Out with the Old, In with the New

We are still cleansing here at the Gottfried Center. One helpful strategy as we near the final 5 days of the cleanse is what we need to release, what is no longer serving us. And what may replace it? What new habit, belief, system would better serve you in its place?

For me, I am releasing my inner critic, the radio station KFKD as described by Annie Lamott, The Voice as described by Geneen Roth. Just wrote about this a few days ago if you are trying to figure out WTF I'm talking about. Every day I'm writing down what my inner critic, whom I call my "Inner Authoritarian," as a way of recognizing and disengaging from this voice.

I am replacing it with regular, quiet time every morning. Or when I can catch it with two kids and a busy husband. Regular meditation. Not sitting completely still, as that does not work so well for me, but the form of meditation that most speaks to me in the moment. Usually sitting for 5-10 min with a focus on my breath, followed by 15 min of yin yoga poses (my fave is Supta Virasana), and ending in the most delicious and integrating sivasana.

You know quiet time is good for you. Recently it's been shown to improve the expression of over 500 genes, to make your brain bigger, and to increase telomere length (a major marker of accelerated aging).

What do you need to give up that no longer serves? What will you replace it with?