Day 30

Photo by Bicameral on Flickr

Juices, Supplements etc. in order of consumption
1 quart leaf lettuce, asparagus, lemon, onion, tomato, red pepper, radish, celery, kelp, turmeric

1 head leaf lettuce, 3 asparagus, 1/2 lemon, 1 green onion, 2 sm. tomatoes, 1/2 red pepper, 1 sm. white radish, 4 stalks celery.

This had that earthy taste again but I didn't mind it. I think the lemon really helps to balance that. It was surprisingly sweet and enjoyable.

3/4 quart spinach, lime, cilantro, celery, tomato, onion, garlic, flax oil
1/2 lb spinach, 2 limes, 1 bunch cilantro, 4 stalks celery, 1 tomato, 1 green onion, 2 garlic
Oooh baby, I liked this juice. It had a good taste. I tasted it before I added the flax and it was even better. It tasted salty. I can't imagine why because it didn't have any more celery then I normally put in and I didn't even add the kelp.

3/4 quart kale, cilantro, tomato, carrot, celery, lemon
4 leaves kale, handful cilantro, 1 tomato, handful carrot, 4 stalks celery, 1/2 lemon
I had to let this sit for about 2 hours and it still tasted good.

3/4 quart spinach, pear, cucumber, celery
1/2 lb spinach, 1 pear, 1 cucumber, 4 stalks celery
This one sat for over 4 hours and still tasted delish.

I didn't mean to make 3/4 quarts all day but that was all the juice I got out. I guess I just can't get more then 3 quarts in me. I will do better.

Weight
Starting 173.5
Today Didn't weigh in.

Sleep
7 hours

Supplements
Probiotic
B12 (I took this yesterday too, I just forgot to write it)
B5 morning and evening
Enzymes with each juice
Colon cleanse- The hydrotherapist gave this to me today. It is cascara sagrada, turkey rhubarb root, sage leaf, aloe ferrox leaf, barberry root, ginger root, black walnut hulls, dandelion leaf, sippery elm bark

Exercise
I went to the health club tonight. I did 20 minutes walking on the treadmill and a 1 hour Tai Chi class.

The Tai chi class was very interesting. It is so slow and seems so simple but it is hard to get your breath right and all the subtle moves right. The instructor is this big 6'4" guy and he taught us the Tai Chi, some QiGong and some self defense. It was pretty cool. After the QiGong I could feel energy on the top of my head. It felt like something was in my hair. Cool. I am going to go again next Tuesday.

Physically
I felt good today. My stomach has calmed down a bit. It is under the surface again so hopefully it will keep getting better and better. I had a decent amount of energy. More so then the last few days so that was nice.

Positive changes
Weight loss
Skin smooth
Face is changing

Detox
Coated tongue
Geographic tongue
Mucus in nose and throat
Breaking out on the right side of my face
Dry hands

Emotionally
Today was a great day emotionally. I felt so happy and content today. I feel strong and placid. The anger that used to control me and create havoc in my life seems to have dissipated and I am not reacting to every little thing.

I made a shopping list for my husband and he forgot something on it. He said I didn't write it on the list but I had the list and I did. Now normally I would have gotten pissed about it. I know it isn't that big of a deal but that is what would have happened nonetheless. Instead I didn't even care. I just said, "No problem honey." Now if you knew me before this juice feast and the work I have been doing you would know what a big deal this is.

Cravings
None

Trash Bag Tango
None

Meditation
I signed up for Oprah and Eckhart's online class for the book A New Earth. I was on the website reading and checking things out. They have the first chapter workbook up and ready to go so I was there filling it out. I found these awakening exercises that they suggest you do. It is like an awake mediation. They basically want you to take moments out of you life to become fully aware of that moment.

I started with my juice preparation. I stayed in the present moment while I washed my vegetables. I noticed the feel of them, the color, and the texture. I listened to the water flow as I washed them and to the sound of the knife as I cut them. I was surprised at how the sound of tearing the leaf lettuce put a smile on my face.

While straining the juice I noticed the texture of the bag, the coolness of the juices as it trickled over my hands. I enjoyed the fascinating feeling of the pressure that built up in the bag as I squeezed and was released when I released. I could smell the juice as I was squeezing it out and I listened intently to the trickle of the juice hitting the bowl.

When I was cleaning up afterward I filled my sink with bubbles. I had forgotten how much I love bubbles. I began looking at them and I took complete joy in the steam rising from the sink and fogging up my glasses. I felt this child-like wonder as I began to play with the bubbles, rolling them around, listening to the sounds they made, feeling the warmth of them on my hands as if they were a blanket.

Normally I drink my juice in front of the computer or while reading. Today I decided to stay in the moment while I drank my juice. I looked closely at the color of the juice, smelled it and was able to detect the subtleties of it. While swirling it around in my mouth and chewing it I was able to pick out each vegetable that was in there by the subtle flavors. I felt the smooth stem of my wine glass and listened as the glass touched the table.

I have to say that this became a bit more difficult because it took some time and my mind kept wanting to wander. I kept bringing myself back by saying, "This is the only moment. If this was all I ever had, how happy would I be?" It was simply amazing that by saying this, I was able to find joy in the simplest thing.

At one moment I looked down at my kitchen table and I noticed all of the dents and scratches that were on the table. I started feeling bad about it and then I said to myself, "This table isn't good or bad, it just is." As soon as I finished I was overcome with this realization that the table was life. Each scratch and each dent was filled with the life of my children and my husband. It brought complete gratitude and overwhelming love and joy and I began to cry.

I have a deeper understanding of how we can choose at each and every moment whether we choose to be happy or we choose to struggle. This was a very powerful exercise and I suggest everyone give it a try at some point in their day.

Ramblings

I had another colonic today. I felt so sick during it is was crazy. When she was pressing on my colon and rubbing it it hurt in some places. She said it could be gas or some type of impaction. Whatever, just get it out! I felt better when it was over and I scheduled another one for next week.

Ever since I had my 5th son I have had some brutal PMS. I am telling you, it is rough. I remember when I was a kid and my mom would get terrible PMS and not realize she was being a lunatic. Mine got so bad that I couldn't help but know.

Well, I am happy to report that I am due to begin tomorrow. Now I am not always regular so I don't know when it will begin but the point is, I am not a lunatic. Yippee! I have been a bit crabby yesterday and today but nothing, I mean nothing even close to the past. I am so excited about it.

I am leaving to go to Detroit, Michigan for the weekend on Friday. My mom and I are driving there together (a little over 4 hours) and we are staying in a room together. My mom is going to re-sit the Journey Intensive and I am going to be a trainer. I am going to meetup with my old roomate Vickie from Practitioners week so it should be a lot of fun. It will be great to be back in the energy of the Journey again. I always feel so good when I leave.

I am a bit concerned about the juicing situation however. I am not going to have a kitchen or refrigerator. It is simply a small room that I am sharing with my mom. I have to be ready for meditation really early in the morning and I work until really late at night. I just don't see how I am going to be able to make the juice. I posted a question on the forum asking if I could cut the honey down on the Master Cleanse for the 3 days even though I have candida. That would just be so much easier. I haven't heard back yet but in their defense I have posted a bunch of questions in the last couple of days and this is the only one that hasn't been answered.

Things are definitely looking up.

Day 11

Photo by Chotda on Flickr

Juices, Supplements etc. in order of consumption

Bentonite and psyllium shake

1 quart Celery, Orange, Spinach

3 stalks celery, 4 oranges, 1/2 lb spinach

I really like the taste of this juice but I am wondering if it is too much sugar. I don't really know how to change it though. I will have to play around with it.

Celery, Romaine, green onion, basil, garlic, cucumber, tomato, hemp oil and kelp

4 stalks celery, 1 head romaine, 1 green onion, handful basil, 1 clove garlic, 1 cucumber, 4 oz tomato

I really enjoy the taste of this juice but it keeps separating and there are chunks of food in it. This is the only juice that this happens to. I don't get it.

Spinach, carrot, celery

7 stalks spinach, 4 oz carrots, 1/2 lb spinach

It was good for not having any fruit in it. It made my mouth burn a bit though.

Bok Choy, cucumber, pear, lemon, ginger

1/2 head bok choy, 1 cucumber, 1 pear, 1/2 lemon, small knob ginger

Yummy.

I decided not to post the water anymore. I will drink 1 quart of water every morning with lemon in it and I will drink a quart of water inbetween most of the juices.

Weight

Starting 173.5

Today 164.5

Sleep

7 hours

Exercise
Five Tibetans

10 min. on rebounder

15 min. house cleaning

Physically

I felt good today. I had a good amount of energy and my mind seemed a bit clearer. My stomach seems to be working better so that is completely exciting. I jumped on the rebounder while I watched the Oprah show I posted about earlier. I really like the rebounder. It warms me up too. Now when I get cold instead of wrapping up in a billion blankets I can just spend 5 min doing some fun jumping.

Detox

Coated tongue

Some low grade headaches today

Mucus buildup

Dry hands

Positive changes

I liked looking at myself in the mirror again today :o)

No body odor

Emotionally

Most of the day was really calm and I felt good. About 7:30 I had a huge rush of anger that came out and unfortunately was poured out onto my 15 year old son. Don't get me wrong, he deserved it but I have really been working on how I react to the kids by keeping my cool. I have been repeating "I release the need for conflict, I release the need for drama." over and over again and I even heard myself say it in the middle of my tirade.

For the past 3 days my son has been pushing my buttons and I have been doing really good not letting it affect me. Today, I couldn't do it anymore. I lost it. I am not proud of it. It came over me like a wave and rushed through my body. They say that when you are trying to make changes there will be tests that come up. I guess I failed the test.

I wonder if this detox is going to be bringing up more emotions for me. It will prove to be interesting since my main emotional issue has to do with anger. I have done a good job getting it under control as of late so hopefully this was just a little speed bump and I will be back on track.

It could just be living with teenagers. ;o)

Cravings
No cravings

Trash Bag Tango

I spent about 15 minutes cleaning a cabinet in my kitchen. I cleared out all kinds of crazy things that I haven't even looked at in ages. I set it all up for my mason jars with a little basket to hold all the lids. It looks so nice and feels so good.

Ramblings

So I have been thinking a lot about why I am having this emotional disconnect from my juice feast lately and it occurred to me that when I made the decision to do this I was having daily experiences with my inner self through meditation. Since starting the feast I haven't set aside the time for meditation like I used to. It seems that the juice feast takes a lot of actual time and mental time so I just wasn't making it a priority.

I realize that this must change. That I am a happier person when I am meditating (except for my anger episode today). So I will meditate for at least 15 min. each day. Now when I say meditate I don't necessarily mean that I will simply sit and meditate. Of course sometimes I will but I will also be listening to guided visualizations and my favorite the Moola Mantra. You can read about it on my other blog Michelle's Raw Adventure.

This is what I did today. I listened to the Moola Mantra for 30 min. and then spent another 15 min. in silent meditation. Oh, it felt so good. I really love the way I feel when I meditate. I was buzzing, and I mean buzzing. I could feel the energy surging through me. Love it!

The picture I posted today is in honor of the earlier post on clutter. I love, love, love the way those books look on the shelves, organized by color. How cool is that?

So, after saying I would post in the mornings from now on, I go ahead and post at night. Tomorrow morning I have to go to the high school and volunteer at my son's reality store. This is where the kids choose an occupation and spend the day trying to live on the wages. My son wants to be in law enforcement but he picked neurosurgeon for his occupation for the game. I asked him where the reality was. By the way, we both apologized to each other since I started this post so all is good.