Daily Fall Cleanse Practices
1. Wake up and scrape your tongue.
Sleep is so important in ayurveda because while we sleep we digest. When you wake up in the morning you may notice a coating on your tongue; this is ama, the undigested toxins that your body was unable to digest in your sleep. Use a tongue scraper to remove that first thing every morning
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2. Drink warm water throughout the day.
The warm nature of the water helps to cleanse the digestive tract of blockages and impurities. This practice will help the digestion and absorption of foods and maybe even help to reduce cravings between meals.
3. Do a yoga practice #everydamnday.
This practice should help you create awareness of your physical body and breath. The practice will help your digestion both relax and strengthen. I recommend you join yogainternational.com for the month. I believe it is $14.99, but the resources here are amazing and align with the lineage we are working with, the Himalayan Institute and tradition. Here, I can also refer us all to the same practices.
4. Follow a limited or mono + seasonally-appropriate diet.
In order to give our digestive systems a rest, we want to simplify our diet. By following the limited diet, or the mono-diet of kitchari, our systems know what they are going to get without major surprises and burdens coming at it. To add another layer, we need to personalize the choices we make to attend to our doshic imbalances and needs in the moment or season.
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5. Eat lunch as your biggest meal.
Agni or digestive fire is associated with the power of the sun. In the morning as the sun rises, our digestion is not yet at its peak so it is recommended by ayurveda, to have a light breakfast or to skip it entirely if you can make it through to lunch without discomfort. When the sun is at its highest peak, between noon and 2 pm, it is the best time to enjoy the largest meal of the day. Doing so ensures that we will have time to digest what we ate. Dinner takes place as the sun is setting and again is not an optimal time for digestion so, use this time to eat a light dinner.
6. Do not snack between meals and do not eat after 7pm.
These practices ensure that our body has time to digest the meals we have eaten which regulates our blood sugar and boosts the ability of our cells to cleanse themselves. These sister practices promote a small period of fasting between our meals, with the longest break between dinner and break-fast (get it?) the next day.
7. Choose an inward orientation.
All summer, we have been out and about doing things and going places with others. For the duration of this cleanse, and in the fall generally, it is wise to choose differently. Choose rest, quiet, and solitude whenever possible. Limit your intake of media as well, as these impressions are also difficult for your body to digest. Simplify your social life and put an emphasis on your relationship to self.
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8. Find positive ways to nourish and fulfill yourself.
Often we eat, drink, shop, and distract or fulfill ourselves in some way. For the duration of this cleanse, it is wise to find other ways to nourish and fulfill yourself. Self-massage is a great practice that indulges and nourishes. This is a time to be in nature, to create and craft, to study, and to connect with your positive influences. Take baths, eat dates, and slather on the ghee.