Intentions and Nourishment - Happy Vegan MoFo 2017!

Hey friends!

I had such a plan for yesterday. Day One. I set my alarm early to give myself time to sit and pause and set my intention for the day and the coming month. I was going to drink a litre of lemon water, meditate, do some gentle stretching and feel myself into a place of excitement and purpose.

Instead, I woke up feeling rested but went into an immediate panic because it was 6:50am and I was scheduled to work at 7am. I rushed around, I got kind of teary and I so wanted a coffee. Coffee makes mornings better. But start as you mean to continue, right?

So instead I grabbed a hot herbal tea from Starbucks.

Do the best you can, where you are, with what you've got.

On the plus side, I got to see the sunrise over the city. 

I made it to work by 8am with no casualties and felt some gratitude that I work in a spot with a fridge full of cold pressed juices.

Green juice is gold this month.

After two juices, a beautiful detox water (cilantro, lime and cayenne - savoury and amazing), and zero caffeine, I definitely had a headache and a bit of a body chill but I'm familiar with this feeling at the beginning of a cleanse. The part where you feel kind of crappy but underneath you know your body is responding to the good.

For lunch I had this amazing nourish bowl filled with spring mix, shredded beet and carrot, sprouted mung beans, quinoa, falafel balls, sprouts and seed flatbread. It felt so good to be eating lots of fresh veggies again and taking the time to nourish my body.

I had a major melt down around 6pm.

Part of cleansing is dealing with the yucky emotions that come up. I felt a lot of fear and doubt. My inner critic was in full on attack mode. I'm learning to challenge that fear-based inner voice and remind myself it's okay to feel those things but most of them aren't real.

After that crash I realized I really should give myself a wean week to come off of caffeine a little more slowly. I'm generally the kind of person who thinks Go Big or Go Home but I need to be more gentle with myself than that right now. I deserve all of the kindness I give to other people. Its funny how it's hard to treat ourselves well sometimes.

Yesterday I learned that things won't always go as planned and I have to find a way to work with them. To celebrate the opportunities instead of getting stuck in the fear. To find what flows while staying true to myself and what I want.

So here is my intention for Vegan MoFo 2017. I've been thinking for years of blogging a cleanse so that's what I'm doing. One week to wean off caffeine, sugar, gluten, fear-based thinking, self-doubt and drama. Then Kris Carr's 21-day Adventure Cleanse. I'm treating myself to a month of radical self-care, mindfulness and the journey of connecting to my bliss.

Things I'm calling into my life:
colourful, vibrant, plant-based foods
hydrating, colourful drinks
movement that I enjoy
self-care time
beauty
joy
laughter
bliss
and deep nourishment on all levels

It will be an adventure. It might be messy, it might be beautiful, it might be intense, it might be exciting. Things won't always go as planned and that is part of the adventure. I'm going to do my best to be honest about what I'm feeling while going through the cleanse and what I think might bring value to whomever is reading this thing.

with a green juice smile and a nod to the Universe,

Elyse xo