Just joining us? Read the backstory here.

And so here we are!

Day one is almost done and I don’t know about you, but we feel like submerging ourselves in a hot bath and staying there until it’s flip flop season again.

Let’s dive right in.

Kate says:

If you are following along in our Facebook group, you know that lots of us have been a little cranky as we get going with the juice feast.

A few things to think about…

1. Our goal here is #juiceeverydamnday, not #onlyhavejuiceevenifitmakesyoufeellikeapsycho! For most people participating, it’s cold outside! Adding warm beverages (herbal tea, etc.) and a light vegetable based soup if you need it is a good way to go. It’s also fine if your main goal is adding the juice, and not taking anything away.

2. Simplifying our habits makes room to think about other things. When we take away a few things that add to the distractions of the day, we notice lots of thoughts and feelings that normally get lost in the shuffle. Instead of dumping them out on those around us, it’s a great time to journal.

For me, tea is non-negotiable. Coffee, I enjoy but can take or leave. Tea, well…even if I don’t have caffeinated tea, it’s a must have #everydamnday, and especially when it’s cold out.

A few teas that you might enjoy with your juice:

1. Genmaicha: This is one of my all-time favorite teas. Roasted rice and green tea (either matcha or sencha) makes for a mild, calming tea that has often been used for while fasting. My favorite blend is from Churchill’s in Cincinnati.  (On a side note, I’ve found it also makes me have interesting dreams…but I have no science to back that up!)

2. Yogi Tea Perfect Energy: This is amazing. The wonderfully talented Shira Engel turned me on to this and it truly is “perfect energy” without the crazy highs and lows of coffee. I’ve also been enjoying Yogi Tea’s Skin Detox.

3. “Fire Tea.”:  I tried a bizarre and wonderful tea this summer at the farmers’ market in Union Square. Since then, I’ve tried to duplicate it for myself and enjoy drinking it both hot and cold. I’m actually drinking some right now, with a little lemon thrown in. (You can find my recipe here.)

So, as I sit here crankily drinking my tea and trying to decide what to share, I started thinking of the two juice series Bryonie and I wrote over the summer. A theme that came up for both of us was “shaking off the dust.” We talk a lot about spring cleaning, or cleaning out seasonally, perhaps even monthly before the new moon. I’m taking this time to do a little mental house cleaning and let go of what I don’t want to carry with me into 2014. Part of that is something that came up in discussion in our Facebook group for this juice feast.

A few people mentioned keeping at it despite feeling miserable, and a few others talked about the modifications they made…or how they “cheated.” And I wrestle with that sometimes. Even years post-eating disorder, it’s tough to find that balance between making healthy choices that make me feel good, and making healthy choices because I believe they reflect on my worth.

I was discussing this with a friend not long ago, and commented that I don’t eat what I eat, or practice yoga or run because I feel like I need to be a certain jean size or because I’m “bad” if I don’t; I do those things because they make me feel amazing. So if this idea is coming up for you, take a look at it. There is a vast difference between self-care and self indulgence; we do feel good when we eat healthy food and move our bodies. However, self care also includes self compassion. Do you listen to your body when it says it’s a rest day? Do you allow yourself to enjoy a treat without judgement, because it’s one piece of the big patchwork that makes up your life? Food for thought…pun completely intended.

Besides that, I’m really embracing this idea of adding good in rather than taking “bad” out. It’s a small but significant shift in the way we see things. Trying to get rid of the bad can be a losing proposition and often feels like baling water on a sinking ship. Life isn’t ever going to stop being difficult—until we die!

When we fill our lives up—inside and out—with things that bring us joy, the benefits are exponential.

Bryonie says:

I am caught in the undertow this evening—every now and then I come up for air, and then I’m pulled down, again.

This is being human—and this is being human while drinking juice.

Welcome.

I’d almost forgotten what this place feels like—all of my parts colliding at a party. It’s easy to trap myself in a victim mindset when I have the power to decide what is best for my body.

And, so the battle, the discussion between my brain and my body has been loud today and I observe it from two places: I am the victim—and, I am me, watching my inner victim get triggered.

I am both grounded—and, I have an incredibly short fuse. To top it off, my senses, which are already finely tuned at the best of times, are working over time.

I  hear everything and I feel everything, amplified by a trillion.

Whoa.

We are a temple to be honored—everything that makes us who we are, from our bones, cells, all the way up to our skin—we are magic and we deserve to be loved and to love with greatness.

Whenever I decide to take something like this on, I have to be really clear with my intentions: why am I doing it? What is my hope? How is my body these days and how is my mind? Does it make sense for me to juice or is this a disguise for some sort of punishment I’m giving myself? Is this out of love or…?

One of my teachers talks about how necessary it is to make sure that we look after ourselves while doing our work in the world. She has a set of non-negotiables—three or four things that maintain her health, from all perspectives, that enable her to continue doing her service in the world with a fierce amount of love.

I have set two for myself (so far) and have been working to integrate them into my daily life so that they become akin to breathing:

1. Yoga practice.

2. Meditation practice.

And, I’ve added these two to that list for the duration of our juicefest:

3. Writing practice.

4. Bath practice.

It’s simple, once I realize that I must breathe to live. I must unroll my mat each day and I must sit each day. And, as Kate says above, it isn’t about feeling bad or being bad—in fact, it’s a ritual that honors who we are.

My practice sustains me and informs my whole life—writing with Kate, sharing our words and experiences has the same affect, as does getting into a bath each night, to be present to who we are unfolding to be.

What is your anchor when the seas get rough? Where do you catch your breath?

(Still want to join us? We’d love to hear about your experiences along the way. We’ll be posting every day for the next three—join us here to share your voice and use the #juiceeverydamnday hashtag on all other social media outlets to follow the juicing fun.)

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 Ed: Bryonie Wise