Spring Home Cleanse

The Spring Cleanse has been designed to help you remove stagnation and sluggishness from your body and mind. These qualities signify and excess of the kapha dosha and during the two weeks of this cleanse you will guided on what to do in order to get your energy and your life back.

We all deal with stagnation differently. Here is a story about a friend and how she is coping with sluggishness in her life.

We were sitting outside at Ruby’s café and waiting for our food to be delivered. It was one of those warm spring days where winter feels far away. My friend Sarah and I hadn’t had lunch together in months and we were catching up. She nervously twirled her hair as she asked me about the Spring cleanse program I have been leading since 2009. My first question to her and to all those interested in a doing a spring cleanse is ‘Why?”

• Do you feel run down and susceptible to colds and allergies?
• Do you wake up feeling stiff and achy; is it difficult to get going in the mornings?
• Do you feel fat from the holidays?
• Do you want to look your best this summer?
• Do you feel like your health is slipping away and that you need to get back on track?

If you have another why feel free to email me and let me know what your why for wanting to do a cleanse is. I want to make sure that the cleanse is right for you. I want to ensure that you need a reduction in the kapha dosha.

Lot’s of people tell me that they want to do a cleanse, but few actually do it. They all have excuses. We all have excuses. Most of the time it can feel daunting to do a cleanse. This is usally because people imagine the worst. They imagine a cleanse is so extreme that they will never be able to accomplish it. So I ask them what they think a cleanse will entail? This is usually my next question for people. The answer I usually hear is:

• Extreme fasting
• Making meals that her daughter wouldn’t eat
• Only drinking water
• Only drinking juice
• Never drinking coffee, beer, or wine again

If you have another concern feel free to email me and let me know what that is. These types of cleanses can be useful, especially in an in-patient setting. This is not that type of cleanse. It is easier than you are imagining. Last year I had a participant with two teenagers make one of the cleanse recipes and everyone in her family loved it and they are all excited to try it again. I could understand her concern.

We all have concerns and desires. We  all tell ourselves stories and often those stories decide how we live our lives. Sarah’s story was that cleansing was too hard and that her “why” wasn’t powerful enough to overcome the challenges. So I asked her what other challenges were contributing to her not feeling like she has enough motivation to do what she really wanted to do. I have learned that there are two kinds of motivation. There is the hot kind that feels like a struggle and the cool kind that feels easy to accomplish because you are commited to it. For me that is doing yoga every day for an hour. I have been doing this for over 20 years. My motivation is cool, calculated, and precise. It doesn’t take excessive effort. I know that is what I’m going to do every morning so I make the time.

If you make the time for this cleanse you will reap the rewards. There is a reason that you have been wanting to do a cleanse. You know that it is something you need and now you have an opportunity to do an easy and effective program. And it’s not that much more effort than what you are currently doing.

What Does the Spring Cleanse Involve?

During the two week Spring Cleanse + Support Group you will be following an elimination diet, using herbs, following Ayurvedic daily routines, and using recipes to assist your body and mind in feeling it’s best. This will allow you to have the energy to put up with distant kids, difficult co-workers, and difficult schedules. In order to achieve this and to help you maintain your focus the Spring Cleanse is broken down into four phases: Remove, Repair, Restore, and Rejuvenate. This program uses the phases for igniting sluggish digestion, reducing attachment, and connecting you with the planet.

Remove Phase:
The Kapha Dosha governs the stomach, pancreas, liver, and brain. Its qualities are heavy, cold, and damp. That is why stagnation is often used to describe a Kapha imbalance.

The preparation phase is focused on removing excess Kapha, specifically from the lungs and stomach. I have learned the best approach is from north to south: the lungs and stomach are above the pancreas and liver and so that is where we begin. We will be using diet, herbs, and specific foods to accomplish this. Not to mention some yummy recipes. Once the stomach and lungs are functioning better than we will be ready to move to the next phase.

Repair Phase:
As we move North to South within the digestive tract, our next Kapha organ is the pancreas. The pancreas’ job is to breakdown fat and starch to turn it into the body’s fuel in the form of glucose. The pancreas then secretes insulin in order to use the fuel. When there is too much Kapha, the body stores the created fuel as fat instead of utilizing it. In this phase the goal is to repair the pancreas and to remove the obstructions caused by Kapha. This leads to improved energy and stamina.

Once the body is energized and tuned up the mobilization of fat soluble toxins for elimination begins. This process involves a modification of lifestyle and activities, food choices and refining routines that support the body’s “reset mode” to burn fat appropriately and stabilize the balance of blood sugar levels.*

Restore Phase:
In this phase you will restore the healthy functioning of Kapha in the digestive tract beginning with the liver. Kapha’s job in the liver is to synthesize cholesterol, proteins, bile, and hormones. In this phase we will be giving the liver a much-needed break, which will allow it to restore its normal functions. I think of the liver like a janitor who comes into your body after hours to clean up. If you have been overeating for decades, the janitor can never fully catch up. In this phase you you can finally restore liver function and allow the janitor to catch up.

Rejuvenate Phase:
In this phase of the cleanse, you will continue to promote the beneficial functions of Kapha. This phase is designed to rejuvenate the colon and the brain. Kapha protects and nourishes the brain and spinal cord and is therefore associated with memory. Research has found a link between the microbiome and the nervous system that Ayurveda was aware of thousands of years ago.

I know this may sound like a lot but it will be simple. You will learn some new recipes and how to use foods in order to heal. You will learn how to take better care of your body and I’ll help you get there.