Well, it has been quite a year-end! Wow.
Many have asked how we’re doing after the “Breatharian” Pranic Living Retreat in Ecuador. Well, we’re still drinking liquids only, to bring our bodies to a “reset” point after the 4-Day Dry Fast. And still assimilating everything that happened on this adventure.
But isn’t it always the way, that after you buy/do/want something, and you buy/get/have that something, that you suddenly start noticing that thing/it everywhere?!
That happened around the Pranic Living Retreat!!! And specifically, FASTING!
What we have come to understand is that we were taken on a MAJOR physical reset.
And that this is happening all over the planet.
People are DIVING into redefining their relationship WITH their body – juicing, intermittent fasting, mindset and meditation – all are being woven for tailor-made experiences. We just happened to notice THIS one because we were tweaked by “Breatharian” rather than any other marketing pitch – we were not attracted to just following a Fasting Lifestyle. Then.
BUT, not many of the many programs that I NOW see EVERYWHERE do the DRY Fast. That takes guts for a Facilitator AND a Participant to say “Yes!” to, and I give it to Ray Maor for carving this unique niche in the market of restructuring the relationship of the mind and heart to the body.
And it is a market and there is a lot of marketing. There were some moments of dismay as that sunk in for me, as I stepped out of the Health Coaching business after going through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s program in 2011 because of the endless marketing involved… but Paul, being Paul, took the whole thing in stride and got exactly what he wanted out of it! LOL! He’s what I call an “Adaptarian”!
So as I asked my own question “What is a Breatharian?” throughout the Pranic Living retreat, I came to understand it is simply a Spiritual Commitment to your Physical Being.
It is a return to Fasting as a way of Life that takes away the stress on the body from the rampant over-eating that is considered “normal” on our planet.
And we were SO grateful to do this with a group of like-mindeds. There is a tribal unity in a group like this that is tangible – so many different reasons for being there, but all of us with the deep, common DESIRE for a new way of living. Ready to redefine what eating is to us.
You could FEEL the longing for newness on the physical plane. For change. And the fear of change. And the fear the change WON’T happen!
The group helps, the facilitation helps, but ultimately, you’re on your own. When you tongue feels 2 miles wide and 3 miles long and you have another 36 hours to go without a drop of water, there really is no one and nothing that can speak to you where you are. It’s just you and you. It is a confrontation of deep patterns. Ugh. Yay. Here we go again…
And why not? What else is there to do here, right?! Why not look at EVERY relationship with every THING and redefine it if it isn’t serving? Bottom line was, we were miserable in our relationship with food. We didn’t know WHAT to eat any more! After many cleanses, quests and fads, we were simply so confused by food and what and when and how to eat it that NOT eating seemed the only option left and we went to see how we could do that.
Did we find out? No. Ultimately, a transition to never eating is a process that is going to take much longer than a 10-day retreat. Did we get clarity and direction? Yes. We went through a 4-Day Dry Fast in an awesome location with some sweet humans from all over the world and it was wonderful! And now the real deal is integrating this into our lives.
How does that go? Well, we’ve been advised by Ray to drink only liquids for 6-12 weeks to cement this process into our body. Do I think that’s necessary? No. We will do the 6 weeks and celebrate with food with our family this Christmas.
We have been told to do one day Dry Fasting a week. Are we doing that? Yes! AND WE LOVE IT!!! And so does the body!
Also, every day, intermittent fasting – this means you put nothing in your mouth until mid-day – which adds up to about 14-18 hours without food, depending on your sleep habits. Are we doing that? Yes, but not every day.
And EVERY day where solid food is consumed is followed by a Dry Fast day – will we do that? Absolutely! Not going backwards on this! LOVE IT TOO MUCH!
What we have come to realize is that we have been gifted a beautiful introduction to one of the most beneficial processes humans can go through with their body – FASTING. Will we continue to fast? Yup! Fasting is amazing!
What did the retreat look like? Simple, but not easy…
We started with a day of fruit – fresh fruit from the trees of Vilcabamba, Ecuador!
Then we juiced the fruit for a day – tragic, to watch all that pulp get eaten by the donkeys!
Then a day of water – not as hard as it sounds, didn’t even drink that much water that day!
Then the 4-Day Dry Fast. By the end of the first day, you’re ready for this to be over!
By the time we got our first glass of water in the “Water Ceremony” – purified, structured and Blessed by the whole group! – we had never been so grateful for a glass of water, EVER!
And for now, we are simply drinking…although today is our weekly Dry Fast day and every once in a while, as the mouth gets dryer and dryer, I think a glass of water would be nice…
Would we do it that way again? In a heartbeat!
Something to think about as we load the plate up at Christmas… we actually doubt we’ll be able to eat much, but its the camaraderie….and that, Dear Friend, is what “Breatharians” say is the most challenging thing of all!
Merry Christmas to you and your Loved Ones – and if Merry Christmas is not your salutation, please consider our Love Sent in whatever way you feel most comfortable hearing that!
May 2019 be the VERY BEST YEAR EVER!
Love & Blessings from us Both,
Breathe Deeply, Dear Friend
Kathie & Paul