The Cleanse Before and After

Many of you in my classes know I just finished a 7 day Ayurvedic Cleanse. It was a very interesting and beneficial experience for me. I have never done an ayurvedic cleanse before but since I have been so drawn the this medicine I decided to try one.

People ask me , why do a cleanse? I like to do one in the spring and the fall to jump start my digestive tract and to do a good spring or fall cleaning so that I feel like I got to push the reset button with my health. It is a good time to re-evaluate your eating habits and lifestyle. What I likd about this cleanse is that it allowed me time to contemplate not only my diet but my overall lifestyle and what shifts I needed to make.

  During the cleanse I was only eating kitchari which is a dish made with split mung beans and white basmati rice and some healing spices. I was also taking some digestive herbs and drinking only hot water. This may sound like pure torture but it was not as bad as it seemed. The first few days I was eating my normal diet and ingesting some warm ghee in the morning, This pulls the toxins from the tissues so that the kitchari can them help your digestive tract remove them. Day one on kitchari was tough. There is no snacking and 3 meals a day only. Now granted some days I eat 2 meals due to my busy schedule and with this diet I was well fed during the three. I did crave so badly other foods and my coffee in the morning and fruits. I tried to just journal about why I craved these things since it was only my first day without them and I go other days without them without a thought. I found it interesting that I wanted them..it was like I wanted them because I could not have them..not because I truly wanted them. Day 2 was easier and then the rest of the days I was good. I started to feel so light inside. I was more in touch with my fullness and hunger. The suggestion is to ensure that your meals are peaceful and done in a relaxed and un-distracted manner. Not reading emails, talking on the phone or eating on the run. This was different for me! To actually sit still and eat without doing anything but eating...Wow! What I found is that I really didn't need as much food because I was paying attention to when I was full. You are also suggsted to rest and not exercise other than yoga. I found this was a must as my energy was low. Slowing down to eat and to just evaluate my life really made me notice how amped up I was most of time and not present with each step of my life. Amazing!

I finished the cleanse and probably lost about 5-6 pounds, felt very light and noticed my digestion really felt good and strong! I comitted to a daily meditation and yoga practice and found that during this time I learned that I do need to slow down and enjoy each activity of my day more. Savor each moment and try not to multi-task so much.. I think all of those things just leave me drained and missing out on the present. I fully recommend this cleanse which can be done in a 4 day or 7 or 9 or really any increment. I followed to guidelines of my Ayurvedic Practitioner, Nancy Schneider. If you want to read more about an Ayurvedic cleanse follow the link below:
Banyan Botanicals Ayurvedic Cleanse Information

You can download their cleanse booklet and even buy a cleanse kit from them. Another good source is:
Life Spa Ayurvedic Cleanse Information
I bought my herbs from this site and followed his Short Cleanse guidlines.

If you have any questions email me...I can also send you some different kitchari recipes!