Changing Habits for More Balance

Happy New Year! I've been reading Aveline Kushi's Complete Guide Macrobiotic Cooking, for Health, Harmony and Peace. I was on this diet several years ago when physically out of balance. As any yogi knows sometimes balance is a state of mind. When practicing, Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon pose),the mind can anticipate falling out of the pose even before attempting it. The food we eat can also cause imbalance. As we re-attempt healthy, harmonious and peaceful eating, the mind's doubt sets in, we're not sure we can do it. Will changing our habits around eating really help.? Eliminating or reducing salt, sugar and bad oils is just the beginning. We need to shop for supplies to make food taste good without using much salt. Tahini, miso and Spike, garlic powder, or herbs de province can be used as salt substitutes. Then there is the issue of what to reach for when breakfast has worn off. As the body begins to detox the mind starts in, can we do this...? can we really change a habit. Felicity Green, senior Iyengar yoga teacher, says it takes two weeks to create new habits. It can also be called habit inertia, or stuck in an old habit. But then, after two weeks something starts to happen, the hunger pangs recede, and the headaches from detoxing seem to vanish. The mind seems to follow and the day seems to feel more harmonious. The thoughts become clear reflections. Svadhyaya ( self reflection) is occurring because time was taken to prepare meals consisting of grains, veggies and protein. By changing one habit, other inert habits come to mind to question. For example why do sugar cravings occur at the same time of the day, and why do we think we are hungry when transitioning from one activity to another, or when just having to say goodbye to a dear friend. Answering these questions make us learn about ourselves in new ways. The mind is cleansing itself as the body absorbs and synthesizes its fresh veggies. More patience during yoga practice occurs. I learn which poses are needed to stir energy, or turn down boiling agitated temperaments in our bodies. Maybe we need to linger a bit longer in the pose, and taste all parts of the body to understand what action is needed. Cooking more balanced meals creates harmony with people, animals and the environment and yes daily discipline (Tapas) is needed. In order to maintain the new habit we have to continuously unlearn, and release, a lot of inert old habits. Felicity says changing a habit is like picking a part a knot. The more we ask why, and are curious about what arises in the mind, the more the truth unravels itself. The new year, like the morning, dawns. Best wishes for the New Year.