The Study of Purity

[The following "Day" is from "Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga" by Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison]



Day 188:
Amy's Story: "I have had fibrocystic breast disese. Within the first month of yoga, the disease - and all of the painful symptoms - went away completely. Emotionally, I felt as if had let go of something, and then I realized that my illness was completely gone, Yoga makes me feel more like taking care of myself, so I am more conscious of what I put into my body , and I am more present. more aware of how things are affecting me. I feel more committed to taking care of myself."

I can personally attest to Amy's experience. Although I have not had a disease like Amy's, I have experienced the aspect of purity that Amy expresses... and the desire to maintain the body and an optimal level of functioning. Last year I started taking yoga classes seriously. I was at the studio 3 to 4 times a week. During this time I noticed that what I ate at lunch "inflamed" my belly so much that I could not do some twisted positions. Bothered by this, I started cutting out foods that could inflame my body. I had already cut out pop and coffee so the next thing to go was gluten. I didn't see an immediate difference - but in two weeks I noticed that my belly wasn't as bloated at class and I could bind while in twisting poses... like my hands could actually touch and there wasn't any discomfort!

The next step was after the holidays, I completely cut out sugar. WOW... what a difference that made! It affected everything from my hormones to my weight! And, I was no longer bloated. During this time period (3 months) I went from 165'ish to 132... a size 10 to almost a size 2.

My goal was not to lose weight, or fit into a dress or pair of jeans. My goal was to simply function and feel good... to balance out my physical body just as I was balancing out my mind during my yoga practice.

A week ago I received the Chopra Center Daily Practices Guide in the mail. I didn't open the packet of information until last night. There is a section on Eating Awareness Techniques that helped me become more aware of my habits and begin changing my un-conscious eating patterns immediately. Here they are and I hope they help you too:

"{The environment in which food is prepared and consumed makes an important contribution to the nourishing influence food has on the body. By paying attention to a few simple principles, you can help your system extract the highest levels of nourishment from everthing you eat.}

• Eat in a settled atmosphere.
• Don't eat when you are upset.
• Sit down to eat.
• Eat only when you feel hungry.
• Reduce ice-cold foods and drinks. They put out your fire.
• Don't talk while chewing your food, engage in light-hearted conversations.
• Eat at a moderate pace, neither too fast nor too slow.
• Wait until one meal is digested before eating the next.
• Sip warm water with your meals.
• Eat freshly-cooked meals whenever possible. Reduce FLUNC (frozen, leftover, un-cooked, nuked (microwaved), and canned) foods.
• Minimize raw foods - cooked food is much easier to digest.
• Do not cook with honey, replace with maple syrup. Honey can be used as a condiment.
• Drink milk separately from meals, preferably warm and either alone or with other sweet foods.
• Experience all six tastes at every meal.
• Leave 1/3 to 1/4 of your stomach empty to aid digestion.
• Sit quietly for a few minutes after your meal. Take a walk if you can."

If you are interested in balancing out your physical body with nutrition I highly recommend going to www.chopra.com and taking the Dosha quiz. I also highly recommend reading about Ayurveda and the natural and practical practice to balance the body.

I hope this has helped or touched someone today - thank you for allowing me to share.