this time of year is truly one of my favorites. especially up here in the northwest, there is a clear shift of season where the days are still abundant with sunshine, but the air is considerably more crisp and the days shorter. gone are the long summer days, brown lawns and sweaty bike rides. welcome flannel sheets, socks, green lawns, sun breaks and falling leaves.
as the seasons shift and the earth adapts, we too need to take our own measures to assure health and wellness. what better way than to cleanse the body of summer bbq's, beerfests and sunscreen meanwhile allowing the bodies internal balancing system to re-center and prepare itself for the winter months, than a dosha balancing cleanse? some might say there are many better ways but hey, this year i'm giving this one a go!
to cleanse, lets turn to our ancestors; the magnificent and intelligent people truly had it right in treating the body in a similar fashion as the earth. we turn to the East. to Ayurvedic medicine.
first, a little pre-cleanse background information!
shifting from summer to fall alters the surrounding dosha from pitta (fire and water elements) to vata (space and air elements). in the summer months, most of the foods we crave are cooling foods - salads, fruit, smoothies, etc. this is really no coincidence as the craving is a result of our bodies naturally balancing the surrounding pitta environment. however, in the fall, the vata months, we generally seek warm, soothing foods such as soups. so, a dosha balancing cleanse between these two seasons can truly work to prepare the body for the shift and to make the transformation of foods more assessable for digestion. further, as the balance can be acquired naturally, there will be less room for the dreaded 'overeating' in the winter months (which can arguably be a direct result of unbalanced body systems, doshas).
so, i am personally beginning a cleanse this upcoming sunday (maybe, just maybe, i can talk the man into participating as well!). the next few days (thursday through saturday) i plan to eat clean which simply involves:
- no caffeine, alcohol, stimulants
- no meat, dairy or eggs
- no sugar
- no heavy carbohydrates, but rather whole grains
- plenty of water - ideally around 3 liters/day
- legumes (beans, lentils)
- PLENTY of vegetables and fruit
starting sunday and continuing until thursday..5 days.. will be a mixture of green juices and vegetable broth (all homemade and organic*, of course)
ingredients for the juices and broths will vary and at day 3 on tuesday switching to more vata characteristic foods, adding warming spices and consuming warm soup.
in addition to cleansing the body with simple, nourishing foods, it is also very beneficial to balance the mind and replenish energy in the body. during the cleansing days, plenty of sleep is key (at least 8 hours), sweating with a gently yoga class, bathing twice a day to remove toxins released out of the skin, plenty of hydration with water or warm herbal tea, and of course smiling, laughing and feeling content and inspired with the cleanse. acknowledge the continuous work our bodies do for us every day and be willing to give back to it both with compassion, gratefulness and rest. after all, we only get one body, right?
"To keep the body in good health is a duty...otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear." - The Buddha
*organic foods here, is such an important factor and one to be very aware of. cleansing is beneficial for so many reasons and one key element is removing free radicals and toxins in the body as a result of pesticides and other additives in so many foods we consume. so, give it your all and eliminate those toxins, as least for the cleanse!
Thanks Kels, I will try to keep up! Keep the wellness thoughts coming.
ReplyDelete