Spring cleaning for the body!

The wintertime is a time for indulgence: rich and decadent food, extra sleep, celebrations with drink and such like, and often a more sedentary lifestyle. The body is amazing in the fact that it will endure all that and stay as balanced as possible.

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​In the spring, however, as the weather warms, and the ice in the mountains starts melting into gushing streams, our body also starts to release the heaviness that has accumulated in our tissues from the winter. Impurities within the tissues melt into streams and flood into the micro channels inside us.

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The beginning of spring is when we start to feel the consequences of this natural detox. It may feel like heaviness or aching in the head, general lethargy, skin rashes or acne breakouts, unsatisfying bowel movements (sometimes loose other times dry), light and restless sleep, waking up with aching joints, weight gain that's not going away, and general emotional instability from all these many factors.


The good news is that there are a few, simple things that we can do to support our body in this seasonal detoxification process that it is going through. For a week or two, try and adapt your routine to a spring cleanse.


Here are my general recommendations:
~ Wake up early and first drink a few cups of warm water with lemon juice to flush out the gut. This should also start to give you a good bowel movement if you don't have one already
~ Aim for some stretching or light exercise in the morning (or else sometime during the day)
~ Do a self oil massage before you shower (refer to my blog post on that subject)
~ Eat meals that are plant based: fresh fruit, lots of lightly cooked vegetables, whole grains, and ideally a whole lot of something we call khichadi (ask me what this is)
~ Cut out caffeine, alcohol, animal products (such as meat, eggs and dairy), sugar, processed foods and any thing that you may be sensitive to; often this is wheat and soy.
~ As much as possible, create the space in your life to cleanse and nurture yourself. This may look like a daily breath practice or meditation, journaling your thoughts, time in nature, or any such activity that gives you the sense of retreat.


This is a great beginning to a spring cleanse. Tuning into the natural impulse is the first step and then creating the intention for purification is the main practice needed. All else will fall into place.


The recommendations I have given here are quite general. If you would like to know how to tailor this to your specific body type, please contact me!