Day 41-

Day 41-
Today's diet:
On waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon.
Breakfast: Gluten and wheat-free muesli with lecithin, psyllium husks, honey and rice milk. Green tea.
Morning snack: A slice of rye bread toast, 1/2 with peanut butter, 1/2 with marmalade. Detox tea.
Lunch: Fried rice (rice, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, beans) with chicken.
Afternoon snack: None.
Dinner: Roast chicken with hommus, carrot sticks, celery sticks and feta cheese.
After dinner snack: Lemon and ginger tea with honey.
At least 2 litres of filtered water throughout the day.
Exercise: Housework- all day long!!!.
Sleep: About 8 hours, woke up once.

So much housework today, it was ridiculous. I am absolutely shattered. Tomorrow I am hosting mother's group, which is always fun and at least I have a nice clean house for it! I am making some seriously healthy snacks, spinach and feta pie, vegetable and chicken rice paper rolls, home-made hommus with vegie sticks and brown rice crackers to dip, mini carrot salads with falafel balls, home-made muesli slice, a fruit plate and iced fruit tea with ginger. Yum!

But, I did promise to write about Joshi's views on Meditation & Visualisation so here is the Meditation part:

Joshi states that meditation has been practiced for thousands of years in the East as a means of relaxing and enjoying quiet contemplation. It is designed to allow you to create a mental environment which is not influenced by the external stresses of day-to-day physical and emotional life. Apparently the practice of meditation has been clinically shown to not only reduce cholesterol and bring down high blood pressure, but improve the well-being of people suffering from stress, headaches, acidity, emotional vulnerability, skin irritations and insomnia.

We all meditate when we daydream, allowing our mind to wander, but concentrating on doing it is far more beneficial. Joshi says it is important to be alone and uninterrupted and suggests turning off your phone, telling everyone to leave you alone for 25-30 minutes and following these steps:

- Have a nice hot shower to relax and let go of the day's negative thoughts and energies.
- Sit in a warm room, with your back against the wall, on the floor, or in a comfortable chair, try to make sure that your spine is straight.
-  Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Focus on your breath as you inhale and exhale.
- Try to think of nothing else and you will relax completely.
- When your mind wanders and you find yourself thinking of things that have happened, or things you have to do, try to make your mind as blank as possible, try hard to think nothing at all.
- Focus on a candle flame or create a mental picture of a place or painting or environment, like the sea or the forest, that promotes a feeling of calm.
- Keep your eyes closed.
- When you feel ready, become more aware of your surroundings and gradually open your eyes. - Do this for 10-15 minutes at the end of each day as a way of relaxing your body and Detoxing your mind.

Joshi also mentions a couple of other forms of meditation, like chanting a mantra, which is a word or sound which evokes a positive energy. There is also the practice of focussing on a chakra point (energy centre in the body), to promote balance and health.