Spring Self Care Cleanse April 15, 2023

Thousands of years ago the needs of the body/mind and spirit were understood by the ancient seers of India.  This gave birth to Ayurveda - the science of life - and Pushpa Ayurveda, the science of healing with flowers.  It was found that the cells of your skin have the power to recognize, absorb and revitalize through substances placed on them.  It was also discovered that the seven layers of skin reflect the caliber of the seven bodily tissues in precise order.  Plasma, blood cells, muscle, fat, bone, interior of bones, and sexual glands - the ancients taught these tissues were formed in that sequence, the quality of each affecting the next.  So taking care of your whole body/mind takes care of the skin.  In modern times we also find that often only 10% of the nutrients get to the skin, as they are needed for revitalizing deeper tissues.  So applying nature compatible moisturizers is needed as well.  Seasonal cleansing practices were discovered to be very beneficial.

Spring Cleanse Ideas for fabulous you.  You will feel refreshed and renewed, ready to be nourished at a deeper level. Please confer with your health care provider as appropriate, especially if you are pregnant, nursing or on medication.

“Eat food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants”  Michael Pollan
Holistic  Cleanse – do this for a week or longer as you feel.  Incorporate the parts that feel right for you.  If you just do a simple kitcheree diet, with greens and lots of hot CCF tea, that would be very helpful to let your body/mind refresh itself.

1. Orange drink – each morning before eating anything “chew” and drink this delicious liver and gallbladder balancing polarity drink.  This is a recipe by Linda Lancaster ND.  I have done this many times, sometimes for weeks.  I love it, I love my body, my body loves me.  Yes.
 
In ½ - ¾  cup of water blend the following
1 orange seeded and peeled, or a grapefruit if not contraindicated and you prefer
1 lemon seeded and peeled
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 clove of garlic, or if your social life doesn’t allow, take a garlic capsule
1 teaspoon flax seeds
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of olive oil
 
2.  Lunch – wait 3 or 4 hours after the drink so it can work properly
Vegan or vegetarian protein, such as kitcheree, recipe below.  Kitcheree is an ancient cleansing food made with mung beans or lentils, rice, vegetables, and spices including turmeric, ginger, coriander, cumin and fennel and more.  Delicious made with almond oil.  If you are on an Ayurvedic diet that includes ghee, you may make it with ghee.  Ghee has great restorative properties for the nervous system.  Ghee is a form of clarified butter that has no cholesterol.  Use only organic, pasture fed.
 
Fill half your plate with lightly steamed or braised vegetables, such as kale, collards, broccoli, brussel sprouts, green beans or napa cabbage.  Garnish as you wish with fresh parsley, cilantro and sprouts, season with a squeeze of lemon and drops of olive oil and Bragg Aminos, or umeboshi vinegar.
 
3.  Supper – the same as lunch

Vata, Pitta and Kapha are the three doshas or tendencies of imbalance, of the body/mind. 
Vata - is cold, dry, dispersing, light, and governs all movement  It relates to the nervous system and movement, such as eye blinking and breathing,  Too much time on screens and cell phones is disruptive to Vata.  Vata rules all the other doshas.  
Pitta - is warmth, the only dosha that brings heat to the body, it is moist, oily, spreading, transforms things, and governs digestion, enzymes and hormones
Kapha - is cold, smooth, stable, solid, lubricates the system, and governs  the structure and stability of the body.

4.  CCF tea - make a quart of tea with a tablespoon each of freshly ground cumin, coriander and fennel.  You may use the whole spices and steep longer. Pre-ground spices lose potency. Grate 2 teaspoons of ginger and add. Steep 10 minutes or longer and keep in a thermos and drink before, during and after meals, as you wish.  This encourages kidneys to cleanse.  It helps digestion and balances the steamy fire of pitta, the slow and stuck energy of Kapha - water and earth; and of Vata -composed of air and ether.

5. Triphala is a great herbal tri-doshic gentle cleansing compound that balances all three doshas and helps cleanse the body,  It is the single most prescribed remedy in Ayurveda. Take triphala tea ½ hour before bed: ½ tsp triphala in a cup of hot water, let it sit until room temperature before drinking.

Ayurveda teaches heat and oil applied to the body supports the cleansing of the body dramatically.

6.       Abhyanga – self massage with dosha oil or almond oil and sit for 20 minutes in a bathrobe, meditate, listen to nice music or just rest.  Them take a warm bath for 20 minutes or so, or if more comfortable, a warm shower.
7.       Nasya, use nasya drops or ghee.  Apply a few drops in each nostril, tilting your head back, in the morning after brushing your teeth and scraping your tongue.

Vegan or Vegetarian Protein - easy to digest, Kitcheree.
Kitcheree is a popular dish for cleansing during the Summer and Winter Solstice and at other times as you wish. known for giving the digestive system a reboot. Great to use for a Spring or Fall Cleanse as well.  According to Ayurveda, this dish is tri-doshic, meaning it is good for all doshas, or body types. The mung beans and basmati rice have the energetic qualities of being cooling and sweet and are nourishing for all tissues in the body. The mixture of the rice and dal gives you just the right amount of protein and is a great way to cleanse the body gently so you can stay satiated and become mindful of eating patterns or even emotional patterns.
Kitcheree Recipe from 3HO.org
Ingredients

• 4 ½ cups water 

• ½ cup whole mung beans or whole split mung dal, I usually use split mung

• ½ cup basmati rice 

• 1 onion, chopped 

• 3 cloves garlic, minced 

• ¼ cup finely minced ginger root 

• 3 cups chopped vegetables 

• 2 tablespoons ghee or oil 

• ¾ tablespoon turmeric 

• ¼ teaspoon dried crushed red chilés 

• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 

• ½ teaspoon coriander 

• ½ teaspoon cumin 

• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Soak the mung beans overnight. With split mung, soak not needed.
2. Rinse the mung beans and rice
3. Add the mung beans to boiling water and cook until they begin to split.  This could take 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours or more if you are at high elevation.  You can use a pressure cooker if you have one, then it can be 1/2 hour or 40 minutes.  Be sure beans are soft.
4. Add the rice and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Now add the vegetables, and cook until soft.
6. Heat the ghee or oil in a sauté pan. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger and sauté until clear.
7. Add the spices and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring constantly. Add a little water if necessary.
8. Add this to the cooked rice and beans.
9. Be sure the beans are well cooked, not crunchy at all, but soft.

 
Notes: You can substitute vegetables as you like, as well as use Bragg Liquid Aminos, tamari, or soy sauce instead of salt. Tastes great with yogurt!
In the springtime or anytime you can also do a cleanse of eating only kitcheree for 3-7 days to reset the digestive system. In addition to the kitcheree when cleansing, drink plenty of herbal tea in between meals. 
Kitcheree offers an opportunity for cells to detoxify and for the internal digestive fire, or “agni,” to be kindled. When agni is functioning well it helps cultivate our awareness surrounding the choices we make on a daily basis for our meals. 
Kitcheree makes a great nourishing meal during the winter, when you feel a cold coming on, or anytime you feel the need for a soothing and wholesome meal. The dish has a porridge-like consistency with a mild flavor, but dressed up with salt, lemon juice, and a little bit of ghee, is quite savory and tasty.