After an extended period of feeling BLAH in my body, and working to make internal and external shifts to feel exhilarated in it again – like my cat, who inspires me with her luxurious stretches – I hit that nirvana sweetness again today. Woo-hoo! Here’s how I did it:
Scheduling
After struggling with intermittent fasting for the past year, I figured out that the linchpin is making sure I have had all my meals, taken all my supplements, and drunk all my juice by 7:00 p.m. That’s been tough for me, because I’ve never been one for schedules. I am all over the map, and often realize at 11 pm that I have forgotten to do a thing or four. Over the past 3 days, however, I have implemented a hard-and-fast rule that I do not consume anything with calories after 7:00 pm,not even honey in my tea- even if I have forgotten to incorporate something as critical as juicing. I just make a note to get to it earlier the next day.
Reaching Out
I think a big part of why I was able to pull it off is that I put on Facebook, and therefore, into the Universe, that I wanted to do intermittent fasting, that I was struggling with it, and that I needed help. That in and of itself clarified my intention and heart’s desire, and created accountability for myself. I also got some helpful feedback from people who responded, including offers to be my intermittent fasting buddies. Love and care go a long way!
Fasting
After losing my mom 17 months ago, I gained 25 pounds that have been really tough to release – complicated by the fact that I had a debilitating vertigo incident in the Summer, followed by a knee injury, both of which made it difficult to be physically active. Since that time, which was about 7 months ago, I have lost a grand total of four pounds. Over the past 3 days alone, however – during which time I have done intermittent fasting for 16 hours, 13 hours, and 17 hours, respectively – I have lost over one pound!
Going to the Beach
I moved to the beauty of the Olympic Peninsula, surrounded by forest and water, so that I would be immersed and active in nature on a daily basis – among other things, hiking, swimming, and kayaking in it. The thing is, I really don’t have to do much more than step outside my door, to inhale nature, and in a way, that has made me a bit lazy about it. My neighbor has a 10 acre trail through the forest, and I walk it regularly. Why jump in the car to drive 7 minutes to the beach, when I can just saunter over to the forest trail? Well, it’s because, as my mother said in a psychic hit many years ago, “The water will heal [me].” And so it does.
Doing Less, More Often
A couple months ago, I made a deal with myself to do things less well, and for shorter periods of time, to help myself do things more often. That’s enough in and of itself. But I’ve also discovered that if I just dip my toe into the proverbial pool, I end up feeling deliciously inspired to do them full-throttle, whereas if I sit around waiting to feel up to doing things full-throttle, I never do them! Which leads me to my experience today:
Running
With this new attitude, I’ve been going to the beach regularly. Yesterday I decided to add a twist: Even in the cold of Winter, I took off my shoes, so that I could feel the deliciousness of and absorb the healing properties of the sand and water. Today, I started running, despite not having run for…wow…two years? I did sprint, walk, sprint, walk, up to my edge, then relaxing, then diving back in again…until that turned into a whole-Being dance.
Dancing
Once I started dancing – not in the routine place of my dance floor, but barefoot on the beach, with the crashing waves and drizzling grey skies and birds flying overhead – I felt ALIVE in ways I have not felt for so long that I can’t remember! I felt deeply rooted in and emanating from the core of my body. I felt connected with my mom. I felt connected with the Divine. I was in absolute ecstasy.
Focusing
There were people in their cars, facing the beach where I was dancing, so I had to actively focus on myself and my experience and tune them out – like honing in on the exact channel on a radio dial, instead of allowing the static to interfere with the signal. It’s especially challenging as a woman, because it involves mentally overpowering all the social conditioning to perform – ie, women are always treated as being on display. I had to say “fuck it” to however anyone might be looking at me. That’s their problem, not mine, I reminded myself every time those thoughts crept into my head. I then got back to the business of luxuriating in the radiant glory and power of my authentic BEING, celebrating the ecstatic sensation of being ALIVE, inhabiting my sacred Body, and being an open flowing channel with the Divine.