Cleanse and Purge, 2010 January 7, 2010

Sunday, my husband and I began The Master Cleanse, something we try to do annually.  As I withdraw from the physical and psychological habit of eating food I am drawn into a deeper spiritual place.  I suppose the spirit is what is left, kind of the point for me.  I like the feeling of needing to turn inward all day long rather than choosing to when I can fit it in.  Eventually I hope to be in a more grounded place that will make my access to my spirit second nature.  Until then, my mind, body and spirit will be better at the end of this journey.

 

The principal behind TMC is to cleanse your body from the inside by drinking an “exfoliant” elixir of freshly squeezed lemon juice, real maple syrup and cayenne pepper.  I think it’s delicious, but some people I’ve talked to are revolted by the taste.  You are not aloud to eat any food, not a crumb or a sip of broth for 10 days, though I have done the cleanse for 2, 5 or 7 days as well and felt better.  This allows your body to have a break and completely release toxins and old waste.  The second part of the cleanse is the purge of all of that old junk and it is just as crucial as the exfoliation.  You must allow your body to flush out all of the build up by drinking a laxative tea at night and then a full quart of salt water at sunrise.  I know this might horrify you, but it isn’t as bad as it sounds.  The idea of chewing food haunting you all day is the worst part by far.

 

On days two or three, the weirdest thing happens.  You get to a point where you have little or no cravings for food.  I didn’t believe it myself until I lived through it, but it’s true!  There is the lingering habit of wanted to chew something or feeling like you “should” eat, but you are not physically or psychologically hungry any more. 

 

The process of getting ready for the cleanse and then living through the first two days made me realized that this is truly a metaphor for life.  We must cleanse and purge all aspects of our lives regularly.  The more addictions and dependencies you have, the more entrenched you are in your toxic patterns, the more painful a massive cleanse will be.  Regular maintenance of the mind, body and spirit will allow you to flow with the cleanse and purge process in a more natural way.  If the cleanse and purge of an area of your life becomes traumatic or even makes you sick, then you can bet that’s an area that needs your attention.  If we avoid the natural process of cleaning out and purifying areas of our lives we are not only avoiding growth but possibly creating disease.  The funny thing is that when you create a healthy life for yourself, the old habits just die off and you won’t even miss them.  Just like healthy diet and exercise, if you maintain a healthy spiritual and mental life by taking care of yourself, you will not find yourself slipping back into toxic situations or relationships in the future.

 

Take a few moments to reflect on your life.  Where do you resist “cleaning” something out, letting the light in?  What areas of your life to you avoid examining or dismiss too quickly as “nothing”?  Maybe The Master Cleanse is not for you but I challenge you to do something in 2010 that will call you forth to cleanse and purge those unexposed areas of your life that you may have grown complacent in.  It’s not easy, but it’s worth it in the end.

I’m a stay-home mom…get me out of here! October 16, 2009

If you have stayed home with your children for any length of time, then you have probably had a ”mother of the year” moment when you just want to escape.  There is no need to beat yourself up over having these feelings from time to time…being home with little ones is no cake walk.

Having worked both inside and outside of the home, I can tell you that the grass is indeed always greener on the other side.  Moms who work outside the home sometimes feel like they are missing out on all of the little things that happen in their children’s lives, while stay-home moms can lose their sense of identity getting lost in “wee-ville”.  There is no easy answer to this long-lived debate, but I hope to offer you some coping skills that will help maintain a healthy perspective.  As a Certified Coach who specializes in helping both types of working moms, I can tell you that attitude is everything and your perspective will keep you sane.

If you have made the choice to stay home, but you are struggling at the moment, try the exercises below and notice the shift:

1-Think Long Term-I call it the 20 year test.  Imagine you are looking back on this day 20 years from now.  Will you be happy that you are home with your kids at this stage? 

2-Make A Plan-If you are struggling with not working then you likely want to go back at some point.  Sit down with your spouse or trusted advisor and come up with a re-entry strategy and a time line.  If you plan out how and when you will go back to work, you can relax more about being home now.

3-Me Time-This may be a coache’s cliche, but if you are resenting all of the time you do for others, than not taking enough time for yourself may be the cause.  Don’t think of quiet time to feed your soul as a luxury or a treat, but a requirement.  You wouldn’t skip brushing your teeth or showering (O.K., I mean several days in a row!).

4-Explore Your Options-…and get creative! If you think long and hard enough you may be able to have your cake and eat it too.  I feel truly blessed to be able to do something I’m passionate about right from my home office.  Most days, I’m able to take my kids to and from school and not miss a big performance.  Explore something your passionate about and maybe you can incorporate it into your world.  It might turn into a part-time job or maybe it’s a way to exercise, learn something new, join a community of other women…the sky is the limit!

If you are a mom working inside or outside the home what strategies or “survival skills” have helped you keep balance and a positive outlook?

Ever wonder why you have not manifested what you really want? Read on to find out what I was doing wrong! August 16, 2009

Where I Got Stuck…

For years now, I have been reading books on the Law of Attraction and manifesting the life of my dreams.  I am always inspired by new techniques and perspectives on the topic of living out a life that I am passionate about and finding my true calling.  I have had a tremendous amount of success applying different methods to my daily life, but once in a while, I just find myself stuck. 

Realizing that I was missing something profound lead me to re-read some old books and articles to ponder why sometimes the LOA works and sometimes “it doesn’t”.  Well, I know it always works and that there is just something I’m missing in respect to my thoughts and vibrations.  Two points stuck out to me as I rehashed notes and books and they are the following:

1) If you are not manifesting what you want then you may have two conflicting vibrations going on at one time (Your Sacred Self, Dr. Wayne Dyer)

2) If you are practicing Visualization then don’t try to “fix” something old, instead play with and imagine a new scene to get into the right vibration (Ask and It Is Given, Ester and Jerry Hicks)

Both of  the points above  jumped off the page and caught my attention (always a sign that I’m on to something!).  As I reflected on where I was stuck, I knew immediately that I was erroneously offering conflicting vibes and also often trying to fix the old.  I felt such relief to have a better understanding of where I was going wrong and how to open myself up to allow what I really wanted!

Try This:

If you are thinking that you may be in your own way of getting what you want try this excersize that worked for me.  First, I wrote down exactly what I wanted and let go of all of my rules and defeating thoughts, such as, “that could never work” or “what about the reality of x situation”.  I just lightened up and began really getting into the idea of already having the life I wanted.  I wrote out, actually made a list of, what I wanted my life to look like.  Sure enough, one of the lines made me cringe.  I thought I wanted it, but I actually had conflicting emotions about it!  When you are putting out a “yes” and a “no” at the same time, you cannot make that goal a reality.  Sometime the “no” comes from old baggage we have not let go of and sometimes there is an underlying reason for the knot in your gut  (ie. your intuition saying “NO”!).  Wherever you are at with manifesting your dreams and goals, be sure to go into your visualization with eyes wide open and continuously auditing your emotions around different desires.  You may be as surprised as I was to see what comes up for you!

Did this work for you? Do you have any further insight on the topic?  I want to know what you think…so post it!