Reset Your Habits with a New Year, New You Cleanse
Cleansing is a practice that we can integrate into our lives to reassess and reevaluate our relationships with our habits….including our food. According to Avona L’Carttier, who manages the OG cleansing products line Arise & Shine, “A cleanse is a great way to start fresh and to integrate resolutions to live a healthier lifestyle. Some find changing several habits at once works for them. Also, after one has completed a cleanse and is feeling light, bright and energetic there is inner drive to maintain feeling great by eating better.” This may seem challenging, but it is possible to detox with ease.
Any time of the year, anything we can do to feel bright and ignite our inner drive to feel great are meaningful practices.
1. First, Set Your Intention
Connect with yourself to discover your why. Evaluate and investigate your habits and practices. And then set the intention to create and maintain a healthy schedule for yourself during the duration of the cleanse. “Setting the intention to maintain the schedule of a cleanse is a commitment in and of itself,” says Avona.
2. Prepare Effectively to Detox with Ease
Do your research. See if you are ready. Talk to your healthcare practitioner. Choose a cleanse. Arise & Shine offers a guide to the process of cleansing. Gather your supplies. Plan your schedule. Set yourself up for juicing with ease. Be kind to yourself throughout the process.
3. Plan Time for Practice
“Yoga while on a cleanse is a wonderful experience,” according to Avona. During a cleanse, be gentle with yourself. Try a restorative practice and give yourself ample time to rest. Try practices that encourage rejuvenation, such as Yoga Nidra. Meditate and reflect. “In general, cleansing is a good time to rest and tune into your body and spirit in other ways,” says Avona.
4. Go Organic
Avona suggests that people consider incorporating more organic foods into their lives during any cleansing experience. Food activist Zen Honeycutt says, “It’s one of the things I most wish that people who are trying to eat healthy should know. It cannot just be vegan, it cannot just be vegetarian, it cannot just be gluten-free and be healthy, it must also be organic.”
5. Hydrate for Health
We hear about the importance of hydration. This includes minerals and electrolytes. Avona says, “It is essential to ensure that the body has sufficient electrolytes.” Some key electrolytes include (but are not limited to): sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chloride, and phosphorus. Electrolytes are essential for everything from muscle contraction to nerve conduction, allowing us to think clearly, move gracefully, and breathe easily. One way to take in electrolytes, especially during a cleanse, is by making an Alkalizing Vegetable Mineral Broth.
6. Consider Food Swaps for Post-Cleanse Success
Whether we’re talking New Year’s Resolutions or cleansing support, Avona gives the following advice, “Eat as close to the garden as possible and choose minimally processed foods.” After all, “There are heavily processed foods labeled organic that while they may contain all organically grown ingredients they are not necessarily healthy or digestible.” In the quick tips for success on Arise & Shine, whether during the cleanse or while integrating life-long healthy habits, Avona suggests making your own salad dressings and dips.
7. Cleaning as a Practice for Life.
Really doing a cleanse is something that is more than simply a day of juicing. Consider what you would like to receive from the cleanse, how you want to use the practice to jump-start our maintenance routine of a lifestyle of healthy living. You can also try to detox with ease by detoxing your life and taking the space to become more mindful of your thoughts, words, and actions.
However you decide to cleanse, for the New Year and beyond, be intentional and compassionate with yourself throughout the process.
Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.