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Do more than ‘Remain Neutral’ | Why I Do a Seasonal Cleanse

Cleansing is important to me – it has been the most important catalyst for deepening my understanding of Ayurveda, in my own body.  Those of you who are on my email list have all received a copy of my one day Ayurvedic cleanse guide.  Did you use it? What did you think of it?

Over the past 4 years of twice-yearly doing an Ayurvedic cleanse,  each one has been different. Each time I approach it, and plan it, I feel different.  Mostly, my cleanses were and are more a time of intention, pulling back, turning in and tuning in.  Sometimes I like what I see, other times it’s super challenging and feels like during that season I took two steps backward, one step forward.  The cleanse was that step forward and I am grateful that I am creating that habit for myself…my body starts to know when the season shift is coming…and tells my mind it’s time to pick a start date.

Ayurvedic cleansing is usually centered around eating kitchari.  I’m sure amny of you are familiar with this – might already have opinions of loving it or so-not-loving it.  For those of you who don’t – there is a recipe in my 1 day cleanse guide, that I mentioned above. Two actually.

Why do it?

The goals of an Ayurvedic cleanse are to improve digestion, remove or burn up toxins, and improve our willpower.  Strengthening your will power might take a little force, or the yogic term we use is tapas, a purification through effort.  An important aspect, which juxtaposes this effort, is also taking more time to nourish yourself, especially through living your more ideal routine, getting enough sleep, and learning self massage.

By making a little effort, it becomes easier the next time.  In my experience, stretching your will power is best done gently – just like any stretch.  Regular stretching over time is going to be more beneficial than say, forcing yourself into a split, and tearing your hamstrings.  Making it difficult or impossible to even walk 🙂 With this concentrated effort, over a week, ad done twice per year, stretching your will power becomes easier – making it just EASIER to make better decisions around food, drinking, or expending your energy is ways you do not want to.

Wouldn’t it be great if things – anything – was just plain easier in this life?

“Slowly and slowly”

Digestion is the crucial piece to all healing in Ayurvedic medicine – as well as preventative medicine.  Fasting is an interesting and important practice which can improve digestion – and there are certainly helpful and not so helpful ways to do it.  A juice cleanse might serve some constitutions, at certain times of the year. Skipping breakfast in the Spring time may serve someone with a heavier Kapha constitution.  Eating a mono-diet of kitchari is one way to very safely introduce a fast into your life.

According to the Ayurvedic understanding, our digestion is known as our agni.  This word relates to our metabolic fire. Our ability to assmilate and absorb. There are very specific guidelines in Ayurvedic medicine for taking care of our agni.  It’s not really an ‘anything goes’ approach, though that’s how most of us approach our diets and eating.

An Ayurvedic Cleanse is an opportunity to learn about and experience some of those food rules – even if it’s just for the week – it’s beneficial to help clear up and clean up soe of the little messes we create throughout the rest of the year.

And sometimes those habits just happen to stick around, because they feel good, and just MAKE SENSE.  Oh, how I love this stuff.

Do more than Remain Neutral

One of my mentors, Dr. Claudia Welch, says that in her experience, it takes at least 2 hours of self care per day to just remain neutral.  And by remaining neutral, she means staying level and sane and maintaining our current state of health in our world as it is today.  Amongst all the environmental stresses, our work, family responsibilities, social pressures.  2 hours to keep your head above water.  And how many of us are really doing this?

Self care can include the Ayurvedic techniques, and yoga, and baths, and cooking for yourself, and taking walks.  Whatever works for you.

Setting aside time for a seasonal cleanse is how I have taken leaps forward in my health and well-being – beyond just the remaining neutral.  It’s a concentrated dose of me time.

Do your worst- and commit to a little me time this Spring. It’s the best time of the year to cleanse.

If you’re like me and have been feeling sluggish, sleeping in, have a little sinus congestion, nausea, or a few extra pounds from winter, get on board with us for April. Nature’s lightening up, and it just makes sense that we follow suit.

The next group cleanse is: October 12-18, 2015

EARLY BIRD PRICE: $75 – Goes up to $95 October 6.

Commit early and save

 

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PS: If you’ve cleansed before, and are ready to go deeper, talk with me about a guided home panchakarma.  This traditional Ayurvedic cleansing practice follows a very similar protocol as the group cleanse, but it requires one on one guidance because we utilize purgation techniques which are not for everyone.  Apply here.

 

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My first Ayurvedic Cleanse

I got more than I bargained for in my first attempt at an Ayurvedic cleanse.

pitta kitch

In school for Ayurveda, one of our homework assignments was to try a 3 day kitchari fast.  I’m sure most of you know what kitchari is (and perhaps already have a love/hate relationship 🙂 ).

Simply said, the assignment was just to make kitchari three meals of the day, for 3 days.

I couldn’t do it.

I made it through 2. Well, maybe 1 and a half. Maybe I wouldn’t do it.

I had a few fears stopping me.  One, I did not trust that I would get enough to eat, and I did not want to lose weight.  Two, I was afraid I was going to miss out on something – some social event – over those three days, and I was not going to ‘deprive’ myself of that experience.

The first fear is sort of legitimate.  For one, in my first cleanse, I did lose weight and it did not serve me.  But HELLO! I was not eating anything but apple juice then.  3 days of kitchari was not going to deplete me – I would be eating 3 meals per day, adding plenty of vegetables, and nourishing, fatty, yummy ghee to my bowl. I would not waste away.

The second is very common, and what I want to expound on here.  This fear of missing out on something.  What if I was invited to a dinner party? A concert? A farmer’s market?  A wedding?  I would be missing out on life.  There was this feeling of deprivation.

I tried this cleanse over a weekend.  I cook to relax, I cook to explore and taste new ingredients, and to interact with natural things.  Cooking kitchari seemed so boring to me.

I was rajasic.  Not crazy. 😉

The 3 maha gunas, sattva, rajas and tamas, are the way we understand psychology in Ayurveda, and in yoga.  These three energies are simply a part of nature, of the universe, that affect all things at one time or another.  They are more subtle than the doshas, the gross elements.  These 3 energies are constantly shifting in and out of one another – just like we’re constantly shifting our thoughts and state of mind.  Well, that is, if we have rajas energy dominating, which most of us do.

Just quickly, sattva is a harmonious energy, it is stillness, expansive, open, and peaceful.  Rajas is passion, transition, desire, and change. Tamas is also stillness, but it’s stagnancy, stuckness, ignorance and dullness.  We need tamas in order to fall asleep, or to bring tasks to completion.  We need rajas to create change, to initiate action.  When sattvic, we feel calm, content, and at ease.

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When I say I was ‘rajasic’ what I mean is that my body and mind, and my senses were dominated by that type of energy.

 

In the definition of health in Ayurveda, our senses are very important.  Our senses are what become satiated, when we have desires.  Yoga is ultimately a practice of contentment – and either fulfilling desires in a way that negates karma, or detaching from those that are causing us disturbance in our mind.  In a fully, completely, ‘healthy’ person, our “senses/sense organs, mind and body is full of bliss.” And this blissed out state, this still, calm, peaceful state is synonymous with sattva.

 

This simple 3 day ‘cleanse’ that I failed to do, gave me a hint that my senses were not full of bliss, and that my mind was not content.  I was desirous of more stimulation, more intense flavors, more texture in my mouth.  And because I worried that for those 3 days I might miss out on other sensory experiences – I was ignoring the ones right under my nose. Ahem.

But the very fact that I struggled, and that I ‘failed,’ is where the lessons are learned.  One:  I could sense there was something deeper to learn and benefit from trying again.  Two: I was starting from where I was really at – the beginning.  Three: My willpower wasn’t very strong.

 What is will power?

I recently read an article that expounded on this idea that we must go to extremes, or even hurt our bodies, in order to ‘get better and be better.’  This was mostly in relation to exercise regimes that we push on our bodies, and that can actually do more harm than good.  This sort of ‘will-power’ is tamasic.  It is ignorance of the body’s pain signals, and stifling of intuition.

Sattvic will-power is cultivated through some rajasic energy, and eventually, becomes so easy one doesn’t even have to try…well, very hard. 😉  In my experience, group support, or guidance, even in the form of books or a distant teacher you trust is necessary, as well as slow, steady, change.

Say I went out for a 3 days cleanse, but only made it through 2 days.  My mind my think I’ve ‘failed,’ but I actually spent 2 days eating prana-filled, sattvic foods, and reaped the benefits to mind and body.

Then perhaps I feel it’s a good idea to try it again in a few months. I make it through the three days – perhaps because the taste and feeling of eating kitchari is not entirely  new to me, and the weather is more suitable to eating light.

Perhaps over the next 3 months, I eat kitchari when I’m feeling under the weather, or I find the perfect spice blend that makes it more enjoyable. Perhaps I realize I like it cooked with split beans rather than whole, or that I’ve got to use golden beets rather than red.  I’m becoming more subtle, and I’m actually feeling empowered by the experience rather than deprived.

I’m ready to go deeper, so I work with a practitioner to dive deeper into my physiology, and learn safe Ayurvedic purging techniques using herbs.  I focus more on my self care a daily routine, and I’m not even worried about eating kitchari for 5 or 6 days. Well, maybe day one and two are hard…

Then I was able to give up alcohol for 100 days.

Then I did it again.  Then I didn’t want to disturb my body and mind with that stuff at all…and on to the next exploration.

…these little notes reflect my actual story.

 So, what’s your experience?

Are you ready for a cleanse?  I recommend that for your first time – you start small.  Or that you cleanse with friends or a teacher.  Unexpected things come up. It’s not all a out WHAT you’re eating.  It’s not about torturing yourself.  It’s about a more subtle, deep layer of discovery – at risk of sounding cheesy. But hey, I trust you guys, and I know you get me.

Are you ready?

My 7 day cleanse starts October 12.  It’s hard to go it alone – doesn’t my experience show it!  Get the most out of a cleanse, and get some support –  join us.

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Get the Early Registration rate and save when you register before October 6.