And life has taken over my soul! How to maintain a healthy new lifestyle and 40 day challenge while still finding time for you

And it happened... a week and a half into my 40 day challenge Life took over my soul!

Between starting back at Starbucks, waking up at 4 am 4 days a week and till 10pm on the other two, working at the yoga studio, working my singing job and oh yeah trying to keep some sort of connection with my family and boyfriend, I got lost. The feeling of dread at having to find time to do everything that the world wanted me to and find time for all the meditations and kryias I, set out to do for 40 day was becoming a major stress point. I began trying to cut short or skip elements and then feel guilty about it, turning to massive sugar drinks at work, caffeine and potato chips when I got off. I even got the the point a last week where I did not even want to get up, because that meant that I would have to try and fall at it all again. 

After about 2 weeks of this, I stopped and looked at myself and said:

'Hey what the heck is going on??' 

What happened to the enthusiasm, the joy, the excitement that started you on this journey?? I had lost my joy in doing the yoga and meditating, had reverted back to horrible emotional eating habits I had kicked months ago and was back to heavy use of caffeine to function. I was a hot mess and a unhappy mess.

I needed to stop step back and look at what was going on.

And I realized in my excitement I took on too much and became too hard on myself when I physically over spent myself. 

I was trying to prove that I was a 'yogi' that I could do it all. But, prove it to who? Didn't I start out doing all of this for me? ....... Oh dear. 

 And oh I was.

So then I got to wondering, why on this green earth would you ever try to do a 40 day challenge then? Hmmm? It only causes stress and struggles right?

But:

“[W]hen we do sadhana, what do we do? We challenge the weakness, the laziness and our self-destruction. We challenge everything which is going to destroy us tomorrow.”
–Yogi Bhajan, 1/21/88

Well now that is pretty powerful wouldn't you say and rather true. The point of a 40 day challenge is not to be the most perfect yogi, do the most meditations, or show off your level of "commitment" to whom ever, where ever. It is to work with yourself and the technology given to make a change in your life. 

So ....... 

What now? Where does that leave me. Well I like to think of the whole situation like this :

"Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."
-Michael Jordan

 

So I'm resetting and honoring my first attempt and what I have accomplished this far and so should YOU! To make any progress is a great accomplishment and creates a stepping stone for moving father next time. 

I'm working to clean my body and am getting back to Paleo. I feel better and happier when I'm healthy inside and so here are two of the meals I made this week:

 Paleo Jambalya

I based my recipe on the jambalaya by Paleo OMG but I can't help it I'm not a fan of cauliflower rice. So I took that part out and some of my Herb Ground Turkey and chicken Liver topper into it instead. A great source of protein!

  

Herb Ground Turkey and Chicken Liver Salad

I was trying to find a way to add organ meat into my diet, but was rather scared to just cook it straight up and eat it. So, I cooked it up with ground turkey and added spices as well. Now I added a 1:1 ratio of chicken liver to turkey and I will be honest it does not let the chicken hold together at all, even with the addition of an egg and 1 cup of almond meal to make it more of a meatball.

 

Blueberry Coconut Chia Seed Pudding

My favorite and easiest item to make for breakfast, dessert or just a snack:

In a blender Combine:

1 cup vanilla-flavored coconut milk
1 cup full fat coconut creme
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup chia seeds
1 cup blueberries
1 cup shredded coconut

Place in containers and refrigerate over night. Serve with fruit, nuts or toasted coconut.

 


Okay so we got our health focus back, but how do you balance health, your personal life, work and a Sadhanas? 

Well here are my list of start slow ideas:

• First honor your body!!- Your body knows what it is doing so listen to it. If you are exhausted or really sick listen and honor the place your at. It's okay. That being said this is not an excuse to be lazy, push yourself just don't push yourself over the edge.
• Be Reasonable about your planning- If you don't have a lot of extra time with work and family responsibilities don't choose a 30 min Kriya and 5 mantras. Especially if this your first 40 day start off small and put yourself fully into what you have chosen. This is better than taking on a huge commitment and only half-assing all of it. 
•  Leave time for you- Whether that is a relaxing bubble bath or a run around the block, you time is just as important as the "have to do" things in your life. Make sure you aren't giving away your 'you' time.

OKAY!

So now we are ready to reboot and to start again. Working on a 40 day, or just begin a personal Sadhana practice.

Here are some links to Help you out:

Kundalini Yoga Boston: 

This summer KYB is having a online free 40 Day challenge that is a bit lighter than some full 40 day challenges. So keep your eyes open.

Spirit Voyage:

Spirit Voyage  is in the middle of a Restoring your Personal Power 40 Day. But even if you come in late you can start up and follow the video found here.

They also have a collection of past 40 days instructional videos such as:
So Purkh, Bound Lotus, Kirtan Kriya, Burn Inner Anger ,Japji,Radiant Body, Be in Flow With Your Highest Wisdom

So find something that inspires you and challenge yourself. To be a healthier and happier you. I know I am going to try again and this time around honor the wonderful steps I take.

<3

Share your light, Share your love

Jenna

About this Author:

I'm army brat and an only child from a single parent house hold. I have my Masters of Music in Opera, done internationally published pin up and tattooed alternative clothing modeling, and released my first single internationally under my stage name Jenna Dark. Many people say that I have such a glamorous life and must love it, but to be honest for as positive I tried to be I never felt complete or really happy, struggling with hating my job, myself and huge parts of my life.

I have been gluten free and dairy free for over 6 years now and my health, and those I loved became important to me. I began cooking and making all natural health products and found such joy sharing it with everyone that I began sharing my creations on-line. But I still wasn't happy. I craved a community, a fulfilling sense of purpose and turned to yoga and exploring my spirituality.  Over the years though, I would fall in and out of practice, as I felt something was missing: enter KYB and Kundalini Yoga. 

 Well this was something new!! Different than anything I had done before, I immediately searched for any studio in the Boston Region and found a studio called KYB. The proverbial light bulb almost exploded over my head with excitement.

Fast forward a year and I have been through many changes in my life but Kundalini yoga and my desire to share my love of full body health has not changed. I am discovering my calling, finding joy and a focus to my life that I wondered if I would ever receive. 

And there dear reader is why I write this blog and create my podcast :) 

So that you may find the joy in yourself and all around you like I have

<3 Jenna W./ Param Sevak Kaur