Caring For The Mind + Body: Spring Cleansing. The Springtime Wellness Edition.

This is the Perfect Time of Year to Spring Cleanse: Mind. Body. Spirit...Life!

Ayurveda, the Sister Science of Yoga, holds an abundance of golden wisdom to help us understand how to flourish and care for ourselves each season.

Springtime is all about:

CLEANSING.

A beautiful first step in cleansing and caring for ourselves this spring is by carving out some time, to look closely at the ways in which we are currently caring for and prioritising our wellbeing. Dedicate some time this month, to hold space for yourself.

Reflect. Listen. Enquire within, about how you currently care for youself.

Feel and listen to your body -

Take some time here.

Would you like more clarity and confidence around your daily eating & wellness choices?

Would you like to feel improved energy and vitality consistently?

Do you cleanse your body, mind, your energy, frequently? Seasonally?

Is there space to feel better more often? To feel fully alive?

Do you crave more intention in your life, in particular around your daily wellness habits?

Do you feel good about how you nourish youself and fill up your cup?

Do you prioritise making time to align with the seasons?

If not, would you like to experience this?

Cleansing is all about releasing toxins & impurities. To create space to invite in new fresh healthy energy & habits. In this Springtime Wellness Edition, enjoy holistic wellness tips and - my all time favourite - vibrant & delicious seasonal springtime cleansing recipe for increased energy + vitality ~

The springtime brings many blissful moments;

Warm kissing of the sunshine on bare skin,

Celebrations of longer days with golden light,

Reawakening of vibrant energy & colours,

& the beautiful blossoming of nature, flowers, trees, animals.

A sense of childlike wonder fills our hearts....

We experience the increasing fertility, awakenings, inspiration, playfulness & innocence in nature & we too can invoke this essence within ourselves as we align + connect with the season.

Ayurvedic medicine emphasises the importance of seasonal alignment to enrich our wellbeing and for sustaining our health all year around. Discovering our Ayurvedic Elemental Blueprint, Learning how to listen more closely to our bodies & Understanding how to shift our eating habits, our perspectives and daily practices will optimise and improve how we feel and show up each season.

An Ayurvedic lifestyle is a beautiful empowering journey

to getting to know ourselves more.

Intimately, Elementally, Metaphysically.

Learning to remain rooted in our wellbeing ~

This wisdom provides us preventative care that is a safe nourishing blueprint for vitality.

I have experienced that this medicine holds us so lovingly

through lifes various transitions with;

A Truly Abundant Holistic & Natural Perspective

Timeless & Time Tested Golden Wisdom

Sustainable, Clear & Consistent Mind + Body Medicine

Springtime from an Elemental Perspective

One of the ways that Ayurveda utilizes the laws of nature is with a simple premise:

LIKE INCREASES LIKE. OPPOSITE QUALITIES BRING BALANCE.

As the elements fluctuate in the environment each season, we too naturally experience changes within us. With these changes each season, there is an increasing possibility for imbalances showing up for us, characterised in Ayurveda by the elemental forces of “vata” (air and ether), “pitta” (fire and some water), and “kapha” ( water and earth).

Each Season there is a substantial shift in the environment that organically affects us, to stay well we must stay in tune with these changes ~

According to Ayurveda, In Springtime imbalances we experience are connected to

the Water & Earth Elements in the environment according to our own inner Water + Earth elements.

( microcosm - macrocosm theory )

These can manifest as;

Depression

Fatigue

Weight gain

Water retention

Respiratory conditions

Thyroid issues

Circulation issues or

Cold related conditions

like chillblains or Raynolds.

In May, the EARTH+ WATER elements are still dominant in our environment,

especially here in Wales, United Kingdom!

( Our microclimate here in North Wales, is still damp + moist)

However there is a significant turning point that begins in June, where the season and it's dominant elements begin to transition and we receive a glimpse into hotter, drier days. We begin moving towards the months of the FIRE + WATER elements nearer

The Summer Solstice.

In Springtime our focus should be to minimise these; Moist, Cold, Heavy, Dull qualities of the Earth + Water Elements. This can be achieved by focusing on opposite qualities; Warmth, Dryness, Lightness through our food choices, daily rituals & movement practices.

Time to fine tune our daily habits, diet + lifestyle....

Here are some simple + effective steps to implement during Springtime

1. Cleansing.

This is the time cleansing can really help boost our immunity and strength -

a preventative method.  We are cleansing and releasing the heavier energies of winter,

to invite in more lightness.

Carve out some time + space in your schedule to cleanse with a monodiet of Kitchari, an Ayurvedic Staple dish. Can you carve out 3 days this month to reset your digestive system, improve energy levels naturally and remove excess toxins from your body?

If this is your first mono diet start with a 3 day cleanse with an Ayurvedic Practitioner for guidance. If you have some Ayurvedic cleansing experience, This diet is safe for 3-21 days. There are many different ways to go about the journey. The structure, length, intensity, and depth can all be adapted to support each individual.

The cleanse involves eating this dish, kitchari which is made up of basmati rice, mung beans, spices + selected vegetables, for either two or three meals of the day. You can eat overnight soaked oats, stewed apples or Ayurvedic spiced rice porridge in the mornings instead to change it up a little! *This cleanse is extremely gentle and should not cause much discomfort, however you may still experience some cleansing symptoms, ups and downs on either emotional or physical levels, heachache, a little drowsiness so take it easy*

“Kitchari is a sattvic (pure) food that is balancing to all tissues and all doshas, perfect for anyone who wants to restore and heal any element in their life”

~ Mauli Organics

Kitchari Cleansing resets the digestive system and helps us to lose any excess wintertime weight that we have stored up over the previous months. Once we finish cleansing and transition back to eating more variety of foods again we get an opportunity to create mindful habits moving forward into the warmer months.

Note*

Depending on your constitution, each individuals cleansing process + seasonal diet plan would naturally be slightly different.

Other Sattvic & Alkaline foods to favour this month;

Bitter leafy greens, dandelion greens, watercress, rocket, wild garlic, sorrel, lightly cooked chard, kale, asparagus, in coconut or olive oil, lighter grains such as quinoa, white basmati rice, and couscous, and favour eating seasonal fruits & vegetables such as in the UK; Rhubarb, artichoke, radishes, cauliflower & carrots.

2. Focus on a Sattvic diet + lifestyle

'Sattvic foods are balancing and harmonious, and they are plentiful; Sattvic foods can be loosely categorized as most fresh fruits and vegetables, most whole grains, legumes and nuts. How they are eaten, for example cooked versus raw, can make a difference in whether they add sattva or rajas to the mind and body. A vegetable may have all of the possibility of sattva but if it is eaten raw then it may be rajas for the body and mind.  Many fruits are also sattva for the body and mind when cooked lightly with ghee and spices' ~ Hale Pule 

Sourcing high quality foods is important for cleansing

Seasonal Produce / Organically grown / Home grown produce

Additional Cleansing & Detoxing Practices to consider

Pranayama & Digital Detoxing

Circadian Rhythm Alignment

Early bedtime followed by

Early rising & movement with the sun.

See the Ayurveda Body Clock.

3. Sip on herbal infusions throughout the day

Whether you are gathering or buying your wildcrafted / homegrown herbs this season these are great choices;

Mint

Spearmint

Lemon balm

Cleavers

Nettles

With these carefully selected herbs you could enjoy making a daily pot of a vitality boosting herbal infusion to sip on. It is so simple and only takes a few moments each morning to prepare.

Herbal infusions have an abundance of vitamins + minerals.

I love to make this in the mornings in a pot or tea pot on the stove, changing up the ingredients + medicinal properties as and when is needed for different moods, cycles or the weather (You could get creative with various herbs, orange + lemon peels, pine needles, wildflowers)

CCF Tea, Cumin, Coriander, Fennel Tea, is an Ayurvedic favorite to sip on this month for Lymphatic Support, Balancing excess moisture and sustaining energy levels especially if you run cold or live in a chiller climate and prefer to stay warm throughout this month.

It is helpful to know which herbs and blends of herbs compliment your constitution or any current conditions so please do ask for advice if you have any health conditions that require specialised guidance.

4.Think light.

Minimise foods that increase excess moisture and heaviness to support energy levels and clear radiant skin.

Water retention is expected this month. Considering that we want to decrease EARTH + WATER elements. Heaviness can be associated with the dense earth + or foods that are too salty or full of water - they create water retention. Foods to consider minimising include:

Salty Foods

Meat

Foods with high water content

Dairy products

(you could swap for good quality plant based milk, avoiding oils / PUFAS.

Check the ingredients)

If you only drink raw dairy, dilute it!

f you have a tendency towards fatigue, low energy levels, or congestion

minimise excess oily foods, avocados, bananas, olives, cheese, egg yolks, nuts.

5. Invite the medicine of the season in to both your inner + outer spaces.

We can enjoy the springtime bounty by wildcrafting herbs and flowers in our local environment. We can fill vases of wildflowers, infuse water with flowers & herbs like mint, primrose + cherry blossom to add a hint of flavour + radiance boost to our day. We can enjoy facial steams & bathing with flowers, such gorgeous rituals. Flower essences are vibrational medicine and work with the subtle body for cleansing and healing. Time to get creative on how you can infuse the season's gifts into your daily rituals! If you do not have access to any wildflowers or herbs, you could start exploring and getting to know some local businesses that sell local wildcrafted or organic herbs and flowers.

These botanical rituals can be a beautiful invocation to harness our divine feminine essence ~

And to adorn and enhance the bliss of our freshly cleansed homes!

Ayurvedic Cleansing Recipe

I am really excited to have discovered such a delicious & simple recipe for Kitchari.

I have tried many of them - trust me! I have struggled with finding a recipe that felt exciting to me, but I have finally found the one...

This is the easiest + most delicious kitchari I've made!

Here’s how to make really delicious Kitchari.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of basmati rice 1/4 cup of coconut flakes 2 tsp of ghee or coconut oil Fresh ginger

Handful of Wild Galic, sorrel, your Local Seasonal Herbs (optional)

Handful of fresh Coriander / Cilantro 1/2 cup of mung beans

Sea Salt / Mineral Salt

1 tsp turmeric

6 cups of water

Pinch of warming spices cinnamon,

cloves, cumin and cardamom (optional)

Soak your mung beans for a few hours / overnight then drain.

Put ginger, coconut flakes, wild garlic, cilantro and the 1/2c water into a food processor and blend until liquefied. Heat the ghee on medium in a large saucepan and add the blended items, turmeric and salt. Stir well and bring to a boil to release the flavor.

Next mix in the rice, mung beans and the six cups of water. Return to a boil. Boil, uncovered, for five minutes.

You can also add some cinnamon, cloves, cumin and cardamom here.

Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar. Turn down the heat to simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the dal and rice are tender.

A Joyfull Belly Recipe ~

Stay in touch with me to discuss your wellness journey.

If you would like more personalised guidance with doing a 3 day Ayurvedic Cleanse for with the season according to your unique mind - body type please feel free to contact me!

I hope you in-joy implementing some of these practices into your day.