Living Attentively

Lately, I’ve been on this kick of “living attentively”—attentive to my breath, my actions, my words, my relationships, and how I spend my time. Do you ever feel so crazy busy that it’s all you can do to just get through the day?  Well I live in that state all too often and it recently hit me that I have control over how I handle my day and how I react to possible stressors.  I mean I know I have the ability to choose whether or not I will let something stress me out, but do I really know that and live in a way that reflects it?  Unfortunately, more not than so.  Therefore, I have committed to living in this attentive state as much as possible, and part of that commitment is participating in a Living Yoga Program at Asha Yoga.  Not only am I a student in this 4-week process, but I also agreed to lead a nutrition portion for the program.  Living attentively goes hand in hand with eating attentively. The practice of consciously feeding ourselves sets awareness into motion.  Awareness isn’t something that you keep in a box and use only for certain parts of your life.  It’s all encompassing.  Awareness can be compared to a ceiling light.  It has the power to illuminate all parts of yourself and the more you nourish yourself, the stronger the wattage of your awareness becomes. 

“The gift of nourishment is that we have to do it everyday.  We just don’t say: “Well, I don’t feel like feeding myself today. I think I’ll take the day off!” Each time we feed ourselves is an opportunity to practice self-love, compassion, and reverence for our spiritual nature.”

So what does this all mean?  Well, over the next 3 weeks I will be embarking on a cleanse with a sweet group of 9 people and I’m asking you to join me as well.  This cleanse is about understanding how to integrate nourishment into your everyday life.  To do a cleanse, you do have to commit a certain amount of time to learning how to prepare food, shop, and feed yourself in possibly a new way.  But the structure of this cleanse is supportive and you won’t crumble under excessive demands or crazy dietary changes.  And give yourself permission to find what works for you and what doesn’t—what do you have to lose?

Here’s a quick run down of the weeks to come:

Week 1: Preparation Week

Week 2: Emphasis on Vegetables and Fruit

Week 3: Incorporation of Grains, Seeds and Nuts

Week 4: Addition of Protein

Our group is already in the preparation phase, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start as you are ready and follow my posts when you decide a cleanse is right for you.  For all my Living Yoga crew, here are the details for Week 2:

Vegetables and Fruit

                        Any combination of vegetables, including avocado

                        Fruit eaten alone

Because most of the food you will eat over the next week is perishable, it’s best to buy small amounts of fresh produce every three to four days. However, until you are familiar with the quantities and types of foods you need, it’s better to purchase too much than to not have enough.

When purchasing produce, do your best to buy organic when possible. Also choose the produce that has the most vitality; meaning the smaller fruits and vegetables in general are more nutrient rich and have more flavor than larger varieties.

Green, chlorophyll-rich vegetables and hearty root vegetables will be your primary food sources during this cleanse as they provide you with the most energy and have the least toxic effect on the body (Note: the deeper the green, the better).  Basing your cleanse around these greens will provide the roughage needed to help the body gently eliminate excess matter, purify the blood and supply minerals essential to optimal functioning. If you’re still trying to decide if this cleanse is right for you, don’t worry, you won’t be eating salads 24/7 for the next 3 weeks.  While cleansing, you are free to have an unlimited amount of vegetables and this is not limited to salads—think outside the box to soups, steamed, sautéed, baked, and roasted vegetable dishes.

While you may consume an unlimited quantity of vegetables, you do need to be cautious about how much fruit you eat.  In general, limit your fruit intake to about twenty percent of the bulk of food you eat in a day.  This suggestion isn’t about denying you of sweets, but to protect your body from cleansing too quickly.  Because fruit is digested rapidly, it has the ability to accelerate the cleansing process, and while this may sound like a good thing, it is important to exercise caution when engaging in a cleanse.  If you detox too quickly the body and mind can get overwhelmed and the system possibly overtaxed.  So take your time in the early stages to let your body adjust to the dietary and digestive changes. It is possible, and normal to experience symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, lack of focus and lethargy during a cleanse, especially if you typically consume a lot of caffeine, wheat and sugar.  If you do experience symptoms such as these it will usually occur during the first phase as your body is releasing what’s in excess and unnecessary.

It is entirely up to you how much or how little you choose to adhere to these cleanse guidelines.  It is important however that you listen to your own body and honor what it needs in the moment to feel nourished. Try not to give yourself a guilt trip if you have to have that piece of chocolate or cup of coffee.  More importantly, let this cleanse be about exploring a process of transforming habitual, constricting patterns and behaviors into nourishing practices that encourage growth and self-awareness.

“When you pay attention to feeding yourself, the doors of awareness open in all areas of your life.  Take a deep breath and remember that like most things really worth having, nourishment isn’t a quick fix but a long-term commitment to yourself.”

           

           

Grocery List for Week 2:

Vegetables: Non-starchy and low-starchy

Arugula                         Asparagus                          Bok choy              

Broccoli                         Brussels sprouts                Cabbage                       

Cauliflower                   Celery                                 Chard                                   

Collard greens              Dandelion greens               Fennel root                       

Kale                              Leeks                                  Lettuces                       

Onions                          Peas                                   Peppers                       

Radishes                      Shitakes                              Spinach                       

Sprouts                        String beans                        Tomatoes

Vegetables: Starchy

Beets                            Carrots                                Corn

Edamame                     Parsnips                              Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes             Yams

Fruit: Fresh

Apples                        Apricots                              Bananas

Blackberries               Cherries                             Clementines

Cranberries                Grapefruits                         Grapes

Kiwis                           Mangoes                            Melons

Nectarines                  Papayas                             Peaches

Plums                         Raspberries                        Strawberries

Tangerines

Fruit: Dried

Apples                        Apricots                              Black mission figs

Currants                      Dates                                 Nectarines

Papayas                      Prunes

Recipe to Try:

Cauliflower Curry

Serves 4-6 people

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4-6 cloves, garlic, peeled and minced

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into large florets

3 small potatoes, chopped

¾ cup salsa, or 3 fresh chopped tomatoes

½ cup water

½ cup fresh or frozen broad beans, string beans or snap peas cut into 1-inch pieces

1-teaspoon curry power

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

Instructions:

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is soft, about 5-8 minutes.  Add the cauliflower, potatoes, salsa and water.  Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.  Stir in the beans or peas and remaining seasonings, and cook, covered, for 5 more minutes, until the flavors are blended.