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 :)