Finally... a Vision Board

I have always wanted to make a vision board but, like many things, I just kept putting it off.  I often wonder why it is we procrastinate things we know will help us, or simply don't do the things that will make us feel better in general like daily exercise and eating well.  One reason I know I put it off is because I tend to over think things or become overwhelmed at the mere thought.

 Here is the start of my vision board. I came up with the idea of a tree representing the categories to show growth, strength, and contentedness. The categories I settled on are:

• Spirituality and Service
• Relationships and Recreation
• Creativity
• Health and Happiness
• Knowledge
• Prosperity

I've enjoyed the process and had fun just creating something once again.  I still need to add pictures. I have been shocked how quickly it has worked even though I'm not even finished. 

If you haven't made one yet I encourage you to do so!  You, too, will find enjoyment in creating and an added bonus of extra focus for your life's goals.

Sat nam,

Samantha

Food for Thought Friday: Partial Fasting

Our first 40 days has gone by in a flash of amazing insights and greater awareness to our incredible bodies.  I was inspired to begin a 40 day fast for my food addictions: no refined sugar, no refined wheat flour, and (to my surprise) no meat.  The night I opened my fast with prayer and meditation the bright blue full moon rose over the eastern horizon.  This is extremely significant to me because when I began my first 40 day meditation one October morning, the full moon was setting over the western horizon. 

I was also inspired to track my days by adding a charm each day to this bracelet I made.  My 12 year old daughter Hailey is apparently following my progress since she noted yesterday how many days I've gone without sugar by counting the charms and followed by a sincere "Good job!".  This is a big deal. She has her own food issues that came on over a couple choking crises. So now I'm realizing the bracelets significance: it doesn't only serve as a reminder to me of my commitment, not to mention a little motivation, but it is a visual representation to others that might need inspiration.  Here's what the bracelet looks like if anyone thinks this idea might work for them:

I can't tell you how many weeks, how many days - I've started and "failed" and started over again to try and eat healthy.  Turning it into a "partial fast" has made all the difference.  I didn't even have any of the typical withdrawal symptoms like headaches and a general cruddy feeling for the first few days from not having sugar.  And 6 days in I've realized that it's not about 40 days anymore - well, not exactly.  I know that after 40 days my addiction will be broken.  But I will need to continue this way of eating if I truly want health physically and spiritually.  

Fasting is Feasting
Fasting is a discipline that can be very helpful.  It has been used for ages as an advanced aid in spiritual awareness.  Fasting can quicken your pace and open you up spiritually because you are putting off the "natural man" like nothing else.   Fasting is feasting for the soul.  When we have addictions of any kind our body and soul are out of balance.

Food is fundamental and it carries with it a ton of psychological weight.  When we deny ourselves or cut back it unleashes all the unmet needs that we are using food to cope with.  We are suddenly left  with an opportunity to sit with those feelings and learn that the Lord will provide and that all is well.  

Much of what we have grown up to know about fasting in the LDS church (going without food and water for 24 hours) is highly advanced and now that I have learned about partial fasts and its power, maybe a little limiting.  Not only that but many don’t know how to properly prepare the body for something so strenuous physically and emotionally that I think we end up missing out on the spiritual part of it.

Resistance to Fasting

Going without food and water is not appropriate for everyone like pregnant/nursing women or people with blood sugar issues – BUT that makes a lot of people think that’s them because they feel they might be a little hypoglycemic and they skip it all together because of this. There’s a lot of limiting beliefs surrounding fasting.   Anyone who is on a steady diet of sugar (incliding processed, refined foods like white bread)  and caffeine is going to feel hypoglycemic when it comes to changing your diet suddenly.  And when we break a fast by eating a large meal any emotional and physical benefits that might have occurred will be undone immediately.  In contrast, if we can eat consciously while breaking a fast, that can go a  long way in terms of carrying that consciousness throughout our day and our lives. 

Partial Fasting

There are other ways to fast besides 24 hours without food or water: as long as you combine a fast with prayer and intention it can be really powerful.  A partial fast, or mono fast, is when certain foods are cut out of the diet and a person only eats certain foods.    A partial fast doesn't mean that it's another diet cleanse dressed up as spirituality. It should be done with prayer and intention.

You could do something similar to lent when you choose one food, or one food group to give up based on a predetermined amount of time.  You could do something called The Daniel Fast where you give up meat, leavened breads and sugars.  You could fast just one meal. There’s juice fasting… …if you wanted to break an addictive habit like sugar you could do one day, then the next time 2 days and so on.  One could fast only food and allow water.  Or maybe just fast between meals if you tend to be a grazer.  But it doesn’t have to be food -you could do an online fast, or a Facebook fast….the list is endless but it certainly means all can do something.  Fasting is much like Kundalini Yoga and Meditation – it can meet you where you are at.  

Ideally it’s a sacrifice of some kind…If you don’t like chocolate to begin with that’s not something you need to give up. ;)

Facts About Fasting

Fasting doesn’t send your body into “starvation Mode” and there are actually many benefits to it:

1. Improves insulin sensitivity 
2. Gives your digestive system a rest energizing the body's metabolism to burn through calories more efficiently
3. Promotes longetivity
4. Regulates the hormones in the body so that you experience what true hunger is
5. Improves brain function because it boosts the production of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
6. Helps us practice self-control and strengthens willpower
7. Fasting allows us to feel better both consciously and physically. With a lighter body and a clearer mind we become more aware and grateful for the things around us. With no food in the digestive system, this makes room for more energy in the body – the digestion is one of the most energy absorbing systems in the body.

There are many wonderful promises found in Isaiah Chapter 58, one of them is to "loose the bands of wickedness" and "undo heavy burdens".  I take that to mean addictions and things that hold us back.  Fasting will release our attachments to anything that we think we need.

If you want to add fasting to a 40 day journey, pray about it and see what comes up during meditating to find what is right for you.  Fasting is truly a great tool to help us balance our spiritual and temporal needs.

If you liked this post I will be posting more every Friday about the body and its relationship to food as I dive into a study of The Word of Wisdom, the temple body, and our modern way of eating.

Sat nam,

Samantha

Webinar Topics

40 Days Closer to Christ

A Nourishing Journey for Body, Mind and Spirit

“Be not conformed to this world,

but be ye transformed by the

renewing of your mind.”

Romans 12:1-2

Weekly Meeting Topics

Week 1 - Prayer, Praise, and Power

"You are very powerful, provided you know how powerful you are." - Yogi Bhajan

Take a close look at meditation and why so many people are drawn to yoga.
Find out how not praising God daily is like holding your spiritual breath.
Learn how to meditate and the power of sadhana (a daily spiritual practice).

Week 2 - The Body and the Breath

"There is more wisdom in your body than your deepest philosophies." - Freidrick Neitzche

Explore the connections between the spiritual and physical bodies.
Find out how our physical bodies are influenced by our spiritual health.
Learn useful breathing techniques to help you feel centered and calm.

Week 3 - Feasting, Fasting...and Fear

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" Psalm 56:3-4 

Explore how daily habits and food choices determine consciousness.
Learn why an intellectual understanding of nutrition alone is insufficient to change behavior.
Discover how to balance temporal and spiritual needs.

Week 4 - Matters of the Mind

"Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth." - Colossians 3:2

Where is the mind and what does it mean to be conscious?
Take a deep look at the subconscious mind as well as the positive, negative and neutral minds.
Learn techniques for retraining the mind and clearing the subconscious.

Week 5 - The Thoughts We Think

“Our greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” - William James

Identify beliefs that are behind subconscious thought forms.
Learn how to manage your personal thought energy.
Learn what is at the heart of all addictions.

Week 6 - Conversion, Commitment, and Confidence

"The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest." - Thomas Moore

Is it possible to "master time"?
How to "Keep Up."
More ways to Communicate with God

*PLUS*
Nourishing recipes
Weekly tools and techniques
Group challenges
Meditations and yoga kriyas
Private Facebook support group

Are you up to a 40 day journey that will bring you closer to Christ?

Join now!
It is not too late!  
You can still get started with the video of the first class.  
(Our next 40 days will begin again in August.)

New course beginning at the end of August!  Stay tuned!

40 Days Closer to Christ Journey

Are you ready to take your spirituality to a whole new level?  

Step up your commitment to Christ by diving deep within. 

This 40 day journey will open your eyes and your heart to intentionally connecting with God and help you find greater access to Christ's atoning sacrifice.  With an LDS perspective that supports how yoga fits perfectly into a Christ-centered life.

"...for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." - Luke 17:21

"The truth is; we've got it backwards.  We're working life from the outside in, when it's really an inside job to begin with." -Dr. Habib Sadaghi

40 Days Closer to Christ: A Nourishing Journey for Balancing Body, Mind & Soul

In this webinar course you will:

• Learn how diet and daily habits determine consciousness
• Learn why an intellectual understanding of nutrition alone is insufficient to change behavior
• Find out how to balance temporal and spiritual needs through ancient practices of yoga and meditation
• Discover meaningful happiness by examining your true divinity 
• Participate in weekly challenges for personal growth and daily journaling exercises
• Have access to a private Facebook support group where participants share their stories, questions, challenges and achievements

*Registration for this class is now closed....