Welcome!
I am so excited to be embarking upon this Spring cleanse journey with you very soon.
I love the mystery that lies ahead as we prepare ourselves to begin. Every year carries a different energy and this will make each cleanse cycle unique. I am excited to see how this unfolds for all of us.
Whoever you are, and wherever you are on your personal path of learning about Ayurveda, cleansing and food-based healing, know that you are welcome here. This coming week is your invitation to delve deeper into cleansing techniques that have withstood the test of time while deeply connecting to oneself, all as part of a supportive, inclusive community.
Please take a moment to review the materials below and be sure to have them available for our kick-off session.
I highly suggest taking some time to watch the video I created that walks you through the basic recipes I provide for the week. You will find the link for this next to the Recipe Pack.
Community Forum
Please join our Cleanse Community Forum below. You will need to go through a basic sign-up process to get access to the forum. Anything you post in our cleanse forum is private and will only be accessible to participants in the cleanse.
Once you have signed up for the forum, please take a moment to introduce yourself in the introductions thread I have created and meet some of your fellow cleansers.
Our Community Forum is the way we stay in touch with each other on a day to day basis during the cleanse, so while it is totally optional to sign up, I do strongly encourage your participation there as the community aspect of this cleanse is the one thing that past participants have found to be incredibly valuable.
Cleanse Resources
Click below to access/download each document. We will review these together during our kick-off call.
Spring Cleanse Map
Spring Cleanse Recipes
Please watch this video overview of the recipes before we meet!
Spring Cleanse Shopping List
Additional Resources
YOUR DOSHA: For those who are new to Ayurveda and are curious about your dosha (constitution), you can check out this short questionnaire. While not as thorough as a complete assessment with a practitioner, this will give you a basic understanding of what your predominant tendencies are. I encourage you to save your results for later reference, both your constitutional type assessment (prakruti), as well as the rundown of your current state of imbalance (vikruti). Please note that in this cleanse, we focus on diet and practices appropriate for the season, which Ayurveda teaches is always a wise prescription, regardless of one’s constitution.
DINACHARYA: A suggested daily routine to follow throughout the cleanse.
JUICING WITHOUT A JUICER: If you would like to include juices in your cleanse regimen (totally optional – there is a cooked breakfast option as well) but do not have a juicer, check out this helpful page for some tips on how you can make juices using a blender. Many past cleanse participants have used this method and reported good results. Note that you will need a nut milk bag (found at most health food stores) to make the process work efficiently.
DRY SKIN BRUSHING: I LOVE dry skin brushing! It brightens and tightens your skin, it stimulates collagen production to minimize cellulite and sagging, increases circulation, moves your lymph to aid in necessary detoxification and more. Dry skin brushing primes your skin for Abhyanga. Learn more here.
ABHYANGA (Self Massage with Oil): I highly encourage including self-massage while cleansing. Daily is ideal, but even once or twice during the week will be beneficial. The process of abhyanga helps to stimulate the release of stored toxins from tissues in the body, allowing them to be diverted to the digestive channel, and then flushed away. If you are new to abhyanga, you can learn more about the process here. Organic sesame oil is a wonderful choice for a basic oil, or I personally love the oils from Banyan Botanicals The Daily Massage and Kapha oils are great for spring. We have them for sale in our store too.
NASYA: Very rejuvenating for the mind, body and spirit! Read about it here.
TONGUE SCRAPING: Check out this quick guide, with a how-to video towards the end. If you do not have a traditional tongue scraper, you can clean your tongue using a spoon that doesn’t have sharp edges.
CHYAWANPRASH: If you want to try this restorative herbal jam as part of your rejuvenation process after the cleanse, Banyan has a great one here. (Note: traditional chyawanprash contains honey and ghee and is not vegan. The vegan alternative I know of is only available in Europe at this time. In our final call, I will give some ideas of other herbs that can be integrated for rejuvenation if you are not taking chyawanprash.)
ADDITIONAL RECIPES: Here is a packet of recipes you can integrate from Day 4 onwards, or use during the post-cleanse transition.
TRANSITION RECIPES: Here are a few recipes to help inspire you and boost ojas as we move out of our active cleansing week.
FOODS TO BUILD OJAS: Click here to reference the list of foods that help restore and boost our ojas (vital energy).
REJUVENATIVE HERBS (RASAYANAS): Here is a list of some rejuvenative herbs that can be integrated into your daily routine as we move into the coming weeks. You can find all of these products at Banyan Botanicals in the various forms mentioned and in our store. (I will give you 15% off your purchase of any Ayurvedic products in my store as well.)
Triphala – two of the herbs in triphala are deeply rejuvenating (haritaki + amalaki). Continue with the dose we were taking this past week.
Ashwagandha – an amazing adaptogenic tonic herb that is particularly nourishing. Wonderful taken as a powder mixed into warm milk before sleep, or you can purchase tablets.
Shatavari – the ultimate tonic herb for balancing female hormones and nurturing the reproductive organs. This is also wonderful as a powder in a warm milk, or can be taken in a tablet form.
Gotu Kola (Brahmi) – one of the most supportive herbs for brain health. Supports clarity and focus. I really like the tincture form, which can be added to water/juice daily. You can also find gotu kola as a tea or in tablets.
Daily Emails + Cleanse Communications
All cleanse emails will be archived here for easy reference once we begin. For those completing the cleanse after our live period, I suggest reading each message on the corresponding day of your personal cleanse to help guide your process.
Daily Messages:
Day 4 Message + Tips for Saltwater Flushes
Day 10 Message + Tips for Castor Oil Flush
Day 11 Message + Tips for Transition Eating
Day 12 Message + tips for rest
Live Sessions + Recordings
You will be able to tune in to all live informational sessions here. Zoom links will be posted the day of each evening session, with recordings posted after each one concludes.
March 1st Studio Meeting (video recording)
March 3rd Cleanse Meeting (recording)
Password: t!Cf!7#g
March 6th Cleanse Meeting (recording)
Password: 8=W*klCe
Password: tsX1+cqU
Yoga Nidra
Click here for the Yoga Nidra video 🙏