Questioning Power

Welcome to the third week! You have reached the halfway mark, and we want to congratulate you on making it this far. The theme of this cleanse is your inner power, and we trust that at this point you are truly beginning to exercise, honor, and consciously cultivate that power. Your relationship with yourself and your power is a lifelong one, so our intention is to set you on a path of self-discovery that you will continue on long after this 30-day cleanse is over.

Last week we discussed the importance of cultivating your power-actively and consciously paying attention to situations, experiences, thoughts, actions, and patterns in your life that either deplete or strengthen that power, and making adjustments accordingly. You probably had many opportunities to observe yourself and make positive shifts. This week, we would like you to begin to actively question the external forces that have power over you.

There are two major questions we will be exploring this week: First, what has power over you? Second, what does it mean to reclaim your power? Most of us would like to believe that nothing really has that much power over us-that we make our own informed decisions and live our life according to our self-determined beliefs, choices, and actions. However, more often than not, instead of making conscious decisions and acting upon them, we are actually reacting to situations in our lives based on the stories we have accepted about the world and our place in it-our worldview. Our reactions are generally based on a combination of social norms, cultural programs, and past experiences. In short, we do what we believe we should do or what we have been programmed to do. Very few people act from their own highest authority. The main reason: unawareness of the external forces acting on our lives as if we were puppets on strings. Now is the time question these forces and to reclaim your self-sovereignty.

By now, the cleanse should be helping to lift the old veils from your eyes as your body is releasing old obstructions. By consciously choosing what, when, and how you nourish your body, you are saying no to the false powers that have for years worked their way into your body, keeping you in cycles of food addiction. By saying no to sugars, chemicals, meats, common grains, hormones, antibiotics, and additives-and releasing all that stored-up waste-you are reclaiming your power. You are strengthening your body and your mind, so that you will emerge from this cleanse with the self-sovereignty of an authentic human being, not an automaton!

Your Power Blind Spots

You gain power by recognizing your blind spots and obstructions to your clarity. By undertaking this cleanse, you have effectively declared that it is time to stop handing your power over to false authorities, that it’s time value your own opinions above the opinion of others when it comes to how to live your own life. Once you become aware of the external forces exerting their power over you, you have the choice to break free of them, to rediscover your authentic self, to conduct your life from a place of true power.

Noticing what you put into your body is a great way to begin noticing your power blind spots. However, the clearer you get physically, the clearer you get mentally and you start to see all of the other things that have held you under their spell. This week, begin asking yourself, What else is casting a shadow over my ability to make my own decisions? What else is obstructing me from living my most authentic life? What is keeping me down with a sword and making me act out of fear instead of power?

You may notice that certain commercials on TV make you crave foods you otherwise would not consider. Or that certain images in magazines make you feel like you must dressing a certain way or achieve a certain look. Perhaps such media exposure compels you to splurge on a bunch of cosmetics and clothes you barely ever use or wear. Conversations with others may make you feel superior or inferior about your job or social status. Maybe you feel like you have to drive a certain car. Maybe you find it difficult to speak your truth because you are afraid of what others may think or say about you. Take the time this week to evaluate whatever external forces are driving you to act compulsively, to react instead of act.

Once you become aware of the people, substances, experiences, and situations that are exerting a false power over you, you will notice their power beginning to fade. The beauty of this awakening is that the more your awareness and perception grow, the deeper your insights become and the more powerful you become from within. This week, you are far along enough in the cleanse to be making big conscious leaps in reclaiming your power. But remember, your clarity and strength will only improve as you continue to remove internal obstructions and broaden your awareness. If you like what you’re seeing and feeling now, just wait, because you ain’t seen nothing yet!

Self-sovereignty

As you become more aware, you will begin to gather a sense of self-sovereignty. You know that you have reclaimed your inner power when you no longer take orders from addictions or social pressures. Just imagine the freedom! You will no longer have a “yeast monster” telling you to eat the pastry, doughnut, or cookie. You will no longer feel compelled to drink and snack on whatever everyone else is having whenever you’re out with a group of friends. You will no longer make impulse purchases at the drugstore because the packaging is so enticing. You will no longer pop pills without understanding what they are doing in your body. You will no longer be a slave to your computer, smart phone, or television.

Self-sovereignty is a birthright that many people don’t exercise, much less recognize as a real option. When you address your food addictions and consciously take your power back, you are exercising your free will. This is not to say that you will always make the right decisions and never again be influenced by external forces (you would have to live in total isolation to achieve that, which is undesirable for most people), but that you will bring a higher consciousness to every thought, action, and interaction with the world, and this is a beautiful thing!

What’s Happening In Your Body During Week 3

Now that you are beginning to recognize that you have addictions you weren’t aware of before, and now that you are abstaining from them, there may be times when you feel a certain emptiness or lightness that you are not used to. Continually feeding your addictions keeps you feeling physically full and emotionally numb. Therefore, this sensation of lightness in the body may feel odd at first, but in the near future, when coupled with an emotional awakening, you will come to love it.

You may notice that you have an inclination to overeat at night. This is par for the course for many cleansers. Often people will still want to binge because they come home from work or a busy day feeling tired, lonely, bored-whatever the case may be. If you have this inclination to overeat and find that you cannot control it in a given moment, just notice it and make sure what you are eating is of the highest quality. The fact that you are overeating can be addressed later-don’t be too hard on yourself! Recognize that you are now overeating salads and vegetables, which is so much better than what you were probably overeating before. You are making huge steps by keeping to this cleanse every day, and you should feel very proud of that. Right now, you are focusing on changing the ingredients; changing the quantity can come later.

Remember that this work does not always appear linear. You may have noticed some detox symptoms during Week 1, none during Week 2, and some this week. You may cruise along and feel great and then get hit with a significant detox symptom. This is all okay and very normal. This just means you have hit another layer of obstruction or waste matter. It is just passing through. The last thing you want to do is get nervous and stop. Let the obstruction pass and you will feel better than ever! However, in the rare event that you are extremely uncomfortable with your detox symptoms, you can modify the cleanse by adding in a salad and baked sweet potato or other cooked vegetable at lunch. Most likely, adding these foods in at lunch will slow down the cleansing effects just enough to slow down your detoxification symptoms.

At this stage, you should be experiencing less diarrhea or constipation, if at all. If you are a woman of childbearing age, your menstrual cycle may get thrown off. Sometimes menstruation can disappear altogether for a few months and then come back much healthier. You can look forward to much shorter, lighter, less symptomatic periods in the future. Your reproduction system will only strengthen through the cleanse, and the nature of your period is one of best indications of that. In addition, the more impacted your colon was and the more clear it becomes, the more breathing room your reproductive organs will have, thereby improving their natural function.

Practical Considerations

Some boredom may set at this late stage of the cleanse. Thirty days can be a long time to stay focused and motivated. Dig yourself out of a rut by trying new recipes and activities. There are many great suggestions in our Virtual Living Room. Play around with different soups, vegetables, herbs and spices, and ethnic flavors. If you have focused more on starch-based meals so far, you might consider fish or eggs for dinner one night. Or you could consider some squashes you have never tried, such as acorn, spaghetti, pumpkin, or kabocha (just add marinara or another sauce you love). Dinner should be a joyous time of the day and you should love your food, so take the time to make a list of dinners for the week and make sure every meal in your lineup is delicious and satisfying.

Are you enjoying your exercise routine? Are you moving every day? This could be a good time to reevaluate how you are getting physical exercise and change things up a bit. Remember, we recommend physical activity to help oxygenate the blood and get chi flowing freely in your body, as this will continue to aid the release of waste and keep you feeling energetic and vibrant.

Lifestyle Considerations

If you haven’t already dined out at a restaurant during this cleanse, you may want to try it this week. You can definitely have dinner out while successfully cleansing! You may want to bring some raw veggies to start (such as olives, carrots, sweet potato slices, or cherry tomatoes) and then look at the menu carefully. Decide if you want a flesh- or starch-based meal, and then choose your salad and entrée accordingly. Look at all items on the menu for sides that aren’t specifically listed in the sides section (oftentimes, restaurants will serve creative vegetables with steak, sandwiches, or other entrées) and sauces that could go on top of your meal choice. But be sure to consider the sides section of the menu too, as you may find yummy selections to enjoy on top of your salad or as a main meal.

If you will be eating at a friend’s house, remember to volunteer to bring a dish. People are often surprised to find how good a cleansing dish can taste, so this is a great opportunity to make sure you have what you need while introducing others to this dietary lifestyle. There is always a gracious and elegant way to take care of yourself while remaining social and engaged as much as you want to!

You may be surprised at how much you are enjoying this new lifestyle. This may actually scare you a bit, as adopting it implies significant changes in your life. You might start reevaluating your social circle, or your job, or where you’d like to live. Don’t be alarmed-it’s completely normal to start questioning a lot of what you took for granted as normal before you began the cleanse. If you want to keep the life and social community you had before but continue cleansing and growing with this new diet-lifestyle, you will have to be okay with being different from those around you. Ask yourself, Can I be comfortable doing what feels right to me, even if everyone around me is eating and living differently? If your answer is no, you may need to evaluate why this is the case, and make certain adjustments in your perspective, your environment, or both.

Mental & Emotional Considerations

Boredom and distraction may be setting in, so this is a really good time to persevere with your daily meditations. If you are in need of some new inspiration, you can try any of the suggestions we have in the Products section of our Virtual Living Room or dive into some of Natalia’s favorites. The Chopra Center (store.chopra.com) also has some wonderful guided meditations you may want to work with. You can also re-listen to the recorded audios, to keep yourself centered and grounded and to remind yourself of why you are cleansing.

Homework for Week 3

Watch some inspirational, perspective-altering movies. We love Thrive, The Greater Good, Food, Inc., and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. All of these movies will strengthen your commitment to cleansing and give you a broader perspective on this work. They are entertaining and fun to watch as well!