Detox.

Eat & Run by Scott Jurek. An inspiring novel...even for those of us that (hate) (loathe) do not enjoy running....

I'm cleansing.
Physically I have been cleansing for some time.
But now I am cleansing the space around me as well.
After all, I really don't need that much...

Most of my money spent is on my health...the food that I eat, the supplements that I take, holistic doctors and yoga classes. All of these things are something that I can take with me that take up no room...spending money now to save later. Stuff, things, clothes, possessions...these cannot be brought with you and they will do little but slow you down on the journey ahead. Aside from yoga pants, books and groceries, I don't shop. I see cute picture frames in stores, cool clothes, and interesting knick-knacks. I feel an urge to purchase them, but then, it passes - as quickly as it came. I literally live my life out of a small back pack - and sometimes I even get to live out of a car! How luxurious! I have come to realize that if it can't fit in the back pack, then its not necessary. Detoxing from my addiction to "stuff" wasn't easy at first, but now it is effortless. It is not unusual for me to take the shirt off of my back and give it to someone - or to take earrings off and hand them over to another. And I'm not sad to see them go, but happy to be free. Ya dig?

Last night I was at my friend Rochelle's house for dinner, and I started paging through her most recent read: "Eat & Run" by ultramarathoner Scott Jurek. I read nearly half the book before I left the house and then skimmed the other half. Talk about inspiring!! And I HATE running! But this guy has it figured out. His body is his temple. He nurtures it with healthy food, exercise, yoga and meditation. And he is very zen...I imagine that you must be if you are running 100miles on the regular. He quotes Yvonne Chouinard (founder of Patagonia and professional "dirtbagger"), saying "The more you know, the less you need." I'm going to repeat that, capitalize it, and put it in big letters....

THE MORE YOU KNOW

THE LESS YOU NEED. 

G'damn Yvonne, you could say that again. Sit with that for a second, and digest it. 

 And so it is.
The books can stay, but everything else must go.
If it can't fit in the back pack, then it can't stay here.

Give It Away.

Wanna be free...? Give it away! 

Give it away.

I love stuff....but I'm not attached to it (well, most days anyway!). The other day my crystal mala from India broke, and for a minute - it broke me. My heart dropped into my stomach, then was in my throat, and then it shattered into a thousand pieces. This was the mala that I used twice a day, 108x in the morning and 108x in the evening, to chant my beloved Gayatri Mantra. I chanted this for my Dad, and for myself...filling up the 'darkness' inside of me with the 'light' from the Divine and from this mantra. After a few deep breaths I reassured myself that this mala was just a 'thing', and though it held some representation of my Dad and my spirituality - it didn't define it. And ultimately - nothing is permanent...not this body, not our relationships, not our emotions, not our possessions. So free yourself. Give it away.

Yesterday in class I told everyone to think of their most prized possession. And then, their "second" most prized possession...and then I told them to give it away once class was over. Throughout Asia I was constantly giving away the shirt off my back. I gave away my yoga mat, my surfboard, my jewelry, and my love....and no, I wasn't left empty handed - I left with more than I'd come with, and with more love in my heart than I'd arrived with.

Give something away. Give a lot of things away. Give away one of your favorite things. Liberate yourself. I dare you. It feels GOOD.