Well folks, its January 3rd and I’ve been accomplishing my “New Year’s Resolution” for a whopping 48 hours now. I’m not usually one to post ahead of time what my goals are… maybe an internal fear of not being able to reach it, or maybe I don’t like admitting where I’ve been slipping up for a while… but here it is, I’m trying the Whole 30 for the month of January.
Whoa, let me rephrase, I’m DOING the Whole 30 for the WHOLE month of January. No dairy, no legumes, no sugar, no alcohol… none of the fun stuff really. This for me has little to do with “diet” but rather getting away from a huge problem I have with identifying myself by things I’m attached to.
How many of us wake up and “need” coffee? Maybe we “need” a drink after work? “Need” ranch on our salad? “Need” cheese to survive? I know I have fallen into these categories… and after spending some time reading about the Yoga Sutras (would HIGHLY recommend for all you yogis!) they mentioned this “vairagya”. At first it seemed like some kind of pill you take, but turns out its actually the ability to stop identifying with our thoughts and see ourselves for who we really are. Our body exists in the material world, but our soul goes far beyond what we can see and possess. I want to feel what its like to be in control of what I eat. I know that sounds silly- but if someone offers me a trip to Whitey’s… I will go, skip yoga, and pay for it!
Now I’m all about balance in life (being a yogi and all) but I’ve realized just how unbalanced my life has become. Food for me has become a prison, I don’t know what to eat, what makes my body feels good, or even to try new things because I’m so concerned with eating right when I’m hungry.
This 30 day challenge I hope to learn what to eat, how it makes my body feel, any intolerances I might have to certain foods, the ability to control my cravings, and overall to get closer to the idea of vairagya. I don’t want to be known as the ice cream addict… I want to be known for how kind and helpful I can be. I want to build those traits and not spend my time, energy, and money off of quick treats that give me a false sense of self. Any of this sound familiar? Feel free to shoot me a message through my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/angelameyer23) if you’d be interested in trying to join me for your own Whole 30 or let me know your thoughts on this post!
Namaste, Angela