Day 9 & 10 "Kensho"

Yesterday - as usual the food was awesome - it seems so redundant to keep posting but it was great eating the salads, shakes and Nachos! Love those ~

The Yoga - whoa!

Yin Vinyasa - live music

Wow what a class! It was a full room of people and I was .. at first, a little bit intimidated by the level people were at. Watching head / handstands and various positions that were way ahead of me. I did some gentle stretching and calmed my mind and reminded myself to be in my own space and to remember that it's not a competition.

The class started and i was really looking forward to it. Live cello, sitar and guitar with candles lit and flowers laid about in a darker than usual room. It was a very spiritual space / energy.

As the class progressed, there were a few new positions (Asanas) like "The Frog". It was funny to hear people kind of moan when Nora said we were doing that one lol.

It actually felt good (to the best of my posture) but the pose was difficult. The thing in the Yin Vinyasa class is to fully embrace the yin rather than yang energy. The yin is the relaxing comfortable releasing feeling whereas the yang is the more activating feeling.

It was really helpful to hear Nora say over and over to do it so it feels good and to enjoy the yin - to do what feels good as best we could, and that was constantly relieving to my inner conversation to "do it right or perfect". She kept on about how in that space there are no boundaries and that we can experience and enjoy freedom

Then i found myself getting kind of pissed off. lol All this talk about no boundaries and here i am feeling totally crowded in the room because of all the people. I noticed that i was getting judgmental and already planning a strategy to get there earlier and find a better space where i can control my area better so as not to be feeling so constricted.

Moments passed and my attention wavered from the music, to my breath, to the position, to being crowded, to my inner conflict about it all and my judgments. Then, ... out of nowhere ... my mind shifted.

I took a calming breath and realized that my mind is what is confined and that i get to BE that which is noticing all these things outside of me. And that i can just notice the judgments and let them pass and remain in the moment - free of any attachments and free of any boundaries. It was a liberating moment and one that opened an entirely different experience of my practice and more noticeably ... my surroundings. Suddenly i had ample room to move about and it felt good.

Maybe a 30 seconds later, Nora said, as we were in childs pose ... this is who we are, this energy and this moment. And i felt its truth, we can experience freedom, boundlessness and peace ... though i chuckled a little ... and was thankful she didn't say that a minute earlier!

Matt


I'll write more later about the food today it has been really good.
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Day 7 & 8

The last two days have been great – nothing really major to report other than im adapting to the raw palette and really enjoying the yoga. Yesterday I was intending to go to a Pilates class however I chose to do cardio again which was good. I ate all my raw meals but this brings me to a concern I have.

I am wondering if I am eating enough. I mean, I have a shake or raw granola in the morning, a salad of some kind and a more substantial meal and Im really full throughout the entire day and night.

Tonight I didn’t even think I was hungry after yoga – which was a great class by the way. I came home and saw my food but just really didn’t have an appetite since eating a 4pm (5 hours earlier!) I ate a little salad anyway and a bit of a surfer sandwich but not much.

Ill ask Jenny about this tomorrow. I trust the program but it’s a real adjustment from my previous diet of more meals and hunger. But a welcome adjustment nonetheless!

I’ve also decided to keep a small journal with me to record thoughts and experiences throughout the day – which i will reflect on here in the blog.

All in all im full steam ahead with 8 days already behind me~!

Matt

Day 5 & 6 - Feeling Great

Well these last two days have been terrific. I am really beginning to enjoy a sense of centeredness around both the food and the yoga. Yesterday i skipped yoga but did go to the gym to do a little cardio on the elliptical. Afterwards i felt good and came home and took a nice long steam with some essential oils. The whole day i was alert and very peripheral about my surroundings. The green tea is starting to grow on me and is something i now look forward to. (though the coffee still winks at me from time to time)

Today yoga was a challenge - i took the Vinyasa Flow (1) class with Randy Allard and i really felt worked! Lots of sweating. There were some new poses that were a bit difficult to relax into but a few that put my body into a position i didn't know i could do which was cool! I wasn't sure if the sweating was from the class level or from the time of day. I woke from a deep slumber filled with VERY vivid dreams. I think ill start a dream journal next week as i expect there may be something to discover there. Relative to the class however i really enjoyed a good workout - lol it's not just an hour and a half of stretches!

Walking outside into the crisp air i called Jenny at 118 to let her know i was coming by to eat. We spoke for a bit on the phone and when i got there she mentioned that she had never heard me "like that" before. I wasn't sure what was different but i took notice of my state of being and ... yeah i was feeling really good (note.. I'm going to come up with more adjectives about my state - because its often a jigsaw puzzle of feelings -physical/mental/emotional)

After a terrific lunch of salad (kale, spinach, avocado and I'm not sure which dressing was on that one but it was great) and pizza i was fully satisfied.

A few hours later i met with Randy Allard for a half hour at Yogaworks in Costa Mesa. She took the time to help me with a few alignment points in my yoga practice. She really is a Goddess of a woman. She always seems to effortlessly create a space of acceptance and openness that i appreciate both in her coaching and in her classes.

she gave me these quotes and her thoughts to share -

"Feel yourself being quietly drawn by the deeper pull of what you love" Rumi.

In yoga we talk about our third eye, the seat of intuition, and acknowledge the inherent wisdom of the body. I like this quote because it reminds us to listen to our hearts.

"All life is yoga" Sri Aurobindo

If we approach everything with mindfulness our life both on and off the mat becomes more intentional.

I also must share just how amazing and incredible the people are at 118 Degrees!!! Friday night Michelle - who is also a yoga practitioner at Yogaworks - handed me one of her instructional yoga cds that focuses on Chakras. It was a really sweet and kind intention. Also Celeste, Saffron, Jordan, Tyson, Ellen, Kevin, Alys, Casey, Kit and everyone else there have made 118 Degrees such a wonderful place to go to. They are so supportive and good natured and i can't thank them enough for their smiles, warm wishes and genuine care. You guys are the best!

Matt

Day 4 - Easing in to a rythm

Today was pretty much a breeze, and this post will be short. I will go into more detail tomorrow.

But ultimately today was a good day. Maybe the fluctuating weather put me in a great mood but it i think it's just that I'm beginning to settle into a flow with the food and the yoga

Tonight's yoga was awesome, another Viniyoga class - it seems to go by so fast ... but maybe all the attention to breathing centers my focus. Either way it was a great class and towards the end i was inclined to take another class right after with Randy but i decided to pace my enthusiasm ... huh... pace seems to be a common theme in this process ... and one I'm finding comfort in

More to come soon...

Matt

Day 3 - Fatigue at times

Today i was surprisingly tired throughout the day. I woke well after what felt like a great night's sleep. Took a long steam in the shower and went to work.

Once i got there i made tea and realized i wanted a more substantial breakfast. I had the same shake as yesterday although i still really enjoyed it and i also had a banana.

Later in the day around 11am i met Randy Allard from Yogaworks at the 118 Degree restaurant to further discuss my yoga regimen. She recommended a book by Iyengar call Light on Yoga which i will seek out. She also offered to give me more education on the spiritual aspects of yoga which i was and am very much looking forward to.

On of the quotes she said at lunch was -

That Yoga, performed with the proper attitude, each of our everyday actions can be an asana or physical practice, each breath a pranayama, each thought (or space between two successive thoughts) a seed for meditation.

Randy was referencing an article by Richard Rosen posted on yogajournal.com titled Why Do We Practice. It is an excellent write up on bringing this question to mind.

We then reviewed the various schedules and recommendations of classes for me to take in the coming weeks. It was a real pleasure to sit with her and see someone so committed to practicing yoga - Randy really radiates a wonderfully peaceful enthusiasm!

On top of that we got to enjoy an awesome lunch provided by Chef Jenny Ross, i had the enchiladas and Randy had the nachos ... we both cleaned our plates and talked with Jenny about the weeks ahead and the benefits of integrating the yoga and raw food disciplines and how much i will reap! I laughed realizing that across the street i could see a place i used to get double cheeseburgers not long before!

The rest of the day at work i was still a little fatigued at times and i believe in part it was that i was not drinking enough water. Later in the evening i had a dinner of thai spring rolls and a ceasar salad - definitely my favorite salad so far! Celeste really hooked me up!

So the day is at a close and having skipped yoga today i feel a sense that something is missing but i know that rest will give me more energy to really go for it in tomorrows class!

Ultimately i feel good, calm and looking forward to day 4~

Matt

Day 2 - Stretching

Ok, Day 2 is here and i woke well out of a very deep sleep... albeit a little sore. But not the kind of soreness i might get from a weight training workout, rather, a more complete feeling that i really worked my "inner" body from all the postures of last nights yoga session. It feels good and reminds me of being aware and present in my body.

Breakfast was another shake - vanilla hemp milk, that green super food stuff, maca powder and a fig apple / nut cookie - delicious - later was green tea again (still not the umph of coffee but surprisingly satisfying nonetheless)

Lunch was a massive sweet mustard salad from 118 Degrees and a slightly warm bed of lasagna - there was so much food!!!! I stopped after eating slightly more than half because i was full. Those portions are really generous.

I nibbled on the leftovers as my work day came to a close and then headed off to Yogaworks.

This class was called Viniyoga and was taught by Andrea Miller .... i was at first, a bit apprehensive about how i would do considering i was still feeling that soreness from last night (for lack of a better word) but the class started and i really found myself enjoying it.

There were many of the same postures - which i appreciated because i could focus more on the proper alignment - also my mind was less distracted by thoughts of "going deeper" or trying to bend as far as "that person over there" instead i just went with my own flow.

By they end i enjoyed a body / mind high i didn't expect. I had that feeling as though i received a good massage - kind of in a daze but still really present in my body and just an overall sense of peace.

It was - and still is as i type, a great feeling.

Next i headed over to 118 for dinner - this time a Greek Salad and the Tostada - The tostada comes with these zucchini slices that taste like black bean chili - and the "tostada shell" was crispy and crunchy which gives me hope because i didn't expect such a texture in "raw food" - it was totally satisfying!

Oh yeah i also had an interesting experience at lunch - when i joined my meeting with my food - i was offered a sandwich from the tray that was brought in for the people. Someone mentioned "oh he cant eat that hes on a special diet" . It got me thinking later that day that this doesn't really have to be a special diet or even a "thing" I'm doing for just two months .. but rather this is where i am at right now - i think think by releasing the thoughts and beliefs that im vacationing from my "regular" habits to this Raw / Yoga lifestyle, i can focus myself in other areas of my life with more intention.

Matt

Day 1 - And so it begins...

Well here I am, day one is here. I must confess it's a bit exhilarating to embark on this journey. Typically I draw towards instant gratification and I realize this will definitely be a process with ups and downs along the way. As of today I feel terrific -

Breakfast was a shake with vanilla hemp milk, raw almond butter, a banana my greens powder stuff(ill post more detail later)

about 30 min later I had some green tea - it's definitely NOT coffee -

Lunch was delicious - a compressed spinach salad and olive pizzatas off the 118 Degree Menu, surprisingly I'm not that hungry at 430 - but considering i have my yoga class tonite I should have a little something soon.

Overall I feel optimistic and look forward to this experience. Ill write more after yoga.

Well Im back from my yoga class at Yogaworks Costa Mesa. Randy Allard was the teacher tonight. I took the yogaworks 1 class - tonight was a little tougher than I anticipated. Sweating and getting more of a "workout" for sure. Afterwards I did feel centered, balanced and calm though with a sense of peripheral alertness I didn't have when I walked in.

After I went to Mother's Market and ordered a fresh juice of dark vegetables and feel fully satisfied.

Day 1 a success - 59 to go~

Matt