New normal
I just returned from an amazing girls weekend for a yoga workshop in Victoria. It was a blissful time filled with nourishing food (here and here), progressive yoga, and deep and meaningful conversation. I went with two of my students who had completed my Align and Thrive course so we were all in sync with our daily habits.
We started the day with hot water and lemon which inevitably led to a conversation about poop (yes, we talk about poop and just about everything else in Align and Thrive. And if you're wondering, hot water in the morning helps stimulate bowel movements), we did a morning breathing practice and meditation together and then made green smoothies before we went off to yoga class.
It struck me that this was not how I used to spend time with my friends. If I reflect on girls weekends I had been on in the past, it was often a time of overeating rich and indulgent food, drinking too much alcohol, and staying up too late.
At the time I would have thought that abiding by healthier habits might have been less fun and entertaining but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The weekend was lovely and I felt amazing and energized – even after 4 hours of vigorous physical activity daily.
My new way of being has become my new normal. Before it was normal for me to overindulge and then feel bloated and disgusting (it still happens once in a blue moon) and it was normal for me to have 2-3 drinks at night and wake up feeling less than steller. It was normal for me to be completely dependent on my morning coffee to get me going for the day and feel two steps behind.
As I've incorporated the daily habits of dina charya – the daily routine based on Ayurveda, my life has changed in more ways than I can could have ever conceived. I feel in control of my habits, I crave things that are healthy and I deeply honor and respect my body. I take care of myself and know what I need to do to feel my best.
I'm so passionate about the power of our daily routine that I've dedicated my work to sharing and teaching this process. It's been so transformative for me and my students and I want to spread the word as far and wide as I can reach.
Grace experienced an amazing transformation in Align and Thrive. Check out her before/after photo.
“This 10 week course opened up the realization that it’s possible to put life changing habits into place. I had really lost hope in some ares of my life. I thought I wasn’t able to stick with things long enough and that it was just “who I was”. I was stuck in these old stories of “I am not a morning person”, “I am unorganized” - although I desperately wanted to be an “organized morning person”. Learning about my composition (Dosha) suddenly made my whole life make sense, the highs and lows I experience and the general state of discomfort. Dana laid it all out in small bite-sized steps, each leading in to one another in a very non-threatening kind of way. For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel overwhelmed with all I wanted to be, do and change. The golden nugget for me was that change happens one step little step at a time. Re-vamping habits and replacing old habits is totally possible. Knowing this has opened up my entire life from the seat of “possible”. Infinite gratitude. ”
And a year later:
“It’s been one year since I took Align and Thrive from Dana and I am down 40 lbs!
SUCH RELIEF! I had no idea I could feel this good.
Tell everyone you know - I had given up hope, and now I feel like I can do the damn thing - this life, this purpose.
You gave me my life back Dana, I can never ever thank you enough. Keep doing this work - you are changing lives. My children will thank you someday...”