This was my first morning of my post-cleanse rejuvenation! It actually felt strange not to be taking ghee first thing this morning. I am continuing to eat the ginger slices with lemon and salt 15 minutes before meals because I have a good amount of ginger left and don't want to waste it. I like the ginger anyway and I feel it helps to keep my digestion strong which is important as I transition from my cleansing diet. It is important after cleansing not to shock your body by going back to however you ate before, especially if your diet includes premade and packaged foods or fast foods. Incidentally, my diet is not generally full of such foods. Gentle transition is important, along with digestive herbal support and nerve tonics as needed.
After a cleanse, rejuvenation begins, which means repairing any inflammation in the GI tract, keeping digestion strong, nourishing the nervous system, and building back the vitality of body, mind, and spirit.
The vital force is called "ojas" in Ayurveda. Things that build the ojas are rejuvenatives called "rasayanas". These things nourish the nervous system, plasma, blood, muscle, bone, marrow, and immune system.
Tomorrow I am going to be replacing the morning ghee with a rasayana called a date shake, which I will drink first thing in the morning and then wait two hours before eating. Date shakes are an ancient Ayurvedic beverage. I will post the recipe and photo tomorrow.
Tonight I drank another Ayurvedic rasayana, which is grape juice with 2 strands saffron, a pinch of cardamom and a pinch of ginger. It was delicious! The grape juice has to be dark in color because the darker grapes have higher concentrations of powerful antioxidants like flavonoids and resveratrol. Flavonoids show evidence in clinical studies of reversing atherosclerosis. Resveratrol protects the body from plaque in arteries and reduces inflammation. Saffron nourishes the circulatory system. Cardamom nourishes the blood, marrow, nerves, and plasma (white blood cells). Ginger nourishes the digestive and respiratory system.
After a cleanse, rejuvenation begins, which means repairing any inflammation in the GI tract, keeping digestion strong, nourishing the nervous system, and building back the vitality of body, mind, and spirit.
The vital force is called "ojas" in Ayurveda. Things that build the ojas are rejuvenatives called "rasayanas". These things nourish the nervous system, plasma, blood, muscle, bone, marrow, and immune system.
Tomorrow I am going to be replacing the morning ghee with a rasayana called a date shake, which I will drink first thing in the morning and then wait two hours before eating. Date shakes are an ancient Ayurvedic beverage. I will post the recipe and photo tomorrow.
Tonight I drank another Ayurvedic rasayana, which is grape juice with 2 strands saffron, a pinch of cardamom and a pinch of ginger. It was delicious! The grape juice has to be dark in color because the darker grapes have higher concentrations of powerful antioxidants like flavonoids and resveratrol. Flavonoids show evidence in clinical studies of reversing atherosclerosis. Resveratrol protects the body from plaque in arteries and reduces inflammation. Saffron nourishes the circulatory system. Cardamom nourishes the blood, marrow, nerves, and plasma (white blood cells). Ginger nourishes the digestive and respiratory system.
Tonight's dinner was borscht, which I made because I still had lots of beets from my cleanse. I am sure it is not the traditional way, but beets are part of my son's ancestral connection to his Czech relatives and he loves them so I went for it.
Ingredients:
-3 medium to large beets
-2 medium sized carrots
-1 large leek
-1 medium sized yellow onion
-1/2 head of cabbage
-3 cloves garlic
-a 2-finger pinch of marjoram
-pinch of paprika
-1 bay leaf
-salt
-about 48 oz. vegetable broth or stock
-extra virgin olive oil
-2 shakes of red wine vinegar (about 2 Tbsp)
-full fat Greek yogurt
-fresh dill
Preparation:
Peel beets and cut into matchsticks or shred. Shred cabbage. Dice onions. Chop garlic. Cut leeks into thin slices. Cut carrots into 1/4 inch slices.
Cooking:
1. In a large pot, heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add onions and sautée until soft. 2. Next add leeks and garlic and sautée until the leeks are soft.
3. Add carrots, sautée for about one minute, then add cabbage. Add more olive oil as needed.
4. Add marjoram, paprika, bay leaf, and a 3-finger pinch of salt.
5. Sautée until cabbage is soft and then add beets.
6. After adding beets, immediately add red wine vinegar. Stir the mixture well and sautée for a couple more minutes.
7. Add vegetable broth and bring the soup to a rolling boil.
8. Reduce heat and simmer 30 min.
9. Serve with dollop of Greek yogurt and fresh dill.
Ingredients:
-3 medium to large beets
-2 medium sized carrots
-1 large leek
-1 medium sized yellow onion
-1/2 head of cabbage
-3 cloves garlic
-a 2-finger pinch of marjoram
-pinch of paprika
-1 bay leaf
-salt
-about 48 oz. vegetable broth or stock
-extra virgin olive oil
-2 shakes of red wine vinegar (about 2 Tbsp)
-full fat Greek yogurt
-fresh dill
Preparation:
Peel beets and cut into matchsticks or shred. Shred cabbage. Dice onions. Chop garlic. Cut leeks into thin slices. Cut carrots into 1/4 inch slices.
Cooking:
1. In a large pot, heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add onions and sautée until soft. 2. Next add leeks and garlic and sautée until the leeks are soft.
3. Add carrots, sautée for about one minute, then add cabbage. Add more olive oil as needed.
4. Add marjoram, paprika, bay leaf, and a 3-finger pinch of salt.
5. Sautée until cabbage is soft and then add beets.
6. After adding beets, immediately add red wine vinegar. Stir the mixture well and sautée for a couple more minutes.
7. Add vegetable broth and bring the soup to a rolling boil.
8. Reduce heat and simmer 30 min.
9. Serve with dollop of Greek yogurt and fresh dill.
So now that I have shared the basics about my rejuvenation, I would like to talk a bit about how the experience of cleansing felt for me. It was a truly remarkable experience and I highly recommend it. Cleansing always makes me feel like a new person. Whenever I finish cleansing, I am always amazed at how good I feel!
This week did not exactly go according to my plans. I had crafted a daily schedule that involved me getting up each morning at 6:00 am to do Yoga and pranayama. I planned to exercise vigorously each day (nothing crazy, just building a sweat doing my chosen activity until I could no longer breathe through my nose). I planned to be in bed by 10:00 each night. The world had other plans for me and lessons to teach me that I was not planning for myself: flexibility, compassion for self, and patience.
As soon as I started cleansing, all the congestion in my body came out, which led to my getting a sinus infection during the first couple days. The pain in my sinuses was terrible and made it hard to sleep. Due to the sinus infection I got a bit of a fever and body aches with that, which led to it being impossible to do vigorous exercise. Post-nasal drainage from my sinuses led to bronchitis, so certainly even anything but restorative Yoga was out of the question. I could barely walk the dogs because the cold air would make me cough.
I know all this probably sounds horrible, but it wasn't. Cleansing tends to make us nauseous and achey as toxins are being released anyway. I just took these problems for what they were: part of the process. I started herbal antibiotics the second I felt the sinus infection. I did neti 3 times every day to help my sinuses heal, keep them moist, and wash out irritants. I also used the calcite crystals to heal my sinuses. When I began to get congestion in my lungs, I drank licorice and eucalyptus tea, used Narayan oil on my chest and back to clear my lungs, and sipped hot lemon-honey water for my cough.
These illnesses forced me to be still, which is just what I needed. I started my cleanse very ungrounded and having problems with my memory. These forgetfulness issues were ones that I knew derived from me having too much on my mind everyday. If I had done my cleanse the way I had planned, I would have gone out every day for a hike in the woods, doing Yoga, cleaning my house top to bottom, and weeding all the gardens. What I really needed was to be still and quiet with my own thoughts and feelings. Being sick got me out of my own way.
I did feel very nauseous for the first few days and had body aches as toxins were being released from deep in my body. After I used the cleansing crystals, the aches were gone and I was just a bit nauseous. The nausea only lasted until Wednesday.
I tend to read fiction books by Marion Zimmer Bradley or Barbara Kingsolver when I want a spiritual and inspirational experience. These two authors write about the world in ways that rekindle my feelings of kinship with nature. I always gain insight when I read books by these two women, no matter the subject of the book. It is more the language the authors use than the subject matter that gives me such joy. This week I read The Fall of Atlantis by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Reading this book I came across many phrases that I think are apt observations about the universe, and I posted one earlier this week. Although the book is fiction, the words given to the characters to speak are all from the mind of the author and valid, I think, for use as meditative subjects.
Every day I did swedana followed by a hot shower and self abhyanga. I had planned to get abhyanga every day but I was too exhausted. Cooking everything from scratch takes time and I was slow moving and weak. Not once did I get to bed by ten, and the sinus pain and then the cough made it difficult to get any sleep. I did do daily meditation, took my ghee, ate my ginger and cleansing foods, took my herbs, and walked the dogs because that was all the exercise I could handle. I had to be compassionate with myself, meaning letting go of any frustration with my situation and just being in the moment, looking for what I could do instead of thinking of what I had planned to do and couldn't.
I was given much support by my family, who walked the dogs for me when they were home, cleaned the kitchen every night so I could begin cooking the next morning, and were understanding of my changing moods as different emotions were being released from my body. I was much more quiet than usual. I have much gratitude for my family and feel so lucky to have had their help this last week.
This week did not exactly go according to my plans. I had crafted a daily schedule that involved me getting up each morning at 6:00 am to do Yoga and pranayama. I planned to exercise vigorously each day (nothing crazy, just building a sweat doing my chosen activity until I could no longer breathe through my nose). I planned to be in bed by 10:00 each night. The world had other plans for me and lessons to teach me that I was not planning for myself: flexibility, compassion for self, and patience.
As soon as I started cleansing, all the congestion in my body came out, which led to my getting a sinus infection during the first couple days. The pain in my sinuses was terrible and made it hard to sleep. Due to the sinus infection I got a bit of a fever and body aches with that, which led to it being impossible to do vigorous exercise. Post-nasal drainage from my sinuses led to bronchitis, so certainly even anything but restorative Yoga was out of the question. I could barely walk the dogs because the cold air would make me cough.
I know all this probably sounds horrible, but it wasn't. Cleansing tends to make us nauseous and achey as toxins are being released anyway. I just took these problems for what they were: part of the process. I started herbal antibiotics the second I felt the sinus infection. I did neti 3 times every day to help my sinuses heal, keep them moist, and wash out irritants. I also used the calcite crystals to heal my sinuses. When I began to get congestion in my lungs, I drank licorice and eucalyptus tea, used Narayan oil on my chest and back to clear my lungs, and sipped hot lemon-honey water for my cough.
These illnesses forced me to be still, which is just what I needed. I started my cleanse very ungrounded and having problems with my memory. These forgetfulness issues were ones that I knew derived from me having too much on my mind everyday. If I had done my cleanse the way I had planned, I would have gone out every day for a hike in the woods, doing Yoga, cleaning my house top to bottom, and weeding all the gardens. What I really needed was to be still and quiet with my own thoughts and feelings. Being sick got me out of my own way.
I did feel very nauseous for the first few days and had body aches as toxins were being released from deep in my body. After I used the cleansing crystals, the aches were gone and I was just a bit nauseous. The nausea only lasted until Wednesday.
I tend to read fiction books by Marion Zimmer Bradley or Barbara Kingsolver when I want a spiritual and inspirational experience. These two authors write about the world in ways that rekindle my feelings of kinship with nature. I always gain insight when I read books by these two women, no matter the subject of the book. It is more the language the authors use than the subject matter that gives me such joy. This week I read The Fall of Atlantis by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Reading this book I came across many phrases that I think are apt observations about the universe, and I posted one earlier this week. Although the book is fiction, the words given to the characters to speak are all from the mind of the author and valid, I think, for use as meditative subjects.
Every day I did swedana followed by a hot shower and self abhyanga. I had planned to get abhyanga every day but I was too exhausted. Cooking everything from scratch takes time and I was slow moving and weak. Not once did I get to bed by ten, and the sinus pain and then the cough made it difficult to get any sleep. I did do daily meditation, took my ghee, ate my ginger and cleansing foods, took my herbs, and walked the dogs because that was all the exercise I could handle. I had to be compassionate with myself, meaning letting go of any frustration with my situation and just being in the moment, looking for what I could do instead of thinking of what I had planned to do and couldn't.
I was given much support by my family, who walked the dogs for me when they were home, cleaned the kitchen every night so I could begin cooking the next morning, and were understanding of my changing moods as different emotions were being released from my body. I was much more quiet than usual. I have much gratitude for my family and feel so lucky to have had their help this last week.
I will continue this blog through this week for my rejuvenation, and after that I will be making posts about different health topics.