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The Royal Flush Continues: Power Spot

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“For many of us, the waters of our daily life are anything but calm because we don’t create conscious space for intentional breathing or silence as part of our daily experience. . . . When we pause and breathe consciously, we open the portal to the Presence and enter a sacred silence where the waters are always calm.”

— Excerpt from “The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It”

In Native American tradition, visiting a power spot is a sacred ritual. It is a special place in nature that holds all consciousness – a place of stillness and silence. A power spot can also be found deep within us all. The session started off with a twenty minute mind-body-spirit centering technique; where each participant closed their eyes and solely focused on their breathing, paying attention to incoming thoughts and images. In our power spots we are able to connect with a deeper sense of self and allow our bodies to heal.

After the moment of meditation, we shared the feeling of the experience in words. Our facilitator, Lisa, then proceeded to introduce us to the “Heart Chart”. The “Heart Chart” is a 21-day chart in the shape of a heart in which participants can fill each day as they complete another day of lifestyle improvement. For the purpose of the Royal Flush, participants will get to “fill” a day in when they complete a day and fully stick to the food program. With Valentine’s day right around the corner, it was the perfect way to introduce habit change/formation and create an emphasis on the importance of making a commitment to self-improvement. It was brought to the group’s attention that by changing a habit every 21 days, an individual can change 56 habits in 3 years!

Many times, sticking to a gluten-free food program 100% of the time can be challenging and thus many can “cheat”. Lisa encouraged each and every one of the participants to try their best, to complete the heart. Cheats happen, it’s okay. Once a cheat occurs, one has to recognize it, be compassionate with oneself and say something along the lines of, “You strayed off the diet plan. This does not mean you have failed. You’ll be right on track within the hour. Let’s keep moving.” As was mentioned, making a habit change takes 21 days. Not only does it take 21 days, but it also requires some self-discipline and self-understanding.

Happiness Is An Inside Job

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In the 1990s, scientific research highlighted the fact that there is a mind-body connection. The Royal Flush began with a discussion regarding the effects of stress in relation to eating. A Royal Flush, is a food as medicine support group that helps the body detoxify and heal the GI tract. As a result the participants, eliminate main sources of delayed food allergies, loose weight,  resolve digestive disorders and much more. In addition to restoring and re-vitalizing health, A Royal Flush aims to create a deeper sense of self-awareness in each of its participants. The more aware one is, the more options one has.

Has it ever happened? Where you find yourself asking where there is not more love, more money, more time? Often times, we pay attention to deficits in our lives and often try to fulfill them with external factors. Our facilitator, Lisa, spoke to all the participants about the importance of developing a strong sense of self. Loving oneself is a prerequisite to loving others and becoming aware of the abundance that surrounds us. The group went on to participate in meditation for twenty minutes, a mind-body technique where the individual can center him or herself, feel relaxed and have a moment of release.

A Royal Flush, is straightforward and takes dedication, determination and hard work. Many of the members expressed difficulty/lack of accessibility to some products in the program. However, this quickly led to a supportive group discussion in which some participants began to talk about where to find certain ingredients, the best way to prepare the foods and what to do in case of travel/restaurant outings.

Raw Food Thai Coconut Soup

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Ingredients:
1 young coconut
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp fresh minced ginger or galangal
3 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp cold pressed olive or flax oil
1 tsp curry powder
1 medium tomato
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh minced chili, or to taste (I used cayenne pepper)
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
diced bell pepper (optional)
chopped cherry tomatoes (optional)
mushrooms, thinly sliced (optional)

Preparation:
Open the coconut and drain the water into a blender. Scrape out the meat, and add to the blender.

Add garlic, ginger or galangal, lime juice, oil, curry powder, tomato, salt and chili. Blend until smooth and creamy. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Add cilantro and pulse until cilantro is finely minced.

Pour into serving containers and add any chopped veggies you like: bell pepper, tomatoes and thinly sliced mushrooms work well.

This raw coconut soup works well after it’s had a chance to chill in the fridge for a couple hours to allow the flavors to set. It’ll need a good stirring before serving, however, as the oils and coconut water will tend to separate.

Enjoy your raw food Thai coconut soup! Yum!

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