I decided this year to do an Ayurvedic Spring cleanse as I had been aware of these cleanses for some years but I had never done one actively.
I understand the benefits of cleanses especially as the seasons change. It seems right to cleanse and clear the body from the heaviness of winter where we are eating heavy foods and bulking up to keep warm!
Also with the change in the weather and the days feeling lighter and brighter it intuitively feels right to do a cleanse.
I have also been feeling a bit stagnant in my eating and often sticking to the same recipes and ways of eating. Therefore I needed a change and new perspective on my diet and this was the perfect change as many of the cleanse recipes are recipes that I will continue to use on a weekly basis.
I took part in a five day spring cleanse with The Ayurvedic Mum who guided me through the cleanse and advised me on the correct foods to eat and practices to carry out such as taking ghee daily (internal oleation) and abhyanga (oil massage/ external oleation).
There were also various herbs I needed to take to support me though the cleanse such as Triphala and Chywanprash.
Cleanses cannot be done while you are menstruating therefore I timed my cleanse to be carried out before my period was due. My period then arrived and this further aided the cleansing and detoxifying process.
The first few days were good and I was excited to try out some of the cleansing recipes. By about day four I was missing my sweet treats such as chocolate but I knew it was only a few more days to go. The final day was the hardest as this is the day of the castor oil flush. I made sure I had no other commitments on the day so that I could fully rest and allow my body to move through the flush.
I was also a bit delicate the next day and I then had to carry out a post cleanse routine which has helped me to ease back into eating my usual foods again.
I feel the journey has been a real act of self-love as the process really requires you to love and take care of what you are putting into your body. At the same time the self-care practices such as the yoga, dry skin brushing, tongue scraping etc further encourage the process of caring for your body and all that it does for you.
The greatest lesson for me during this process has been the benefits of emptying the body. I have become comfortable with that empty feeling which I would have previously associated with being hungry. Just as we try to empty the mind through journaling, counselling etc. Our body needs to be empty in order for us to really understand ourselves at a deep inner level.
This can enhance our meditation practice too as it is in meditation that we empty the mind to move into the space beyond thought.. A space where there is peace and calm. It is within this space that we let go of labels, identities, responsibilities and duties. Into a void of nothing and a space where we simply exist.
It is also within this space where we open ourselves up to new perspectives, change and reorder.
When there is so much drama in the world around us which is often beyond our control let us take back control by going within and reconnecting to that empty space.
If you are looking to do a cleanse do reach out to The Ayurvedic Mum who can guide you through the practice.