Ayurvedic Spring Cleansing

We’ve made it to March. Hopefully you’ve caught glimpses of Spring- like more bird activity (anyone else slowly easing into their birding era?), warmer days, longer days… We’re almost through the Winter season, and maybe you’re feeling that itch, my favorite, to bust out the spring clothes, wash all the windows, throw out everything that feels.. too heavy within your realm. That my friend, is nothing but natural. The seasonal shift from the cool,. drying out of fall, the vata season, into the dark, heavy cold of Winter, Kapha season, and we are just now feeling the beginning of the transition from Spring and into summer, the warming up of pitta season. These in between seasons, vata and kapha- fall and spring respectively, are great times to cleanse. And while there are many cleanses to opt into these days, I’m a firm believer in nourishment. An Ayurvedic cleanse is just that.

I am about to embark on my first Ayurvedic cleanse in a year and a half, since I have been pregnant or breastfeeding Bash. And while I have a love hate relationship with cleanses, I actually feel really called to do one now. Besides the fact that it’s a great time for some routine maintenance, it’s a great time to carve out space in my relatively hectic life (see above about having a baby.. now toddler) in order to rest, reflect, and release. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It’s a great time to pause, check in with where you are, where you’ve been.. and my favorite, where you have yet to go. Having predictable meals via a (mostly) mono diet of kitchari and seasonal vegetables takes one thing off your plate.. my least favorite question, “So, what should we make for dinner?”. While I have begun to enjoy the process of planning our menus, it still is something that you have to do.. day in and day out. And, now with a child it is far less acceptable to opt for the occasional “girl dinner”…! So I’m excited to say no a bit more to the unnecessary, say yes to the truly nourishing, and care for myself after a nice long becoming a mom era.

I have worked with the great Ayurvedic Chef Meredith Klein in her seasonal cleanses, and have appreciated the more feminine, in the flow, approach to cleansing which allows for a lot of flexibility and ways to accommodate and support yourself best. Because in reality, we are not monks living up in the hills, we are functioning members of a highly driven society. We are what are called homemakers. If we all could get out of our daily obligations perhaps a strict approach would be in order, but I find it best to allow youself some grace and to do what’s best- which in my opinion is never to force something just because you want to accomplish a task. I cannot stress enough the value of taking this time to practice true listening to your body, and becoming attuned to the needs it expresses through actual hunger and satiety cues, or noticing any pre or post digestive effects (think heart burn, flatulence, varying types of..excrement). Or maybe your mood shifts when hungry, or uncomfortable after eating. We as a society don’t tend to put much value into observing these responses, because it requires a bit of attention, as well as time and effort to enact true shifts. A cleanse is a great opportunity to slow it all down in order to truly feel how you are and to create new relationships and routines around nourishment, self care, and ones that will lead you down the path of where you want to be, and who you see yourself becoming.

For me personally it’s the monotony of a kitchari cleanse that becomes the challenge. In the past I have literally gotten angry around mealtimes because I’m so tired of having the same meals. It’s not that I’m craving anything in particular, I just don’t want the same meal.. again. This is also data. I see that my meals vary from day to day, which feels very Vata. And I do usually observe a vata spike as I begin a cleanse- as if it’s hard to settle into the groundedness, the predictability. My approach during this current cleanse will be to have different types of vegetables each day in each batch of kitchari I make. As this becomes also too mundane, I’ll add in some chutney’s, perhaps some avocado, or try some new spice combinations.

This year I also want to support myself a bit more with taking on a lesser load. I find the busier I am, the harder it is to prepare the kitchari with love, or time. And that’s kind of the whole point. One Ayurvedic perspective is your relationship with food is your relationship with how you love yourself.. We know this, the whole you are what you eat thing right? But it’s not just the quality of the food, like McDonalds versus a home cooked family recipe. It’s also…eating in the car versus eating at a nicely set table (think cloth napkins, and anything beyond a paper plate or-gasp- over the sink) It’s sharing food with people you love. It’s not necessarily saying a prayer, but just taking a moment for a deep breath and some thoughts of appreciation and thanks before your first bite. Not only will I have a more positive experience whilst eating, it will actually better support my actual digestion. And during a cleanse we are doing everything we can to nourish our digestive system. Which not only supports us physically, but also supports us in the actual daily digestion of our lives, our experiences, the hard times and the good.

And finally, I am going to ensure I tend to my morning and evening routines. A good night sleep starts the night before, and the way you start the day establishes the tone for the rest of the day. I hope to make my morning meditation and journaling a non-negotiable, and to do some yin or restorative yoga and a gratitude meditation in the evening. Anything to set myself up for success each day, and to actually give myself the time to know what this can look like and how to truly execute. While having a toddler might create a challenge, and a husband who isn’t too interested in partaking in kitchari for seven dinners might proove to be a challenge, I’m hoping I can be strong and stay consistent throughout the week. By spending some time setting a few boundaries and curating my schedule ahead of time I will hopefully be more likely to be consistent in this cleanse experience. But each cleanse thus far has been different, and I hope to take the time to document the shifts and observations I have.

If you have questions or are interested in partaking in your own spring cleanse, you can purchase my cleanse protocol or book a call with me to discuss further! Wish me luck! Here’s to a clean week!!