autumn ayurveda cleanse

Fall is a time of year that signals change. According to the ancient studies of Ayurveda the energies around us are shifting from pitta to kapha. Our bodies have stored up so much pitta from the fiery summer, and we need to cleanse it out to prepare our constitutions for a slower, cooler, sweeter winter. 

There are so many cleanses out there, but what I’m going to introduce you to today is an Autumn Ayurveda cleanse. This is not a starvation diet. It will not make you skinnier. Instead, we’ll focus on slowing down the digestion to allow the body to rid itself of toxins. We’ll take a minute to be with ourselves, to slow down, to be selfish; so that the rest of the year we can be active and giving. 

Twice a year, as we move into spring, and as we move into fall, it is healthy to allow yourself this time. Read on for a description of an Autumn Ayurveda  cleanse. This routine can be followed for anywhere from 3-10 days. 

Kitchari

While on the cleanse, you are going to eat a diet of kitchari for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Kitchari is made with mung beans, basmati rice, and a special herb blend that includes turmeric, fennel, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ginger, natural mineral salt and asafoetida. 

Each evening, make a batch for the following day. When you go to eat your kitchari, make sure it’s always warm. All throughout this cleanse, you want to consume only warm foods and liquids. You’ll start with a little bit at breakfast to kickstart your digestion, and then you’ll have your biggest meal at lunch. In the evening, consume a smaller portion for dinner. At lunch you may pair the kitchari with steamed vegetables or a soft/hard boiled egg if you wish. Just make sure that you’re not cooking anything in fat ie. olive oil, butter, coconut oil, etc. If you’re hungry, eat more kitchari. You should never feel starved while on this cleanse. 

Here is how to make your kitchari.

Ingredients

1 Cup split yellow mung dahl

1/2 Cup basmati rice

1-2 Tsp kitcharee spice mix

1 Tsp grated or minced ginger

Cilantro and lemon to garnish

Salt to taste

Directions

Wash the rice and beans to remove extra starches

In a large soup pot, add beans, ginger, and chitchat spice mix with 10 cups of water. Let cook for about 15 minutes.

Add rice and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

Skim off any foam that produces at the top while you’re cooking your kitchari

Mornings

In the mornings, you’ll use a tongue scraper first thing. Scrape from the back to the front of your tongue seven times to remove the residue that has built up overnight. Then prepare a warm drink of water or herbal tea. After you’ve had your tea, indulge in 15-20 minutes of gentle yoga. Nothing crazy, you want to take it easy while you’re on your cleanse. Just stretch it out and move with your breath for a short time. This will get the prana moving. Once you’ve had your yoga time, fill your belly with some kitchari, and go about your day.

Abhyanga

While your cleansing internally, you can help activate the process from the outside as well. Either in the evening or in the morning, you will practice Abhyanga, a form of self massage. This helps release toxins held in the muscles, so that your internal system can flush them out. To perform abhyanga, first heat some water on the stove top. Then immerse a mason jar of sesame oil in the water, so that the hot water can warm the oil inside. To perform the massage, start at your feet and hands, massaging toward your heart with the warm oil.  On joints, massage in a circular motion, and in between the joints use long linear strokes. Massage your scalp, around your nostrils, your ear lobes, get every crevice, but don’t massage over your entire face. After you’ve done your massage, let the oil sit for 20 minutes before hopping in the shower. This is a great time to journal or meditate. Once you’re in the shower, just rinse the oil off, don’t use soap. 

Warm Liquids

Throughout your cleanse be sure to drink warm liquids. Heat your water, drink herbal tea (not caffeine!), or sip down warm organic unsweetened almond milk. You want everything that goes into your body to be warm.

Triphala

In the evenings, you’ll take a slight laxative and powerful antioxidant called triphala. You’ll want to take this supplement on an empty stomach, so its suggested to do so right before bed. Heat up some water, like you would for tea, and stir in 1/2 teaspoon of triphala powder. Let steep for 15 minutes and then drink down, dregs and all.

Ghee

On days 4-6 of your cleanse, you will practice therapeutic intake of fat (ghee). This treatment is designed to mobilize fat soluble toxins stored deep in the tissues. Thirty minutes after waking up, you will drink down warm ghee on an empty stomach. Each day, you will increase your dosage by two tablespoons, starting at with two on the first day. After you’ve taken your ghee, do not eat until you feel absolutely hungry. 

Castor Oil

The second to last evening of your cleanse, you will drink a detox tea before bed. Then when you wake in the morning, mix 2 tbs of organic castor oil with 1/2 cup of hot water and the juice of one orange. Drink it down, and like with the ghee, don’t eat until you're hungry. 

Journaling

Throughout your cleanse, take the time to reflect. You allocate this time for yourself, so be sure to pay attention. What thoughts and emotions come up? What differences do you notice in your body? Be slow, thoughtful, and introspective.

get your juice: owen & alchemy

In Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood lives the coolest juice company I have ever seen: Owen & Alchemy. Their look is graphic – futuristic elements mixed with archaic symbols and natural materials. It’s both light and dark – the design an experience in and of itself. To boot, their juices are inventive and delicious. The menu includes your basic green juice staples, but adds in fun twists like himalayan sea salt which is packed with vital minerals and also helps to preserve the juices and keep their freshness. In addition, Owen & Alchemy offers fermented drinks (think Kombucha) and a menu of light bites including smoothie bowls and salads. If you find yourself in Chicago anytime soon, do stop in to find a healthy bite.

spring cleanse

So you've been cooped up all winter. Your diet has been limited to a handful of root vegetables, carbs and cheese. You haven't been moving as much, and you're ready for a detox. Cleanses are more and more popular these days, but I thought I'd take a minute to share a couple techniques that don't involve juice. There are plenty of ways to help remove toxins from your body aside from a liquid diet. Either use these in conjunction with a cleanse or on their own. Either way you'll be wringing out the bad, and welcoming in the new. Spring is a time to restart, so why not help your body out a little and give it a clean slate.

(image sources: 1, 2)

1. Take a cold shower: cold water causes your cells to expand and open up. You might not be able to stand cold water for an entire shower, but try just turning down the heat right at the end. You'll get an invigorating rush, and your cells will open wide making it easy for them to release guck that's been trapped inside.

2. Get or give yourself a good massage: follow a traditional Ayurvedic routine, and it will tell you to give yourself an oil massage every morning before you hop in the shower. Not only does it relax the muscles, but it removes the knots, pushes oxygen to the surface, and encourages your tissues to release toxins they've been holding on to. Frequent massages are known to improve cellulite as well as muscle-related issues. If you're doing it on yourself, a rule of thumb is to use linear motions between joints, and circular on the joints themselves (elbows, shoulders, knees, etc.).

3. Load up on antioxidant rich foods: sometimes cleansing isn't about what you don't eat, but rather what you do eat. Try subbing in antioxidant rich foods more than usual. Add blueberries to your morning yogurt,  minced garlic to sauteed veggies, or chia seeds to stirfry. They'll work to remove free radicals in the body and restart your body for spring.

4. Sweat: we all know one of the best ways to push things out of our body is with some good old sweating. Go for a run or switch it up with a body cleansing yoga routine. I love the detox yoga flow from Seane Corn which offers 30 and 60 minute detox routines. Lots of twists are great for your liver and colon. Having the two in good shape is key in cleansing the system and absorbing the last of those life sustaining nutrients. Keep the two running smoothly, and you'll be ready for feel good spring. 

5. Try 20 minutes of oil pulling: I recently just found out about oil pulling. It's a way to keep the mouth clean by pulling bacteria and debris out of your teeth and gums. Warm some coconut oil and add a drop of oregano oil which has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Swish a spoonful of the mixture for 20 minutes - do not swallow!- and spit out all the bad at the end. The mouth is the main entryway to the body, so why not start there in keeping it clean.