Journal from Fall Ayurveda Detox

I decided to follow the Yoga Journal’s 7-Day Fall Ayurveda Detox http://falldetox.yogajournal.com/, but for 5 days instead of 7. (see my post on Ayurveda 8/12/11)

Thursday before: Shopping at Nature’s Temptation in Ridgefield for all of my ‘supplies’! Yikes, what is kombu?? How am I going to cook the Kitchari when I am not really much of a cook? Am I really going to use ghee when I hate butter? Well, I bought all of the ingredients including the ghee. I even bought sesame oil for my skin as part of the total detox regimen. I am usually a Vata/Pitta dosha, but this summer really brought out my Pitta. I think that my skin allergies and my impatience (Pitta imbalance) out-weigh the cracking in my joint (Vata imbalance), so I bought the spices to make the Pitta soothing kitchari.

Sunday: I realize with my schedule of teaching, training, and mommy-duties that I will not be able to make it to my yoga classes. I downloaded the iPhone App ‘Authentic Yoga with Deepak Chopra’. This will help supplement my own practice.

Monday: Day 1: Woke up at 5:15 to walk on the treadmill instead of my usual run and then did some yoga. I didn’t want to eat the kitchari for breakfast since it was too heavy to eat before my next class, so I had a detox tea, and apple and some grapes. It didn’t seem to be enough to get through teaching both Spinning and Pilates. Then, for lunch, I had steamed broccoli, celery, and spinach with some kitchari, followed by another apple a few hours later. I had a headache from caffeine withdrawal, but it wasn’t too bad.

Tuesday: Day 2: Have a bad case of poison ivy and now wondering if the three prescriptions my doctor gave me will fit into the detox. The kitchari was still yummy, the poison ivy made me forget my headache, and the prescription antihistamine gave me a wonderful night’s sleep.

Wednesday: Day 3: Wishing I had the time to do the meditation and asanas. With a 4yr old, the only time to do that is at 5AM, but the antihistamine I am taking for the poison ivy knocked me out and I woke up at 6 instead of 5. Also trying to learn new choreography, which is also hard to do with a young child. My husband thinks the detox is making me cranky, but I think the detox is actually making me less cranky than I would have been otherwise. For dinner, I mixed it up a bit by having steamed broccoli, kale, carrots, and celery with some avocado instead of the kitchari and an apple for dessert.

Thursday: Day 4: Feeling very calm and peaceful. I added some quinoa to the kitchari for more fiber and protein. Really starting to feel the mental and emotional benefits of this cleanse today. Even found time to do some yoga.

Friday: Day 5: This is my last day of the detox because my family enjoys going out to lunch together on the weekends, and it is our only time that we can enjoy meals together. I plan to have a coffee tomorrow, but that is the only thing I am craving. I may even find a restaurant this weekend where I can have brown rice, beans, and veggies. I don’t really want anything else. I also did not feel any real ‘detox’ other than the headache the first day. I think it may be because I generally eat close to this plan anyway. I look forward to the next seasonal cleanse (although I am not looking forward to the next season, Winter!

Weekend: Days 6&7: I really ended this after day 5 but I stayed close to the diet plan by choice over the weekend. I added a cup of coffee and over the course of the weekend I had some sushi, Greek yogurt and egg whites. Other than that I stayed with the Ayurvedic foods. I went to the grocery store to buy more items to make kitchari and will replace the rice with quinoa and use olive oil instead of ghee.

So, what did I get from all of this? Actually quite a bit!

1. I plan to give up coffee over the next few months. I will transition to decaf and then to only teas. I feel calmer and grounded without the coffee, but I do love the taste of it.
2. I really enjoy eating vegan foods. I will not go back to being strictly vegan, but I will try some combinations of vegetarian/pescetarian (fish) plans with most of my diet vegan. I just bought the book ‘Thrive Diet’ by Brendan Brazier, as I have followed his website for a few years.
3. I enjoy cooking!
4. Daily yoga, even if it is just 10 minutes at home, does wonders for my mind and body.
5. I lost any desire for sweets (other than fruit) and meat/poultry.

I am not suggesting that you go as far as an Ayurvedic cleanse, but it may be a worthwhile experiment to simple spend a week with no caffeine, sugar, processed food, wheat, and soy and see how you feel.

Namaste

XOX

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.

Hey, hi there.. what's your dosha?

Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that means “the science of life and longevity”. Although Western medicine classifies Ayurveda as ‘alternative/complementary’, the practice started in India over three thousand years ago and one can argue that Western medicine is the one that is ‘alternative’.  According to this science, every person is a creation of cosmic energies and a unique phenomenon, and we all have a constitution, or balance of doshas. The five universal energies are Space, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. From these energies, three doshas are created; Vata (Space and Air), Pitta (Fire and Water), and Kapha (Water and Earth). It is believed that your dosha is determined at the moment of your conception, made up of the vata-pitta-kapha factors most active in your parents’ bodies at that time.

According to Ayurveda, health is a perfect state of balance among the body’s doshas (three fundamental energies). By balance I do not mean have all three doshas being equal but rather maintaining the proportion of each based on your constitution. To figure out your constitution, here is a good test http://www.yogajournal.com/health/498 and there is an even better one in any book by Dr. Vasant Lad, the founder of the Ayurvedic Institute.

I first became interested in Ayurveda about six years ago from my friend Claudia, who is a yoga teacher. When Claudia and I first became friends I had mentioned that I was recently recovering from pneumonia. The next day she brought me a bunch of her Ayurvedic books to borrow plus some essential oils to help with my breathing. I was hooked from there. Ayurveda is so complex that there is way too much information to fully explain in a blog post, or by someone like me who has not fully studied it. I am hoping to explain a bit of the concepts and encourage you to learn more on your own.

My constitution is Vata-Pitta, but the two doshas are so close that on some days I am Pitta-Vata like my husband John. Glancing at me, one would think I was mostly Pitta due to my Mesomorph body-type (Vatas tend to be more Ectomorph and Kaphas more Endomorph). My green eyes and the redness I sometime get around my nose are strong Pitta traits. However, those who know me realize that I am very energetic, bordering on hyper (Vata), needs to be constantly moving (Vata), and my joints crack (Vata), and my skin tends to be dry (again Vata). When asked a question, I tend to answer really quick and sometimes I am not correct (Vata), while John takes his time to think first and says the correct answer (Pitta). I wear Uggs all winter long, not for the fashion, but because I am always cold (Vata), while John wants to put the A/C on in March! (Pitta). Although, when John is under a lot of stress he tends to feel anxious (Vata), while I need to work a bit more on my temper (Pitta).  John also has the Vata dark eyes and hair.

Our daughter is also a Pitta-Vata mix. From her green eyes and light gold hair I definitely see Pitta, and she is already has some lean muscles, so I suspect a Mesomorph body like her parents. I also see a lot of Vata in her since she is definitely a ‘Wind’ child being so energetic and breezy. In all children, Kapha is very prevalent and I see it in her smooth dewy skin and her shiny hair. She is also so warm, loving, kind, and compassionate which are strong Kapha traits. Kaphas naturally have a sweet, loving disposition and tend to be stable, faithful, and religious. Kaphas also tend to be larger, heavier bones and may be prone to weight gain if not careful. But, due to their strong water energy, tend to have beautiful skin and hair.

I hope this created interest in some of you. There are many resources on the internet as well as books. Many ailments, diseases, and emotions are the results of your doshas being unbalanced. Each dosha responds to different diets, exercise, and times of day. As an example, sometimes when I feel like I am losing my temper, I realize that my pitta may be a bit too high and that I need to add some kapha to create patience and compassion. I will look for foods and drinks that are high in kapha but low in pitta. If someone has too much kapha and is holding too much weight, they may want to eat foods that lower kapha and increase vata. If you really stop to think about it, the ‘magic’ of Ayurveda is balancing energies! Pretty simple, right?

Om Shanti (peace and tranquility)

XOX

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.