What I have Learned from Fasting

1. I'm not really hungry, ever. I've not experienced the raw hunger feelings that I thought I would...however...

2. I crave the sensory experience of food. Not so much food itself, but the textures and smells. This is what I miss. Crunch. Chewy. Sizzling.

3. I feel energized, extremely energized. Even after consuming a juice, I literally feel the vitamins being absorbed into me. I'm not tired. I hung out with my friends late Saturday night, and wasn't able to sleep at 1 am.

4. I need to clean. I have done laundry, repotted plants, cleaned my walls of kids' art, cleaned out kitchen cabinets, cleaned my refrigerator. I've thrown a lot away.

5. This cleaning made room for the *new*. I hung up my kids' art projects from this past camp, I filled my frig with veggies, I boxed up old memories. I cried, a lot.

6. My dishwasher is empty.

7. It takes A LOT of fruits/veggies to make a 12 oz. drink.

8. The folks at Hy-Vee think I'm a nut. I've purchased every single fruit/vegetable they offer. And found out that I still *like what I like*. Venturing out is fun, but I will always hate turnips.

9. Too much ginger in a juice makes me ill.

10. Due to Fasting, my meditation practice has afforded me some very wild visions. And those visions have stuck with me.

11. I am a good person. But I can be better.

12. As Grandma Lucille says, *Everything in moderation*. I will continue to use juice-fasting as part of my daily regimen. But I will balance this against my need for the sensory experience of solid food.

If you are fasting this week, what have you learned? If you're not fasting, please join us. Even if it's for one day, you will learn so much.

Share with your community if you feel comfortable....Let us know what you've discovered about YOU.

After all, the only person you will spend the rest of your life with is....well....YOU.

Namaste,
Megan

More 40-Day Yoga Challenge Ideas

This summer at Show Me Yoga Center we are challenging our students and teachers to do a 40-day practice that will change a habit (or make a new one). This Wednesday during the class I taught I explained the Yoga Challenge and made some suggestions for the students to consider as they develop their plan for the challenge. I thought back to my first yoga classes, and what I learned then. Good posture was a big thing that I brought into my life after starting yoga. It is really amazing to me how much better you look and feel with simply rolling your shoulders back and making the front side of the body as long as the back (eliminating the slouch). So in class we practiced mountain pose with a brick balancing on the top of our heads. I suggested that a focus on good posture throughout the day could be a great habit to create during the challenge.

I also suggested to my students that they consider adding a practice of mindfulness meditation during the challenge. In class we did a walking meditation. That was simple enough; we just walked SLOWLY in a large circle and noticed what our senses told us. We discussed what we noticed, and most of us discovered that it's hard to make yourself slow down!

For my challenge (40 days and 40 nights--wait does this have anything to do with water?), I want to learn more about meditation, so I am really excited to come to Dr. Colleen Loehr's meditation and relaxation class that starts on Friday, June 15 at 5:30. (Yes, that's a plug--do come!)

The biggest thing for me is making the time each day--sound familiar? There are many other things that I have been thinking about doing. Such as letting go of self judgement, focusing on positive thinking, slowing down and enjoying the journey, learning more about breathwork, and, give me long enough, and I'll be sure to come up with more. So pick one of my suggestions or come up with your own, and challenge yourself--for yourself! I’d be happy to help anyone with his or her challenge in any way that I can. And if you have any ideas for our celebration on the last day of the challenge, give any of the teachers your ideas and we'll see what we can do!!

Judi

The Fasting Club

I'm so excited! We have approximately 25 yogis and yoginis that are ready and willing to try a juice-fast for three or more days! This includes 6 yogis from California MO, and 4 teachers!

What a fantastic way to begin our 40-Day Yoga Challenge....

To enable our community to stand with us, I am posting our agreed upon guidelines. Feel free to join us at any time!

1. We intend to juice-fast partially or fully for the week of Saturday June 16th through Saturday June 23rd.

2. We intend to set aside time every day to meditate and journal on our experience.

3. We intend to consume at least 32-64 ounces per day of vegetable/fruit juices, teas, and broths. Water as well should be consumed.

4. We intend to clarify our personal 40-Day Yoga Challenge goal, and align our fast with this goal.

5. We intend to meditate on our desire to consume solid food, and, if a decision is made to break the fast, it will be done through mindful eating practices. No Guilt Allowed!

6. We intend to be mindful of our time on the mat, honoring our body’s need for perhaps a different type of practice.

7. We intend to fully support each other during this week of detoxification, through meetings, phone calls, and positive energy.

Look for our names and goals on the board at Show Me Yoga, and lend your support by joining us in these transformative 40 days. Join your community at whatever level feels appropriate to you, cuz it's ALL GOOD!!!

*For those participating in the fast: If you would like to be included in a phone-calling support team, email me your phone number and I will create a Master-List for all of us. (m.sappington@mchsi.com)

Namaste, and Happy Fasting!!

Megan Sappington

Fasting for mind, body, & spirit

Fasting...such an interesting word, but so literal. It's a method of detoxifying the body...FAST. It's also a way to detoxify the mind....

Huh?

When we clear up energy used to digest foods, the mind and spirit have space to clarify and focus. Remember how you feel after lunch?...you know what I'm talking about...YAWN!...I personally have no link to reality. I'm dazed, tired, foggy, and searching for the nearest couch...meditation? not so much.

Fasting sounds pretty yogic, eh? It is. It allows us to develop mental will power and increased control over the senses. Not only is fasting yogic, but it's powers are recognized in every philosophical methodology on the planet. It is universally recognized as a way to clarify and purify. Body and Soul.

I fast for greater physical and mental efficiency---Plato.

Interested?

During our 40 day yoga challenge, I invite you to join me in a three day juice fast. We will first meet to educate each other on fasting, exchange ideas, offer prior experiences, and commune with our indivdual intentions. Then we will invite clarity through detoxification by drinking 32-64 ounces per day of vegetable/ fruit juices in replacement of solid foods for three days.

Sound scary? Well...Let me offer this:

YOU will ultimately be in control of solid food intake. This is not intended to be Boot-Camp. I offer up this opportunity for all of us to explore the idea of detoxifcation in a rapid manner. But with a healthy dose of Ahimsa (non-violence). After all, it's really just about the journey, right?

Let's explore another path, and see what happens....together.

Our intial Fasting-Group-Meditation will meet June 12th, 7pm at Show Me Yoga Center. I'll discuss the methods of Juice-Fasting, explain medical concerns, explore options and guidelines, and establish a community support team. I hope to see you there.

Summer Yoga Challenge 2007 is an exciting time. Allow yourself to transform. (and rest easy knowing we'll all be right along with you...)

Namaste,
Megan Sappington