Ya know its been three weeks…I’m going… sane?
You know, like that Beatles song on the White album? Somehow song titles feel awkward in blog titles. Anyway…
How did that happen? I’ve been back from Bali for three weeks! I was in my busy busy life and then all the sudden I was in this magical, lush world drinking fruit juice and extended side angling. Then I spent hours on planes where I watched really silly movies on the tiny screen. After many hours in airports and official people looking at my passport, I was back in Seattle. First, I slept a lot, and usually at all the wrong times (afternoon naps- not so good). Then I went to work and realized I was so far behind I was actually thankful for the exhaustion. Ugh. It took about a week and a half until I started to feel normal again. Really.
This labor day weekend I decided to do a 3 day fast. During my trip to Bali, I had a consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor and she recommended I do a 3 day fast, amongst other things, to restore balance in my body, mind and spirit. I tried to do the fast while in Bali but ended up feeling nauseous and dizzy and didn’t want to spend my last days in paradise in such a state. Home can be a good place to feel like crapola. Doing the fast during work time didn’t seem like a good option since I like to have a clear head for my job, since I never know what might happen! (really, if you only knew, wow). So, the fast at home during a long weekend seemed like the way to go. And I DID IT. Three days. Wow.
Here is what the fast involved:
- Not eating for 3 days
- Drinking a mixture of lemon juice, water, ginger, honey and cayenne pepper
- Drinking water, peppermint tea and hibiscus tea
- If hungry, eating vegetable soup on the 2nd day
- Taking various herbs given by the doctor
- Getting lots of rest
So the reason for doing the fast was to detoxify my body. For a while, I’ve had some issues with retaining water with swollen and creaking joints. I also reported issues with feeling sluggish and tired in the mornings. The doctor said the symptoms are due to a Kapha imbalance and a build-up of ama, or toxins in the body. By spending several days fasting, my body wouldn’t have to work at digesting my daily meals but could instead begin to process all the leftover goo in there (probably all made of those gluten free cookies and whatever they put in the sugar free syrup at Starbucks, where we go for breaks at work). I think it worked out pretty well too.
Since lists are awesome, here’s a list of things I discovered during my 3 day adventure:
- If you ever wondered what could make you feel worse the next day then drinking 3 double vodka tonics in less than an hour, then you should try this detox diet! I felt horribly, horribly awful on the first day. I had a splitting headache from lack of caffeine and then remembered how everyone recommends eliminating caffeine and sugar a few weeks before the full-on fast. Oops. Oh well. Like mom always say, I never do things the easy way!
- After 2 days, I didn’t really feel hungry but I missed eating. I like eating. No, I love eating.
- It is just about impossible to socialize while fasting. Most plans that came up were about breakfast and barbeques. I declined on all of those things, mainly because I was lying on the couch sweating.
- Resting a lot is pretty wonderful. I slept for nearly 12 hours each night of the fast. Divine.
- My husband was very patient and caring the whole time. During all of my complaints, he never once said anything snide about how I was doing it to myself, I could just go eat something, etc. etc.
- Fasting helps you appreciate every kind of food. All the sudden, smoothies are a treat! Carrots are a treat! Soy yogurt is a treat! Yayyyy!
So now that it is all done? Well, my body feels really good. My fingers aren’t swollen and I can easily get my ring on and off, for the first time in months. During today’s asana practice, I felt very light and limber and didn’t feel any popping in my joints, again- for the first time in months. Mentally, I feel quite alert and energetic. Also, there’s a lot of motivation and desire to practice and teach lots and lots of yoga and….meditate…chant…paint…knit…cook,,,.all those lovely things there are to do.
