Ego Weekend

What is Ego? Ego means what we identify with. I AM the small self, my fears, my fat, my beauty, my body, my aches and pains, my mistakes, my anger, my pride, my issues, my vanity, my emotions, my wealth, my poverty, my failures, my successes, and so on. Identifying with the small self often manifests as feeling superior or inferior. When we refer to the ego as an obstacle that usually means that small self mode.

The ego can also identify with the higher Self. I AM. I am Consciousness. I am an instrument of God's peace. I am a vehicle of Divine energy. I am the Witness, Watcher, and Seer of all this. I am letting go and letting God. Identifying with the higher Self feels good, peaceful, and in the flow. In this state, we notice how everything is happening perfectly and we feel grateful.

Anyhow, today I was thinking about the connection between ego (small self) and discipline. I notice that on the days when I am practicing my disciplines, the small self ego has much less hold on me. And the opposite is also true on the days when my practices fall by the wayside.

For example, during the weekdays I practice my disciplines very easily. I watch my sugar intake, eat lightly, practice yoga every day, pray and meditate, adjust my thoughts and feelings as needed, and plan my days. These disciplines make me feel light, light-hearted, and somewhat enlightened. I am identifying with the higher Self lots of the time.

But I've noticed that on the weekends, those disciplines sometimes go out the window and often by Monday I'm achy, bloated, and ready to be hard on myself (ego - I am my mistakes). It is also a bit harder to get back into those disciplines after I've let them lapse for a while. Can anyone relate to this?

So, what is the solution? Do I need to be more like Gandhi who kept up his disciplines no matter where he was or what was happening around him? But then what about taking it a bit easy with my family on the weekends?

I think the solution is to add to my Yogic Diet strategic attraction plan:
- BE GRATEFUL - I am grateful that discipline now comes easy from Monday through Friday.
- BE THOUGHTFUL and PLAN - I spend time to plan for the weekends. I plan to eat a high protein breakfast on the weekends. I plan to do a mini yoga and meditation session each day on the weekends. I do them and I feel great. I plan to cook a nice dinner for my family on Sundays.
- BE POSITIVE - It is now easy for me to take better care of myself and my family on the weekends.

Having a plan is 90% of the solution. Let me practice this and I'll let you know how it goes. I think it's going to be a good weekend.

The Yogic Diet Program Elements

The elements of the Yogic Diet program that I offer are:
1. Yogic Diet
Enjoy energy, vitality, and strength as you incorporate a pure, wholesome, and naturally delicious yogic diet into your life. Tailor your diet to include more fresh and dried fruits and berries, pure fruit/vegetable juices, raw or lightly cooked vegetables, salads, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, wholegrain breads, honey, fresh herbs, herbal teas, and dairy products such as milk and butter. You may also want to reduce animal products, alcohol, sugar, caffeine, processed and packaged foods, tobacco, white flour, and fried foods which can adversely affect your body and mind. In addition to improving what you eat, the Yogic Diet offers suggestions as to how to eat, when to eat, how much to eat, and so on.
2. Yoga and Exercise
Be Active and Energetic! Make a fitness plan that you can stick to doing the exercises you love. Include hatha yoga into your weekly regimen to:
- Build strength and flexibility
- Lengthen muscle tissue
- Tone internal organs
- Flush toxins out of gland and endocrine systems
- Aid the flow of prana [vital energy] in the body like acupuncture/deep tissue massage
- Deeply relax your body and mind
* Some of the side effects of yoga are great health, abundant energy, proper weight, stress and pain reduction, and lasting feelings of tranquility, peace, and unconditional love.
3. Law of Attraction
We get back what we give out. Our thoughts, feelings, and actions must be focused on what WE DO WANT in order to attract it into our lives. Through the 4 step Bee-ing Attraction Plan(TM), you make an integrated attraction plan for your body, mind, and soul to ensure that you attract health and fitness goals, happiness, abundance, contentment, improved relationships, and a deeper connection to Source into your life. Having a plan is 90% of the solution.
4. Positive Thinking
Take a positive approach in all areas of your life. Practical tools such as contemplation, self-inquiry, prayer, and signs of land will help you release thoughts, feelings, and old patterns that hold you back and keep you feeling stuck in worry, anger, regret, and fear. A disciplined mind leads to steady wisdom and happiness.
5. Spiritual Practice
Make a plan for your spiritual practices. Whether you want to make time for prayer, meditation, scriptural study, formal worship, devotional practice, chanting, service work, or charity, the Yogic Diet will help you go deeper into your own faith. According to the philosophy of yoga, as well as the world’s religious traditions, the purpose of life is to know God and to serve others. Experiment and discover which practices resonate with you the most and make them a part of your life.
6. Selfless Service
Selfless service is a cornerstone of yoga philosophy and of good leadership. Discover what makes you tick, what you came here to offer, and how you want to serve your world. Be inspired and passionate as you improve and touch the lives of others in big and small ways. The Yogic Diet program will help you set achievable goals for finding and offering your path of service.

Ahimsa - Love Yourself

Ahimsa is one of the Yamas and Niyamas of yoga philosophy which were laid out by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras as essentially a set of restraints and observances to work with as a foundation for spiritual progress. These Yamas and Niyamas are lightly dubbed the "10 Commandments of Yoga." The first Yama is Ahimsa which literally means practicing non-violence or non-harming toward oneself and others. Don’t hurt yourself or others with thought, word, or deed.

Once I was at an ashram studying yoga and I learned about the concept of samskaras. Samskaras are old and limiting patterns and tendencies that are known in modern times as our “issues.” One goal of a yogi is to identify, heal, and release our samskaras or issues so that we can be happy, serve others, and walk our spiritual path. During that stay at the ashram, I asked a swami, “What are the root of our samskaras?” He had obviously thought about this one because he sagely replied, “The root of ALL samskaras is self-hatred.” Wow, so it is ultimately self-hatred that keeps us stuck with anxieties, fears, all negative relationship patterns, self-destructive tendencies like overeating or drinking too much, self-esteem fluctuations, anger, sadness, and feelings of loneliness and disconnection from Source. But I thought it was their fault!

If it's true that all of our issues arise from a level of self-hatred, then the practices of loving ourselves and non-harming or Ahimsa are the logical solutions as the avenue of healing. This is why the Yogic Diet emphasizes nurturing and healing our bodies, minds, and souls. Each practice of the Yogic Diet, including nurturing the body with a pure diet and hatha yoga and mastering positive thinking techniques, are practices of Ahimsa.

What can I do today to practice Ahimsa? Start with making yourself a priority. Set aside some time each day to nurture yourself. Cook nice food, get your body moving, start to change your self-talk (no matter what the issue is) from negative to positive, and begin to see every obstacle as an opportunity for you to deepen your love for yourself. After all, God created you and is pleased with how you are manifesting. Now, become pleased with yourself.

The Yogic Diet for Your Body

One of the classes I offer in my Yogic Diet coaching is "The Yogic Diet for Your Body." This class is about developing body, mind, and soul practices for weight loss, optimal health, and happiness. In my course, clients:

- Create a Bee-ing Attraction Plan(TM)
- Move toward eating a yogic diet as described by the ancient wisdom of yoga and contemporary sources
- Incorporate the practice of hatha yoga exercise into their lives, including steady breathing and relaxation techniques
- Discipline the mind through the practice of Positive Thinking: self-inquiry, contemplation, prayer, gratitude, signs, and affirmations
– Attract the perfect radiant body using the Yamas and Niyamas (5 Restraints and 5 Observances) of yoga philosophy to heal body and self-esteem issues and increase self-love.

Contact me if you would like more information about this class.