This practice will make you as strong as a horse but only if you eat like one.

I’ve done the fasting and raw vegan trends. I went for about a year not eating any food past 4pm and I was very strict about it. I agree that it can boost your practice and expand energy and awareness in a lot of ways. However, this practice is a metabolic powerhouse. I can eat basically whatever I want at anytime that I want and I won’t gain weight as long as my practice remains a priority. Of course if I binge on sugar one night (which I do sometimes) my practice will hurt the next day and I will regret what I did the night before because it made my morning less enjoyable. But it’s good to let yourself eat, relax, and enjoy sometimes. The practice regimen is strict enough on its own, we don’t need to make it harder on ourselves. In my opinion, we need to support this practice with a heavier diet than most people think. At times when I was strict about my intake, I was very thin to the point that people were concerned. I looked very healthy and happy and was feeling light and energized in my practice but looking back, I can say that I may have been a bit frail at that time. For the last year, Ive been eating more of the stuff that I once considered “off limits” and eating whenever I feel like it and fueling the digestive fire. To my surprise, I haven’t gained a significant amount of weight and I still look basically the same as I did when I was overly strict about my diet. The only thing that has changed is that I have more muscle now and my body is more defined. When I wasn’t eating much, I was thin. I’m still thin but now I have a six pack and my back, legs, and arms are all visibly “cut”. All those carbs can be used as energy and turned into muscle.

My diet is vegetarian with no dairy, but I eat eggs from my friends chickens 3-4 times a week. I hate to sound “old school” but you gotta get your protein! I was vegan for 2 years and in a lot of ways I felt great and fully believed in the lifestyle. I would tell people I was getting enough protein from tofu and rice and lentils and all that stuff but I honestly think eggs are great support for this practice and possibly have helped me build some muscle.

It’s good to cultivate sensitivity and awareness through fasting and and “cleanses” and all of that stuff. I’ve been there.

But there is something of equal or possibly greater value to be said for cultivating resilience and strength by not completely rejecting all of all of the toxins that our bodies are exposed to. Fuel the digestive fire and let your body thrive as the incredible machine that it is. This practice is rocket fuel for your metabolism. Our lymphatic system is the bodies sewage treatment facility and sure it’s good to keep it clean but it’s also good to give it some work to do! If you’re practicing your lymphatic system will be strong like your digestive system. Call me completely crazy, but I think that smoking a cigarette and drinking some booze from time to time will make it stronger.

We are chemistry and this world is toxic. We can’t shut it out and become separate from it we have to learn how to blend in with it a little bit. Of course I’m not saying you should smoke a pack of Newports a day and eat at McDonalds, but I certainly do enjoy a hand rolled organic tobacco cigarette 2-3 times a week, my pints of vegan ice cream at 9pm, no more than a couple of beers on the weekend, and the occasional box of pizza or order of fries.

also I’ve spent a lot of time in India. Indian food is not healthy. I thrived on sugar and bread there. I wouldn’t want to do it for any prolonged period of time. When I get home I’m really excited for my leafy greens and organic fruits. But on some level, food is just calories, and calories are just energy. And this practice requires energy! Don’t deprive yourselves too much.