Welcome to Day 1!
Āyurveda is all about living in sync with the rhythms of nature……..as she changes, so should we. This means as we shift away from the hot and fiery qualities of summer (pitta dosha) we must take steps to clear these qualities from our bodies and minds. You can think of this seasonal cleanse like getting an oil change for your car, it’s routine maintenance. As we shift to the fall season and the qualities of vata we have to check in, clear out some of the heat, and build up some support so we can keep running smoothly the rest of the year.
This week you will not only work through a traditional āyurvedic mono-diet cleanse, you’ll also participate in practices that help to clear the pitta from your tissues, self-inquiry so you can move into the new season with clear intentions, and learn supportive practices that will help you feel nourished throughout the rest of the year.
So, let’s get started! Today you are going to start cleaning up your diet by eliminating processed foods, caffeine, and alcohol. But don’t worry, it’s not forever! Actually, āyurveda doesn’t tell us “no” to any particular foods, it just gives us guidance on how and when to consume them. It’s important to remember that the fall cleanse is not so much about achieving purity, as many wellness cleanses are, but simply about honoring this transitional phase, and giving the digestive system a rest so that we can deeply tune in to what needs to be addressed in this season of letting go. Maybe you’ll find that there are dietary habits that aren’t serving you, but during this cleanse you are just as likely to find that there are mental habits that aren’t serving you.
Be gentle with yourself today as you start to rest your digestion by removing processed foods, caffeine and alcohol, and remember this week is not about perfection. Starting to eliminate these things from your diet will help you observe your relationship to food, how you do or do not use food as a coping mechanism, and how your mindset informs the choices you make.
Today’s YOGA PRACTICE is a 45 minute “detox” practice that will help stimulate your digestion, and begin releasing the heat of pitta from your tissues.
dinacharya:
The word dinacharya is the sanskrit word that means “daily behavior”, and dinacharya are routine daily practices that help us maintain balance. Some dinacharya practices stay the same all year long, while others change with the seasons (called rtucharya, or seasonal behavior). Print out the dinacharya checklist included on the cleanse homepage and add “Warm Water with Lemon” as the first practice.
Start your day with a glass of warm lemon water, first thing in the morning and at least 20 minutes before you consume any other food or beverages. Read the bonus material below for more on starting your day with warm lemon water.
bonus info:
The liver plays a significant role in digestion. The liver also refines and filters the foods we eat to remove harmful toxins before they enter our bloodstream and tissues. Overtaxing the liver with processed foods, herbicides, pesticides, alcohol, etc. can adversely impact the liver itself, and lead to poor digestion, and accumulation of impurities in the deep tissues.
Seasonal cleansing is an opportunity to offer the liver rest so that it can repair itself. The liver is considered the primary seat of pitta, and this is a great time of year to work on clearing away any excess accumulated pitta from the summer. Not only are we offering rest to the liver during the fall cleanse, we are also supporting the removal of pitta from our tissues when we rest the liver. Two birds, one stone.
Adding the bitter taste to your diet this week will aid your liver in its natural detoxification process. Foods with a bitter taste have an affinity for the liver and support our body’s natural system of detoxification. Try adding some bitter greens like kale, collard greens, or dandelion greens to your meals this week (incorporate these bitter greens into your kitchari meals as well) . Beets, carrots, and apples are also effective in supporting liver function. You can also use coriander, cilantro, fennel, cumin, and turmeric (many of which are in your kitchari spice mix) to add extra liver support during this week and beyond.
Focus on organic as much as possible this week. Take a break from the chemicals and choose organic foods when you can. The Environmental Working group offers two handy lists (The Dirty Dozen and The Clean 15) to help you in choosing the safest produce. The Dirty Dozen list are the foods that have the highest levels of pesticides used on them and you should always opt for organic of these 12 items. The Clean 15 on the other hand is a list of foods that are generally low in pesticide use and generally safe to buy conventional.
Add a cup of warm lemon water to your morning routine! Drinking warm water first thing in the morning (before you consume anything else) helps kindle your agni (digestive fire) for the day. Adding a little lemon to the water helps to clear any ama (toxins) that have accumulated in the digestive tract overnight. Lemon is also considered a liver stimulant, and helps encourage liver detox.
Ghee is the easiest fat for the liver to process. During the cleanse favor ghee over other oils.