What exactly do I mean by clear secum, clear mind? Well, last night I had a dinner party that went pretty late, so I am officially entrenched in West Coast time. Actually I’ve made dinner for dinner parties the last 2 nights in a row! I’ve been going and going, and there are moments when I feel thrown off. During those times it just seems that things are a little harder to deal with and work out that normally aren’t. And I know EXACTLY where it relates to- my backed up belly! When I travel and my bathroom schedule gets even slightly off, it really makes a huge difference in everything, including my yoga practice, my mentality and my appetite.
There are energy lines in our body that run up and down, and interconnect. In Oriental philosophy they are called meridians. My friend Yvonne who is an acupuncturist is the real expert in meridians, and acupuncture can help opening these lines of energy. However, we don’t have to resort to acupuncture to immediately remove major blockages in our bowel- but we need to resort to something! Otherwise we will really start to feel the effects- even if they are subtle and even if we don’t necessarily equate them to our bowels.
The secum of our intestines, which is on the right side, is connected via meridians to the skull. And so on and so forth throughout the whole body. I know I am backed up immediately when I start getting a bit, um…testy shall we say. 🙂 Agitation, headaches, feeling overwhelmed, overly nervous, etc. can all be related to this. Part of the yoga practice is maintaining equanimity, and I definitely consider how I choose to eat and keep my body clean as part of my practice. It sure helps keep the mental equanimity- which is not always easy. Authentic and ancient yoga books discuss various forms of keeping the bodily temple clean along with asanas (poses).
So I can’t stress enough how important it is to not let yourself get to the point where you feel backed up. It can and will energetically affect all areas of your life. Energy permeates, everything is full of energy, and stuck energy will not allow the life force to flow through you. You will not feel as vibrant, and you will certainly not feel your best. We can not have stuck waste in our bodies and except to be on top of our game- and right now I’m not even talking about the old toxicity, I’m talking about stuff from yesterday, and possibly the day before!
Oh- so back to the trip. I was feeling okay at the beginning, but hit a little low point a few days ago of being a bit backed up. For me, the best quick fix is downing some Kombucha on an empty stomach. Out here I get the bottled kind. There is something about the liquid delivery of a hefty dosage of probiotics that really helps rebalance everything, usually pretty quickly or at least in 24 hours or less. So yesterday was a great rebalancing day, and I feel great again today, even when I am up late at night and up early in the morning the next day, like I was this morning, with lots of stuff going on. 🙂 If you have access to coconut kefir, which is also liquid, that would be amazing also! I had some of that last night also, courtesy of my friend Jon Biel, and it was great. There are many foods that increase metabolism, such as spinach, which is said to have somewhat of a laxative effect on the bowel, but these foods will not usually be as immediate.
So please be conscious of how important of an issue this is to deal with when it comes up, and do what you have to do to stay clear-minded!
Have a wonderful day!
Love, Kimberly
Hey Kimberly,
I’m sorry that you were feeling, off but it is encouraging for me to hear that other people go through the same thing!
The first way I get unbalanced is getting backed up- and to be honest I still have found a perfect rhythm that keeps me in check.
Fruit, green smoothies, kombucha, fresh juices, great. But when I go into savory territory (eating wraps, soups, salads, dips, crackers, etc.) I tend to get backed up.
I’ve figured out how to eat salads and soups for the most part- keeping them relatively simple, controlling portion size, strict attention to food combining/not drinking more than a few sips with meals- and not eating onion/garlic/grains/corn.
Flax crackers however- I’m not sure how to eat them. I tried with a salad, but they felt like a brick in my stomach. I only had a few! I tried them a couple weeks later, with some fermented cabbage and an avocado and spices, and lemon juice… no luck! I’ve tried drinking kombucha with them… too.
Could you please give me some advice about how to not feel heavy/bloated or get backed up when eating things other than green smoothies and fruit? I’ve research it a lot, but still can’t figure it out.
Colonics have helped some, and I’m trying triphala too.
Hi Marcheline (and Michelle!)
Yes, flax crackers are extremely concentrated. I would try eating the salad/smoothie, other greens first– which contain water and are alkaline, and will help digest and push the flax crackers through easier. Chew them really, really well, and do not ever eat them with nuts. Also- be sure that you are eating flax crackers where the flax seeds are actually ground up! Flax crackers where the seeds remain whole are much harder on the body to digest!!
xx Kimberly
I should probably mention, I’m a long-term raw vegan- the only non-raw food I have is nutritional yeast and occasionally the broth strained from simmered veggies.
Thanks :)!
It is so nice to see that I am not the only one who suffers from getting backed up!! I have just started incorporating kombucha and water kefir into my diet.. and have really noticed the effects!! Love them! I still have difficulty when I travel… though now that I know about kombucha and uping my probiotics before and during travel should hopefully help me.
And going along with Marcheline comment… I feel the same way when I eat anything else but smoothies. I mean I love my smoothies though every now and than I want a salad or something but then my tummy gets bloated again… ugh. It never ends. And I too been getting colonics… I have been going once a week. Trying to really clean my colon!
wuts coconut kefir?
It is a fermented liquid made from coconut water. In the fermentation process, lots of probiotics form!
I totally relate to this post! My work schedule is constantly changing….sometime I have to be in at 4:45 other times not until noon! So this constant change really messes me up …. (i’ve gotten colonics and have started taking oxy powder …. and it’s really helped) Do you think kombucha would work for this as well??
Thanks Kim – you’re great! 😀
Hi Jenny!
Yes, I think it would help when you get in a rut. 🙂 Also, taking a daily probiotic helps, and try to eat your Green Smoothie or breakfast later on, so you have time to be in detox mode in the morning. 🙂
xx Kimberly
Kim you are the best! Let me just say thank you!! for taking the time to answer my (and many other people’s!) questions 😀 Its very sweet of you and shows how caring you really are!!!
In regards to the question about my schedule … another problem I have is that sometimes I get home around 9:30 pm and am hungry after work (now sometimes I eat around 5 pm for my break sometimes I dont) but I am almost always hungry when I get home regardless of if I ate on break or not! Do you recommend for me to eat .. even tho I am going to bed soon…or should I just wait until morning to eat??
Also do you have any books that you have written? Would love to read it and support you 🙂
HI Jenny!
My book is coming out soon enough. 🙂
If you do eat later on, try to keep it light, and maybe more of the same food you ate at 5 pm, so it is the same foods that are digesting. Stay away from dairy, caffeine, animal protein, soy, etc. to ensure you get a good night’s sleep. If you just have some munchies, crunchy veggie sticks and salsa are a pretty harmless late snack!
xx Kimberly
Hi Kim,
I was reading Dr Gillian McKeith’s book “You are what you eat”, she suggests having warm water with a squeeze of lemon first thing in the morning. I’ve been doing that, some days it seems to work better than others but at least it’s an easily accessible alternative and maybe worth a try.
Anni:
It is obvious that you have not read my blog, “Good Morning! How is Your Colon This Morning!,” which discusses having hot water with lemon in the morning. Check it out! Dr. Norman Walker was the first major proponent of this theory many decades ago.
Come visit again. xx Kimberly
Haha, no I obviously hadn’t read that one, but those good tips just seem to find me from one source or the other 🙂 Let’s hope that someone else picked it up here!
Kimberly,
Thanks for making some wonderful dishes the other nignt – you are my favorite person to invite over to dinner because you bring and fix your own food!
I’m glad I had some young coconut water kefir on hand for you and John to enjoy.
For you, and any of your readers, here is a link to Body Ecology’s great step-by-step directions on how to make this wonderful drink jam-packed with “good bacteria”!
http://www.bodyecology.com/mcoconutkefir.php
I look forward to our next dinner!
Thanks so much for your response, Kimberly!
I have tried the order that you suggested, but the crackers I’ve been having weren’t ground (though they are sprouted.) I thought that ones that were ground would tend to oxidize or go rancid.
I guess I”ll just have to keep experimenting. 🙂
Oh, and I apologize for another question, but what are your thoughts on mushrooms?
Dear sweet Kimberly,
I just wanted to say thank you. What I really like and why I keep coming back to your blog is your happiness that catches, you have a great aura, even online. I love that you are open-minded and not writing to lecture. Many people who have found their path in one way or another (for example raw food) treat it like it’s the only truth and start preaching like it was a religion. Well, it is not. Such narrow-mindness esily turns into negativity despite the good intention. I am very interested in raw food, heath and happiness but I will never be 100% (never say never) and it’s OK. It suits me and I still find a great inspiration in your blog and in many other sources too. It’s good to enjoy life but not to have a restrictive mind-set.
Have a fantastic weekend, I am looking forward to all your new posts. How about some spicy warming winter recipes?
Lots of love,
Laura
Hi Kimberly..
Hope your day is going well!!! Thank you again for all your blogs.. I love them!
I have one question on the detox/cleanse drink. You mentioned before to always have the Green Smoothie in the morning and I can have the detox drink either for lunch or late afternoon snack (3 hours after my meal). But how much do I drink of the cleanse drink? and it’s 3 times a week right?
Thanks for all your help in advance..
Have a great day!
When are you coming back on Fox 11 news morning show with Steve, Dorothy, and Julian? That’s how I found out about your website and smoothies.. Thanks
Hi Kimberly..
Hope your day is going well!!! Thank you again for all your blogs.. I love them!
HOw much of the detox drink can I drink? Can I make enough to keep in the fridge for a few days?
Thanks for all your help in advance..
Have a great day!
When are you coming back on Fox 11 news morning show with Steve, Dorothy, and Julian? That’s how I found out about your website and smoothies.. Thanks
Fantastically truthful post; the illumination continues!
Fast question: What do you think about raw, organic milk kefir made from live grains ?