The end of stay-cation
BY: Andrea Nakayama
DATE: 2012-05-26
My stay-cation has come to an end.
I have no remorse. No regrets. No pining for more time to stay-cate.
Truth be told, I’m ready; with more energy, more resolve and more engagement in my daily routine.
This month started out busy, with lots of travel, the opportunity to make great connections with colleagues and friends, and then the ensuing case of catch-up.
After it all, something happened. I didn’t contemplate its occurrence. I didn’t plan a stitch of it. But somehow, a part of me, a part not connected to my thinking, contemplating self, demanded a peaceful resistance to my usual routine.
It’s that peaceful resistance that I’m calling stay-cation.
Here’s what my stay-cation looked like:
I turned my computer off at 9pm (instead of aiming for 10pm like I usually do)
I removed my alarm clock from my room, allowing myself to wake-up naturally each morning (which for me is still usually around 5:30am)
“Sleeping in” like that (i.e., not getting up at 5:00am) meant that I didn’t go to any of my workout classes
And I didn’t call. I didn’t write (unnecessary emails or Facebook posts or Tweets or even a newsletter, that is)
What I did was allow myself to sink into another part of my routine, the part that fuels me at a whole other level, the part that a wise mentor recently described as “important but not urgent”.
I researched one of my favorite subjects.
I wrote a class to teach.
I experimented in the kitchen, making elixirs with my stash of medicinal Chinese herbs, spices and superfoods as well as some extra treats that I might not usually indulge in.
I took in the change of season. . . took it right into my bones.
What I did was till the soil, nourish the earth. What I did without realizing it was fertilize myself!
And miraculously the seeds got planted too. I had fresh ideas. I saw my next steps more clearly. And I was naturally able to look up and out, ready to end my May-cation and return to the routine that nourishes different aspects of myself.
With consciousness and refresh I now return to my environment. An environment ripe with new meaning.
As I transition out of my stay-cation, I’m thankful that I’ve established patterns, habits and a routine that promote and sustain the benefits of my stay-cation.
I’m equally thankful that I can be reminded of my own supportive practices by teaching others to tap into some of their own in Tick Tock Detox: Turn Back the Hands of Time.
My stay-cation was all about listening to my body’s cues.
This time I heard them on a level that wasn’t telling me what not to do (i.e. you shouldn’t have eaten those corn chips, they don’t feel good), but what TO DO (i.e. change-it-up girlfriend!). It was pure body instinct.
It’s this body instinct that is at the core of all my work. It’s this body instinct that I aim to teach others ~ to tap into their own body’s wisdom to let them know when its time to sink in, push through or listen-up!
I invite you to take a little stay-cation yourself.
Consider what that might look like. . .
Do you need to push out into the world, sink into yourself or find just the right balance of the two?
Do you need to immerse your feet in the sand or the dirt or under the throw blanket at the end of your couch?
Do you need to cross things off your to-do list or snuggle in bed in the morning with your family?
And then, next week, when you surface from your own stay-cation, let me hold your hand and show you had to gently nourish the seeds that you planted during your stay-cation. Join me for an opportunity to sink deeper into yourself, an opportunity to renew your commitment to your body, an opportunity to foster your energy and your health.
Join me for Tick Tock Detox: Turn Back the Hands of Time and a renewed you by the end of the month.
To stay-cations and reawakenings.
Warmly,
P.S. Here’s what others have said about their Tick Tock journeys. . .
“I have experienced first hand the benefits of listening to my body.”
I just want to thank Andrea for expanding my concept of delicious food and helping me stick with it! It has been a remarkable experience. I remember filling out the survey at the beginning asking us to outline our goals for the detox. I did not check “tapping into your body’s wisdom” and I wasn’t even really sure what that meant. I get it now and have experienced first hand the benefits of listening to my body. I doubt that I will pick up certain foods again and I will be much more mindful of what I put in my body.
~ Claudia
“I am savoring the sweetness of life a lot more.”
Over the past week I have been taking out A LOT of sugar from my diet. My food is a lot less sweet but something quite sweet (and unexpected) came out of this: I am savoring the sweetness of life a lot more. The crisp air smells sweet, the smells from the fresh food I’m preparing are intoxicating, the spots of sunshine feel like honey on my cheeks. Having less sugar in my body opens my pores and senses to the sweetness of life. I had forgotten how much there was.
~ Tara
What else is on my plate this month?
(it’s always gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free and egg-free)
I’m really having fun playing with Kelly Brozyna’s grain-free recipe. I’ve made it with olives, with chopped leftover asparagus, with soft sun-dried tomatoes and with herbs. I think I’m in love!
Black rice is loaded with antioxidants and this combo of (yum) is a great accompaniment to a piece of grilled wild salmon.
Since rice doesn’t grace my plate often these days, I’m always a fan of the Paleo rice options and this totally floats my boat. Play with the spice ratio to find your perfect blend.
And speaking of grain-free, I still need to get my cookie-fix on! I made a few minor adaptations to this , trading out the honey for and using 100% dark chocolate.
And if you want some ice cream to go with those cookies. . . holy moly, Ricki has done it again. I love her method of no-ice-cream-maker-needed homemade ice cream and this is at the top of my family’s list. (I subbed homemade cashew milk for the rice milk.)
By: Andrea Nakayama, FxNA Founder & Functional Medicine Nutritionist
Functional Nutrition Alliance provides the comprehensive online Functional Nutrition training in the Science & Art of the Functional Nutrition practice. Learn to address the roots of your clients’ suffering with client education, diet & lifestyle modifications.