Saturday, August 22, 2015

Changes of Tide

I'm beginning the 200 hour yoga teacher training (YTT) program on Monday. Because of this, I've significantly reduced my social media time. I now log on for a purpose instead of as a habit (more likely an addiction). 

I've been reading The World Peace Diet for a couple weeks as a pre-YTT assignment. On August 3, a group of ladies and I began a 30 day Saucha challenge (cleansing--it could be purer thoughts, choices, eating, etc.). I chose to abstain from alcohol and bread.  

Now, not only have I decreased social media distractions and given up alcohol and bread (for at least the next 2 weeks or so), I've completely stopped eating animal products (flesh, fluids, eggs)...which means all my favorite dishes are no longer in my diet: hot wings, hot dogs, over easy eggs, ice cream, cheese...and it's ok. 

Over the past couple years, my Husband and I, along with my son Deuce, have been slowly removing meat from our diets. But, the reason I jumped in to the complete vegan pool, rather than continuing to dip my toes in, is related less to the health benefits (I'll post another time) than the guilt I began to feel regarding how animals are treated (am I on the road to tree hugging???), which is a different story for a different day. 

We've been conditioned from birth to believe that we NEED animal proteins in our diet, and I've come to learn that is only one of the many lies (traditions) that have been passed down from generation to generation. I recently found videos of former NBA John Salley's vegan lifestyle and feel comforted in knowing that although Deuce says that he's only going to continue eating certain animal products, if he makes the choice to adopt a vegan lifestyle, his hoop dreams won't be affected. They'll actually been enhanced since meat tends to make people feel sluggish and drained and can affect mental capacity. 

The journey I began was focusing on becoming a yoga teacher, but the unexpected changes of tide led me to an even greater accomplishment: opening my thoughts toward compassion for all living beings instead of humankind and opening conciousness to bigger and better expressions of wholeness. 

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