Are you there Wellness? It's Me, Laura

It’s been over a week since the cleanse “ended” and Guess what? I’m still going! Feeling much better, I’m still following the rules in my actual, daily life. This is a first! In the past, whenever discipline has numbered days, I’m counting down and getting ready to pat myself on the back, then go joyously face first into to old habits (like cheese pizza!) But this time it really clicked that those habits weren’t serving me anymore.

I was fantasizing about eggs- that was one of the hardest things for me to give up. But once I gave myself permission to have it, my conscience decided to stay consistent with my values. I just couldn’t stop thinking about the male baby chicks. And now I feel stronger, more happy, more me.

This is a little embarrassing, but I’ve even been making an effort to give myself pats on the shoulders, the legs, to tell my body that I love it and that I love taking good care of it. I almost feel like I have to reassure my body that it can trust me again after all I’ve put it through.

What’s been really eluding and annoying me is that I’m still tired. I thought about writing a displeased letter to Ms. Kathy Freston of the 21 Day Quantum Wellness Cleanse until I remembered what I did differently last time. I was exercising like a maniac, running 10Ks, going regularly to yoga, and lifting weights.

In my head, I know the benefits of getting moving. I’ve blogged about it and have even called it “the secret to life” when active. But oh, to get a body out of its inertia. When I’m exercising regularly, I wonder how or why I ever stopped, but when I’m not, I wonder how or why I was able to choose that over the couch.

As usual, BKS Iyengar helped put the importance into perspective for me:

“As long as the body is not in perfect health, you are caught in body consciousness alone. This distracts you from healing and culturing the mind. We need sound bodies so we can develop sound minds.”

So, knowing how my mind works and the power of healthy rewards, I joined a weight loss challenge at my gym. It’s a Biggest Loser kind of thing, where the person who loses the highest percentage of weight will win a trip to Vegas! It goes until May and has really been helping me to get moving. I’m feeling more energy creeping back and I’m getting excited. It may not be the most balanced thing in the world to join a weight-loss focused event like this, but now that better nutrition is in place,I can focus on my next big challenge and I know, just like with the cleanse, I’ll be carrying better habits into my daily routine. And that's where the balance comes in.

“So while you are sweating and aching, let your heart be light and let it fill your body with gladness. You are not only becoming free, but you are also being free. What is not to be glad about? The pain is temporary. The freedom is permanent.”  -BKS Iyengar, Light on Life

It's easy to be discouraged by the “temporary” pain. The muscles start crying, then the brain says, “why have you let this happen again, you …?!” But this time, I’m not listening. I have a contest to win. Patting and massaging those aching muscles and telling my body it will all be okay, I’m gonna keep on going, still digging for that Wellness, that fabulous friend named Health. I can hear her whispering nearby…