Now that it’s decidedly fall, it’s s a wonderful time to practice a seasonal cleanse! Each time I do a cleanse or detox, I find a different depth of experience, depending on my mindset, my state of health and habits when I begin, and what I’m hoping to get out of it.
Sometimes, it’s a struggle. Other times, it comes with ease. But what I’ve learned over the years of getting to know my body is that each cleanse experience is an opportunity to understand myself better. What are my addictions? What is easy to let go of? What kinds of cravings am I having - sometimes it’s surprising! What is the hardest thing about this cleanse? What mental things are coming up? What kinds of emotions am I feeling? What kinds of other practices can I do to support myself?
In the past, I’ve experimented with juice cleanses, the lemonade cleanse, and many more. I used to struggle A LOT with my body image, sometimes I’d even abuse the word ‘cleanse’ to cover up short-term basically-starving-myself so that I could try to shed pounds quickly. Anyone else guilty?
Ayurvedic approach to cleansing
In Ayurveda, cleansing is done from a more nurturing approach. We go through a process of eliminating the non-supportive foods (and habits!) we consume, and then adopt a simple but nutritionally complete mono-diet for a few days, which allows our digestive system to rest. During this process, we oil the digestive tract with ghee, which helps to draw out accumulated toxins in the body, and then do a purge at the end to flush out everything.
This wholesome avenue towards detoxification gives back to our whole being, especially if we can really dive completely in. In addition to the shift in what we take into our digestive system, this is a time to examine our surroundings. What kinds of energies am I letting into my life right now? How can I shift any that don’t feel nurturing? How does my physical space make me feel? What needs some deep cleaning and cobwebs swept out - literally AND metaphorically.
We invite self-care practices to cleanse the external body and other pathways into our bodies, including using a neti pot, nasya oil, abhyanga (self-massage), minimizing screen-time - and editing what comes onto our screens and into our sphere of awareness. It is a great time to re-commit to a yoga or movement practice of your choice, as well as examine connection with spirit.
Learn More about Ayurvedic Cleansing
I recently gave a workshop on Ayurvedic cleansing, that included a kitchiri-making demo and tasting as a part of my Ayurveda for Autumn workshop series. Check out my recipe for kitchiri below and make your own! If you want to catch the workshop replay, I have a recording available at (link).
I’d be happy to guide you through an Ayurvedic cleanse that designs a program for you according to your prakriti (unique qualities) and vikriti (areas where you are out of balance). If you’d like the support of a group container, my friend Jackie Just guides Ayurvedic group cleanses in the fall and spring which I also highly recommend.
Have you ever done a detox or cleanse? What kind did you do? How did it go for you? Was it a positive experience? Is it something you do regularly? I’d love to hear about it - send me a message and share your experiences!
Detox Kitchary Recipe
Kitchiri is a combination of mung beans and rice, cooked until soft and easy to digest. It’s cooked in ghee, with digestive spices, can include many combinations of vegetables, and can be spiced up with toppings to make it more exciting.
You can make kitchiri for cleansing, or as a part of your everyday diet. When making it without focusing on cleansing, you have freedom to include a wider range of options. When cleansing, you’ll avoid onions and garlic, as well as solanaceae (tomatoes, eggplant, peppers). You also would want to be more sparing with salt, and avoid any dairy in a topping (yoghurt or cottage cheese can be yummy when not cleansing).
I’ll describe a more basic, detox-suitable version below, but you can use your imagination! You can also play around with the consistency - adding more water for a softer, mushier, soupy variety - and with the ratio of mung beans to rice. You can start with the spices I suggest below, but experiment with different amounts, and combinations. Sometimes I incorporate fennel, cardamom, fenugreek, or other spices I’ve brought home from Nepal. Particularly when I’m cleansing and on a monodiet for several days, I really dig into my spice cabinet to bring in different flavor profiles to keep it interesting.
You can even substitute different varieties of beans and grains - red lentils and garbanzos are both wonderful; I love farro, quinoa, and millet as substitutes for rice when I want to switch it up. In general, I go for a long grain Basmati rice, but you can also use brown rice, or even red or wild rice. Mung beans have a scraping effect on the intestinal tract, and help clear out the digestive system, so during a cleanse they will likely be your go-to, but if you get tired of eating the same thing, you can explore some different textures or flavors by getting creative.
I N G R E D I E N T S :
2 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp dry ginger or 1/2” fresh peeled ginger
1/4 tsp trikatu, black pepper, and/or long pepper
1 c rice
1.5 c split yellow mung beans
1-1.5 c of vegetables: i.e. sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, zucchini)
1-1.5 c of leafy greens: i.e. kale, spinach, beet greens, cabbage)
D I R E C T I O N S :
Wash rice by rinsing 3-5x or until water is relatively clear. Allow to soak for 30 minutes - 3 hours. Wash and rinse mung beans, allowing at least one hour if possible, up to 6 hours or even overnight. While you can cook them without pre-soaking, this will aid in digestion.
Heat ghee in a large pot. When it becomes hot, add the spices to temper them and bring out their flavor. Use fresh ground spices if you have them. Stir in for about 30 seconds to one minute to open up and release the aroma.
Drain water from ghee and add to the pot. Stir it in with a wooden spoon. Add water to cover the mung beans by 2”, then add rice. Let cook on high for 3 minutes, then turn it down to simmer for about 30 minutes. Add heartier veggies early on, and more delicate ones towards the end. Stir occasionally.
Salt to taste. Garnish with cilantro, nutritional yeast, hemp seeds, toasted pepitas, yogurt, or anything else that strikes your fancy.
Did you try this recipe? Drop me a line and let me know what you think!