To Latte or Green Tea? That was the Question

Sometimes we have a hard day and we want some special pleasure or comfort. And for many of us, we want that comfort through food. Many times it is sugar, caffeine, alcohol, unhealthy fats, and processed food. Recently, I had one of those days. My morning was frenzied, rushed, and frustrating. What I really WANTED NOW (desire) was to drive to town (30 minutes from our camp in the jungle), escape from all my responsibilities, try to escape from my irritable feelings, and find comfort in a LATTE.

This would have been fine and no harm really done, except some small voice inside said, "Not so fast, Monique. First of all, do you really want to act on this impulsive desire? Do you really want to lose about two hours in running around and then possibly feel distracted for the rest of the day? You just counseled someone yesterday on letting go caffeine; how about that? huh? Is this a treat or an escape? Think about it."

Somehow, I listened to that voice. And instead of a latte, I made a piping hot green tea. Green tea, by the way, contains caffeine that our systems can handle better so it's not such a hit to the nervous system (and not such a let down later). Tea in one hand, I picked up the phone and connected with some old friends. We really laughed! I didn't do my "work," but I did feel stable, grounded, peaceful, and connected to my heart. As it turned out, it was a blessing that I stayed home because I actually needed to be there to handle a certain situation.

The diet part of the Yogic Diet is not about saying NO! to any particular food. Rather, it is about crowding out unhealthy choices with healthier ones. It is about making choices to deeply nurture ourselves with food, activity, and a positive lifestyle. It's about bringing awareness to our habits, patterns, thoughts, and tendencies.