Day 3: Master Cleanse

I will say one thing - that saltwater flush friggn works like a charm in an evil, immediate kinda way.  I have seen some blogs recommend not using that part of the cleanse but man, it is damn effective with immediate results.  So if you ask me, stick with the saltwater cleanse even though as you drink it down you want to gag on the insanely bitter, horrific taste...well worth it.

I did Yoga again on Day 3 (Iyengar this time), and had one of my best classes yet.  I think your mind craves distraction from the food cravings that happen when you smell anything that even slightly resembles a "food smell".  I was able to really focus on the breath and be in the pose during the entire class - something I havent been able to do so well.

 After class, I came back home, grabbed the board, and hopped in the water for a 1 mile paddle and surf.  Had plenty of energy and felt great...until like 7. 
I could not keep my eyes open or mind off of fooooood.  It felt like every commercial was about food.  Hell, even the Applebee's 2 for $20 platters that Chris Berman was pitching looked like the best food I've seen since birth!

I can say its harder this time around that I dont have a job, dogs, or a wife to keep my occupied.  Very glad I am doing it, but will only be doing 5 days this time around with a proper ending - meaning I will do the day 6 orange juice and day 7 veggies only before going to Applebees!!!!!

Vinyasa Flow on the cleanse...

I wasnt sure if I was going to literally "flow" from the saltwater flush or I was going to flow from the rhythm of Angela Kukhahn's class (seen in below pic), and surprisingly I had one of my better classes today. 

Lots of twists which you non-yoga folk would be surprised about the cleansing ability of a simple twist. It's like wringing a wet cloth by twisting it in the center. What happens to the liquid? Some of it sloughs off completely (inside the body this would be detoxifying or cleansing), other portions of the liquid move to the ends of the cloth from the center.   Lets just say after a night or weekend of drinking, you will sweat your ass off from some of these twists.

The technique in Yoga is to start the twist by trying to move only the navel toward your hip, then turning each vertebrae in the spine as  you move the twist up your back until you are facing the wall behind you.  There is an Iyengar twist below for you to check out.

After all the twisting and sweating, its 3.10pm, I finished 1 liter of my cleanse concoction and feel pretty energetic.  I'm thinking about surfing but given that more caloric intake is next to nothing, I will choose a sedentary afternoon/evening.

Iyengar Class post saline flush

Started my usual 1030am Iyengar class except this time there was some audible gurgling trumpeting from my stomach as the rest of the class attempted to focus on the invocation chant.  I also have to give props to one of my most inspiring teachers, Jennifer Edwards, check out her bio.

Also, check out Guruji Iyengar to the left, dude has the wickedest eyebrows I've ever seen.  Seriously though, in my opinion, he revolutionized the practice of Hatha Yoga.

I wondered if I rid myself of the liter of salt water or if by some strange chance while I held my leg in the air and attempted to steady my breath, that some saline would decide to mosey its way out onto the wood laminate. lucky enough for me, the entire class was spent upside down which meant I had nothing to worry about until the drive home.

Made it. Feel good despite the deliciousness of the smells wafting from El Tarasco on Rosecrans on the way home....