Waking up in Tibet

Remember spinning as a kid? How you'd twirl as fast as you could until you fell down on the ground, hugging the earth while it spun under your belly? It was freeing and fun and utterly frivolous. When was the last time you felt like that... without a hangover?

Believe it or not, spinning is the first move in an ancient ritual called The Five Tibetan Rites. A quick morning exercise routine consisting of five yoga-based moves, the Five Tibetan Rites has been performed by Tibetan monks for over 2500 years. And it's said to have numerous benefits like looking younger, sleeping soundly and feeling refreshed, among others. 

Each of the the five movements is performed up to 21 times before moving on to the next and is designed to awaken specific parts of the body. When performed together the exercises rouse the whole body to life. The philosophy is that they get the energy moving outward from the core and help the chakras spin normally (the link above explains this in detail). Here's a short demonstration.

I tried it for the first time yesterday morning (I did each movement 12 times and plan to work up to 21). It made me feel alert, awake, strong and focused. And the spinning (the first move of the ritual) was just plain fun! Last night I couldn't wait to go to bed so I could wake up and do it again!

20 minutes ago I woke up, put up my husband's coffee, made my tea, fed the cats and did the routine in my jammies. It was quick and relatively easy and already I can feel that it loosened up my neck and shoulders, opened my chest and abs, and stretched my glutes and quads. And I feel really awake.

There's something incredibly liberating about giving yourself permission to twirl as an adult. Probably because it's not something grownups typically do. So you might feel a little silly at first. But as you get into it you realize that it's a challenge that requires focus and balance. And the exercises that follow the spinning sequence are amazingly efficient at opening the body.

Who needs coffee? In the time it takes to brew a pot you can do these exercises. I promise they'll make you feel awake, alert and alive all day!

Day 21 - We Did It!!!

Congratulations on 21 days well spent!

Well, cleanse friends we’re only a few hours away from the finish line. And typically I’d be counting down the hours, but this time I’m a little reticent about coming to the end of our journey. We've shared so much – funny anecdotes, mini-crises, personal challenges, little victories, discoveries, even poop stories! After our 3-week immersion together, I feel like it’s the last day of camp and I’m saying goodbye to all my cabin mates.

I hope you’re all feeling refreshed and energized and really proud of what you’ve accomplished. Many of you have shed some pounds; most of you have said you’ve felt more energetic and have been sleeping better than usual. And I think we’ve all realized that we don’t necessarily need the habits, behaviors, foods and beverages we’ve clung to as much as we thought we did before this process began.

Many of you have said you felt empowered by doing the cleanse. What a potent word that is! And so accurate! We accepted a challenge, faced it, worked our way through it, and completed it. For that alone, let’s be proud. But more importantly, we’ve learned that by simply modifying our diets for a short period of time we can restore balance in our bodies and create a chain reaction of wellness throughout every aspect of our lives.

The body is so grateful and responsive when we do what it needs. Good health doesn’t just happen – the more active a role we take in our own well-being the better off we’ll be. You’ve all proven that in just three weeks.

This process is the opposite of SAD (Standard American Diet). And it can be daunting and isolating. So I thank all ov you for agreeing to do this together. Your support, caring and kindness have been so inspiring – how wonderful it is when strangers come together, share a goal and support each other as we work toward it! Thank you all so very much for your honesty, your candor, your humor, your words of encouragement and your unfailing enthusiasm (even when the going got tough). Look where it got us! I suspect that some of us may have wondered whether or not we’d make it all the way. But we did! And I believe we did it because we did it together. So thank you all for your valuable contributions to our collective effort!

After our ongoing discussion about what do to on Day 22, I’ll propose this – let’s keep the lines of communication open. After today I’ll be posting on SkinnyPlus once or twice a week. I won’t be sending out the daily emails, but feel free to drop in to the blog any time. Post your thoughts, start a discussion, send an update, ask a question, share a recipe, keep in touch. And tell your friends to visit too!

In the meantime, here’s to our last day of purity together! I am so grateful that you have become my healthiest friends! Thank you for your courage, your determination, your humor, and your support! I have loved every minute of being with you! And I hope to see you next time!

With love,
Ivy

Where Do We Go From Here? - Day 20

Many of you are giving a lot of thought to what happens on Day 22. Maybe it depends on how you see this photo - is it a sunrise? Or a sunset?

Today is a good time to take an hour for yourself and consider what you’ve experienced during the course of this cleanse. Be honest: What was hard? What was easy? What was challenging? what was rewarding? How do you feel today? How does that compare with before you started the cleanse? What are you willing to change? What are you unwilling to give up?

Whatever you decide, know that you have mastered an essential aspect of your life, your health, and your overall well being: Your diet. You have proven to yourself that you have control over what you put in your body. You’ve shown that you can face temptation and overcome it. And you’ve taken charge of – and responsibility for – your choices. Isn’t that empowering?!

Chances are we'll all go back to certain aspects of our previous eating patterns. How far back you go is up to you. In the past, some cleansers went back to eating meat but didn't care for the taste and texture as much as they did before. Others started purchasing only organic or free range animal products and found them to be just fine. Some people continued to eat all their meaty favorites, just not as frequently. And many started incorporating more meatless meals into their weekly menus.

Try things on for size and see what works for you. Maybe you'll eat fish and poultry regularly but keep beef and pork to a minimum. Maybe you'll continue to use agave or stevia instead of sugar or other sugar substitutes. Perhaps you love real butter and want it back. Fine. But maybe you'll continue to use soy or almond milk instead of cow's milk. These are things you can test and tweak along the way. See how you feel after you eat some of those old favorites - you're more in touch with how food affects your body now; let its widsom guide you as you make your choices.

You don't have to make decisions right away - this is an evolutionary process. And there's no right or wrong; whatever you choose to do is up to you. It's all in your very capable hands.

Isn't it interesting how our choices seemed so limited when we started this cleanse? And now that we're almost done, we have more choices than when we began. That, my friends, is abundance at work! 

I'll post an account of what I did after my first cleanse in today's comment section. And I hope our veteran cleansers will share their stories as well – each one is unique and valuable. Vets, if you’re up for it, please tell us how you've handled Day 22 in the past.

And newbies (who have rocked the f#@% outta this cleanse, by the way!), please tell us how you intend to greet your Day 22. Let’s hear about your fears, your goals and your plans! All thoughts, comments, suggestions, and questions are welcome!

I hope every one of us has the chance to savor a beautiful, peaceful, restful Sunday!

If It's Good Enough for Bill Clinton - Day 19

By now, you've probably heard about former president Bill Clinton's recent weight loss. But how and why he did it is worth revisiting.

In the link below he explains the two primary reasons he adopted a plant-based diet:

1.)To lose weight;

2.)For better heart health.

You can be sure that Bill Clinton has the most brilliant medical team guiding and monitoring his healthcare regimen. So consider this a validation for what you're doing - you're in good company!

It's our last Saturday on the straight and narrow - savor every minute!

Bill Clinton Turns to a Plant-Based Diet