The Fasting Path

Is it possible that our inability to lose weight could be a result of our inability to let go of other things in our life?  One of the questions/comments that I here often is “I am doing everything “right” from eating the right foods to exercising, but I am not losing weight… I don’t understand - what am I missing?”

In my last blog, I addressed the colon as a possible cause.  But now I’d like to go a little deeper.  Someone asked me last week, “what makes you a holistic coach?”  I replied, “my work has evolved from looking at healing from the mere physical body to a more expansive view of how the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bodies affect the whole.” 

  I once had a client that I worked with for about 6 months.  She worked out 4 days a weeks, ate mainly whole foods, drank plenty of water, and occasionally had a glass of wine.  Being about 70 lbs over weight, her determination and will power to be healthy were growing weary.  Then I asked her to invite me over for dinner sometime.  A week later I went to join here and her family for a Saturday evening meal.  As I walked in the doorway of her house, I instantly felt the energetic weight of “things” upon my body.  Although her house was beautiful, she had “stuff” everywhere.  Knick-knacks, furniture, books, magazines, pictures, toys… everywhere!

After a nice dinner consisting of a salad, fish and veggies, we sat in her living room and talked about why I asked her to invite me over.  I said to her, “do you believe that your environment can affect your health?”  She said, “I think so.”  ”How do you feel about your environment?”  She looked around… “It’s OK, its home,” she replied.  I proceeded to ask her about her things… where she got them, what they meant to her, etc.  Then I said, “do you find it difficult or easy to let go of things from your past?”  “Oh, I am very sentimental, I can not get rid of anything, she said.”  There it was, I thought.  I looked her in the eyes and said, “do you think it may be possible that your inability to let go of personal things is the same reason your refuse to let go of your weight?”  A tear trickled down her face as she looked back at me.  “But i cant let go of these things, they mean so much to me.”  With compassion I replied, “tell me, what does your weight mean to you?” 

The evening evolved into a conversation about the interconnectedness of all things.  My client began to see how her outer world was simply a reflection of her inner one and how her body/health was a reflection of the beliefs that she held internally.  Her inability to let go was evident in all aspects of her life.  She talked of relationships that she kept around even though they did not serve her any longer.  The personal collection of stuff packed away in boxes that she held on to.  We talked about forgiveness and past hurts and by the end of the evening, she felt 1,000lbs lighter. 

Over the next few weeks, she began to cleanse her life … a little at a time.   Only letting go of what she was truly ready to.  She went through all of her boxes and donated them to Good Will.  Decided to let go of a few people that she felt no longer served her.  Spoke to her brother and forgave him after lugging around the burden of resentment for many years.  And as she cleansed aspects of her life, her beliefs about her ability to let go changed and therefore, her body.  Within 4 months, she  watched as the extra weight that she had been carrying for over 18 years effortlessly melted away.     

Far to often we look only at the physical when in fact, the solution is mental, emotional or spiritual.  By cleansing and removing things in our life that we may be tolerating (pulling the weeds), we create the space for change to occur (blossoming of new flowers).  Holistically, fasting is one of the quickest and most powerful ways to create the space for change.  When we “let go” of food, the other distractions of life become clearer.  We become more sensitive to those things that we holding on to that may not be moving us toward the light.  Fasting is the ultimate cleanse, which is why true healing can take place.  I know for many, the thought of fasting is daunting and for good reason.  Besides food, there are only two other things more important to our lives… water and air!  But we adopt so many erroneous beliefs around food that keep us in a state of dis-ease.  My client held a belief that she could not let go of anything!  It wasn’t until that root was exposed, that she was able to pull it.  When we embark on a fast with the true intention of healing, all of our beliefs begin to grow through the surface for us to look at.  Once we become aware of them, change and healing is simply a matter of choice.  

If you are not ready for a fast but want to start by cleansing your life, email me and i’ll send you a worksheet to help you identify tolerations you may be holding on to.  The “Cleanse and Renew your Life” program is a 10 week process designed to help you pull the weeds of your life, so miracles can blossom.   Love to hear your thoughts!

Namaste.