The new moon has come, and with it, the conclusion of a series of 3 eclipses which seemed to make June a pretty intense month for many people, physically, emotionally and energetically. I know I felt it!
Last month I found myself restless, agitated and tired at the same time. My mind was racing all over the place in a way I haven’t experienced in years and I had difficulty focusing or getting anything done. I spent the month bouncing between bouts of passionate inspiration in which I couldn’t get the brilliant new ideas and insights out of my head and onto paper quickly enough to keep them before they vanished and new ones arose, and periods of low listlessness where I had hardly any thoughts at all but also little motivation to do anything but lay around and feel uncomfortable in body, mind and soul. What a wild ride!
The intensity of this period has been a powerful reminder to be grateful for yoga and the peace and clarity it brings me, and an awareness that this month could have been much more difficult without the benefit of my daily practice. After experiencing so much internal chaos I remembered that many people feel that way all the time. It’s given me a renewed ability to empathize with those who are struggling and fresh motivation to continue sharing my passions for yoga and food in new ways for the sake of helping others feel better in every way! I love seeing how every challenging time is a practice in yoga off the mat, a way to continue learning about myself and, as a teacher, an opportunity to better understand and assist others, too.
The new moon and new month also brings a turning point in my “GOING VEGAN” blog experiment with it’s 6-month anniversary. (http://myfoodevolution.blogspot.com) I’m halfway through the year of food journaling and sharing, and it’s brought me incredible knowledge and awareness so far! It’s been so interesting to watch my previously “healthy” diet naturally evolve to be better and better as the weeks and months pass, and also to see the patterns of “unhealthy” consumption and areas where I could certainly improve. So what’s next for my food evolution and the blog?
I’ve been loving the fresh coconuts lately and decided to make the transition from June to July and to welcome the new moon with a short, simple coconut water fast. It felt so good to give my digestive system a rest and take a break from cooking too! What else do I have planned? First, a recommitment to eating more fresh, local, organic produce and lessening my consumption of packaged and processed foods, even the ones that are seemingly “healthy” and organic. That means more time in the garden and at the farmers markets, less visits to the stores, and rejoining a local CSA to keep a fresh and interesting variety of vibrant veggies coming in to my kitchen.
Next, a conscious venture into increasing my raw food intake. This is an interesting one as I’ve previously felt that my predominantly vata constitution needs warm, nourishing, cooked foods to stay grounded. In the past raw foods have often been difficult for me to digest, but as I’ve been very gradually eating more and more raw here on Kauai I’ve started to connect with the feeling of it having more nutrients and vitality than cooked food. I’m planning to experiment with more of that and see how it feels as the weather warms up and we shift into summer. Lots of fruit smoothies and green juices will be a delicious place to start!
And finally, I’m determined to get GOING VEGAN fully up to date this month and make some changes in the way I’m recording all my meal information so it’s easier to keep it current online. I’ve been using a diet recording program on my phone, which is great to capture a picture and the date and time of everything I consume, but the application doesn’t sync with my laptop so the process of filling in the text, emailing every entry to myself individually, transferring the photos and descriptions to documents and folders, then blogging it is long and cumbersome. This second half of my blog journey will include a shift to using a new system, and a different camera for easier transfer and better photos too! Along with that, I plan to begin offering weekly articles and recipes to keep it interesting and interactive. I’m excited to see my food evolution and the blog continue to grow and change and look forward to all these good things to come!
In addition to a renewed inspiration to share yoga, and fresh new ideas for my diet and the GOING VEGAN blog, the new beginnings continue this month with a rededication to my personal daily meditation practice. Meditation has always been on and off for me; although I fully see, feel, and believe in the benefits, I seem to fall out of the habit over and over. But stopping for a while doesn’t have to mean quitting for good, and I always find myself coming back to it. My practice these last several months has been spotty at best, but I’m ready to start again and get back into a silent seat for scheduled meditation every day, and to experience the benefits I know that dedication brings!
Happy new moon, new month, and new beginnings everyone! What are your intentions for this month and the rest of this year? I hope that you, and I, will experience peace, love, health, happiness and success in all we do this July and always.
Peace love and yoga... and let’s eat!
Love Shelley
