I'm getting ready to do my personal Fall purification in the form of a gently Ayurvedic cleanse, and I wanted to offer you some information this week about the whys and hows of Ayurvedic cleansing, and where this fits into an overall model of Ayurvedic health care. May this be of benefit.
Here's a way of understanding the Ayurvedic wellness pyramid:
PK
Seasonal Reset
Herbal Supplements and other Treatments
Relationship to Self and Other (meditation, prayer, family, community)
Diet, Sleep, and Energy Management (includes exercise, sex and stress management)
A primary tenant in Ayurveda is that each person is unique. So before each of these sections of the pyramid, see,"right," meaning "right for your body/mind." While there are ways of understanding your uniqueness using the doshic types, and factoring in life-stage and current environment, the ultimate determination of whether something is right for your body/mind is your experience. Ayurveda is excellent at given you a road map back to yourself--supporting you in understanding from the inside out your own best "operating manual."
The foundations of good health lies in the daily practices of diet, sleep and energy management along with positive relationship with Self and others. When these things are not in place, health will suffer, and "medicines" will not resolve the situation, even though they may bring some symptom relief. (We can surely make use of medicines while we are also getting our foundation together, and then perhaps find our need lessen or diminish all together).
Herbal medicines and therapies come next. They support our weak links, which can be genetic propensities, areas of our body/mind that were ill or injured in the past, past trauma, and issues related to life-stage and environment. Body work, Psychotherapy and Prescription medication fall into this tier. These work best after stabilization in Tiers 1 and 2 (you can work on them simultaneously--but be clear that no supplement or other medicine will resolve your ailment without the foundations of health in place-)
Seasonal Resets are the next tier, and they are part of seasonal care, called rtucharya in Ayurveda. Like an oil change for your car every 3,000 miles, they are simply part of routine maintenance. They are designed to shore up tiers 1 and 2, while also supporting the body in gentle purification and "tuning up" digestive function (the foundation of ALL metabolic health).
PK (panch karma--litterally, '5 actions') is something you might undergo every 5 - 10 years when in good health, and more often if dealing with a disease. Pancha karma requires 3 or more weeks at an Ayurvedic Center for deeper downtime and purification and rejuvenation. It follows the preparation and then cleansing phase model outlined below, but most of the rejuvenation phase will happen once one returns home, requiring an additional 3 weeks or more of maintaining a relatively simple lifestyle around work and family responsibilities.
The 3 week Digestive Reset I give myself and offer to you is NOT three weeks of a cleansing diet. The cleansing diet lasts only 5 - 7 days.
The 3 Week process allows you time to prepare your body/mind for the cleansing diet. Jumping into and out of a cleanse can cause more harm than good. Preparing the body/mind allows for a more relaxed and effective cleanse.
Week I is a preparation. In week 1 we focus on the first two layers of the pyramid while also stepping down from intoxicants, processed food, and irregular living (eating, sleeping, spending energy in erratic ways). Week 1 is about easing back into regular, healthy habits, and bringing in more seasonal whole foods.
Week 2 is the cleansing diet. This is a food's based approach, so we don't fast. Instead we eat an easy to digest Ayurvedic stew, cooked with spices and vegetables. This is satisfying , easy to digest, AND slightly detoxifying. This diet along with plenty of rest (around normal responsibilities) and time in reflection, allows for the detoxification that's needed. Simple food based and herbal protocols enhance the gentle purification.
Week 3 is the post cleanse period. Here you slowly reintroduce more activity and variety of foods, while maintaining the healthy daily habits that are foundational to your good health.
There is a lot of learning at this stage, about what does and doesn't work for you, and you can take this into the remainder of fall and winter. Whenever you feel "off" from overindulgenece or "wrong" (for you) indulgence of any kind, you'll have a template for how to get back into deeper alignment with your SELF. So great!
As modern people we suffer from both depletion due to overwork and ongoing "bad" stress and excess through overeating and ingesting the wrong kinds of things.Â
The Ayurvedic approach, with its whole-person emphasis, provides you an opportunity to reboot your foundational practices (tier 1 and 2) for your needs NOW. Going forward, you will feel clearer about what stays and what goes in your life. This clarity gives rise to "right action" on behalf of your organism and your true self. So cool!
You can find our more details and register for the seasonal ayurvedic cleanse here.
Here's to your good health!
In service and love,
Shannon
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