Tony

~andrea
yogabyandrea.com

Have an outstanding day!

This blog is truly excellent. I’ve spent the last hour reading through some old posts and I can tell this will be a new favorite for me.

Your newest subscriber,

Alex

Just curios.

Thanks,
Shawn

Building Muscle on Raw Food Diet: Just to note…I am not a raw foodist now (I did a 2 month experiment last year though). However, I do eat a lot of raw stuff and have several raw foodie friends. I think the key is to make sure you get enough total calories. This can be tough if you are just eating salads…so get creative and experiment with nutritious raw smoothies, hemp seeds (great source of protein) and soaked nuts/seeds (in moderation) to keep your total calories up. Smoothies are a great way to get lots of calories without all the bulk.

Of course, another key is to train hard!!!! A common mistake is to change diets but not keep up with physical training. Try adding a couple weight lifting workouts per week and see what happens. Even a routine of sit ups, push ups, pull ups will help if done regularly. Make it vigorous!

Also, check out the site http://www.welikeitraw.com ; this blog has a lot of tips for raw foodists. http://www.veganbodybuilding.com is another great site for vegan/raw food fitness.

Meditation: If there are meditation classes in your area, do check them out. I “learned” meditation at a retreat and since then have cultivated a regular home practice. Really, the goal is just to still the mind. Going to a class will help you understand some of the small things you can do to help achieve that (by sitting in a comfortable seat with erect spine, repeating a mantra or focusing on breath, meditating at the same time every day, etc.).

For me, Just sitting with an erect spin and focusing on my breath for 10-20 minutes is very powerful. The key is to not focus on thoughts as they arise…just let them pass like clouds overhead. Try this for 10 days and let me know how it goes!

One question Ravi. I’ve been having trouble maintaining my weight since I started the raw food diet. What do you eat to build muscle? And another question, are meditation classes sth I should look into or is it sth you can do yourself with the right guidance?

Many thanks, an excellent post.

Having knocked down my stimulant use, I find that my depressant use almost echoes it in a symbiotic relationship. The more caffeine I drink, the more I drink in the evening to slow myself/my brain down.

It’s a vicious circle of uppers and downers and I have to admit I would rather be off the merry-go-round. I’m hoping to stop both as soon as I can. I do feel social pressure to drink – from my wife! – and even though I like a good drink I need to choose not to for my own sanity.

Does a New Year’s resolution *have* to start on 1 January?

I’m rambling now – thanks for giving my thoughts a poke in the ribs.

In fact, I met John Douillard in September at the Yoga Journal Conference (his book, Body Mind & Sport introduced me to the technique) and asked him your very same question, and also how long it takes to get proficient at it. Proficiency could take a month or even up to 6 months of diligent practice.

In terms of your question of racing….for endurance racing, you also would continue to use the technique, but would of course breath through your mouth at specific points when you need a boost (run up hills, push hard for the last mile of a race, etc…). If you are running a sprint or middle distance race of course…this would not necessarily apply.

Consider that many animals…including race horses….breath primarily through their noses, even under heavy exertion! Are humans really that different? Worth a try.

Another strange thing…when you really get nasal breathing…you’ll be running at a given pace with a MUCH lower heart rate….check out the other post I wrote about this for more details.