Yoga, meditation, detox – an article you might not expect from me

Last Updated on September 19, 2019 by Lucie Klabanová

(For czech version of the post click here.)

Few years ago I met a friend, a college student, an entrepreneur and overall, according to the boxes of today’s world, a successful person that I have not seen for a long time. At first glance, I realized that something was different, so I enthusiastically listened to the whole history of his transformation.

I remember that he had some inner joy that I couldn’t describe and which, in addition, seemed to be a bit outstanding among the tired, always running managers. Perhaps this was supported by his colorful clothes, which stood out of a flurry of gray costumes and dark ties on white shirts.

But when he started telling me about how he practiced yoga daily, how he took the time to meditate every morning, how he sold his successful company to do other, in my view very uncertain activity, I didn’t quite understand. But somehow, his visible inner happiness stuck in my mind.

“Esoteric” or something I will understand later

Since then, things have started to emerge more and more in my life. Here I came across a friend who became a “crazy yogi”, met a man who tried to explain to me (that time fruitlessly) the power of meditation and many other minor situations that did not make sense at that time.

It really started with one colleague with whom I met at work every day. I considered him to be an eternal complainant. All of a sudden (it actually took some time, but it seemed like a snap of a finger) he became a smiling, positive person. He told me about one book that changed his life: The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.

And then it started. I thought to myself: if it could change him like that, at least I have to try it. I borrowed the book. I have read it. And it seemed to me quite a crap. But what if? So I tried it.

I have to try at least

At that time, I drove daily to work at best 50 minutes, in worse cases up to two hours and the same time back home. Throughout Prague. Along the way I had to cross about twenty traffic lights. There is no chance of catching green everywhere.

And yet I went through without stopping once that day. Green everywhere. When I parked in front of the house, I sat in the car for a while looking out into the void. My brain was working at full speed and I still refused to believe it.

Whether or not we want to believe it, science just confirms it. The energy of thought is important to what is happening in our lives.

That’s when I started thinking, working and changing my life.

Of course, nothing comes at once. Everything needs time and last but not least a lot of practice. But just as the author says in the introduction to the movie The Secret, I began to attract a lot of inspirational people, books and movies into my life.

Why am I telling you all this?

You have already heard about the great benefits of yoga. And that you should meditate every day. Hmm, but where the hell should you take the time for it?

How did I create a new habit?

That’s how I felt for years. Until recently. Something changed in me, and though I usually do not make any New Year’s resolutions, I made one this time – practice yoga daily. The goal was purely practical – to get rid of back pain necessarily accompanying my sedentary lifestyle and to complement aerobic exercise with proper stretching. To create this habit, I used the so-called habit list from Petr Ludwig’s book The End of Procrastination. (By the way, this is one of the tools I use all the time and I follow my progress in changing some habits every month.)

And so, yoga successfully got into my daily schedule.

Meditation – how hard it is not to think

And then I came to meditations. I started with 21-day challenge of abundance by Deepak Chopra. I went for it because I was hoping to “start understand” meditations. After three days, I was so overwhelmed that I even managed to go through a task that most people simply gave up.

Until then, I thought of meditation as falling asleep while sitting. Only then I realized how terribly difficult meditating is. Thoughts are constantly flowing through our heads, as soon as you move them out on one side, they come from the other side. In some mysterious way, however, after a few attempts, I managed to get into a state I cannot describe by words.

I experience very pleasant feelings – lightness, satisfaction, happiness… all positives in one huge pot. In short, something that cannot be passed on and must be experienced.

And then I crashed into Wim Hof ​​and his method. Applying his special breathing and everyday cold shower was actually quite easy, after all.

And last but not least, it was time for detox. Of course, it is no coincidence that coconut detox recommendation attacked me from social media. It just came at the right moment. I was just thinking about it for couple of weeks and then went straight into it.

One hour per day more? I can get up early now.

Today I wake up one hour earlier, just to handle all of my morning ritual – yoga, Wim Hof ​​breath, cold shower – in peace. It’s worth it for me. And I would definitely recommend everyone also trying it.

What did I learn?

What did this whole journey, which actually lasted for ten years, taught me?

But to be honest, I still don’t have a recipe for every situation. I still get upset uselesly, I keep thinking about what to do first and what later, I have bad days and I have to “dig out” of it. But today it’s easier, faster, more efficient. I feel I have (most of the time) bigger perspective, I can understand the broader context. When something unexpected or bad is happening to me, I am not just thinking about WHAT is happening, but I am looking for WHY: What should it show to me? What is it supposed to teach me?

But most importantly – I feel better. And that is what it is all about. We live to be happy. So let’s do what makes us happy.

PS.: If you would like some tips on what I mention in the article, here are a few links. (None of this is an agreed cooperation, just what I have a good experience with.)

• Detox
• Yoga
• Wim Hof breathing, Wim Hof method

What to read:

• The secret
• The monk who sold his ferrari