After taking what I am now realizing was a much needed break from writing, my inspiration for sharing through this medium was recently re-awakened while spending time traveling in Peru.  It was a truly a soul transformational journey.

So, here I am, ready to give you my latest downloads

Over the last few months, I have been experimenting with going between periods of cleansing and periods of nourishing.  I spent a great while experimenting with cleansing and fasting methods earlier in my life that wound up being more detrimental to my health than beneficial.  After that intense fasting period, I moved onto massively nourishing my body with densely nutritious whole foods which brought be a lot of healing.  I meditated on the balance between cleansing and nourishing, realizing there really is a place for both.

This on and off cycle of cleansing and nourishing reminds me of the feast and famine pattern that native cultures experienced when going for periods of time with little food and at other times having an abundance of food.  Many native cultures induced this cleansing period upon themselves at times, often around the time of consuming a sacred plant medicine.  We learned a lot about this while in Peru, where they call this cleansing period a “dieta”.  We followed a dieta because we were a part of an Ayahuasca ceremony while visiting Peru.  Our Shaman explained in advance to our ceremony that he encourages participants to eliminate red meats, salt, spicy foods, most sugars, alcohol, and sex from their diets for at the very least, a few days leading up to the Ayahuasca ceremony and the few days after the ceremony.  Their belief is that this particular diet lightens the body and cleanses it of stagnant toxins in order to create a more harmonious and susceptible environment for the plant medicine.  However, the belief is not that the foods that are being eliminated are bad in nature or bad for the body – The belief is more that it is healthy to take breaks from the substances so the body can process more efficiently.

This is what I have been been experimenting with at home, as well – Taking time to really nourish myself with hearty meals and then following that by taking a period of time to eat lightly and perhaps eliminate some of the heavier foods from my diet for that time, such as meat, starchy vegetables, carbohydrates, alcohol, etc.

The cleansing protocol that I have been using is a basis of light meals, three times per day (or as hunger arises, making that potentially less or more meals) which consist of high vegetable content (cooked and raw), some lean protein (wild-caught fish or pastured organic eggs) and whichever fruit is in seasonlocally.  I also consider this a loose cleanse – Meaning that I do not hold myself to any strict boundaries that wind up stressing me out more than helping me.  If I forget to do a piece of the protocol, if I don’t have time, or simply don’t want to – I don’t carry guilt about it and just keep moving forward with what feels best for my body in that moment.  Having said that, here are the main components of the cleansing protocol that I have been following my periods of nourishment with:

• 3-4 quarts of water daily

• Do light-intensity exercise, medium-intensity exercise, heavy-intensity exercise, and a day off from exercise cycled through the course of every four days.

• Daily infra-red sauna use (if you don’t have a sauna, contact a local gym such as the YMCA as they usually have some kind of sauna.  If not, I know people who get into their car, roll up the windows and turn on the heat until they sweat!  Be creative

• Daily full body wet (or dry) skin brushing.

• Tongue scraping twice per day and brushing with a detoxifying toothpaste as seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CqR8UmAvZQ

• A citrus and berry fruit drink in the morning blended with aromatic and detoxifying herbs from the garden.

• 2-3 tbsp. of Psyilium Husk mixed with water and drank immediately before bed (Roughage for the digestive system to help clear it out and regulate bowel movements.)

• A blended coffee drink in the morning to further assist cleansing of the intestines, removing stagnant matter.

• 1/2 droppers full of Reishi & Chaga tinctures once or twice daily.

• 1 teaspoon of clay mixed with water and drank

• Powdered seaweed facial masks to mineralize the skin, remove dead cells, and rejuvenate tissues.

• Apply Emu oil & Living Libations Rose Glow Facial Creme to my face to nourish and tonify the skin.

Now, I know this all can sound like quite a lot – However, many of these practices are part of my every day lifestyle so it just means adding practices in here and there, where they feel appropriate.  I share these tips with you in the case that any part of this information resonates as something that seems like it could be helpful to you on your health journey, as these practices have helped me in significant ways.  Allowing myself to cleanse in moderation has made room for a lighter mind, in being able to process more consciously what I experience, making more room for creativity and openness.

I feel that it is vitally important to be regularly nourishing the body with clean, whole food nutrition and lots of self-care/love.  Cleansing and fasting has it’s place, though I believe it should be done in moderation.  Too much fasting can make for malnutrition.  Too much nourishment can make for weight gain and lethargy.  For me, my body feels most in balance when I delicately balance the feasting and famine in my lifestyle.  The cleansing can feel like just as much of a party as the feasting!