Mar 12

A week of #peacocktreelent

Well done everyone and thank you SO much for getting involved with #peacocktreelent. You’ve amazed, inspired and amused us with the things you chose to give up – from coleslaw (yes, really!) to your car, technology, the daily mail on-line (ha!), packets of haribo . . . to name but a few – WE SALUTE YOU! Here’s a look back on some of your Facebook and Instagram posts – click on the images to read the comments that accompanied them.

DAY 1 – Letting go

Original Fran is a self-confessed peanut butter addict, so we were VERY impressed when she announced what she would be letting go of… “As anyone who knows me will attest, peanut butter is my very favourite food in the world and I would live on it if I could. So here we go! No peanut butter! For 7 whole days! I hope Miss Lilley and the Peacock Tree Yoga crew all appreciate how difficult this is for me!!”

Our Head of Communications, aka CommuniKaty, chose to go without her daily chocolate fix… “Last bit of lovely dark chocolate for a week. . . I’ll be doing seven days of ‘Lent’, with with Lilley Harvey and the Peacock Tree Yoga gang, starting tomorrow (Monday 6th). If you fancy joining in, go to the blog (link below) or search #peacocktreelent on Facebook and Instagram, and be inspired by lots of yogis and yoginis practising non-attachment!”

Robert Bailey told us, via Facebook, he would be “Giving up coffee for the week”, but admitted that “it hasn’t been quite as bad as I expected so far” and was keen to point out that “the worn off Bialetti man on my espresso pot wore off in transport taking it on holiday and not from excessive use (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it)”. Yeah, we believe you, Robert!!

Lou spoke for so many of us when she confessed to watching a bit too much telly…

We LOVED this decision to give up excuses! Almost as much as the flowery headband!!

Ann Elliot, one of our Over 50s students, vowed to “stop using the Internet unless absolutely necessary”. Happily, she considered it necessary to send us this photo via email!!

I coudn’t let you go through this alone… “You’re giving up… I’m going without dairy, which means no cheeky lattes between classes, and no Yorkshire Gold served in my favourite key cup alongside a couple of dirty digestives each morning!”

We had a lovely email from Colin, who gave up ice cream and headed to the mountains with friends. “Ive not forgotten my yoga practise”, he assured us.

DAY 2 – Motivation

“This should be pretty self explanatory! No Peanut Butter = much better chance of channeling my inner Marilyn Monroe and squeezing my arse into my gorgeous vintage swimsuit come summer!” #peacocktreelent #vintagevixen #iwilllooklikemarilynifitkillsme”

I was motivated to go dairy free by the idea of being able to do my yoga practice without sniffling! Being pregnant means having over-reactive sinuses – add lactose intolerance to that and you get much congestion!!

We think that delicious looking dinner deserves Lou’s mindful eating!

“I’m motivated by wanting to be the healthiest version of myself as I enter my thirties later this year. Oh, and Beyoncé. Always Beyoncé. #bzz #nonattachment #byetoexcuses #motivated”

“One day without chocolate done, six more to go (who knows, maybe I’ll carry on after #peacocktreelent has finished…but let’s not get carried away with bold statements yet, eh?). So, on to day 2 and the theme for the day: Motivation. I’m motivated by the desire to be free of desire! I want to receive emails like the one in the screenshots below and not click on the deliciously tempting bait. I want to be stronger than the voice that says DO IT!!”

Ann Elliot told us her motivation for getting offline was “to stop time wasting by ‘surfing’ websites just for interest.”

DAY 3 – Alternatives

“So I’m now onto day 3 of #peacocktreelent and the theme ‘Alternatives’ is rather fitting, because I’ve just made a batch of these raw chocolate balls, to see me through the rest of the week. They’re ruddy lovely and potentially as addictive as the dark choc I’m trying to avoid! Here’s the recipe in case anyone’s interested: http://madeleineshaw.com/videos/raw-chocolate-balls/ – they’re really easy to make. A bit too easy actually……..”

New Fran’s alternative to her usual hot chocolate sounds like something we could all benefit from!

Alternatives to peanut butter?? “Anything!! Ha, just kidding. Going for healthy eating. Chicken, salad, rye bread and Longley Farm cottage cheese (the best cottage cheese ever!!). And a BIG coffee!! #peacocktreelent #stuffed”

“My alternatives to nicorettes, coffee and newspapers” – Baz Buchanan.

Simple as that! Good attitude, Millie!

I’ve been enjoying some super alternatives to the usual cow’s milk dairy I eat and drink! And, thanks to you helpful lot and your comments on my Day 3 post, I now know all about the myriad other alternatives to cow’s milk! Thank you!

If we can see past temptation, there are some lovely things waiting for us.

Our daily themes are really just a way of sparking your creativity – you can interpret the brief as you wish, which is exactly what Sikose did so stylishly!

DAY 4 – Temptation

CommuniKaty: “And so Day 4 of #peacocktreelent arrived, and with it the theme of ‘Temptation’… A good day to post this photo of the ENORMOUS selection of dark chocolate available in French supermarkets. Oh la vache!!”

Such strength and resilience in the face of temptation, from my friend Sikose!

Way to go, New Fran!

“How’s your #peacocktreelent going, yogis?”, I asked on Day 4. “Run into any ‘Temptation’ yet? I have!! The chocolate balls I give to my pregnancy yoga students are a weekly treat for me too. Not this week though. No. Definitely not. . .” http://peacocktreeyoga.com/yoga-classe…/pregnancy-yoga-york/

Lizzie Mould made a tasty suggestion beneath my Facebook post about the tempting chocolate balls… “These are dairy free!!”, she exclaimed.

We have such tremendous reserves of strength and determination, as Lou’s Day 4 update shows.

Ann sent us a quick update, before the lure of the internet kicked in! “Temptations (photo attached) – magazines , offers in the post and lots of emails encouraging you to ‘take a look’ – received 21 yesterday!”

DAY 5 – Support

“It’s going so well for me,” I reported on Day 5 of #peacocktreelent, “largely thanks to all support I’ve had – my nice husband has been out hunter gathering lots of almond milk, I’ve had a lovely vegan lunch with one of my favourite yoginis, and have even been given dairy-free gifts!”

No support necessary! Lou was actively enjoying her break from the TV!

The latest from CommuniKaty… “I’d really, really like a piece of chocolate – especially right now, after lunch, with a small coffee. Thank goodness I have the support of Yam Solo, who’s also given up chocolate for the week and is having to make do with large hunks of banana cake instead!”

So lovely to see the support between Lou and Deborah in the comments on this post.

Lou posted a lovely update on the evening of Day 5…

THAT’s what it’s all about!!

Fran nails the Peacock Tree ethos in one statement.

DAY 6 – Benefits

I posted a video on Facebook and Instagram on Day 6, after sneaking into the Acomb studio for a a moment’s sassy cat in the sun…

Life-changing stuff! Absolutely LOVE this, Lou!

What finer outcome could one hope for.

Sikose just sailing through Day 6!

DAY 7 – Insights

We made it! Day 7 of #peacocktreelent arrived, along with the theme of ‘Insights’. If there’s one thing that really stands out from our week of Lent, it’s the yoga you all do off the mat – you’ve really bowled me over with the way you’ve taken on the Lent challenge. And what an extraordinarily supportive school we have! THANK YOU EVERYONE! Keep shining bright!