Back in February I gave up sugar and smoking. Then February ended and decided a little bit of sugar wouldn’t hurt and a smoke here and there would be ok. Fast forward five months and smoking is almost a daily habit and my sugar addiction is returning with a vengeance.

So it is time to do it all again, and this time I am going to write some of it down for next time….

What prompted this you may ask? Initially the over indulgence of Christmas; then the January birthday season (an unusually popular month for birthdays amongst our family and friends) left me feeling lethargic, full and kind of wallowy – a bit like a hippo who had gorged on chocolate got into the lake and couldn’t be bothered to come out again.

This time round it is more about returning to that place I was in at the beginning of March. Rediscovering the energy you have when you don’t have sugar highs and lows. Remembering what it is like to feel empty, then hungry – to actually want food as opposed to some sugar induced craving. Not to want something sweet after every meal, to look at sweet things in shops and  not want it as opposed to supressing my craving for it. To know when ‘my body is tired and not artificially lethargic or awake due to the effects of a drug. To get a proper night’s sleep. And most importantly to be able to feel and tune into my yoga practice again.

I’m not a sugar fiend. I don’t (often) eat bars of chocolate or sweets. But what I did notice back in February is how small my appetite is when not artificially stimulated. And how different my yoga practice is when my stomach isn’t heavy.

I have also realised how much yoga philosophy could help me break the attachment to those things that cause fluctuations of the mind.

So today is day one… So far so good. I’ll check in again tomorrow.