5 Reasons Why I Won't Detox This Year from Yoga Journal Blog

5 Reasons Why I Won't Detox This Year | Top Five Tuesdays | Yoga Blog | Yoga Journal

I thought about doing a cleanse myself, but when I read this list from the Yoga Journal Blog (click on link above), I agreed and resonated immediately with the first point. The only cleanse I've done, once a year for the past 4 years, is cut out wheat, gluten, and dairy for a couple weeks/14 days. There is a 3 day hump you have to get through, and then your body starts its "adjustment period." It's different for everyone, and I think you have to try the different types of cleanses out there to find out. I've also learned from yoga teachers and holistic health practitioners that it's important to be with those feelings and thoughts about depriving yourself of food. What emotions come up about abstaining from your favorite foods that may contain sugar, caffeine, high fructose corn syrup. dairy, wheat, etc.?

It's important to check in with yourself about cleansing, and talk to a health professional who would be able to guide you. What are your thoughts on cleanses and detoxing?

1. It's a little too much like a crash diet. I'm sure cleansing feels GREAT for some people, but my experience was that it felt a little too much like a punishment--like I had to deprive myself because I'd eaten poorly the rest of the year. Plus, if you buy into the part of yoga philosophy that says we're perfect the way we are (including our flaws), cleansing seems like a moot point.

2. I trust my body to "cleanse" on its own. My yoga practice has empowered me to trust my body's strength, wisdom, and defenses. I also believe that if I pay attention to my body's signals, I should naturally gravitate toward "clean" foods, anyway. Mindful eating seems a lot more balanced to me that a restrictive diet.

3. My intentions weren't quite right. I pondered the idea of another cleanse because I love the idea of releasing toxins from my body. But when I was really being honest with myself, that's not the biggest reason I considered it. First of all, my teachers and mentors cleanse every year. I look up to them, and I want to be disciplined and serious about yoga like they are. Second, it's a way to lose a few unwanted pounds. That's not the purpose of a cleanse, and if it's even in the back of your mind I think it could be a very dangerous undertaking.

4. I don't have the support system in place right now. The last time I tried a cleanse, I did it with a friend. Through the entire experience we chatted about what we were going through, compared notes, and supported each other. This was my saving grace, and I don't think I could have done it without the extra support. This year, I'm on my own--and I know that's not a recipe for success for me.

5. There aren't enough yummy fruits in season in the spring. The last cleanse I did called for eating only fresh fruits and veggies for several days. I didn't really crave things I wasn't supposed to eat, but I found myself really hankering for juicy peaches and watermelons. But, alas, these things weren't in season yet!

Are you planning to cleanse this year? Why or why not?

Amazing Therapeutic-grade Essential Oil!

I'm so amazed at the power of essential oils!  As an independent distributor of Young Living, I have so much fun playing with their products.  All their oils are therapeutic-grade, which, to me, technically means they're so safe for you, you can eat them!  You won't find any harsh preservatives or additives in them, where you will find in most oils in health food stores (unfortunately).  I'm not saying they're dangerous!  Personally, I'm committed these days to using health and beauty products that are truly organic and natural.

The blend from Young Living that I'm about to rave about is called, Purification.  It's a blend of citronella, lemongrass, lavandin, melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree), and myrtle.  You can diffuse this blend to cleanse and sanitize the air and neutralize mildew, cigarette smoke, and other odors.  It can also be applied directly to the skin to cleanse and soothe insect bites, cuts, and scrapes.

Lately, I've been using it on my pimples and blemishes!  I actually use a little less than a drop because it's that potent.  I've noticed that they haven't gotten any worse or inflamed, in fact, they're fading!  When I was young in middle and high school, I used to use those harsh products such as oxy pads and stridex, which literally just burned my skin.  Purification is so soothing and gentle, I barely feel it after applying it.  It also smells wonderful!

Some other ways I use this blend:

Air Freshner--take 2-4 drops of blend and mix with 8oz of filtered water in a spray bottle.  Change over after 3-5 days

Surface Cleaner--take 2-4 drops of blend and mix with 8oz of filtered water in a spray bottle.  Spray area and let sit for 15-20 seconds and wipe.  Change mixture over after 3-5 days.
**Note if you're going to clean wood surfaces, test a small area first and wait at least 24 hours before cleaning whole area.

Emotional Cleanse and De-cluttering

It's amazing how we have emotional cleanses sporadically.  I woke up yesterday feeling rather stressed. I was obsessing about money and having all sorts of mind chatter about it.  As I left for work, I began to focus on my breath and the good things in my life. Poof! it went away and i had myself a great day.

But it was after work that something began to brew; to build up; to clog up. Then I found myself in a super-duper funk. My husband asked if it was something he did and I just said, "Nope, I'm just in a funk now." Five minutes after he left for rugby practice, I burst into tears and it was my WHOLE BODY bursting into tears.  I just let it happen. I didn't question why I was crying.  I didn't judge myself.  I just let it be.  I, then preceded to vacuum my apartment (it needed to be done anyway), but I did it with such vigor and purpose.  Then I looked at a particular bookshelf that was beginning to be overly cluttered.  I had wanted to do something about it for awhile now, I was just procrastinating.  I decided to de-clutter a section of it and ended up doing two sections of it.  I was amazed at how much paper I held on to. A lot of it was from my Yoga Teacher Training program, which I wanted to keep but didn't really use it. So I bagged it up, put it aside and will ship by the end of this week.  Wait. I DECLARE that I'm going to ship the yoga notebooks back to my mom's by the end of this week.  Also, I was entralled by the amount of paper I was throwing/recycling away.  It created so much space just in that area overall.

Once this was complete, I felt refreshed and light.  I sprayed an essential oil throughout the apartment and around the bookshelf called Purification, which has a lot of cleansing and disinfecting  properties.  Then I took a bath and soaked for about 20 minutes, meditating and reflecting on the events that took place.  We really can hold a lot of shit in our bodies and in our homes!

I suggest reading "Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui" by Karen Kingston.  I had to read this for Lymphatic massage class and I ended up pulling it out last night.  A lot of what happens to us can be a reflection of how we set up our living spaces and the amount of "stuff" we collect. I would love to get a Feng Shui consultant to come to my place sometime.  It's all so very interesting. 

So, what are you holding onto? What possessions in your home do you just stuff in any place? Do you pile it behind doors? in the entry way? underneath sinks? in cabinets? basement? attics? Now, when you actually do inquiry about this, notice how you feel.

one of those days

so i know it's one of those days: detox symptoms from the cleanse-sluggishness, nausea, overall ickyness; overdraft fees and insurance claims.  breathe.be.move.choose. i choose joy right now. 
i went through the rough spots
and now i'm clear.

The 1 week hump

I'm feeling very good. It's day 7 of the wheat/gluten cleanse and I definitely feel that some stuff has left my system.  In fact, someone at my work told me that I looked like I lost weight, which wasn't my prime intention for doing this. however, I know the majority of it is water weight anyway. 

One of the most interesting things out of this experience was that I got a major allergy attack this morning: sneezing and running nose.  It's definitely Springtime here in San Francisco, so things are blooming. But I couldn't help feel that this is part of the cleanse.  The "hump" that you have to get over and then it's clear sailing from there.  After an hour after eating my breakfast, I took an olive leaf supplement (anti-fungal) and the allergy symptoms disappeared within 30-40 minutes.  For the past week and a half, I've been hearing and listening to my body more and more.  It doesn't lie! On Saturday, I almost cheated by either eating a burrito, sandwich or thai food.  As my husband handed me the money to go get it, my hand wouldn't even reach up to take the money! I decided to cook at home and stick with the cleanse.  It was probably THE last day of cravings for me, because at work today there was a box of powered donuts in the kitchen for staff and I walked by it many times with my admiring eyes and I kept walking! I even let myself stare at them for a few moments. Yes they looked delicious! Yes I knew they were going to taste amazing (donuts are just one of my many weaknesses)!  But I knew my body wasn't ready and I really didn't have the strong urge like I normally would have. 

I have to face and accept that fact that I love baked goods! Muffins, donuts, breads etc. I want to feel okay with that and not beat myself up about it when I actually do have one.  It's okay to want the not-so-healthy food every once in awhile and I hope this cleanse will remind me of that.  For me, it turned into a more frequent thing and I knew a cleanse was in order.  I also know there has been an emotional cleanse also happening in the process and this attachment/connection with food.  I guess the question I could ask myself is, "what do baked goods do for me physically, emotionally and spiritually?".  I could ponder and ponder, but, I'm not going to analyze it, which is what creates the self-judgments and self-doubt.  It creates the mind chatter that I should've done this or that or I shouldn't blah, blah, blah. I honestly don't know why, so why not just let it be a mystery.