Starting Your Morning On The Right Foot

The way that I start my morning influences the rest of my day. During yoga teacher training, the swamis talked about the tamasic energy that builds up during the night while we sleep. Although tamas allows us to relax, if it manifests, we continue to feel sluggish, heavy, and negative as the day moves on. Showering in the morning and other simple practices help to reduce the tamasic energy in your body. The three gunas of yogic philosophy are tamas (inertia), rajas (activity), and sattva (purity). These energies are always present, but one is usually stronger than the others depending on our diet, lifestyle, and state of mind.

Here is my recipe for getting up on the right side of the bed:

As soon as you rise...

(1) Dry Brush entire body (small counter clockwise circles from the bottoms of your feet to your shoulders with a natural bristle body brush)
-if you have extra time, put on an all-natural organic face mask before you dry brush (its like a mini-spa treatment!)
(2) Shower (try to be in the moment and enjoy the shower, focus on your breath, try to set a positive intention for the day)
(3) After showering, moisturize your whole body with organic, cold pressed coconut oil (run container under warm water to liquefy)
(4) Floss, brush teeth, and gargle
(5) Make some Green Juice!

Beginning my day by taking care of myself, rather than laying on the couch and watching t.v., helps me to live the rest of my day consciously. Otherwise, I get stuck in a lazy, ho-hum mood and it becomes more difficult to break that state of mind. It only takes me an extra 30 minutes to do these steps.

Is there anything that helps you start your day in a positive way?

Green Juice, Kris Carr's Documentary, and A New Earth

I am drinking my Green Juice as I type this entry. Today's juice consists of:
1/2 cucumber (peeled because it is not organic)
1 head of celery
3 handfuls of Mixed Spring Greens
1 Lemon
1 Apple
1 Mango

I forgot the ginger this morning! Side note: I find mixed spring greens to be more palatable than Kale or Romaine (alone), so if you are struggling with drinking your greens, try this option. Extra tip: It is best to drink your green juice within 15-20 minutes of juicing. The juice will begin to oxidize and lose much of its nutritional value if you let it sit longer.

I feel like I'm back on the juicing band wagon. I received Kris Carr's documentary yesterday in the mail and watched it with my husband last night! It reinforced many of the habits I've adopted over the past year (juicing, dry brushing, yoga, eating raw as much as possible, meditation, etc.). This is a documentary for everyone! It will open your eyes to so many ways of improving your mind and body health.

I also would like to share a passage that I was reading yesterday from A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle:

"A vital question to ask yourself frequently is: What is my relationship with the present moment? Then become alert to find out the answer. Am I treating the Now as more than a means to an end? Do I see it as an obstacle? Am I making it into an enemy? Since the present moment is all you ever have, since Life in inseparable from the Now, what the question really means is: What is my relationship with Life?The question is an excellent way of unmasking the ego in you and bringing you into the state of Presence." (Tolle, A New Earth, p. 203)

I find this "exercise" to be very effective and I wanted to share it with you.

Be Well,
Sundari

Balance

I've been playing with my balance lately and discovered how easy it is to fall, especially when it comes to my diet. I fell off the deep end with half of a medium sized Papa John's Garden pizza (more cheese and white flour than I've consumed in months). I couldn't sleep- heart racing, cold sweats, scattered thoughts. I was miserable! I had a pizza hangover the next day. In college, half a pizza, a six pack of beer, and half a pack of smokes were a regular part of my diet and my body surrendered to this pattern. Now, my mind and body revolts!

Thank goodness I had my green juice to fall back on the next morning. Since experimenting with a juice fast, becoming vegetarian, and adopting other healthy habits (dry brushing, tongue scraping, neti potting), I am comfortable with giving my stomach a rest in the morning. I used to throw food in my mouth as soon as my feet hit the ground in the morning. Now, I'm ok with waiting until noon to eat if I don't feel ready, although I usually drink my juice around 10am.

I am also finding balance in my yoga practice. For a few months following my stay at the ashram, I was putting all of my energy into teaching and ignoring my personal practice. Over the past month, I have found new joy and confidence in my personal practice. I've also taken it up a notch and I am working my way toward the handstand. This is a pose that my mind tries to tell me that I cannot accomplish, but I am ignoring those thoughts and focusing on the handstand a few minutes each day. It was the same situation when I approached the headstand. My body simply did not have the strength at first, but everyday I tried to get a step further in the pose, until eventually it just happened. I feel as fulfilled by achieving this pose as I do about getting my Master's degree. It taught me that I can achieve things that my mind perceives as impossible and that is priceless.