or clear our their old "cellular belief systems," those experiences housed in our bodies that cause us suffering, in my case, I am doing the opposite. I am reigniting my body's cellular memory, specifically that foot, to run and move the way it used to. This requires a slow process, literally, meaning that I am starting to run very slowly, just to have my foot re-remember what it felt like logging all those miles in its shoe; what each step and bounce was like for every muscle, nerve, tendon and ligament. It's part of my personal foot therapy.
Here I was, both on Friday and Sunday, running one quarter or one half of my usual speed with a huge smile on my face; feeling the feeling of well being that comes when one is doing something they love. Much like my relationship with food, it was a time of Ecstatic Running! even though I was lightly jogging. When we are aligned with what is right for us, it's not about the perfection; it's about the sheer bliss of the process. I was as exuberant as if I had just run a half marathon.
Contrast is a wonderful thing. When we get back that which we temporarily lost, the appreciation we have is far larger than it was. I thought I was passionately grateful for every minute of every run I have had in the past, and I was, but the gratitude I had on those two days outmeasured even that. The difference was that for three months, I had met myself where I was at, and learned to love myself through my limitations.
It was a kind of cleansing of the soul to go through the process. I loved myself even more for all parts of me; the whole and the broken; the light and the shadow.
As I wind down from my eighth day of no solid food, I wonder what I will feel this Thursday morning, when I bite into my first meal. I know that the first food I ate after my 31-day juice feast, which was only some soaked organic prunes, tasted like the nectar of the gods. I look forward to experiencing the act of eating on a whole new level, and deepening my relationship with food and my body. Each new path upon which we embark changes us forever. Food is only a metaphor for the rest of our lives, and I thank God I can transform all my relationships, most especially that with myself, through my ever-evolving relationship with food.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
School and doctor refusing to allow healthy food
Day 6 of the Cleanse
Yesterday's Nourishment:
11:50 AM 1 Quart Master Cleanser: 1 quart warmed water with 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, pulp (and seeds), 4 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup - I lessened the maple syrup today - and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne spicy
1:30 PM Ran my first mile in 3 months! 4 miles total, with 3 mile walk and 1 mile run
2:30 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
7:00 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
Total: 3 Quarts
Moving into the weekend and a lighter, quieter schedule, my body felt like it did not need as much "protection" from the environment. I was drawn to scale down the maple syrup to 4 tablespoons and only wanted 3 quarts, even though I had prepared a fourth. I am feeling the same today; it's 3:00 PM and I've only had one quart of Master Cleanser so far. My energy is off the charts! Last night, I went shopping at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods with my High-Level Assistant Denisse, who, along with her sister, is also cleansing. Denisse has also shifted her entire family into whole, vegetarian and raw food. The other day she told me that when she brought home fresh asparagus, intending to make a soup with them, they never even got as far as the pot, as her daughter pounced upon them and ate them raw! Denisse and I were purchasing the rest of our cleanse "foods," and we ended up spending three hours walking through the aisles at Whole Foods and just talking about food. Neither of us was hungry; we both had tons of energy and we were focusing on how to effectively educate people with all kinds of food choices, no matter what stage they are at in their dietary journey.
I said to Denisse, "Isn't is amazing that we've had no solid food for five days and are so energized, clear and focused?" It's such a misconception that we need so much food to thrive, or even to survive; it's the right foods that we need.
Which brings me to the story that Denisse told me yesterday. She and her sister now send their children to school with homemade guacamole, kale salad, quinoa and all kinds of vegetables and fruits. Their collective children (three in all) can't get enough of these foods. They have been to the farmers markets and eaten vegetables from the garden they planted at home. Denisse and her sister's two sons recently had their lunchboxes returned full, and Denisse was told by their teacher that the boys are required to eat the lunch food supplied by the school. This food consists of yogurt, bagels with cream cheese and the like. By the way, Denisse was cleansing when she had this conversation at the school, and she said it only reaffirmed her commitment to her cleanse even more. She was told that she would need a note from her doctor, and since her kids were not lactose intolerant or did not have specific allergies, that was required; otherwise, they could not eat their home-prepared food and would have to eat the school food.
The story gets ever more interesting. The pediatrician to whom Denisse took her children, and with whom she was completely on the same page with regards to nutrition and children, had left the practice, and she was referred to one of the other pediatricians there. Denisse spoke with the office manager, a friend of hers, who wrote a simple note stating that Denisse's children could bring food from home to school. This person was then fired by the doctor's practice, and Denisse was told by her new pediatrician that she did not support what Denisse was doing and that she supported the school's policy. Denisse said to her doctor, "I'll need my children's records, as I will be looking for a new pediatrician," and she left the office.
I was extremely upset when I heard this story and my first response was, "This is something we need to get out into the local news." As one of the founders of the Rockland Coalition for Better School Foods and someone who has given talks and workshops within schools to educate children, parents, teacher and admistrators on healthy eating, I am wondering how often this is happening daily in our schools? How often are children their ages (two to five) having their food returned or thrown out unknowingly and given bagels, cream cheese and yogurt to eat instead? Here is how the food chain works: Children are fed these foods; then they contract repeated colds, flus and resperatory symptoms throughout the fall and winter. They are brought to their doctors, who prescribe multiple rounds of antibiotics, which also lower their immune systems. They continue to eat the foods that lower their immune systems, perpetuating the cycle of sickness and medication. These children become adults, who then contract more serious, chronic symptoms due to lowered immune systems resulting from this cycle of food and antibiotics.
I am compelled to blog about this today in hopes that if this is happening to your children in their schools, that you step up and say no these practices and yes to healthy food for our kids.
Denisse will be seeing a new pediatrician who is known to be an excellent doctor in partnering with her patients, and she is planning to meet with the head of the school this week to say no to this policy and ensure that her children get to eat the foods that nourish their bodies. If this is happening to you, don't walk away feeling there is nothing you can do. We need to educate others; it is the best catalyst to transformation. I suggested to Denisse that she offer to give a talk at the the school to teachers, parents and administration on healthy eating. Who knows what their response will be, but it is certainly a way of turning adversity into possibility, which is what we want to teach our children.
Yesterday's Nourishment:
11:50 AM 1 Quart Master Cleanser: 1 quart warmed water with 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, pulp (and seeds), 4 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup - I lessened the maple syrup today - and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne spicy
1:30 PM Ran my first mile in 3 months! 4 miles total, with 3 mile walk and 1 mile run
2:30 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
7:00 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
Total: 3 Quarts
Moving into the weekend and a lighter, quieter schedule, my body felt like it did not need as much "protection" from the environment. I was drawn to scale down the maple syrup to 4 tablespoons and only wanted 3 quarts, even though I had prepared a fourth. I am feeling the same today; it's 3:00 PM and I've only had one quart of Master Cleanser so far. My energy is off the charts! Last night, I went shopping at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods with my High-Level Assistant Denisse, who, along with her sister, is also cleansing. Denisse has also shifted her entire family into whole, vegetarian and raw food. The other day she told me that when she brought home fresh asparagus, intending to make a soup with them, they never even got as far as the pot, as her daughter pounced upon them and ate them raw! Denisse and I were purchasing the rest of our cleanse "foods," and we ended up spending three hours walking through the aisles at Whole Foods and just talking about food. Neither of us was hungry; we both had tons of energy and we were focusing on how to effectively educate people with all kinds of food choices, no matter what stage they are at in their dietary journey.
I said to Denisse, "Isn't is amazing that we've had no solid food for five days and are so energized, clear and focused?" It's such a misconception that we need so much food to thrive, or even to survive; it's the right foods that we need.
Which brings me to the story that Denisse told me yesterday. She and her sister now send their children to school with homemade guacamole, kale salad, quinoa and all kinds of vegetables and fruits. Their collective children (three in all) can't get enough of these foods. They have been to the farmers markets and eaten vegetables from the garden they planted at home. Denisse and her sister's two sons recently had their lunchboxes returned full, and Denisse was told by their teacher that the boys are required to eat the lunch food supplied by the school. This food consists of yogurt, bagels with cream cheese and the like. By the way, Denisse was cleansing when she had this conversation at the school, and she said it only reaffirmed her commitment to her cleanse even more. She was told that she would need a note from her doctor, and since her kids were not lactose intolerant or did not have specific allergies, that was required; otherwise, they could not eat their home-prepared food and would have to eat the school food.
The story gets ever more interesting. The pediatrician to whom Denisse took her children, and with whom she was completely on the same page with regards to nutrition and children, had left the practice, and she was referred to one of the other pediatricians there. Denisse spoke with the office manager, a friend of hers, who wrote a simple note stating that Denisse's children could bring food from home to school. This person was then fired by the doctor's practice, and Denisse was told by her new pediatrician that she did not support what Denisse was doing and that she supported the school's policy. Denisse said to her doctor, "I'll need my children's records, as I will be looking for a new pediatrician," and she left the office.
I was extremely upset when I heard this story and my first response was, "This is something we need to get out into the local news." As one of the founders of the Rockland Coalition for Better School Foods and someone who has given talks and workshops within schools to educate children, parents, teacher and admistrators on healthy eating, I am wondering how often this is happening daily in our schools? How often are children their ages (two to five) having their food returned or thrown out unknowingly and given bagels, cream cheese and yogurt to eat instead? Here is how the food chain works: Children are fed these foods; then they contract repeated colds, flus and resperatory symptoms throughout the fall and winter. They are brought to their doctors, who prescribe multiple rounds of antibiotics, which also lower their immune systems. They continue to eat the foods that lower their immune systems, perpetuating the cycle of sickness and medication. These children become adults, who then contract more serious, chronic symptoms due to lowered immune systems resulting from this cycle of food and antibiotics.
I am compelled to blog about this today in hopes that if this is happening to your children in their schools, that you step up and say no these practices and yes to healthy food for our kids.
Denisse will be seeing a new pediatrician who is known to be an excellent doctor in partnering with her patients, and she is planning to meet with the head of the school this week to say no to this policy and ensure that her children get to eat the foods that nourish their bodies. If this is happening to you, don't walk away feeling there is nothing you can do. We need to educate others; it is the best catalyst to transformation. I suggested to Denisse that she offer to give a talk at the the school to teachers, parents and administration on healthy eating. Who knows what their response will be, but it is certainly a way of turning adversity into possibility, which is what we want to teach our children.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Cleansing is Moment by Moment
Day 4 Autumn Cleanse:
Yesterday October 4:
8:00 AM 1 Quart Master Cleanser: 1 quart warmed water with 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, pulp (and seeds), 5 tablespoons grade B maple syrup and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder (I like it spicy)
2:00 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
6:00 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
7:15 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
Total: 1 Gallon
Day 5:
Today October 5:
9:45 AM Enema - switched to this today to take a break from salt water flushing and reach into the colon and intestine to remove old waste. This is what my body guided me to do, as the salt felt a little too retaining and approaching flush from the other end, so to speak, felt right for today.
~ time of first quart of master Cleaner will be at 11:00 AM
Debbie Ford, Author of, "The Shadow Effect," speaks about meeting all parts of ourselves; our light and our shadow, and that it is by doing so that we can truly transform places of suffering into well being. I believe that if we just stay with ourselves long enough to embrace our shadows and not fill the difficult moments with food (or anything else), we create an opportunity for unlimited possibilities in our lives.
Cleansing brings out our shadows; the dark, "icky" parts we'd rather avoid, deny or shove under the pillow. Yesterday brought up some of those for me. During the more difficult parts of my day, I found myself seeing my life as a whole of shame and lack; I was feeling very less than and very sorry for myself. It was at that moment that I walked by one of my favorite secret pleasures; Fat Cat Pie Co., an organic pizza bistro in Norwalk, Connecticut that offers farm-to-table toppings on their pizza. I love Fat Cat; eating my kale and quinoa salad with Reggiano parmesan, followed by an organic crust pizza with broccoli rabe, eggplant, carmelized mushrooms, sauteed onions, garlic chips and kalamata olives is a sacred ritual for me; every mouthful a surge of ecstasy. It is my non-guilty pleasure, as I don't associate guilt with the art of eating. But yesterday, as I was in my shadow side walking by Fat Cat, the irony of emotional eating revealed itself. At that moment, had I stealthfully gone inside and indulged, it would not have been to asuage any physical hunger, as there was none. It would have been to soothe the wicked beast inside of me; to slay my internal dragon.
I remember my early life; adolescent and teenage years, when I numbed out with food because my emotional dragons were too scary, but had to take myself wherever I went anyway; thinner or heavier. There was no ecstatic eating while battling my demons with food as my weapon. Eventually, my body caught up with my spirit, and in my twenties, my weight reached two hundred and twenty pounds.
What did I do yesterday when these feelings "hit?" I texted two friends and released them through writing. The act of letting them out and moving them through, without anyone needing to solve it or fix it for me; merely "hear" me, started to diminish them. I also identified what was happening, and knew that even though it felt large, it was merely one moment in my extraordinary life. If I had eaten over it, it would have become me, merging through the act of digestion into my cells and cellular memory.
Today, my relationship with food is sacred loving and fun, and there is no guilt, pain or suffering associated with it. I counsel clients in Ecstatic Eating!, which is available to each of us, no matter what our journey or our past. Food is our intimate partner, with whom we get to dance the longest, slowest dance of all; never to be rushed, abused or neglected.
After the most difficult part of my day came the most beautiful moments. I had a counseling session and the energy in the office was so pure and high. When I left, the old loathing feelings had completely vanished, replaced with immense gratitude for every part of my life, accompanied by a surge of joy. Leaving the office, I texted these same two friends the deep feelings of gratitude I was having for my life at that moment. It is important to voice the shift into light as well once we have let go of the shadow; what we language becomes us.
My life had not changed, yet I had shifted, merely by allowing each moment to exist and by being present to each moment. I am grateful for the opportunity this cleanse gives me; not to do, but just to be.
Yesterday October 4:
8:00 AM 1 Quart Master Cleanser: 1 quart warmed water with 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, pulp (and seeds), 5 tablespoons grade B maple syrup and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder (I like it spicy)
2:00 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
6:00 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
7:15 PM 1 Quart Master Cleanser
Total: 1 Gallon
Day 5:
Today October 5:
9:45 AM Enema - switched to this today to take a break from salt water flushing and reach into the colon and intestine to remove old waste. This is what my body guided me to do, as the salt felt a little too retaining and approaching flush from the other end, so to speak, felt right for today.
~ time of first quart of master Cleaner will be at 11:00 AM
Debbie Ford, Author of, "The Shadow Effect," speaks about meeting all parts of ourselves; our light and our shadow, and that it is by doing so that we can truly transform places of suffering into well being. I believe that if we just stay with ourselves long enough to embrace our shadows and not fill the difficult moments with food (or anything else), we create an opportunity for unlimited possibilities in our lives.
Cleansing brings out our shadows; the dark, "icky" parts we'd rather avoid, deny or shove under the pillow. Yesterday brought up some of those for me. During the more difficult parts of my day, I found myself seeing my life as a whole of shame and lack; I was feeling very less than and very sorry for myself. It was at that moment that I walked by one of my favorite secret pleasures; Fat Cat Pie Co., an organic pizza bistro in Norwalk, Connecticut that offers farm-to-table toppings on their pizza. I love Fat Cat; eating my kale and quinoa salad with Reggiano parmesan, followed by an organic crust pizza with broccoli rabe, eggplant, carmelized mushrooms, sauteed onions, garlic chips and kalamata olives is a sacred ritual for me; every mouthful a surge of ecstasy. It is my non-guilty pleasure, as I don't associate guilt with the art of eating. But yesterday, as I was in my shadow side walking by Fat Cat, the irony of emotional eating revealed itself. At that moment, had I stealthfully gone inside and indulged, it would not have been to asuage any physical hunger, as there was none. It would have been to soothe the wicked beast inside of me; to slay my internal dragon.
I remember my early life; adolescent and teenage years, when I numbed out with food because my emotional dragons were too scary, but had to take myself wherever I went anyway; thinner or heavier. There was no ecstatic eating while battling my demons with food as my weapon. Eventually, my body caught up with my spirit, and in my twenties, my weight reached two hundred and twenty pounds.
What did I do yesterday when these feelings "hit?" I texted two friends and released them through writing. The act of letting them out and moving them through, without anyone needing to solve it or fix it for me; merely "hear" me, started to diminish them. I also identified what was happening, and knew that even though it felt large, it was merely one moment in my extraordinary life. If I had eaten over it, it would have become me, merging through the act of digestion into my cells and cellular memory.
Today, my relationship with food is sacred loving and fun, and there is no guilt, pain or suffering associated with it. I counsel clients in Ecstatic Eating!, which is available to each of us, no matter what our journey or our past. Food is our intimate partner, with whom we get to dance the longest, slowest dance of all; never to be rushed, abused or neglected.
After the most difficult part of my day came the most beautiful moments. I had a counseling session and the energy in the office was so pure and high. When I left, the old loathing feelings had completely vanished, replaced with immense gratitude for every part of my life, accompanied by a surge of joy. Leaving the office, I texted these same two friends the deep feelings of gratitude I was having for my life at that moment. It is important to voice the shift into light as well once we have let go of the shadow; what we language becomes us.
My life had not changed, yet I had shifted, merely by allowing each moment to exist and by being present to each moment. I am grateful for the opportunity this cleanse gives me; not to do, but just to be.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Who did I once write in as a presidential candidate?
Day 3 of the Cleanse:
8:00 AM Salt Water Flush: 1 Quart warmed water with 2 teaspoons sea salt
11:15 AM 1st Quart Master Cleanser:
1 Quart warmed water with 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, pulp (and seeds), 5 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (spicy)
12:30 PM Quart #2 Master Cleanser
4:30 PM Quart #3 Master Cleanser
6:30 PM Quart #4 Master Cleanser
Total: 1 Gallon
I have been an advocate and activist for health since my twenties; actually, since I was about ten and wrote into the Hills Corporation asking them if they killed horses for their dog food and got an answer back assuring me they didn't kill Mustangs. That reminds me of the disturbing video I saw this week exposing Whole Foods allowing many GMO foods into their store, including Monsanto's GMO corn, and lying to consumers about it. When a friend and colleague of mine emailed her local Whole Foods in response, they responded simply that they needed to train their team leaders more effectively in how to respond to consumers about which foods are clearly labeled as Non-GMO. Hello: That's not the issue. Blaming their employees deflects responsibility even more. The issue is that Whole Foods, which has always portrayed themselves as the number one advocate for non-genetically engineered foods, and has time and time again said that they do not support GMO's and do not carry them, has lied to us who support and trust them because of the drive to make a profit.
Is there also lots of good that Whole Foods does? Yes! Are there many foods worth purchasing there? Definitely. So what is the answer? It is to "call" them on this issue and let them know that this is unacceptable. We need to email our local Whole Foods and let them know that they need to uphold what we trust them to espouse with the food we buy for ourselves and our children. They will respond, and even if it is not the response we want, they will see the numbers of people who care about these choices and will have to step up to the plate with integrity. Here's what I wrote, if you are looking for how to word your email:
It's food for thought...
8:00 AM Salt Water Flush: 1 Quart warmed water with 2 teaspoons sea salt
11:15 AM 1st Quart Master Cleanser:
1 Quart warmed water with 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, pulp (and seeds), 5 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (spicy)
12:30 PM Quart #2 Master Cleanser
4:30 PM Quart #3 Master Cleanser
6:30 PM Quart #4 Master Cleanser
Total: 1 Gallon
I have been an advocate and activist for health since my twenties; actually, since I was about ten and wrote into the Hills Corporation asking them if they killed horses for their dog food and got an answer back assuring me they didn't kill Mustangs. That reminds me of the disturbing video I saw this week exposing Whole Foods allowing many GMO foods into their store, including Monsanto's GMO corn, and lying to consumers about it. When a friend and colleague of mine emailed her local Whole Foods in response, they responded simply that they needed to train their team leaders more effectively in how to respond to consumers about which foods are clearly labeled as Non-GMO. Hello: That's not the issue. Blaming their employees deflects responsibility even more. The issue is that Whole Foods, which has always portrayed themselves as the number one advocate for non-genetically engineered foods, and has time and time again said that they do not support GMO's and do not carry them, has lied to us who support and trust them because of the drive to make a profit.
Is there also lots of good that Whole Foods does? Yes! Are there many foods worth purchasing there? Definitely. So what is the answer? It is to "call" them on this issue and let them know that this is unacceptable. We need to email our local Whole Foods and let them know that they need to uphold what we trust them to espouse with the food we buy for ourselves and our children. They will respond, and even if it is not the response we want, they will see the numbers of people who care about these choices and will have to step up to the plate with integrity. Here's what I wrote, if you are looking for how to word your email:
Hi,
As a Holistic Health Counselor and consumer, I am very disturbed about this video. I want to be able to not only shop at Whole Foods, but to send clients there reliably. My concern is that Whole Foods carries ANY GMO foods. When the store was founded, I thought that the message communicated at the time was NO to GMO. It's not just about the labeling. It's about trusting the sources, and for Whole Foods to take a stand and not allow GMO foods inside the store. I appeal to Whole Foods to take a firm stand on this and eliminate all GMO foods from your store.
Thank you,
Hope Stanger
Back to my twenties, when I was living in New York City. It was then that I learned of the plight of the U.S. farm workers, and the major health risks they were being exposed to in order to supply the produce we eat. I received regular newsletters from the Untited Farm Workers (U.F.W.) that were so disturbing and graphic. This was an organization that told the untold truth about the lives of the many men and women who were working for low wages in our farming industry just to support their families. It finally uncovered and exposed the truth about pesticides and their impact on physical health. I got to see graphic images of real farm workers with cancer, skin lesions, corroded arms and legs, nerve damage and serious life-threatening illnesses resulting from being sprayed with pesticides while in the fields or handling the earth and produce that was sprayed. I learned all the scientific names for pesticides and the concrete scientific research about the physical health impact of each individual chemical. My eyes were opened and I wept every time I read a new newsletter from the U.F.W. So it's no wonder that in 2012, I don't even know how to respond to one more person saying that they heard organic fruits and vegetables are no more healthy than non-organics, or that it's ok to eat the produce with hard shells or skins. Of course, I try to educate people time and again about this; that it is from day one of planting, and even before, that the soil is sprayed with a multitude of pesticides/chemicals, which continue to be sprayed through harvesting. The earth is sprayed; the baby seedlings are sprayed; the blooming vegetables and fruits are sprayed; and the fully grown plants are sprayed; over and over throughout the cycle. It doesn't matter if it's an avocado or a red pepper; when pesticides are used, they inundate the entire food. Back in my twenties, during a presidential election, I didn't align with either plan being presented by each candidate. Therefore, I decided at the time to write in as my choice Ceasar Chavez, the founder and head of the United Farm Workers, because I knew he genuinely cared about the health and well being of people on this earth, and that is who I wanted as president of our precious country.As a Holistic Health Counselor and consumer, I am very disturbed about this video. I want to be able to not only shop at Whole Foods, but to send clients there reliably. My concern is that Whole Foods carries ANY GMO foods. When the store was founded, I thought that the message communicated at the time was NO to GMO. It's not just about the labeling. It's about trusting the sources, and for Whole Foods to take a stand and not allow GMO foods inside the store. I appeal to Whole Foods to take a firm stand on this and eliminate all GMO foods from your store.
Thank you,
Hope Stanger
It's food for thought...
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Cleansing to Our Truth
Day 2 of the Autumn Cleanse!
8:30 AM Salt Water Flush:
1 warmed quart (32 oz.) of water with 2 teaspoons sea salt, drunk all at one sitting
10:15 AM Core mat exercises
10:30 AM First quart of Master Cleanser, with 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and pulp (and seeds), 5 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup and 1/8 spicy teaspoon of cayenne
Noon: Quart 2 of Master Cleanser
5:40 PM Quart 3
6:30 PM Quart 4
Total: 1 gallon and done for the day :)
I cannot believe this, but I am sitting here typing and filled with energy. I feel almost wired, but in a good way. I don't drink coffee, but I suppose this is what people reach for. I've had this feeling from juicing or the frequency of raw foods, but there's an added component. It feels like a letting go and an adding in at the same time. I am releasing the old debris and toxins from my colon, intestines, organs, blood and tissues and taking in the mineralization of new energy. I feel like I could dance for a couple of hours!
That being said, don't worry if you feel exhausted while cleansing. A cleanse reaches to the core, and you can experience incredible energy for a couple of hours and then need to sleep far more than normal. Wherever you are at is wherever you need to be; your body will tell you. If I were fatigued, I would stop typing and go to sleep, even at 8:30.
My first flush of the cleanse was perfect. I remember the first time I did a salt water flush, which was during the 31-day juice feast. It already had felt so vulnerable doing the enemas 7 days in a row, and then when I switched from juicing to Master Cleanser, I followed that protocol. The first time I drank the salt water I said, "I can't do this. It's disgusting, and I'll never make my way through it." The next time, it suddenly tasted a lot better, as if my body had accepted and connected with it. For this Autumn cleanse, I actually loved it! Forty five minutes later I was releasing all of the old.
I had a half an hour of shaky blood sugar in the middle of the afternoon, which then passed. Now my body is filled with a feeling of well being cleansing through me.
Imagine if everyone in the world cleansed for ten days; what do you think the leaders of our government would be like? What about the heads of the food industry? How would the military generals act? What would happen to those suffering from depression, ADD, OCD, anxiety, psychoses and medication overload? That's an evolution I would like to witness. What I find most powerful today is that as I walked through my day, navigating the "stuff of life" with all its dilemmas, fears and stressors, I couldn't hide out in my food. I had to be present to who I am when I am simply in my truth. I had to let go of all my self-judgements and replace them with self-love; as if the cleansing spurred my body to say: "You are who you are, Hope. Now can you love yourself for all of it; light and shadow, and can you allow others to love you "as is" as well?
Cleansing allows us to return to our truth; the souls of who we came here to be. It's an opportunity to let go of our limited beliefs and expand into our unlimited potential. What if you lived your life like each day was a cleanse? Who would you be and what would your life look like? It's only a matter of choice..
8:30 AM Salt Water Flush:
1 warmed quart (32 oz.) of water with 2 teaspoons sea salt, drunk all at one sitting
10:15 AM Core mat exercises
10:30 AM First quart of Master Cleanser, with 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and pulp (and seeds), 5 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup and 1/8 spicy teaspoon of cayenne
Noon: Quart 2 of Master Cleanser
5:40 PM Quart 3
6:30 PM Quart 4
Total: 1 gallon and done for the day :)
I cannot believe this, but I am sitting here typing and filled with energy. I feel almost wired, but in a good way. I don't drink coffee, but I suppose this is what people reach for. I've had this feeling from juicing or the frequency of raw foods, but there's an added component. It feels like a letting go and an adding in at the same time. I am releasing the old debris and toxins from my colon, intestines, organs, blood and tissues and taking in the mineralization of new energy. I feel like I could dance for a couple of hours!
That being said, don't worry if you feel exhausted while cleansing. A cleanse reaches to the core, and you can experience incredible energy for a couple of hours and then need to sleep far more than normal. Wherever you are at is wherever you need to be; your body will tell you. If I were fatigued, I would stop typing and go to sleep, even at 8:30.
My first flush of the cleanse was perfect. I remember the first time I did a salt water flush, which was during the 31-day juice feast. It already had felt so vulnerable doing the enemas 7 days in a row, and then when I switched from juicing to Master Cleanser, I followed that protocol. The first time I drank the salt water I said, "I can't do this. It's disgusting, and I'll never make my way through it." The next time, it suddenly tasted a lot better, as if my body had accepted and connected with it. For this Autumn cleanse, I actually loved it! Forty five minutes later I was releasing all of the old.
I had a half an hour of shaky blood sugar in the middle of the afternoon, which then passed. Now my body is filled with a feeling of well being cleansing through me.
Imagine if everyone in the world cleansed for ten days; what do you think the leaders of our government would be like? What about the heads of the food industry? How would the military generals act? What would happen to those suffering from depression, ADD, OCD, anxiety, psychoses and medication overload? That's an evolution I would like to witness. What I find most powerful today is that as I walked through my day, navigating the "stuff of life" with all its dilemmas, fears and stressors, I couldn't hide out in my food. I had to be present to who I am when I am simply in my truth. I had to let go of all my self-judgements and replace them with self-love; as if the cleansing spurred my body to say: "You are who you are, Hope. Now can you love yourself for all of it; light and shadow, and can you allow others to love you "as is" as well?
Cleansing allows us to return to our truth; the souls of who we came here to be. It's an opportunity to let go of our limited beliefs and expand into our unlimited potential. What if you lived your life like each day was a cleanse? Who would you be and what would your life look like? It's only a matter of choice..
Monday, October 1, 2012
When we cleanse, it's not just our bodies....Day 1
Hello World,
Today is Day 1 of Master Cleanser:
So far today:
7:30 AM 1 quart Master Cleanser, with 6 tablespoons fresh organic lemon juice and pulp (and seeds), 5 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (very spicy)
12:50 PM Quart #2
5:00 PM Quart #3
One more quart to come, but not too late.
I am sipping my third quart of Master Cleanser as I type. Figuring I'd breeze through this cleanse, after juice feasting with no solids for 31 days in the spring, I forgot that my body has been so reconditioned to food that the removal of it is causing a bit of an uproar :) Last week, I celebrated the Jewish holidays with some foods I don't typically eat, and I felt the feeling of "stuffed" that I haven't felt in a long time. When I eat solely raw foods, the molecular frequency is so high and the nutrients so dense that I get filled up without ever getting stuffed. Even though I transitioned back after the holiday, I am still letting go of those meals, as well as the last four months since my previous cleanse.
What am I feeling? A little shakiness (blood sugar), a little annoyance (having my food taken away), a little bereft (feeling lonlier than usual); all of the above.
This leads me into one of the most relevant yet rarely touched upon aspects of cleansing; the emotional component. I blogged about this over the course of the 31-day cleanse. Cleanses are so hip now; so "au courant." Everyone is on a cleanse and everyone advertises one. On the one hand, it is so great that people want to get healthier and can have access and support in doing so. The problem lies in the act of omission. What we need to know is what is left out when cleansing; that we are not only cleansing our bodies of all the food-based and environmental toxins and old debris (and this can go back a lifetime, if we have never cleansed before - more on this in another post), we are also cleansing from an emotional perspective. All the stored up experiences that get processed (or not) in our somatic (body-centered) selves are cleansing as well. Think about what has transpired in your life since your last cleanse; did you end a relationship or have it ended by someone else? Have you had loss, sadness, pain, hurt, anger or any other emotion/experience taking up space? Look at these areas; family, love, relationships, work, joy, health, finances; if you processed any of these on an emotional end, or if they got "lodged" in between your energy centers and held as "wounds" to the chakras (the energy centers we have in our bodies; just like organs, tissues and blood, these also exist and house our experiences) you might need to cleanse them as well.
I also tell clients: Our body is the higher intellect; our minds the lesser! Not that we can't be smart, but it's the body we really need to listen to, and the mind always trips us up with its intelligence. Our bodies really tell us what we need to know, if we pay attention and honor them.
If you are cleansing and suddenly, for no apparent reason feel weepy or angry or terribly sad, you are not losing your mind! In fact, most probably you are healing core issues that have been hanging out inside of you with nowhere to go. Don't reach for the pills to make it go away. Instead, ask your body what it is telling you; literally. I recommend clients speak to their bodies all the time. Then listen for an answer. Once you get one, see if is to just allow the old, bottled up feelings to move through you or whether there is an action that would help heal them. Pull your journal out and write for a few minutes about your discovery. This is the pivotal component that draws people into letting go of their commitments and going back to addictive behaviours; being uncomfortable with the feelings, the emotions, finally coming up to the surface. You don't have to eat over it! Just breathe deeply, ten inhales and ten exhales, and let the oxygen fill you.
If you have never cleansed before, and even sometimes if you have, your body might transport you back to many years ago, where you find yourself emotionally re-experiencing an event from twenty years ago. That happended to me a couple of times during the 31-day Juice Feast.
Don't be concerned; just stay with it and allow it a "voice." Once you do, it will be able to shift and move through you.
So, what's coming up for me on Day 1 as I type? I'm missing loving touch and connection. If you're the next person I see, I'll be asking you for a hug!
PS - My upper back muscles are starting to ache as I blog. This is a sure sign that the cleansing is working! As Dr. Fred Bisci speaks about, when you start to cleanse, all the energy used for the muscles and joints starts to leave those areas and go the the organs and parts of the body needing core healing. That is a good sign.
Today is Day 1 of Master Cleanser:
So far today:
7:30 AM 1 quart Master Cleanser, with 6 tablespoons fresh organic lemon juice and pulp (and seeds), 5 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (very spicy)
12:50 PM Quart #2
5:00 PM Quart #3
One more quart to come, but not too late.
I am sipping my third quart of Master Cleanser as I type. Figuring I'd breeze through this cleanse, after juice feasting with no solids for 31 days in the spring, I forgot that my body has been so reconditioned to food that the removal of it is causing a bit of an uproar :) Last week, I celebrated the Jewish holidays with some foods I don't typically eat, and I felt the feeling of "stuffed" that I haven't felt in a long time. When I eat solely raw foods, the molecular frequency is so high and the nutrients so dense that I get filled up without ever getting stuffed. Even though I transitioned back after the holiday, I am still letting go of those meals, as well as the last four months since my previous cleanse.
What am I feeling? A little shakiness (blood sugar), a little annoyance (having my food taken away), a little bereft (feeling lonlier than usual); all of the above.
This leads me into one of the most relevant yet rarely touched upon aspects of cleansing; the emotional component. I blogged about this over the course of the 31-day cleanse. Cleanses are so hip now; so "au courant." Everyone is on a cleanse and everyone advertises one. On the one hand, it is so great that people want to get healthier and can have access and support in doing so. The problem lies in the act of omission. What we need to know is what is left out when cleansing; that we are not only cleansing our bodies of all the food-based and environmental toxins and old debris (and this can go back a lifetime, if we have never cleansed before - more on this in another post), we are also cleansing from an emotional perspective. All the stored up experiences that get processed (or not) in our somatic (body-centered) selves are cleansing as well. Think about what has transpired in your life since your last cleanse; did you end a relationship or have it ended by someone else? Have you had loss, sadness, pain, hurt, anger or any other emotion/experience taking up space? Look at these areas; family, love, relationships, work, joy, health, finances; if you processed any of these on an emotional end, or if they got "lodged" in between your energy centers and held as "wounds" to the chakras (the energy centers we have in our bodies; just like organs, tissues and blood, these also exist and house our experiences) you might need to cleanse them as well.
I also tell clients: Our body is the higher intellect; our minds the lesser! Not that we can't be smart, but it's the body we really need to listen to, and the mind always trips us up with its intelligence. Our bodies really tell us what we need to know, if we pay attention and honor them.
If you are cleansing and suddenly, for no apparent reason feel weepy or angry or terribly sad, you are not losing your mind! In fact, most probably you are healing core issues that have been hanging out inside of you with nowhere to go. Don't reach for the pills to make it go away. Instead, ask your body what it is telling you; literally. I recommend clients speak to their bodies all the time. Then listen for an answer. Once you get one, see if is to just allow the old, bottled up feelings to move through you or whether there is an action that would help heal them. Pull your journal out and write for a few minutes about your discovery. This is the pivotal component that draws people into letting go of their commitments and going back to addictive behaviours; being uncomfortable with the feelings, the emotions, finally coming up to the surface. You don't have to eat over it! Just breathe deeply, ten inhales and ten exhales, and let the oxygen fill you.
If you have never cleansed before, and even sometimes if you have, your body might transport you back to many years ago, where you find yourself emotionally re-experiencing an event from twenty years ago. That happended to me a couple of times during the 31-day Juice Feast.
Don't be concerned; just stay with it and allow it a "voice." Once you do, it will be able to shift and move through you.
So, what's coming up for me on Day 1 as I type? I'm missing loving touch and connection. If you're the next person I see, I'll be asking you for a hug!
PS - My upper back muscles are starting to ache as I blog. This is a sure sign that the cleansing is working! As Dr. Fred Bisci speaks about, when you start to cleanse, all the energy used for the muscles and joints starts to leave those areas and go the the organs and parts of the body needing core healing. That is a good sign.
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