Saturday, November 3, 2012
Tomorrow will be the first day of my annual Fall cleanse. Cleansing the body of toxins, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, refined and processed foods helps the physical body work better: boosts the immune system, supports the digestive system, in particular the small intestine, supports liver function, aids in metabolism, resets the palette, removes allergens, etc. More importantly, it cleanses the mind by creating a simple diet without distraction.
The daily decisions about what to eat, where to eat, and what to cook are eliminated. Instead, these things are already decided upon. On this cleanse, based in the Ayurvedic tradition, the main diet is kitchari (or sometimes spelled kitchidi). It is a simple diet of mung beans, basmati rice, ghee, cilantro and spices. There are also optional snacks of sunflower seeds and a digestive yogurt takra. Before each meal the digestive fire is increased by drinking warm liquid, most often ginger tea or a digestive tea with cumin, corriander, fennel and licorice root.
Each morning begins with a self-massage of warm sesame oil (http://www.chopra.com/abhy) to help with the cleansing process. Aside from the myriad of benefits of this self-massage, it just plain feels good and is an incredibly noroushing way to start the day. While the oil soaks in the body, there is a chance for slowing down and drinking a cup of ghee tee (tea with a tsp of ghee in it). After about 20 minutes a warm shower is taken to help the rest of the oil penetrate into the skin and do its magic.
More than anything about the cleanse, I like the way it slows me down and creates space in my life. My body feels sacred and my mind feels incredibly clear. Typically on day four however, I start to get a little tired of the same meal over and over again. At this point my mind takes over. Even though my body is receiving very nutrious food and doesn't actually need anything, my mind begins to need chocolate. Every time I cleanse, it's always chocolate that I want. I am usually able to wait it out, add more spices to my food, eat an extra sunflower seed snack, and stay steady.
Eating is such a primal experience. When we remove the ability to eat out of reaction, boredom, and habit, often emotions arise. Sometimes I feel grumpy or rebellious about this feeling of restriciton, and want to say _ _ _ _ this. More times than not, I hold steady, drop into my breath, and continue on to the end because I know how important it is to investigate and process whatever it is that arises.
Tomorrow begins the cleanse. We'll see how I feel when I'm in the midst of it.
Om Shanti.
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