Have you been inundated with all the social media pushing a cleanse and detox in January? It can be frustrating to get through the holidays, get thrown back into work and then try to get your food plan back on track all at the same time.
Detoxing should be a gentle and healing process. Eating yin, cold and restrictive foods are not in congruency with the needs of the winter months. So, let’s rethink this extreme cleansing idea!
We are in the season of Winter, traditionally a time to eat preserved food, enjoy warming spices, going to bed early and staying warm inside our homes. Energetically, it’s also a time to go inward and explore your inner world.
The old mentality of a strict juice cleanse is a challenging choice given that the natural body clock is in a dry and inward state.
Most of my clients think that January is my busiest month, but actually it’s February, when we can all begin to breathe again and refocus our attention onto feeling better. Everyone I’m seeing this month is just trying to clean up the gut damage from traveling, schedule changes and foods that aren’t optimal. We are all in the same boat!
Hang in there. This month, focus on getting your schedule set with sleep and exercise while having balancing, wholesome and warming foods. Trust that you can do a cleanse in the months ahead when you have regained the energy you need to come up with a healing game plan.
Instead of restricting your food, it may be more beneficial to take this time to be quiet and ask some internal questions of what you’d like this next year to be like for you. Maybe you would like to complete a project (Hello closet!) take a class or focus on dating in the New Year. Discover what your heart is yearning for by checking in. One way to do this is by left-handed writing.
Write questions about your hopes and dreams with your dominant hand and give enough space between questions to answer later. After writing your questions, go into a meditation. Gentle music can be helpful to take you to a light-hearted space in your mind. When you’re feeling deeply connected, write the answers to your questions with your non-dominant hand without thinking. Let your hand just freely flow, without a goal. Stay in that meditative state and just breathe in the present moment.
Later, when you’re ready, read the answers to your questions. You will be amazed at your level of truth. Sometimes the answers are about the need to leave a job or relationship, putting more play in your life or letting go of a habit. Explore and take yourself on a mental adventure. You owe it to yourself!
So, while January isn’t the best time to cleanse since jumping into a strict eating plan can be stressful, take this time to relax and unwind from the holidays and be patient about your food choices.
When February comes, you’ll be more than ready to focus on a whole food cleanse, an elimination diet or a new meal plan. Let your body dictate when it’s ready and let’s all get through these cold nights taking care of ourselves. You can trust that in the Spring, the Gallbladder will start it’s cleansing process and letting go of any weight added during the cooler months. Cause that’s how it works – in perfect harmony with Mother Nature.
If you're looking to clear out the holidays in January, it's critical to get that hydration! Come see me for a colonic which is one of the best ways to get hydrated. And look for my cleanse program coming to you next month when it’s more likely that you’ll be ready for a cleanse!
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