Sunday, 18 October 2020
Weight: 55.6
It's Sunday and I love Sundays! I always feel like there is a different energy in the air on Sundays. Somehow it feels more relaxed and chilled, without any effort, from the moment I wake up! I find Sunday mornings in Autumn particularly luscious! It's like an invitation to take it slow and easy and that's exactly what I am going to do today!
I wake up at 6:30am but stay in bed until 7:30am, enjoying the warmth of my bed, contemplating, connecting to how I am feeling today. The last few months have been challenging in many ways, as it is of course for so many of us right now. I am grateful for having my spiritual practice as without it I really would be lost, especially right now! It grounds me, it calms me and it keeps me sane! It reminds me to trust and to surrender; to stop wasting my energy on things that I can not change and focus on the things that I can. It also reminds me to be grateful for everything and everyone I have in my life and for all the opportunities that life has given me in the past, right now and for everything that is still to come in the future. It helps me to let go of my ego-centred beliefs and opinions, as well as opening me up to the limitless nature of our existence.
I weighed myself today and I have lost 200g since yesterday. Overall, I have lost 1kg and 400g in just one week! I think this is pretty impressive considering that I did not count any calories and ate pretty much everything I wanted. The main things that I cut out are the bread (except for home made chapattis), dairy, sweets, cakes, pastries, pasta and night shade vegetables such as tomatoes, white potatoes and aubergines. I also kicked out my developing daily coffee habit. I have Kapha in my constitution and, Ayurvedically, an occasional cup of coffee is acceptable and can even be beneficial for Kaphas. However, I really don't want to depend on it, or on any substance for that matter, so I am glad that I haven't had it for a whole week! The primary purpose of this cleanse is not a weight loss. However, if it was, then by adapting the eating strategies listed above, along with some others, it is possible to lose up to 3 kg in just 2 weeks and up to 6 kg in a month without going on a starvation diet, calorie count or adapting a strenuous exercise routine. The results will be more sustainable too as you wouldn't feel deprived and there would be no need for your body to restock what's lost.
I get on my mat after I finish my usual daily morning routine. My asana practice today is gentle and slow, as the Sunday energy dictates. I treat myself to a whole body self massage today using warm oil and apply hair oil (Brahmi & Amla) to my scalp. From next week, massage will be part of my daily routine as part of the ayurvedic cleanse preparation (panchakarma). Afterwards, I have a nice long shower and by 11:30am I am ready to face the day! I am going to the organic market today - a weekly Sunday routine. I am very lucky to live in short walking distance from one of the biggest organic pop-up markets in Cardiff. I once wrote a whole thesis on the benefits of organic produce vs non-organic. It goes side by side with the Ayurvedic principles, as along with nutrition, we should also think about the amount of prana within the food we eat. Prana or 'Chi' is translated as life force and the fresher, more natural and organic the food is, the more life giving energy we introduce into our bodies. Fresh, natural and organic foods are also sattwic foods, which means that they are good for our mind and overall well-being, not just the physical health or to fill us up.
I have lunch at 2pm today. I make another kitchari meal and steam some of the organic vegetables I just bought. I do work a little bit after lunch, but only for an hour or so. Afterwards I decide to relax and read a little. I really want to try a new recipe today so for dinner I make Indian pancakes, Mung Dal Chilla, and they turn out super delicious.
I watch a movie with my son after dinner and at 9pm I am ready for bed. Tomorrow I start my panchakarma preparation week and will be adding internal and external oiliation, including a daily full body massage. The treatments themselves will start next Saturday and will continue for the whole of week 3, the last week of the cleansing programme.