Holly's Blog

 “If one knows what the particular disease is there is the possibility of curing it. To know the particular limitation, bondage or hindrance of the mind, and to understand it, one must not condemn it, one must not say it is right or wrong. One must observe it without having an opinion, a prejudice about it--which is extraordinarily difficult, because we are brought up to condemn.

-J. Krishnamurti

First, this is amazing because it gives me faith that I can cure my Crohn’s Disease, contrary to what modern medicine believes. I know, or believe, that the active state of my CD is influenced, if not directly affected by stress, poor diet, and lack of exercise. I don’t know if I can completely ward off flare ups by controlling the above; I do believe I can have an affect on the severity though, which is why I began my ‘62 Days of Summer’ challenge, to develop a lifestyle that is balanced and sustainable for the long haul.

Interesting twist though; here I am being told that in order to cure, one must observe without judgement. I have not mastered this aspect, of being non-judgmental to my own body, especially when it is sick and letting me down and taking me further and further away from where I think I need to be to reach my goals. Basically J. Krishnamurti is telling me that I can not hate my intestines when they are on fire inside of me if I want them to heal. It makes sense though, how can I expect my intestines to heal and stay healthy when surrounded by hate. Observe without opinion.

This can be transferred in to any and all aspects of life. Observe what your stomach is telling you while eating without opinion. Observe what your body is telling you during your yoga practice without opinion. Observe what you mind is telling you while in that fight over who is right or wrong...without opinion...let go of the ego.

“The ego asks a thousand questions for which there are no answers.”

-A Course in Miracles

Try it with me this week :)

"Try to do everything in the world with a mind that lets go. If you let go a little you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will know complete peace and freedom. Your struggles with the world will have come to an end."

-Achaan Chah

With the encouragement of my yoga instructor this morning, my practice followed a meditation on letting go. With each inhale I breathed energy in to my body, and with each exhale I let go; let go of thought, let go of the difficulty of sustaining the asana, let go of worry. Today, after a couple of weeks of one disappointment following the next, I finally feel at peace with the world around me, and within myself. Try it one day, when it feels like the world is against you...meditate on letting go in your practice and see how you feel after :)

much love 

xo

HELLO! 

My body is feeling wonderful today…most of my cells are smiling again, after a not so smiley last week for them :) lol. (sorry I didn't write this past week...at all....I wasn't feeling very inspired mentally or physically)

Possible Reason #1: I FINELY found my way back to one of my favourite yoga studios, I don’t know if it is the heat, or the atmosphere, or both, but I always feel right at home and immediately comfortable. Or maybe it is the fact that you start out in savasana! Definitely one of my favourite yoga postures. Today we were supposed to focus on breathing in and out of our belly, filling it with each inhale and using it to exhale fully. I have also been told in other classes to not belly breath but work on expanding your lungs….so if anyone has any comments on either of these techniques, I would love to hear it. 

Possible Reason #2: I just made a delicious mac and cheese!!! We have missed each other greatly for a long long time. Here is the link: 

http://epicureanvegan.com/2010/05/23/creamy-macaroni-and-cashew-cheese/

I am planning to bake it in the oven with gluten free bread crumbs and Daiya Cheese (my gluten, vegan, soy free cheese!) on top, just because I can haha, but I had to sneak a taste test because it looks so good right now…

Oh, I also made chickpea-free (allergy!) hummus using navy beans, so I am super excited to have ‘hummus’ again after 2+ years. Of course I made pizza ‘dough’ to bake later, and I am off to attempt my allergy free version of Peanut Butter (now almond butter) Chocolate Crunch Blizzard….ahh! I am sure it will be amazing.

http://ohsheglows.com/2011/07/07/peanut-butter-chocolate-crunch-blizzard/

Hope you are all enjoying this awesome summer weather!! 

Namaste

So another Sunday morning yoga practice, and following inspiration on my drive home. 

Before class, I was catching up with the teacher - we haven’t seen each other in quite a few months - and to the question of ‘what are you up to?’, I replied that ‘I am just working and trying to figure out what I want to do for a career in the long term’. She replied back with ‘maybe I should stop trying to figure it out’ or something to that degree. What she said didn’t really strike me until the ride home. 

I have never been one to thrive under pressure when I consider that pressure to be from an external source. And by this I mean that I do my best when the push is from within, an internal force to achieve. In soccer, I always played best during my summer rec league than I ever did on my high school soccer team where you needed to please the coach to play and winning was always the end goal, not a bonus. I only enjoyed training with my cross-country running club, I never was interested in the races where I would inevitably measure myself against the other runners I would have raced against - I just wanted to run for fun. And now I feel the pressure to get that full-time life long career going, because that is what you do after going to university for 4 years, right? This external pressure to find a degree related career and succeed so far has not proven successful, and has just resulted in endless job searching and career pondering.

I have sat here, really not knowing where this post is going…typing and erasing numerous paragraphs. I guess I have no conclusion to this thought of mine yet. This week I am going to take this idea of performing for me, not others, to my mat each day, and meditate on it for my life in general….

Namaste.

Hello All!! 

My Gutsy Yoga Challenge (love the name!) has two parts...One, I will be following my 62 Days of Summer challenge that I have created for myself (you can follow along here and at my own personal blog: http://cultivatingtapas.tumblr.com/ ), as well as following a vegan diet for the month of July along with my fellow Pranababes. I cannot promise exactly how vegan it will be, as my 62 Days of Summer challenge is focused on me finding balance within my body and within every aspect of my life. So far my body is loving the vegan/Thrive food, and I plan to be 100% vegan for the month. 

The 62 Days of Summer came about as a way to help me help myself. I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease 7 years ago, and am currently coming out of a 3 month flare-up, the longest (although not the most intense) flare-up I have had thus far. Sick of being controlled by the (on average) yearly flares that rob me of my energy and life, and tired of not knowing what is actually the best way to stay in remission (drugs, homeopathy, exercise, yoga), I am off to test my theories on my own; with the incredible strength and support of the Pranalife Crew, friends, and family. On this note, I am so grateful for the friends I have and for Asia for taking all of us to the next level in this challenge by giving us the opportunity to blog and share it with all of you, and for adding another aspect to this challenge with the donation of unused coffee money to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada. There are great people is this world, and I am blessed to know so many of them.

Below is the post from my blog, explaining how I plan to Cultivate Tapas in my life, and kick Crohn's Disease in the butt.

Defining Tapas....and my '62 Days of Summer'!

62 Days of Summer (by my definition) is “a personal self-challenge to create positive, healthy change in your life”. My challenge over this period (July 1 to August 31) is to ‘Cultivate Tapas’.

Tapas is one of the Niyamas, or self-discipines, in yoga. Tapas translates to mean “to burn”. Desikachar defines Tapas as the “process of removing impurities; elimination, purification”. 

This is exactly what I am looking for, in my quest for health (“The 62 Days of Summer”). Purification of my body from all of the Crohn’s Disease drugs meant to keep my gut healthy. A search to create and consume foods that are good for me, as well as the creation of a regular physical activity practice, heavily dominated by yoga practices, to remove and prevent the impurities within. Tapas is about keeping balanced energy within yourself and your life that allows you to live optimally over a long period of time, aka life. This balance is something I have neglected to sustain thus far- in my level of physical activity, in my diet, and in my general life commitments. 

To cultivate my tapas, or find my balanced energy, I have 3 main actions of change that I am going to partake in over 62 days:

1) Practice yoga 5 times a week - 1 of which will be a meditation practice

2) Create a weekly meal plan and follow it!

3) Practice a gratitude list first and last thing every day

(4) Floss every night :)…it’s healthy for you…)

I am excited for the next 2 months of my life, and encourage you to join me in your own personal challenge to create a positive, healthy change in your life, no matter how simple or complex it may be.

Namaste :)