Day 35

It's now Sunday and we find ourselves with our last little break from yoga madness with Yin, Pranayama and Meditation. Tomorrow? Balance says hello and we will all probably die a little. So, savour this moment because Yin will be gone for this next stage of the cycle. I know some people out there are happy as hell to see Yin go; but I'm one of the few weird ones that actually like it. Oh well, till Day 71 Yin!
It was a nice late lazy morning for me, so I wasn't able to do the class then; but I wasn't worried about doing Yin later tonite because it's just so relaxing for me. I did do Pranayama and Meditation though, so I wouldn't be going to bed super late. Again, I didn't have any problems with Pranayama and Mediation went smoothly. Travis' guidance is pretty awesome and I never get tired of it.
For lunch I had a very nice veggie curry with some basmati rice on the side. I also had some mushrooms in a Port reduction sauce.

I spent most of the afternoon helping my son study for his very last exams -thank God!- and by the time we finished I was able to relax just for half an hour before starting dinner and whatnot.
I had a fruit salad this time for dinner: I chopped up bananas, figs, apples, red plums, peaches and green melon and sprinkled it all with a bit of orange juice, sea salt and cayenne powder. I also had a slice of the low-fat vegan banana apple chunck bread my husband made on Friday.

Now. On to my opinon of vegan lifestyle after trying it out for three days. What can I say? First of all I think it's admirable all those people that opt for this way of living to be able to carry out veganism to the fullest. The passion definitely has to come from within and the deep respect for animals these people have is truly amazing. I wish I could have that resolve, but I just happen to think differently. What I express in these next paragraphs is only my opinion and I don't intend to offend anyone. Also, if any of my terms or vocabulary are "off", please take into consideration that English is my second language and I might get some things wrong from time to time -but I think it's pretty damn cool I can speak it so well and make so few mistakes occasionally: not everyone can say that-.
I was raised an omnivore, and as such I have lived my whole life. I have been through all kinds of roads down my life and I have sometimes indulged in some very bad eating habits. For the past 7 years I have taken conscience of my actions and decided to walk a healthier path for several reasons.
First of all I have a family that I want to be there for a long, long time. Eating crappy food isn't going to get me there. I also want to set an example for my son so that when he grows up he can make the right choices in his life in all aspects, food-wise issues included. A very important reason for me is that in order for me to look good, I need to feel good; and eating moderately and in a healthy way makes me feel good. I like, no: I LOVE looking good, and for me that is reward enough for all those sacrifices I make when I turn down that cupcake or cheesburger.
I decided to do the UY program not as a weight loss program: I have actually been at my target weight and fat levels for five years now and am not looking into loosing a single pound. I am sure that when I weigh myself tomorrow there will be no difference in weight as compared to when I started the program. I had been eating right and excercising a lot before I started the 108 cycle. All I want is to improve my yoga practice and tone my body a little more.
These past three days have made no big difference in what I eat, really. Nowadays I eat much more less processed foods than I did before and I have been cutting down on my animal protein intake with the UY program. What I did miss and am not willing to give up is my dairy intake. I love cheese! I love my Greek yogurt! I love food that has eggs in it! It is so much tastier than all those cardboard vegan ingredients! I can understand some people freaking out about eating the meat of an animal, but I just don't see the problem in eating their by products such as milk.
Now, some of you might say: "Well, why don't you go vegetarian?". Hellz no. I don't think I could stop eating meat! I love chicken! I love seafood! I love meat! And I adore Jamón Ibérico! I just can't picture a life worth living without being able to taste Jamón Ibérico again. Life is too short, in my opinion, to be restricting oneself so much. All in measure is a favorite saying of mine. I truly believe we are what we eat and our body is really all we have that is ours. If we feed it crap, well, that says a lot about us, yes? Whenever I see an overweight person, I really feel sorry for them because I know that they have no respect for themselves treating their body that way. Funny thing is that they always have a good reason for being overweight: "It's the gluten!" (STOP eating gluten), "I have no time to cook healthy so I always eat out" (order A SALAD instead of a Big Mac), "I can't cook different things for me and other things for my family" (ALL your family NEEDS to be eating healthy, not just you), and so on. Another funny thing is that they call people that are in their target weight "skinny bitches". Well thank you for that compliment! I wish you could see that being at target weight takes a lot of self restraint, sacrifice and commitment. I'd also rather have that cheesburger sometimes, but I think twice and order something else. Our bodies are our temples and we should treat them with respect. This part got a bit off track, but it is something I have always wanted to say because it is not easy loosing weight and keeping it off. It's not "genes". We are all born perfect babies: what we do from then on it's on us. I truly admire all these people in this wonderful UY group that are changing their eating habits and shedding those pounds off. I have been there and I know it's not easy: it took me two long years! So keep going strong because the rewards are endless.
All that being said, I don't want to become vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, tofuturkey-arian or any of those things. I am happy as I am and don't think I am doing anything wrong. The meat and by products I buy are purchased with conscience and I always look for free range and other things that tell me that the animal was treated with respect.
That being said, I don't think I'll do the raw lifestyle part of this program because if I am not willing to go vegan there's no way in hell I'll go raw. Ever. Never. Ever.
The juice fast? I will do that but just for a cleansing purpose and because I already bought the damn juicer. But the minute I feel uncomfrotable or hungry and moody, I will eat. With conscience. Like I always do.
Hopefully I haven't offended any tofu loving people out there -hehe- and all this will be taken for what it is: an opinion. Opinions are like belly buttons: we all have one.
Well my beloved yogis: tomorrow is Day 36 and we get to do our 36 Sun Salutations!!! I am pretty stoked about it and will head down to the beach to do them. Husband is coming along to snap some pics to post as my first round of the journey comes to an end.
I hope you all had a wonderful Sunday and are as excited as me for tomorrow to finally arrive. Sending lots of good vibes to everyone out there! Namaste.
PS As soon as that clock strikes midnight I am eating at least one triangle of that stupid Laughing Cow cheese. That cow needs to learn some boundaries.