Week 2 of the immersions and I'm getting lots of questions....
My goal is to lose weight. I'm not losing any.
Not many people actually lose weight the first week of the immersion. The 2nd week is when you will see bloating go away, your clothes will fit better and you will start to lose weight. Week 3 and 4 are the most dramatic shifts. I promise you will lose weight. If you step back and look at the big picture, you have eliminated most saturated fat, fried foods, processed foods, fast food and dairy. This means you have eliminated calorie dense foods. Two cups of food per serving on average is controlling your proportions. If you truly want to lose weight...don't snack! Walk every day. Do yoga 3 - 5 days a week. Drink lots of nourishing and detoxifying tea and you can't go wrong. You will lose weight.
I'm losing weight and that is not my goal.
If you came into the program with a Vata Body imbalance and you are already very thin, your goal is to become balanced which means you may need to focus on weight gain. If this is you, do snack. Do eat a meal until you feel full on the 1 - 10 scale, 7 being full. This may be more than two fists. Favor the "sweet" taste and heavy fruits and vegetables. The sweet taste includes meat, grains, pastas, breads, milk (think almond, soy and rice), sugar. You may be the person who continues to eat 3 - 5 servings of meat (chicken or fish) throughout the entire program. Heavy fruits and vegetables include squash, sweet potatoes, avacados, mangos, papayas and bananas. Simply pick the fruit or veggie up....if it feels heavy, then its good for Vata grounding.
I can't cook. I don't know what to eat.
Cooking class is this Wednesday! Lotus Healing Foods will cook for you! When you eat out, think Italian, Thai, Indian, Japanese and Mexican. Spice it up good and make good choices. Google VEGAN recipes!! It's all out there.
I'm experience discomfort and want Tylenol or Advil.
You may double your dose of Neem if you are experiencing aches & pains. Listen to your body. Pain is an indication to take your Yoga to a restorative level, rest, take baths and nourish yourself. Choose gentle walking and nourishing foods.
Is Neem safe for a nursing mother?
There is much discussion in the Ayurvedic community regarding this topic. Most studies have been done on children, not on nursing babies. Some ill effects have been noted when infants have been treated with Neem OIL which is a concentrate that is used to wean a baby. It tastes and smells like garlic and therefor the babies choose not to nurse if you place it on your breast. Neem Oil in India is used much the same as Castor Oil is used in America. It is sold in large vats in the open markets of India and there have been many cases where the vats have been contaminated and resulted in illness in children and adults. The Banyon Botanical Neem is manufactured in accordance with Federal regulations. Let's play it safe though and skip the Neem for nursing mommies. It only makes sense.
I'm concerned about protein. I feel like I need meat.
If you are concerned that you are not getting enough complete proteins due to the cutting back of meat, no worries. The following are vegetarian sources of complete proteins: soy, spirulina, hemp seed, amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa. Easy combinations are: beans & seeds, beans & nuts, beans & grains, hummus & whole grain pita breat, any nut butter & whole grain toast or whole grain tortillas with refried beans. MORE ON PROTEIN
I just gotta have meat.
You can thank fellow Immersion participant, Michael Mandanis, for this: At Whole Foods they have an imitation chicken made from soy in the deli. It's kind of pricey, but I tasted it and it IS chicken. I actually made fun of him for buying chicken and thinking it is soy. Somehow they process the soy to even give it the texture of chicken. It's so yummy. Honestly, you will not know the difference. I'm glad I didn't put any money on that one!
I have a party to go to and there will be lots of alcohol. I'm worried that I will fall off my plan.
Go to the party consciously. Before you arrive, eat (unless it's a dinner party). Get to the party late. There will be less time for you to drink. Volunteer to be the designated driver. Be in charge of your glass. Don't let others get your drinks for you. Take over the role of host and get everyone else their drinks. You can always "pretend" to drink to avoid peer pressure. Get a beer in a brown bottle and just sip it all night. If people see you with a drink in your hand, they won't bother you. Another trick is to get a club soda and add a lime and a straw. People think it's a mixed drink and again, they don't bother you. Sip water throughout your evening. When you go home, drink ginger tea before you turn in.
Go to the party with the intent that you are going to simply observe, without judgment, yourself and others at the party. Just watch and see what happens as the evening progresses. Who are you hanging out with and why? Who pressures you to drink and why? At what point in the evening are you happy or tired? Just watch.
I'm becoming very concerned because I'm now aware that I am attached to alcohol. I feel guilty and shameful.
You are starting to wake up. Now let all the bad feelings around it go and step back and start to look at your life. Just observe your cravings. You can journal about them if you like. What are your triggers? Is it a certain time of day? Is it a certain person, situation or people? How do you feel before, during and after you drink? Do you drink when you are happy, bored or sad? Just start to drink consciously. When you do drink, pay attention. Notice the glass, the temperature of the beverage, the color the smell. Taste it. Hold it in your mouth. Close your eyes as you swallow and feel all sensations. Notice your moods and how they shift. This is the beginning of ending indulgence and embracing moderation or elimination.
Do not judge yourself. In this moment, you are perfect. You always are. Love yourself in this amazing moment where you have decided that you wish to transform. Know that you can. Know that it is a process. Be kind to yourself. Find distractions that do not include alcohol. Yoga, spiritual workshops, art museums, libraries, bike trails and gyms. Connect with people who are also trying to get healthy.
As you become more conscious, use your breath and meditation to get you through the stressful triggers. Use the gym and bike trails to get you through the "activity" triggers when you are blowing off steam. Use yoga and your spiritual base to process through emotional triggers. Talk to friends.
My final thoughts:
Everybody has got something going on. Everybody. If it isn't alcohol, it's some other issue. Every single person you meet is on some type of journey where they are learning lessons. Some people are addicted to sugar. Some people are controlling, jealous, insecure or full of hate. Some people are stuck in the past and can't move forward. Some people are self-centered, unable to connect, give or serve. Everybody has SOMETHING they are working on or they wouldn't be here alive today. We are here to learn lessons. Embrace your "thing". Learn the lesson of it and then move onto the next lesson. Do not judge yourself. This program is about getting happy and loving yourself. Part of of loving yourself is the automatic response to nurture and take care of yourself. Just allow it to happen.
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