Yes, I know... life is full! If your life is anything like mine, then the appropriate word may be
"relentless". There is work, and children, and making lunches and dinners, and deadlines, and uninvited sickness, and did I even mention sleep?? So if you feel like you need a cleanse, but the idea of a detox this spring is unfathomable, then try these 4 steps to give your body some basic support. They may sound simple, but they will go a long way in helping your body release and reset. You should be able to add them into your regular day without too much restructuring.
Set yourself a time frame. The mind likes well-defined timelines. One week is an excellent start. If it goes well, you can tack on second week, and then a third.
Step 1: Add in 2-4 cups of warm water with lemon on awaking
Spring cleansing is for getting rid of accumulated stuff from the cold, heavy, winter days. The body is releasing the excess layers that it packed on at a cellular level for the colder days. With the advent of spring, the body starts to melt these inner layers - just like a frozen spring melts on a mountain top. So to help your body with its "melting", start your day with 2 - 4 cups of warm/hot water first thing in the morning. Add some citrus in for extra oomph. If you can brew a ginger tea and squeeze in fresh lemon, even better! For the rest of the day, try and drink warm water whenever you can. It will loosen toxins and flush your system all through the day.
Step 2: Take 5-10 minutes to move your body before breakfast
The body is removing stuff from all the layers, organs, tissues. Help your body move that stuff out by simulating circulation. Do some form of exercise after you down your morning water. Jumping jacks will do! Sun salutations are great. A run around the block is amazing. Just do what is easy. If you do it right after you drink the hot water, it will help flush your system more thoroughly. If 5-10 minutes of exercise is easy, then extend it to 30 minutes as you go. Do this step even if you do a bigger workout later in the day. It's about the timing of it all.
Step 3: Lighten your last meal of the day
Make your supper soupy, warm and light. Eat it earlier (7 pm at the latest) and make it the last thing that you eat. No more snacking after dinner. This gives your digest system a break from dinnertime till breakfast. That is a great amount of time for your body to do the deeper cleansing work that it is trying to do. Sip on warm herbal teas after supper if you feel like you need something more. But absolutely no solids.
Step 4: Rest more, but only at night
The body can get heavy and the mind can get dull during this time of year as the body cleanses. This is super normal. People tend to want to nap in the day or use coffee and sugar to get an energy lift when this happens. This isn't a good idea. Daytime sleep closes the finer channels in your body and creates more heaviness. The best remedy for this side-effect of the cleansing season is to rest more at night. Listen to your body if it tells you to sleep earlier than usual. Get extra sleep at night, and especially maximize those awesome hours before midnight when you body gets double the rest. If you can get these four steps going on, then you are ready for a deeper, fuller detox. Talk to me for next steps. I would be happy to do a free 20 minute Skype call with you to give you next stages for your detox. Click here to book. Hope you have a light, healthy and joyful spring! Comments are closed.
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Hi! My name is Muneera. I love sharing the wellness tools that I have discovered.
In this blog, I give you tricks and tips for applying the tried-and-true wisdom of Ayurveda in simple and practical ways. Categories |