Does yoga really change your eating habits?

Tags

health, juicing, life choices

Swiss chard. Yum or yuck?

I used to be able to eat a whole bag of Doritos for dinner and not blink an eye.

Now, I throw some garlic and olive oil on this leafy fellow and I’m in heaven.

Is it the yoga?

I know some yogis that still eat and drink like they did in college and they claim nothing has changed. But for me, my tastes are totally different; other than the occasional treat (mostly involving dark chocolate) my cravings have been totally turned around.

I love green juice now, something that even a couple of years ago I would have choked on. I also really enjoy cooking fresh, simple meals, whereas before I would have done anything to avoid my kitchen. I’ve always been vegetarian, but eat a lot less dairy these days because I just feel like it weighs me down.

Is this something physical the yoga is doing to me? Am I more sensitive to feeling like crap, because most of the time I feel so damn good? Or I am just falling into the stereotypical yogi lifestyle because I want to sit around after Bikram and debate the best kale recipes?

So, now I’m curious to know what it’s been like for other yogis….have you found a difference in your food habits since doing yoga?

And if you want to share your favorite post-yoga recipe or recipe site…I wouldn’t hate that…. 🙂

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• Just juice: fasting on moon days
• Breaking the kitchen curse: simple food 

Just now now: sunset stillness

Tags

gratitude, juicing, meditation, spirituality

Just now now: a photo representing the past week; a visual gratitude journal, of sorts.

Last night, I came home from yoga to see this sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains. I watched from my front porch and listened to the ducks laughing on the pond.

For a moment, my mind drifted away to getting worked up about what that guy said and what am I going to do about that situation.

But really — as I watched this gorgeous wondrous sky with my healthy, happy little family — who am I kidding?

This is awesome. And I am grateful.

It set off this chain of conscious choices based in gratitude and presence. Made a juice for dinner instead of foraging for a combo of pretzels and dark chocolate from the cupboard. I worked on my quilt and listened to music instead of getting sucked into another Bravo marathon. I meditated instead of messing around on Twitter.

If nature can do this phenomenal thing, the least I can do is not waste the evening.

Hope your weekend is awe-inspiring, too.

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• Just juice: fasting on moon days
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Just juice: fasting on moon days

Tags

juicing, mindfulness, moon days, yoga

I fasted for the moon day.

Wow – I’ve written some really hippy dippy stuff in my life, but I think that takes the cake. I really feel like I need to stop shaving and spend that extra time learning to play the sitar.

Once again, I am inspired by my yoga philosophy teacher. She fasts on moon days and says that the body is more able to detox at those times and the stomach benefits from having a rest from digestion. She says she feels more clear and calm when she fasts.

Hey! I want to be clear and calm, too!

Yesterday, I gave it a go. Here’s how it went.

7 am– Wake up. Remember it’s a fasting day. Go back to sleep for 30 more minutes so that I get an extra half hour of not being hungry.

7:30 am – Start the day with a big mug of warm water with lemon. Surprisingly lovely.

9:30 am – Mean Green Juice (kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, pear, ginger)

11 am – Feeling ecstatic. Thinking I should fast for 4 more days. Food is stupid.

12 pm – Apple juice.

1:30 pm – Headache hits. I’m likely detoxing. Or dying. Just want to lie down. In a bowl of fettucini alfredo.

2 pm– Carrot/orange juice. Perks me up a lot. Thinking I might actually make it through the day.

4 pm – Coconut water. Able to concentrate enough to get some work done. This ain’t so hard.

6 pm – Feed the dog. Room temperature Organic Turkey Stew looks really good.

7:30pm – Because he was proud of me (and felt some pity) Husband was kind enough to have a beet juice (beets, celery, apple, carrot, ginger) with me for dinner and not eat something delicious in front of me like a big fat jerk. For my part, I kindly pretended not to notice when he snuck away to inhale a peanut butter and jelly sandwich right before bed.

Interspersed throughout was lots of fizzy water and mood swings. It was kind of a roller coaster of a day. I wasn’t terribly productive and I spent an enormous amount of time thinking about the fact that I was not eating.

I did stick with the fast so that feels good, but I didn’t get the crystal clarity I was hoping for. I think I’ll try it again, just in case it’s something that improves with experience. I do really like this idea –  one day, twice a month, I am really mindful of my eating habits.

One other unexpected perk of fasting? Your kitchen stays really clean.

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• I’m not talking to you, New York Times
• Just now now: The Head and The Heart

Juicing for the lazy

Tags

health, juicing, moon days

Over the last few days, I’ve been juicing again.

I was inspired by the woman who teaches my Yoga Philosophy class. She fasts on moon days (which I learned means the full moon and new moon) and drinks only fruit and vegetable juices. She said juices give give her stomach time to rest and recover from its constant digesting. Fasting makes her feel lighter, more connected, grounded and clear. After having done a five day cleanse a few months ago, I totally get that. I felt that way, too.

I thought it was an interesting (and reasonable) thing to consider; fasting for just one day, every two weeks.

It made me wonder why there was dust on top of my juicer.

I realized I stopped because I was lazy.

Well. That’s unflattering.

What does that say about my commitment to my physical and spiritual health? It’s true; juicing takes work. Sure, it’s fun to shove all your produce in there, but then after you juice you have to clean the thing and its many parts. Dishes might be my least favorite housekeeping chore.

O.K., but is this really work? Like WORK WORK? Like building a pyramid or digging a trench is work? No. It’s effort. And if I say I won’t put in the effort to allow myself to feel like a million bucks – which is how I feel after a big glass of green juice –  that just sounds pathetic.

I feel like any self-care gets so quickly and cruelly labeled “selfish” by our society. In the high speed world of Twitter and texting, anything that takes longer than 30 seconds feels like a pain in the ass.

I needed to change my mind in the way I thought about cleaning the juicer. So, I’m now trying to turn the whole thing into a kind of meditation practice because I am allowed to devote the time to take care of my health.

When I have to clean the juicer, I find myself a nice hippy-dippy chanting station on Pandora (I like the Krishna Das and Jai Uttal stations) and I acknowledge that my effort is a show of appreciation for my body. I try to remember that it is absolutely acceptable for me to take the time to do this for myself, rather than just whip up another peanut butter sandwich.

But this is a great excuse to slow down and be mindful. And now I’m all excited for the next full moon.

(ETA: Check out the comments for a revolutionary reader tip that has changed my juicer cleaning routine!!)

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