This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
I’ve come to fully appreciate that losing weight and keeping it off is both a body & soul proposition.
“Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.” ~ Deepak Chopra
For the past several years, I’ve been mostly focused on providing information and recipes to help you nourish your body.
But I think many of us are overfeeding our bodies in an attempt to satisfy hunger deep in our souls.
To help counter this imbalance, I plan on providing more Food for the Soul here on the blog.
I came across this wonderful poem as I was clearing away clutter—disposing of old yoga teacher training materials—and thought it worthy of sharing…
)
Let Go Of The Past
By Kathleen O’Brien
Let go of guilt; it’s okay to make the same mistakes again.
Let go of obsessions; they seldom turn out the way you planned.
Let go of hate; it’s a waste of love.
Let go of blaming others; you are responsible for your own destiny.
Let go of fantasies so reality can come true.
Let go of self-pity; someone else may need you.
Let go of wanting; cherish what you have.
Let go of fear; it’s a waste of faith.
Let go of despair; change comes from acceptance and forgiveness.
Let go of the past; the future is here – right now.
What do you need to let go of for lasting weight loss success?
- Obsessive calorie counting?
- Dietary extremes?
- All or nothing thinking?
- Self-hate?
- Overindulgence?
- Starting tomorrow or Monday or someday?
- Giving up?
- The need to be perfect?
- Making excuses?
- Deprivation?
- Putting yourself last?
- Negative self talk?
- Stress?
Need a little help letting go?
The day after I sent out my email and the above poem on letting go for lasting weight loss success, I received an email from one of my favorite yoga teachers providing a specific yoga practice designed to help you relax and let go.
Talk about divine intervention!
As she explains, the mind attains serenity through prolonged exhalation and suspension of breath.
But there is something else that happens when we hold the breath out (comfortably) and linger in that space of stillness between breaths.
It’s a place where there is no need to rush, no need to get somewhere or to do something – it’s just a place to BE.
It is a welcome pause in a life full of activity, and striving, and accomplishing.
It is a doorway to serenity.
The practice in the following yoga video, from Olga Kabel, is a short yoga practice that uses breath and simple movement to help you relax the body, deepen your exhalation and quiet the mind.
It is particularly useful when you feel stressed or overwhelmed.
She calls it the “Doorway to Serenity Yoga Practice.”
Give a try and let me know what you think…
I need to let go of overindulgence. When I “cheat”, I keep cheating all day instead of getting back on track sooner.
I need to let go of trying to multi task. It’s hard enough to do one thing well, let alone 5.
I need to let go of giving up when the going gets tough. I turned 50 last year and once a month perimenopause weight gain has me spinning my wheels. One week out of every month I’m gaining 5-7 pound. I do lose it during the other 3 weeks, but can not get past this to work my way to my goal. Just last week I gained 7.4. Did I follow plan after that weigh in…no ma’am. I ate everything and didn’t track all week. A pity party isn’t what I needed, but that mental aspect is tough to combat!
I am letting go of watching TV since it robs me of valuable time that I can spend more wisely by being active/ productive . The time I gain can be used to: take a walk or a dance class to get more activity into my day; de- stress my life by organizing a room or closet at home ; help me make better food choices by preparing a healthy recipe; or just relax by reading a book.
I have started practicing yoga in an effort to let go of some of the stress and find calm. I had a woman at church yesterday say I look so young she almost didn’t recognize me. I guess it’s working. More than that though I feel good.
I need to let go of negative self talk. I need to be more positive and caring to myself. Try to enjoy what I am doing and let go of the self doubt.
I need to let go of other people’s opinions and realize that at the end of the day, there is only one person to whom I will ultimately have to justify my actions 😉
Need to let go of the past and worry. I tend to look at events in my past and do “what if’s” trying to figure out what I could have done differently or better. My last 3 years have been filled with stress as a caregiver for my father and husband. Now I am facing some health issues of my own which add to the worry. Need to find that place of peace and calm where I can breath and just “let go” of all the worrisome thoughts that bound my brain.
I need to let go of being afraid to eat slightly off plan once in a great while. I’m always afraid if I go slightly off plan, the diet is ruined and it will take me weeks to make up for one little mistake. That begins a downward spiral of off plan eating.
I am learning to live each day to the fullest, with my husband and , to thank God for all that he has gave us. We are losing, and enjoying the journey. Thank You and have a Blessed Day