Birdie Transformation Program Week 2
There are two objectives this week as it relates to our physical health and well being: begin intellectual learning on one hand, and sensing and observation of the body on the other. This week’s activities serve as an example for doing similar things for other topics and situations in the future. Study and self observe.
Week 002:
For this week, the task is twofold, one for your mind, the other training your sensed, experienced body awareness. It relates to a specific action that almost all of us do in our lives and involves substances we commonly drink, Coffee and Tea.
Why are we doing this? Because what we eat and drink does affect how out body-minds function, our emotional states, how energy flows and how we show up in this life.
If you never drink coffee and don’t know anyone who does, you can substitute tea, even herbal, or especially herbal. Herbal teas are medicinal and they do have effects on your body.
1 – Find out all about coffee.
Research and study. You can use books or internet or talk to people.
You will know you really learned something when you try to explain it to someone else.
The questions below are simply a guide to help your focus.
What is coffee, where does it come from, how did the ancient people use it and how is to grown today?
What are the different methods of roasting coffee, why do we roast it and how does it change coffee?
What substances are in coffee that affect the body and mind of humans?
Is drinking coffee healthy for humans? What effect does coffee have on humans – brain, heart, stomach, intestines or more. How many cups of coffee are considered beneficial in current thinking?
What is the deal with coffee enemas?
Is drinking coffee healthy if we add milk and sugar?
How much caffeine is in decaffeinated coffee?
Do coffee grounds make good fertilizer?
What kind of water do we use to make coffee?
Is slave labor involved on the coffee plantations?
Does coffee contain pesticides or other contaminants that might be toxic to your body?
2 – Honest self observation
This week, ask yourself with each cup of coffee or tea you drink: Why do I drink coffee or tea this time? Observe yourself, be honest, sense what is going on inside or with your body.
Do you need coffee to “wake up”, to stay awake, to relax, to have something to sip on? Is it a habit, a comfort? Is it addictive behavior you feel you can’t do anything about?
Sense your body as you prepare the coffee/tea, notice the effects.
What are you feeling before reaching for that cup?
At least once or twice this week, write down why you did have beverages like coffee or tea. The reason does not matter, we are just finding out about it. This is not a time for you to blame yourself or put yourself down.
Thursday morning: At the end of this week, after learning all about coffee/tea and having observed what you do all week regarding it, and the effects it has on your body-mind, ask yourself:
3 – It is time to change something?
Would it be good if I changed anything in regards to drinking coffee or tea?
If yes, what would that change be?
Challenge if yes: Do it for 3 weeks and notice what happens with you.
4 – Share something about this experiment and week in the comments.
The following are two points that came up I’d like to share.:
In a recent conversation with someone, a statement was made that even when one is on the path, doing spiritual work, it is so so easy to fall back into everyday routine and conditioning. This reminded me of a conversation many years ago with someone who was wondering if, once awakened in this life, one could go back to sleep?
In my experience, living a life that is conscious requires establishing some habits and some of those are different from what we have been given via family and culture. Growth and learning do not stop when we reach a new stage. In order to really be stable at a higher level, we need to bring all of us to that level. As we move up in the development of our selves, practices become necessary. Community of like minded people becomes important. And sometimes structured life circumstances and practices can be highly beneficial for us in that process. This program can function as such a structure.
The other point is this: As the Spirit That Moves Through All Things moves through us, you and me, it will be expressed in a particular way. It will not be the same as in someone else. At the same time, there are common universal values that emerge once the body-mind is cleared and the heart is open.
My own coffee story.
At home, growing up, I didn’t drink any coffee, except rarely. Starting university, we were into good tea, if anything.
Then, at age 28, I came to the USA and was working in a hospital. Everyone drank coffee, and after a while, I did too. It was very bad coffee, dirty water coffee, but it was the thing to do, go on break, go for a coffee, having something to hold, something to warm your hands or keep you awake, as sometimes there was no sleep for 36 hours.
Later, I kept the habit, but not as often. When I went part time at my job, shortly after I had bought a house, I walked 45 minutes to Starbucks, had a Cappuccino, or 2, later walked home. I did this about 5 days a week for about a year.
When I hosted a workshop at my house, there also was time to go to the local diner with some folks, and of course, there was coffee, and free refills. We went out with friends and family, and there was always that coffee. I remember a restaurant in Germany where I would go many afternoons by myself for a cappuccino and write in my journal or read a book. I just did it, drinking coffee that is. I liked it. It was a social thing and a comforting thing. I never had coffee first thing in the morning at my own place, but did so whenever I went home to my parents or visited someone.
Then, I moved into a spiritual community and stopped drinking any coffee for years.
My mother visited and she wanted to share sitting down with some coffee and I did, drank coffee for a while after that. Then stopped again. At some point, I was given a taste of the best coffee ever: Turkish coffee. Smallest cup. Best coffee ever.
A couple more years no coffee, then started again. Now I knew about benefits of drinking coffee, black, not with sugar or milk. It took time to really discern the effects coffee had on my body: my heart beats fast, bowel more active, and I did not fall asleep so easily. After a few weeks, I’d get so exhausted, adrenal fatigue, as well as irritated and short tempered. I’d stop, after a few days, things would start to be better and better. I tried coffee again, but soon enough, same effects. I went through this 3 times deliberately and then I stopped. There was no point. Whatever the benefits of coffee might be, for me, it didn’t work.
I now have 1 cup of fair trade certified, organic Darjeeling tea very 1-3 days, and water.
If my mother should visit one more time, will I share time with her having a coffee? Yes, and I will enjoy it too. If I had to drive somewhere and was really tired, I would have coffee to keep me awake. But the times of having habitual coffee are over for me.