There is a lot of buzz on the news and the web these days touting the health benefits of chocolate – but I always thought of it as a ‘vice.‘  Can you shed some light on this – is it superfood or junk food?

 Becky,  New Mexico

 Hello Becky,

The raw form of chocolate is usually called cacao.  It is commonly available as a powder or in small pieces called ‘nibs.‘  Cacao most certainly is a superfood.  Some of its many beneficial properties include helping with fat-loss, regulating blood sugar, boosting the cardiovascular system, and preventing cavities.  The list of benefits is immense; enough for its own series of articles – but many of these benefits are reversed when the food is over processed and additives are introduced.

 Cacao has a very strong, bitter taste – which is why it is usually combined with other ingredients and cooked into what we call ‘chocolate.‘  Even a very dark chocolate has been highly processed and usually contains dangerous ingredients.  Cocoa is the basic cooked version of cacao.

Here are three very different types of  chocolate treats that can be found in many stores:

LOVE CUPS (raw) -DARK CACAO flavor        77% cacao

cacao, agave

CHOCOLOVE (not raw) - EXTRA STRONG DARK flavor    77% cocoa

cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin

HERSHEY’S (not raw) - SPECIAL DARK flavor   –  60% cocoa

sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, cocoa, milk fat, lactose, soy lecithin, PGPR emuslifier, vanillin (artificial flavor), milk

(***I found it interesting that according to HERSHEY’S website:   “Ingredients information are not available online at this time. Please consult the package label or call us at (800) 468-1714 for further information.”  )

The first treat is a raw food; minimally processed and containing many beneficial nutrients.

The second treat may have some benefits left in the cocoa, but your body first has to deal with the sugar, soy, and any other mysteries as the label ALSO says ‘may contain traces of milk & nuts.’

The third treat (note sugar as the first ingredient) has a cool logo on the label that reads “NATURAL SOURCE OF FLAVANOL ANTIOXIDANTS.”  This may hold some merit – but read the OTHER ingredients…..Your body will absorb inflammation from the sugar, and it is questionable if, after sorting through the artificial pile of substances, your body will find (much less use) those ‘flavanols!’

The golden rule here is that our bodies DON’T DO MATH!  If you give your tummy something 77% healthy it doesn’t say ‘well thats OK – I’ll just write off the 23%’  This doesn’t mean we are never to enjoy a treat – but just be aware of what you are actually eating – a ‘superfood’ does NOT contain sugar, no matter what the TV tells you!

Dave

Here is a picture that will help me explain:

Cacao Pods on Cacao Tree

CACAO PODS (containing cacao seeds – to be crushed into cacao nibs – to be ground into cacao powder – to be roasted, added to sugar, cocoa butter, and an emulsifier, and called CHOCOLATE)

Kelly and Hubby

Honestly, this last year as been a real challenge for me.  My father-in-law passed away unexpectedly in Nov ’10 and then my own father passed away in Oct ’11.  Dealing with my grief and the grief of my loved ones was difficult.  Unfortunately I let that little devil on my shoulder win a few times too often.   This last holiday season was especially difficult.  Addictions I forgot I even had reared their ugly heads.  Luckily I have worked hard to get through this, and after much detox, I am getting back on the right track.  I thought I’d share a day with you when I was struggling.  We are not perfect, and sometimes it takes a lot just to get through the day…clean.

5:45 – Alarm goes off.  I’m supposed to get up and go out to the gym.  It’s just in the garage…not that far to go.   But I’ve got a headache… again.  Maybe a little more sleep will make it go away.   Husband gets up to work out without me.  I suck.

6:45  – Second alarm goes off.  I have to get up this time.  Get up and head straight for the coffee.  Coffee, homemade hemp milk, and 1 scoop GT protein powder.  Tastes perfect.  Listen to how awesome my husband’s work out was.  Proud of him, feel guilty for me.

7:15 – Head for the shower & get ready for work.  Hop on the scale and smile because only one more pound until the holiday errors are gone.  (well, weight wise, anyway)

7:30 – Start poaching 4 eggs for breakfast and make lunch (usually leftover steak, elk burger or chicken thighs that I made over the weekend and salad or an apple)

7:55 – Drive to work.  Drink water on the way.

9:00 – Settled in at work, ready for another cup of coffee w/protein powder.  Fill up my ½ gallon container of water at the water cooler.  Listen to all the guys give me a bad time about taking all of the cold water.  Whiners.

11:00 – Eat my poached eggs.  Yum.

12:00  – Head to the front office to discuss something of utmost importance, I am sure, and see the candy jar… full of chocolate.  We have to have chocolate bars because the guys like them.  I close the open bag and stuff it into a drawer, then manage to walk away….yeah me!  Go guzzle water because I’m sure I’m behind at this point.  Then, pop a piece of Spry gum – that way I really won’t put anything bad in my mouth.

1:00 – Lunch time… I eat while I work at my desk – too busy to actually sit and enjoy my meal, which is fabulous by the way.  I really love my food.  (Can you hear the chocolate up front calling me?)

3:00 – Walk to the back room to discuss another world-changing matter – and see that someone brought goodies left-over from the holidays.  Yeah.  I ask around to see who, if anyone, plans to eat it.  Then, I place it in their office and shut the door.  I am powerful.  And, maybe a little moody….

4:30 – On the dot.  Get out.  Or…I’ll never be able to leave.  I’m really sick of these people today.

4:45 – Home.  I’m feeling better, headache has subsided – probably because I managed to stay clean regardless of all of the temptations – so I’m going to work out.  Yeah Me!!  Eat a few bites of protein before I head out there.

5:00 – Thankful for my home gym, or I’d probably talk myself out of driving somewhere to work out, because it’s almost dinner, you know.  Plug in a Yoga DVD.  Drink more water.

6:00 –  Feeling a little crappy after Yoga.  Wow.  I am REALLY detoxing.

6:30 –  Dinner – BIG salad, homemade vinaigrette dressing, lots of chopped veggies, avocado and grilled steak.  More water.  Feeling much better.  Great, in fact.

7:00 –9:30 –  Home office time – do some bookkeeping for my husband’s business or one of the other “projects” I haven’t been able to say NO to.  Then try to unwind with a little TV before bed.  Talk my husband into rubbing my neck and shoulders – that’s got to be where these headaches are coming from…right?

9:30– Succumb to the fact that I’m tired, and as long as it’s after 9, it’s ok to go to bed.  Lay there and set my intention for tomorrow. Congratulate myself for getting through the day unscathed.   I did good today.  I’ll be even better tomorrow.   Read until 10 or so then….zzzzzzzz

THE COACH INTERVIEW:

What was your greatest challenge when you began your Transformation? 

I think my greatest challenge was figuring out what to eat – I was so used to eating junk that I really didn’t know what “clean” food was!

What kept you going?

Seeing the drastic changes in my health – and then wanting to set an example for the people that I love that struggle with health issues.  And…the support from the Genesis community.

What advice would you give someone just starting aTransformation? 

Listen, read, and learn.  What really made me “get it” was when I really understood WHY clean eating works.  I read every article Genesis posted, researched my questions, obnoxiously quizzed my coach and really tried to get as much info into my stubborn brain that I could.  It really helps to have an understanding of the science behind it all.

What aspect of Transformation continues to challenge you?

I think keeping myself #1 on my priority list is my biggest challenge.  Letting my busy life and other distractions creep into my time therefore putting my self-care in the backseat..  I constantly have to remind myself that if I don’t take care of ME, I’m no good for anyone else!

How has Transformation improved your Life? 

Way too many ways to list!  My health has improved dramatically, I am more active than I ever have been, I am much happier and I am enjoying life!  I love not being self-conscious of my body – I don’t hide from the camera anymore!   My favorite though, is the way I have helped my close family and friends understand the benefits of clean eating.

What is your current favorite food or meal?

I’m on a poached egg kick right now.  With a little cracked pepper…yum!.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner…doesn’t matter to me!!  And avocados – I eat them every day.

Do you have a current favorite way to work out? 

Right now, Yoga is serving me well.  It’s taken me a long time to appreciate the benefits of yoga, but I think I’m really starting to “get it”.  The great thing is, no matter how you are feeling – whether you want a butt-kicking workout, or if you just want an easy day, yoga can fit the bill.

What’s your favorite workout music? 

My son turned me onto Alternative Rock – Three Days Grace, Shinedown, Red, 10 Years.   It has really grown on me.  It’s not super fast, so it’s at a perfect pace for jogging, and the driving beat really keeps me going.  It’s also great for weight-lifting because once in a while they scream at you…it’s like having a hard-core trainer! (ha ha)

 Do you have any goals for the next year? 

I really want to kick butt in 2012.  Having dealt with quite a bit of loss in this last year – really makes me realize how important the “Elegant Thinking” portion of our program is.  Sadness can really get in the way of fat loss..and I’m ready to set a course for joy.

 What inspires you? 

My family inspires me.  I have been happily married for 21 years, and I have two great kids.  Watching them grow up and become adults – seeing the kind of people they are becoming, watching them overcome their struggles and seeing how ambitious they are…then realizing that we, as parents,  actually managed to not screw them up.   That’s very cool.   I’m inspired to keep on this path of Genesis because I see how much there is in store for us. It’s limitless…  and I really want to be around to enjoy it!

I’m going to add a caveat here.  When it comes to inflammation-based diseases like cardiovascular disease -what you REMOVE from your diet is far more important than what you ADD.  In other words, if your diet is still based in sugar, refined flours and trans-fats, taking omega 3 supplements will not do much for you.  You will greatly increase your health by making changes in your dietary choices first!

Once your diet is clear of inflammation-causing foods, and you are getting a full range of your nutrition (including omega 3′s) from your daily diet, you may find you do not require further supplementation.  The benefit of relying on your food for your nutrition is your assurance that the nutrients are fully used by your body in the unrefined, unprocessed format in which they were intended.

Omega-3 oils are  present in foods including salmon and other oily fish, flax seed, chia seed, hemp seed, avocados and walnuts.

Cranberry-Mustard Crusted Salmon

Salmon and cranberries are a natural match – they pair both in pink coloration and in subtle sweetness, making for a great presentation. This quick recipe makes regular kitchen ingredients something very special.

Ingredients:

3 TBS extra virgin coconut oil

.25 cup dried apple juice sweetened cranberries

1 TBS dijon mustard

1 tsp orange peel

2 TBS fresh parsely

4 salmon wild fillets

.75 cup raw walnuts

Preheat oven to 375?F. Grease a baking sheet; season both sides of salmon with pepper. Arrange fillets evenly on baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Press mixture onto top side of fillets. Bake until topping is light golden, about 20 minutes. Remove and serve.

Chai Porridge

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped apple or pear

cinnamon, clove, ginger to taste (about 1/4 -1/2 tsp each)

1 TBS raw cacao powder

2 TBS chia seeds

1 cup water

Add chia to water in small saucepan on stove top. Stir in apple, cacao powder and spices, bring to a low simmer. Simmer 3-5 minutes, until apple is cooked and porridge is thick. Add more or less water depending on how thick you like it. A tablespoon or so of raisens, dried cherries or dried cranberries (all unsweetened) are also delicious in this porridge. Use cinnamon and liquid stevia to taste.  Serves 1.

chia seeds

Fruit ‘n Protein

This very very simple cereal is wonderfully high in omega 3′s from the freshly ground flaxseed.  ALWAYS freshly grind your flaxseed as it loses it’s omega 3 potency rapidly after grinding.

1 apple, chopped fine

1 banana roughly chopped

2 TBS golden flaxseed, freshly ground

1 scoop GT vanilla protein powder

Mix the protein powder in 6-8 oz of pure water until there are no lumps. DIce the fruit and put in a cereal bowl. Freshly grind the flax seeds and sprinkle on top. Pour the protein ‘milk’ over it all and enjoy like cereal!  Serves 1.

golden flax seeds, unground

Omega Milk

This rich, thick milk is full of EFA’s, protein, antioxidants, calcium and enzymes. It will keep a week in the refrigerator. A high powered blender is essential for this recipe. Omega Milk is delicious in smoothies, on cereals, as is for a quick pick-me-up or in chai tea.

Ingredients:

2 TBS coconut nectar, raw

4 cups water

2 TBS hempseed

3 TBS GT chia seeds

2 TBS sesame tahini, raw

.5 tsp vanilla extract

Soak the seeds 6 hours or overnight in 3 cups of water. Pour it all into a blender jar, add 1 more cup water and the remaining ingredients. Run the blender on a high speed until it’s smooth and creamy. Makes a quart.

Avocado Salad Dressing

A refreshing dressing with good body.

Ingredients:

1 small avocado

1 clove garlic

.25 cup fresh lemon juice

.5 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 green onions

.5 tsp ground black pepper

Pit, peel and chop your avocado. Roughly chop onions.Crush and chop garlic clove. In a food processor or blender combine all ingredients except olive oil. Process until smooth. With the processor or blender running at a very low speed slowly add olive oil. Thin with water if desired.

Coach Michele John

We often equate this day, and even the month of February, with love.  Most people will be busy exchanging cards, flowers and candy to show their love and affection to those in their lives. I am departing from this ritual and I have decided to take this month to deepen my love for ME.  Yes, you read correctly.  I am using the month of February to fall deeply, madly and passionately in love with myself.  Now, before you say (as I initially did to myself!), “well, isn’t she full of herself”, take a moment to think about this.  How many of us put so much effort into making others feels loved, valued, appreciated, and so on?   I know I did.  How many of us put that same energy into allowing ourselves to be truly loved, valued and appreciated by ourselves and others?  I know I didn’t.

Yes, what we shovel in our mouths has a profound impact on our fat loss.  So also does what we shovel around in our heads – like our GT motto “what the mind believes, the body achieves”.  If I don’t believe I am worthy, value or love myself enough to believe I deserve the outcome of all of this work, then I will never fully achieve the results I set out for the day I started GT.  The self-doubt or sabotage that comes from not fully loving myself and not believing in my own worth, uniqueness and strengths only stands in the way of truly achieving all that I deserve to have in life and the GT process.

When we don’t love ourselves fully and choose to hold ourselves back in order to make others around us feel loved, comfortable, valued and important, we truly only discount and devalue ourselves in the process.  We would never want that to happen to those we love, so why would we allow it to happen to ourselves?

Join me by falling in love – by taking each day this month and embrace, celebrate and own our individual amazing qualities.   Let’s do this without apology or excuse!

Coach Michele John

Jackson, WY

Coach Peggi Ingram, RN

February is National Heart Health month. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. striking more than 1 in 4 American’s each year. While our awareness to heart disease has increased, there are many unfounded beliefs that raise the risk of having a fatal heart event such as:

1. Heart disease runs in my family so there is nothing I can do to prevent it.   While genetics plays a role in heart disease and puts you at greater risk, there are many steps you can take to dramatically reduce your risk; Get active, control your blood cholesterol levels with proper diet and exercise, manage blood pressure, maintain a healthy weight, control blood sugar, and stop smoking.

2. Heart Disease doesn’t affect those who are fit and strong.  Staying fit and active improves heart health and decreases your risk of heart disease but does not eliminate them.  Exercise lowers your bad cholesterol (LDL) that leads to heart disease but it also increases your good cholesterol (HDL) that protects against heart disease.  Exercise also plays an important role in decreasing the inflammatory processes that can lead to clogged arteries and heart attacks.

3. Foods advertised as no/low cholesterol is ok to eat.  Cholesterol has gotten a bum rap.  Our bodies need a certain amount of healthy fats to function and some fats are quite beneficial to heart health such as the monounsaturated fats found in olive oil and avocados.  It is important to read food labels.  Foods that are processed to remove the naturally appearing cholesterol and fats also have sugar and salt added to enhance the flavor making the food tasty but with little or no nutritional value.

Some risk factors for heart disease are controllable and some are not.  Uncontrollable risk factors include: male sex, older age, family history, post-menopausal and race. Risk factors that you can control include obesity, smoking, diabetes, stress, inactivity, and abnormal cholesterol numbers.  With proper SELF CARE you can lower your risks and have a happy, healthy heart for decades to come.

 Coach Peggi Ingram, RN

Chicago, Illinois

As I write this though I am returning via train from visiting my sisters and niece in Michigan.  With me down 66 pounds now people really noticed that I’m becoming a new person. Boy-o-boy is that good for the mind and positive feelings about being on Genesis Transformation and what I’m doing for myself. It was fabulous! Still lots of questions about what I eat and my “special diet”.  I just explain that I eat the way we were meant to eat, without all the processed and chemical laden foods of today.  I gave the news letter web address to my sisters friend so hopefully she’ll sign up and follow along.

It’s funny to me now how I can more easily hear the excuses of others when they talk about how they “wish they had time” and “oh I can’t get up at 4:30 to exercise” or but, but, but.  I used to be just like that myself until I looked at that vacation picture from last year. It’s really awesome what we can accomplish if we just set our minds to it.  Now that this has become a way of life it’s really not as time consuming as it may seem. Just like anything new, it’s challenging at first but gets easier over time.

Coach Jayne Ottman, RN

“Detours, challenges and crises are simply covers for miracles that had no other way of reaching you.”  – Mike Dooley

 Over the last 3 weeks, amazing things have happened for me.  Mentally, physically and from the heart I had to shift.

The first was when I was on vacation in Kauai this holiday.  We had lined up a rental car months ago when the prices were reasonable.  When we arrived, no rental car…they “lost” our reservation.  No more cars.  Period.  So we rented bikes and rode everywhere….and because of this, we saw whales, monk seals, dolphins, isolated beaches, tide pools, egrets and breathtaking sunrises.  We rode into the mainland and rode along historic ranches.  We came upon various Farmers’ Markets and ate beautiful local food.  We discovered so much and got a daily workout to boot!

I also took my first art class.  The word “art” didn’t exist in my vocabulary.  I didn’t know the difference between Vermillion color and Watercolor Block paper. Then I signed up-reluctantly.   For three amazing hours I was lost in the peace of painting.  I lifted years of winter blankets from my brain and was able to experience true physical joy-happiness, peace and calm.  I loved the idea of relinquishing my brain’s dominant position of over-thinking for a short while.   I completed a beautiful hibiscus that I will frame.  I will keep painting.

And then there was this cooking class I co-taught.  It was so much fun-creative, easy and yummy.  It was a real “communion” with folks around a table.  I love cooking.  I just never had the idea someone might actually want to pay for it.  The class filled with a wait list.  We talked, laughed and learned.  All of us.  I’ll do more of this.

 I learned that when I am challenged and meet up with detours and crises, there’s a reason.  I just might take in a miracle or two if I open my heart and let the situation unfold.

‘Gluten Free’ claims are a HUGE market in the USA.  Even as Americans reach for ‘gluten free’ labeled packaging for health and fat loss – we are still getting unhealthier and fatter.  Just like we did in the ‘fat free’ marketing craze, the ‘sugar free’ craze, and the ‘carb free’ craze.  Face it – packaged and refined food is going to get us, every time.  We’re suckers for some happy looking labels.

In 2004, Congress gave the FDA until 2008 to create a definition for what a gluten-free label on a product actually means. The definition has still not been made, and we’re into 2012 now.

The Washington Post reports that as celiac disease and intolerance rates are rising, the government still has no set definition for gluten-free products.

The U.S. gluten-free product industry is highly lucrative (revenues were $2.6 billion last year, up from $100 million in 2003).   The food industry still has quite a bit of fuzziness to work with.   The Washington Post explains that some companies “might fail to test their products or might allow small amounts of gluten but still label their foods as gluten-free.”

Understand that what kicks our butts is not only the gluten in the products – but that these products are still based in refined grains, sugars, and high sodium – none of which will contribute to health and fat loss – whether they are completely gluten free or not.  Processed and refined food is just that.

Within my first 24 hours in Ubud (the spiritual, artistic and cultural center of Bali) I knew I was on a different frequency.  Things didn’t work the same as I was accustomed to, in a way that is difficult to describe.  Less linear.  More fluid.  From a place of feeling rather than intellectual process.  It was very easy to let go and let things happen.  For letting go and doing nothing, a lot began happening deep inside me.  I experienced a wealth of adventure and much of it does not translate into ‘what I did on my vacation’.

Internet access was spotty at best and too weak to sustain a signal consistently.  What a godsend!  I had left my phone at home, did not communicate through my usual computer channels, had no TV or radio, and limited reading materials.  I did have my knitting (sock yarn projects are great for hot, humid weather), which the Balinese found both incredibly interesting and deeply respectable.  The Balinese value spirituality, creativity, and family above all else.  To encounter a tourist calmly sitting and creating art was fascinating to the locals and I learned to tolerate long bouts of inquisitive staring.

Samantha knits.

I made a solid swipe at learning the local language, which is only spoken on the island of Bali.  I learned the phrases to communicate on a basic level as well as the slang that would keep locals giggling with (or at) me.  I did my best to respect local cultural customs, particularly dress, kept my mouth mostly shut, and listened.

Packed away in my essentials were some packets of instant coffee as I didn’t know the coffee situation in Bali.  I drank that my first two mornings (bleah).  On the third morning I tried Balinese coffee….it was a real ‘come-to-Jesus’ moment!  It is simply outstanding, and I laughed at my previous hesitancy.  In Bali the locally grown coffee is finely ground like cocoa powder and hot water is added (most Balinese drink sugar and milk in it).  It’s not instant coffee.  The grounds sink to the bottom, leaving a rich but quite mellow coffee.  I am still drinking my coffee this way.  The Balinese find it hysterical to filter and process coffee.

traditional Balinese market

I made an early newbie error by ingesting the local water and ended up with a highly uncomfortable 12 hours, after which the ghost of all things gone wrong digestively stayed with me for another month.  I relaxed into this discomfort and rolled with it.  It became remarkably easy to deal with.  I was also far more careful with what went into my mouth.

lunch for 2 - completely clean and incredibly fresh!

Food was clean, fresh, and delicious.  The tropical fruit was wild in terms of variety!  I enjoyed not only eating the variety but also figuring out how to get beyond spikes, quills, hard shells, and the like to get to the fruit.  Durian in particular is a hard shelled spiked fruit that I had heard much about in raw food circles.  My Balinese friends offered to help me out with it, but were very evasive about eating it themselves.  The fruit is pried open with a machete or large knife and pulled apart.  Inside are large, white, soft, strong smelling pods of fruit wrapped around dark seeds.  I pulled the pods out with my fingers and popped them into my mouth.  They have a very strong taste to go with the smell. One of my friends produced some mangosteen ‘for getting the taste out’ of the durian. After eating the pods in a section of shell they showed me to pour water into the shell, swish it around, and drink it to rinse my mouth.  The mangosteen helped with the strong aftertaste of the durian.  (I later learned that many hotels and bungalows will not allow durian in the rooms due to the pervasive and persistent odor.)

Fresh chicken, fresh fish, fresh vegetables, and fresh juices rule the local menus.  It is overall fabulously easy to eat fabulously healthily.  Rice grows locally all over the island – this is a staple.  The local spices are complex; both in aroma and flavor.  Both fresh and dried coconut flavors many of the foods along with the spices.

plate of assorted fruits

Ketut Mawa asked me if I liked chicken satay.   I said yes, I was eating a lot of it,  but the peanut sauce doesn’t do me any good.  He laughed and told me that the peanut sauce doesn’t do ANYONE any good, but they keep eating it anyway.  The Balinese cook their locally grown peanuts twice – boiled and then roasted before use.

Motorcycles are the main mode of transport due to low cost,  low emissions, low use of petrol, and narrow streets.

Ubud was my primary home; I left the area only twice.  One of those days Samantha and I lost track of time on a perfectly gorgeous isolated beach.  On another day I roamed the northern side of the island with Ketut Mawa and his childhood best friend, Jaya.  We had a gigglin’ blast. Sharing language and culture, we visited temples and rice fields that Jaya had never seen himself.   Ketut Mawa asked me, as a tour guide, how to respectfully deal with Christians who pointedly demand to know where he stands with Jesus Christ – and I asked him to teach me about Balinese village structure.

with Jaya at his family temple

I was invited into a local ceremony, into several family homes, and met smiling faces anywhere I attempted the local language.  The Balinese love the attempt.  I mean, they LOVE it.  One young man asked me, via a Blackberry translator device, to help him find an American to volunteer to teach English at the local school.

isolated stretch of beach outside Candidasa

An angry monkey in the Enchanted Monkey Forest bit me.  After playing ‘human scaffold‘ for 5 others – one monkey DEMANDED a banana.  Unfortunately a freaked out Samantha ran screaming with the bananas (purchased just for this occasion)- and that last one, he was pissed.  He climbed up my body, sat on my shoulder, climbed back down and quickly grabbed my left hand and bit.  HARD.  Held it long enough for me to understand the situation very clearly.  When he let go I stood up and roared at him, he roared at me, and I walked away unwilling to keep arguing with the mind of a banana crazed monkey.  My souvenirs from the Monkey Forest were a swollen, bruised hand and valuable impressions of the monkey-mind.  I kept thinking about the unpredictability of monkey- mind and continued to let go of my own.

I was done with monkeys after that and definitively not enthralled to encounter them on the street.

I did a variety of yoga while in Ubud.  I started out with the mainstream, popular yoga at the Yoga Barn.  They offer a menu of highly attended trendy classes in their large studio. I left 3 unused punches on my punchcard of 10.

Guru Ketut Arsana’s yoga at the BodyWorks Centre is another breed entirely.  The tiny yoga studio can hold 8 students.  Guru Ketut teaches a vigorous Kundalini/Tantric combination with an emphasis on opening the tailbone along with the mind.  I felt highly resistant the first class (‘you want me to WHAT?  I can’t do that!  I have this blah blah that keeps me from blah blah blah and so blah blah…’) – it mattered not, as I was the only student that afternoon.  I was pushed and it changed me. After three classes I was losing track of both time and resistance. After a final 2.5 hour session I knew I’d never see yoga (nor my self) in the same way.

at the Bat Cave Temple

Sheri w/ Ganesha (knitting bag in hand)

Samantha had made appointments for the two of us to see a healer at the recommendation of a friend.  I showed up not knowing what to expect.  When Mr Arsana, a beautiful, friendly older Balinese man touched me on the shoulder, I felt an uncommon surge of compassion.  He led me into his treatment room and asked me “What is your problem?”

“Um,” I said, “I guess if I had to come up with one, I would say it is that there are so many foods that make me ill.  Wheat, corn, soy, dairy, sugars, all grain, nuts…it seems like a lot.”

“So what do you eat?” he asked me.

“Meat, vegetables and fruit.  And some seeds.”

Mr Arsana stared at me.  Then he roared “WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT?”

We locked eyes and I felt a giggle start.

“Look,” he said, “Everyone different.  You know what keep you in balance.  Keep doing that.  Stay balance.  You know what works.  This big.  This enough.”

He looked at me again.  “No rice?” he asked.  “No rice”  I replied.   We regarded each other again and both burst out laughing and laughing.   This island is covered in rice fields.

Then he gave me a thorough, unusually intuitive massage and walked on my back.  At the end he pronounced me healthy.  “You have no problems” he reported to me “all problems are in the mind, anyway.  You have clear mind.  Drink coconut water for balance while here.”

Then he gestured at my heart.  “I did little, you know, thing, to help with that.”

I thanked him and floated through the next 48 hours not really knowing which end was up.  Samantha was in similar shape after her session. The next week I started taking his yoga classes.

I learned in Bali that no matter where I am in the world my body seeks equilibrium by waking up pre-dawn for my meditation practice.  I learned to feel the change in the air on my skin when the tropical sun rises.  I learned that when free of all the distractions of Western living I absolutely adore who I am and I enjoy my own company.

Ceremonial Temple built in the 1400's

The most challenging aspect of Bali is the sheer travel (9 time zones) to get there.  The recovery on the home side was intense but passed very quickly.  By the time the jet lag passed I felt not only internally transformed – but stronger and more rested than I have been in many years.

Shrine for Rice Fields