Fasting Space

The question I have for today.

It's almost like a pre question for the session.

Do you believe that you have an internal guidance system?

Or do you think that there's no such thing.

That's what I was thinking myself
when I was reading this book yesterday.

The mountain is you have loved going through this book.

And we're going to get to a section here today

about the internal guidance system.

And so as I was reading through it, I'll tell you,

I believe that there is such a thing.

But then you ask some big questions like,
what does that really mean and what is it?

If you pull out an anatomy textbook,
you're not going to find, oh,

here's where the internal guidance system is, you know,

so maybe, you know, it's in here somewhere.

It is.

Is it a mental construct?

Is it part of the brain? Is it. Who knows?

But what has your experience been?

Do you hear some sort of voice

or do you have a feeling that is saying,
I think this might be the thing to do?

Sometimes, you know, our conscious thought,

however, that works back in the fall
when we're doing thinking fast and slow,

we're realizing, okay, there are centers and processes
that are running that are trying to predict things,

that are trying to learn from history and suggest ideas to us.

So when I think of this section, the internal guidance system.

That's the type of thing that I'm thinking of that

a mental process is running,

trying to synthesize all of our experience
and everything that we really want

into concrete ideas for action that moves us forward.

But it's not flashy sometimes.

At least listen to how they title this
our internal guidance system.

Whispers until it screams.

A whisper until they scream.

What do you think of that.

So as I was diving in. All right.

Think about what we're trying to do.

I am here doctor Z.

By the way if we haven't met, if you're new.

So nice to have you here.

Try to help you lose weight.

Try to help you implement a fasting practice

into your life
to the extent that you are open to it, called to it,

wanting to do it, and then help you incorporate that
with every other good health practice.

Healthy eating, healthy movement, and healthy mindset.

These are the practices that help us move forward

holistically in health, especially metabolic health.

Well, it's all the same. Metabolic health. Mental health.

Think of that wonderful interview
I did with Michelle the other week.

Metabolic psychology.

These things all flow together.

So we're here in this space.

We're going to dive into this internal guidance system.

I'm just giving some space for you to think about it.

Really think.

Do you have one.

And see if you don't believe that you have any such thing.

Maybe you do not ever listen for it.

A big concept I try to bring on the channel awareness.

Do we have awareness of this internal dialog,
the synthesis of all of our thoughts?

Are we listening to it and what does it say
and how do we learn to interpret

it and have a relationship even with ourselves?

Listen to how Briana Waste talks about this.

System.

The things that are bothering you most right now

are not external forces
trying to torture you for the sake of it.

They are your own mind.

Identifying
what in your life can be fixed, changed and transformed.

If you continue to not take action,
the siren will only get louder.

And if you never learn to listen to it,

you will dissociate from it and then be a victim to it.

I like to say about this book, it can be like a mirror.

Sometimes we don't like what we see in the mirror.

Mirror is reflecting back just the truth.

And if if stuff is really good, we say all.

We like looking in a mirror like this.

But if something is there, I say oh, don't like it so much.

This gave me a lot to chew on.

I don't know how did it sit with you?

You don't have to like it.

It doesn't have to be your session right now.

It's okay.

But, like, let's think about it. Are things bothering you?

Like when you think. I mean, when I.

When I see that, I say, oh,
there are things that are bothering me.

I try to question and say, is it true?

Are are the things in our life that are bothering us right now

external forces,
or are they internal things that we would like to?

See changed or transformed?

Yeah, I think about that a lot.

I read the quote somewhere months back.

Do you remember about if you stir up the glass?

It was in that session letting go of anger.

If you imagine that we are a glass full of water

and looking clear, but then there's actually sediment
on the bottom, we can't see it.

And then you stir up somebody.

We imagine other people as a spoon and they come and stir
the glass.

See, this is pure water.

If we stir this right now, nothing going to change.

But if there's sediment there, all of a sudden
the glass could be cloudy.

Said that other person.

You made my water cloudy, but like,
if the sediment wasn't there,

it would have stayed in the pure appearing state.

This is what I was reflecting on about this passage.

Okay, a lot of things we can think are external

forces like this would be a lot to think about now.

There's a lot going on in the world, a lot of difficult things.

And you say, I really am bothered by external things

like, yeah, but is it like the spoon in that analogy?

That's what I'm thinking about today.

Are we the type of people that are calm, centered people?

We've removed the sediment from our glass and now

no matter what happens, we are moving powerfully forward.

Re we are radiating health and love and light

and positivity, even in the face of these things,
doesn't mean the external isn't important or doesn't

exist, right is real things that are happening outside of us.

But this is this space.

What I want to help us get into.

How are you doing with yourself?

How is your internal process
and what is this guidance system saying?

Do we hear it? Are we listening?

It's easy to say, I want, I want to lose weight.

It's easy to say, right?

And then it's easy to list off the things

where we say, oh, I can just do this and this.

We can turn things into numbers.

I love that song I read. Do you remember that? Numbers.

It's always
the number that can make you feel bad about yourself.

I loved that song. So thoughtful.

Okay, but the practice, this is the type of thing to me.

That is where it is that really trying to understand ourselves.

Trying to dig deep, like we were saying yesterday,
get that identity, who am I?

And really get clear on it and say, if we're trying to change
something like that, say, I want to be new.

This is not an easy task.

I never say anything like that is easy.

But here is a space where I say we can do it.

Beautiful reflection space.

Look at that sun and sky reflecting off the water.

There's the mirror between water and sky.

And just get into a contemplative space.

That a little ambient tune, a little ambient music.

To me, that's like the water of our life here.

Dissolve the barriers to it.

Every distraction, eliminate
everything, is what I'm trying to help us do in this session.

Sink in a little bit
so that we can hear that internal guidance system.

They say here you already have the answers.

You already know what you're here to do.

You are here to create everything that would make you happier.

It is only a matter of quieting the mind enough
so that you can feel all of the unlimited potential

that is begging to be used.

Is that what your internal guidance system is saying?

Really sink in it? Do you have the answers?

Like, do you know we did the session like asking the question,
what do I really want?

You know, it's easy to go into a space.

Everybody says like, oh, I want to lose weight. Okay.

So like you go to a gym,
you go to a space, say, okay, what I want is to lose weight.

But then we say ask the deeper question, like,
what do I really want?

Why do we want that?

What is the emotional state underneath that?

Are we acting in that space?

Is it acting out of a space of love
and kindness for ourselves?

So that'd be a very good space to be.

And I love this section. This is where we are.

Create everything that would make you happier.

Happiness.

I could quibble a tiny bit about that,
like just seeking happiness.

We did a session where we said

seeking contentment probably better than seeking happiness

is when we find contentment, we might also find happiness.

We're always striving to be happy.

Can can that lead us in a state where we're not quite content
by happiness is good?

I won't we don't have to pick on it. It's good.

Who doesn't want to be happy?

I want everyone to be happy. And who? Who wouldn't be happy?

Who didn't achieve their goal
like you have some deep, meaningful, purposeful goal.

I say be pretty happy to do it. So.

I really think this process is good. Listen to what it says.

Again, it is only a matter of quieting the mind enough
so that you can feel this potential.

Is that what the guidance system is saying?

The internal guidance system is saying, hey,
there is potential here.

We have opportunity here.

So we can even know the action that we want to take.

But knowing the action and doing the action,
these are two different things, right?

To take the step.

We've done some talks lately
where we said action first, emotions follow.

You don't have to wait for the motivation.

You can create the motivation.

You take the step first, and then you've built

the evidence that you're
the type of person that is doing the thing.

Okay, so that can be a very helpful thought,
but you've still got to take the action.

You can almost imagine a little loop there.

You don't need no motivation.

You just take the action first, then the motivation comes okay.

But now we're it's almost like a chicken or the egg.

What came first?

The action or the motivation,
you know, can kind of go in a cycle.

How do you get the motivation, the courage

to take the step to start that cycle?

That's today, right?

That's listening to the internal guidance system.

Get into those thoughts, asking the deep questions,
what do I really want and who am I?

So here we are in this. Type of space to do it.

They say here there's no such thing as self-sabotage
because the behaviors

that you think are holding
you back are really just meeting your needs.

It's not a matter of trying to push yourself beyond them.

It's a matter of seeing them for what they are
and finding a better, healthier way to fulfill them.

I so much love that. See, that's just saying.

Never force anything. Doesn't that start?

Doesn't that perspective start to make changing

things less intense

and realize, okay, these actions, they aren't necessarily
just the bad habits that we thought they were.

They're just a process that is meeting some sort of need.

We're going to meet that need in a different way,
a way that is more in alignment

with who we are and what we want,
and what our goals for our life are.

Then, when we're stepping forward in that process.

I'm just meeting needs here.

We're meeting you in a better way,
and we start to help those things to cycle.

We realize, you know, the the deepest level

that I say physiologically in the body is the fasting space.

To realize this is a space of openness
and it is a gift to the body.

This is the type of process,

say, can bring health and contentment.

Man in a society like this, how do you buy contentment?

You know, consumption culture says you have to buy it.

You have to consume it.

Take a deep breath.

See fasting space showing us contentment not so far away.

You could use fasting to find contentment.

That is meeting a need, right?

What is the need?

Sometimes we fill food fills needs in the body, right?

Easy to see physically giving the nutrients that we need,

the proteins, the amino acids, the energy,

the minerals, everything coming in through the diet.

Wonderful. Food also can be meeting emotional needs.

So this is what we see fasting space giving us an opportunity

to get in the middle of that and see okay food
so essential to body and life.

How do we how are we relating to it

physically and then emotionally?

Where is it covering over something when we get in here?

What is the internal guidance
saying when you do what they say here,

when you quiet the mind and open up the space,

see, what are we really trying to accomplish?

Because then we see the other side of it.

We see the two sides of it physically in the body.

We need nutrition.

We need the things that food gives us is a part of our cycle,

and it's our deep connection
to nature in the world, depending on it.

But then we see not all the time
and not so continuously dependent on it.

As we have been told for so long,
we see that there's a balance.

Same balance exists on the mental side,
like food is how we connect with people.

Food is enjoyable.

It is positive mental experience. Okay.

But then we see that
there is also benefit in the space from it,

and we see that we can use it as a tool.

It can be a comforting tool, soothing tool.

And we see sometimes space from it to realize

our own power internally, both physically, mentally.

And then we balance it the other way between the mental

and the physical, a process of moving toward health.

In my view, a powerful, bold move toward better health is a

it's a process of balance is bringing all of health

into balance, bringing our life into balance.

That is a type of process when we are finding health practices,
whether it's fasting,

it's healthy eating, it's movement, it's
any of the beautiful mindfulness practices,

a process of seeking, finding balance in life
that's making life better, right?

The only thing I want for people,
the only way I would ever tell anyone

to practice fasting, is in a way that is making life better.

If you're not feeling in a space where it's like,
oh, this is giving me energy, this is interesting.

I am feeling encouraged and inspired.

Okay, tread cautiously in a space like that.

The line on that that I like to say intentional intensity.

I never say fasting is easy.

As a blanket rule.

I say the goal of everything we're trying to do
is to make it as easy as possible.

But as a practice, as a difficult practice, it certainly can be

when we are surrounded
by every type of distraction and pressure,

pushing us to consume and to conform

to socially normal patterns of behavior,

even when that normal is not healthy.

Here's a section I took later
out of this section is really getting into this thing.

That's what I was saying.

We want to make change easier.

To change is difficult
change the most difficult thing to do right?

Complacency is the default.

And then changing how we eat.

One of the most difficult things to change

because it's so tied into our emotions.

I think I saw overall people more successful
quitting smoking than

successfully losing weight
over a five year period as a study on that.

So interesting.

And then quitting smoking. Not easy to do, right.

So we want to be very, very thoughtful to get us into a space.

If we start meeting our needs physically, emotionally,

then that is a wellness practice,
then that can move us forward in our space.

They say here often the first reason we start neglecting
our essential needs

is because we think we are weak for having them.

How does that sit with you?

Have you ever felt that way?

I know I have definitely felt that way. I'm strong.

I don't need anything. And.

So many things inverted.

Okay, we think we're strong or we're trying to be strong

so we don't address fundamental needs that we have.

It ends up this is the paradox.

It ends up putting us in a vulnerable position.

We end up not taking care of ourselves
is the type of decision that actually ends up making us weaker.

I know I have done that to myself quite a lot unfortunately,
but we learn from it, right?

We got to have grace for ourselves.

We learn from these things.

Don't neglect your essential needs.

You are not weak for having them.

Recognizing that we have needs that we need to
meet is actually strength, because it's the type of thing

that actually helps us build a process
that supports our health and takes care of ourselves.

I think sometimes we even can feel guilty

for spending the time to even take care of ourselves.

They say we only believe this because when we were were young,

we did have to rely almost entirely on others
to meet our essential needs.

And eventually this fails us because another person

cannot fulfill us entirely, nor are they responsible for it.

As we grow up, we learn self-sufficiency.

In reliance on oneself, for the foundation of our basic

needs is an important part of a person's development.

Okay, but these things can linger on, right?

Like childhood experiences, times
when we did not have our needs met,

and then we developed coping mechanisms to deal with that.

And these things can stay with us.

And so this is the sort of thing for awareness.

When we get into that space, we say,
why do I really make the decisions that I do?

And why do I feel the way we do?

Like when they say, over here,
can we quiet the mind enough to let some of that bubble up?

I loved how they balanced this out here.

In the same way, it's important to recognize
we cannot meet every single one of our own needs.

As human beings, we are hard wired for connection

and to a group, communities, families.

We often feel the most fulfilled when we are connecting.

And so that's a balance that also is not a sign of weakness

to have community and connection
and also resilience and self-reliance.

See both those things so positive.

I love each of those.

How are you doing in in each of those domains?

Each of those is a path
that can help support you on a health journey

toward greater wellness.

How are you doing on the self-sufficiency?

Dive into it.

How are you doing on meeting your own needs of fasting space?

Very powerful way to dig into that space.

And then how are you doing on connection
with family and friends

in the community
and and like the food side, like kind of a better way

to flow into that, to share a meal with some people
and really get to know people and connect.

You know, those are two ways to balance those concepts.

So many things we can see as a weakness are actually
a strength.

Recognizing that we do need other people,

recognizing also that we have

needs like we can beat ourselves up the most.

Right? Do you ever feel that way?

We're can be harshest with ourselves.

We'd be harsh with ourselves for a single I don't need anybody,

and then we can be harsh with ourselves
to say I'm weak for even having needs.

It's like we we have needs.

We have to have them that somewhere.

And the best case scenario is that we develop

processes where we can have positive cycles everywhere,

positive cycles with friends and family, positive cycles

with self and our own decision making.

And those decisions I say today, let's move

forward in a very positive way in each of them.

Maybe you pick a specific focus in this day, out of the four

big spaces that we're moving toward,
is this a fasting focused day?

Is it a healthy, food focused day?

Or maybe today's the day
you're going to dial in some more movement.

Maybe today is a mental health focused day.

Take some time for some dedicated breathing, some open space

like they were saying here to calm and center the mind.

Whatever it is, let me know in the comments of the video.

Where are you dialing in today?

Where are you feeling the energy flowing in health
and what is your practice?

And come back and share.

How did it go and how are you feeling?

And do you tap in during a space like that?

See, any of these spaces can help us get deep into
that internal guidance system.

Whether you're out for a walk, right.

Maybe you take some time in that space to, like, listen for it.

What is the next move?

Where are you feeling it or where are you feeling the barriers?

Maybe it is calling out and saying, man,

I am blocked in this space, fasting space, this program.

What I say is a problem solving space.

You are having a barrier to health.

You can share that here.

No medical advice, problem solving space.

You take any medical thing,
you share it with your medical team.

But hey, this is a conversation.

It's a space to learn and grow.

Take powerful steps forward in health.

I'm going to take a few moments here.

While I'm here, I'm going to just center myself
by the lake here.

I'm going to listen to these beautiful notes.

I'm going to take just a few moments.

Stop listening to my own self-talk here
and do a little breathing.

Do a little centering.

Listen, let's take a moment here together.

If you have the time, it's like, listen after this reflection,

what is that inner guidance system saying for today?

Reminisce to share this space with you today.

I wish you the very best in your journey,
and I will look forward to connecting with you again soon.

Have a great day!