Coming into alignment with my life: Fasting, Contemplation, and Yoga

Today I kicked off a new direction.  A new re-engagement of my path.  I am choosing to live a more whole-hearted existence.  Even as someone that engages a more direct spiritual path, I sometimes find myself at odds with what I truly want from life and from my path.   I feel at times we really get caught in the actions of giving, and we do not take time for receiving.  I am now going into a place of balance.

When I feel the world around in flux, I move into the internal landscapes.  I am about to engage on a new path, and its time to cleanse and take responsibility for all that is in my life.

So it begins.  I am starting a 40 day (maybe longer) fast.  Now, to some this sounds like an impossibility and/or perhaps a bit loony.  Well, of course!  Taking full ownership of what we put into our bodies is a radical idea.  Food is a source of power and potential.  Its is energy.  It gives us fuel, but we often surrender power away to our food choices.

When I engage in a fast, I go hardcore.  So here are my eating parameters:

  1. I am only drinking water
  2. I am only eating simple non-processed raw foods
  3. I am only going to purchase foods with minimal/no packaging
  4. I will eat a balance of carbohydrates/fats/proteins
  5. I will be kind to myself and those around me while in the detox phase of this dietary transition.

Ok, so why line number 5?  Well, I am starting this in the middle of a Mercury and Uranus retrograde, after being bombarded by solar flares… So, I have to be sure that I am kind to myself, but more so those around me.  When we detox the body starts to purge away toxins stored in the organs, the muscles and fatty tissues.  This can make us initially feel sluggish, weak, and for lack of a scientific term.. BLAH.  We tend to lash out at those that are closest to us in these times, so we have to watch where our actions may be taking us within this space of cleanse.

**Also a special note to loved ones of those engaging in a fast/cleanse:  Be kind to those engaging in this spiritual pursuit.  It’s not easy aligning the body, mind, and spirit through relinquishment of our favorite food stuffs.  Don’t tempt us away from the journey by offering us things that are not in alignment with our goals, support us in our journey towards alignment, and be part of the process through actions of love.

Along with the food parameters I am also adding some lifestyle changes that to this process, as well as some daily tasking that I am to take on:

  1. I am going to do 1 creative thing a day.  Draw, paint, write a poem, sketch, write a story, etc.  I’ll be posting those on this blog.
  2. I am to reduce my ecological footprint as much as possible.  (I’ll discuss this in a bit)
  3. I am to reduce the amount of stuff that I am holding onto.  This is to include clothing, books, ritual items, etc that is no longer serving me towards my goals of alignment.
  4. I am to live a more simple life.  In action and words.  (more on this in a few)
  5. I am to hand make one or two outfits by hand (this is something I’ve always wanted to do.. I’m going very yogaish… and this is gearing me up towards creating the clothing line for the website launch).
  6. I am only to travel with minimal stuff.  I tend to overpack, and carry too much.  I love my books, and instead of taking 4 books with me on one single journey.. I’m making a resolution to take each book I pick up from start to finish.
  7. Daily personal yoga practice/meditation/contemplation of sacred text
  8. I am to start my day at 4:30 am daily to make full time for spiritual practice.

This sounds like a lot, but it really is just about coming into alignment on a deeper level with a lot of things that are currently in my experience.

I am also taking this time to engage a higher level of responsibility for the world around me.  I’m reading a pretty amazing book called: “Radical Simplicity by Jim Merkel”.  The book helps takes you through a process of acknowledging what your eco footprint is and how you can start to reduce that by leaps and bounds.

I am also taking this time to journal more.  To engage introspection on a deeper level.  Daily readings, predictions, channeling and being in spirits energy.

I am also moving towards aligning myself with my community more, which is another reason for the new website.  This will have its own post soon, and its going to be pretty amazing.. so stay tuned!

I am also going to move towards living my yoga completely.  I at one point thought about the possibility of taking my initiated yoga name as my legal name, I’ve been in contemplation of this for a few days now… I am going to realign with that name energetically as I feel it helps me to integrate my spiritual self into my mundane life.

There are a few of you that have expressed coming on this journey with me.  This is a great time for alignment.  Fasting, centering, and breathing are great ways to begin this process.

What are you willing to part with, and for how long?  Fasting can take many forms, and not always food.  You can fast from Facebook, talking, sugar, coffee, etc.  The idea is to regain your power, to hold onto center and to be in alignment with what you want from this experience.

Set a time limit, and remember–there is no failure. We start, and then we stop.  If we stop before we reach the finish line, it gives us a chance to see where we still may be in limitation… this will allow you to come into alignment with actions of expansion.  When we are aware of where we are, we have the power to move forward.

I am also going to be more cautious with the things that I say.  So, if I appear quiet, it is not that something is wrong, or that I am upset, or that I am ignoring you.  It is me, absorbing the beauty of each experience, and then reaching out through that energy with words that are filled with spirit instead of just reacting and giving power to things that do not deserve it.

There are lots of positive changes just on the horizon.  What are you doing to engage your path?  What are you doing to be more in the body?

Stay tuned, much, much more to come!

Mahayogi Das, CFT CSN MAT PAT

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell

Leave a comment