• A Beginner’s Guide to Spring Cleansing
    • Natural Cleanse and Detox Tips
    • March 08, 2024
    A Beginner’s Guide to Spring Cleansing

    When we think of spring cleaning, we often think of our homes. But what about cleaning the accumulated toxins in our minds and bodies? Start your spring cleanse here. 

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  • 3 Secrets to a Successful Cleanse
    • Natural Cleanse and Detox Tips
    • March 03, 2023
    3 Secrets to a Successful Cleanse

    Gearing up for a cleanse? Take some time to prepare and plan to ensure as much spaciousness and ease as possible. These three simple cleansing tips will help pave your way to success. 

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  • Why Ayurvedic Cleansing Is Unique and How It Really Works
    • Health and Wellness
    • September 07, 2022
    Why Ayurvedic Cleansing Is Unique and How It Really Works

    It’s hard to know if there were dietary trends at the time of Ayurveda’s origin over 5,000 years ago, but it’s safe to say that the traditional Ayurvedic kitchari cleanse has stood the test of time. 

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  • How to Use Your Spring Cleanse to Clear Out Mental Clutter and Find Inner Clarity
    • Natural Cleanse and Detox Tips
    • March 14, 2022
    How to Use Your Spring Cleanse to Clear Out Mental Clutter and Find Inner Clarity

    Ayurveda suggests we do a seasonal cleanse every spring. This spring, take your cleanse beyond your physical body and clean out your mental closet too.

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  • 5 Ways to Change Up Your Kitchari + Recipes
    • Ayurvedic Recipes
    • March 10, 2022
    5 Ways to Change Up Your Kitchari + Recipes

    For kitchari to do its job while cleansing, it's important that it remains simple and easy to digest. But that doesn't mean your kitchari needs to be boring!

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  • It's Time for a 3-Day Mental and Emotional Cleanse
    • Health and Wellness
    • September 20, 2021
    It's Time for a 3-Day Mental and Emotional Cleanse

    In essence, the intent of a mental cleanse is to settle your restless mind, give clarity to clouded thought, and allow you to better access your creativity.

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  • 3 Simple, Satisfying, and Cleanse-Friendly Recipes for Fall
    • Fall Recipes and Health
    • September 16, 2021
    3 Simple, Satisfying, and Cleanse-Friendly Recipes for Fall

    Enjoy these vata-balancing recipes that are perfect for the fall season, whether you eat them in tandem with your regular diet or as part of a cleanse. 

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  • Honor the Fall Transition with 5 Food Practices and 4 Cleanse-Friendly Recipes
    • Food and Cooking
    • September 14, 2021
    Honor the Fall Transition with 5 Food Practices and 4 Cleanse-Friendly Recipes

    With fall’s arriving energy, here are a few helpful ways to prepare for a cleanse and honor the transition from summer to fall with conscious food practices.

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  •  Ayurvedic Tips for Gentle Summertime Cleansing
    • Natural Cleanse and Detox Tips
    • June 10, 2021
    Ayurvedic Tips for Gentle Summertime Cleansing

    In summer, it's important to give the digestive system a boost. How is a summer cleanse different than other times of the year? Read this article to learn more.

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  • 5 Things You Can Do to Restore Your Body After a Cleanse
    • Health and Wellness
    • April 02, 2021
    5 Things You Can Do to Restore Your Body After a Cleanse

    While seasonal cleansing is important, what we do after a cleanse can be even more so. These rejuvenation practices will help you feel renewed and replenished.

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  • Kale Chips Recipe with Kitchari Spice Mix
    • Kapha Recipes
    • March 05, 2021
    Kale Chips Recipe with Kitchari Spice Mix

    Are you craving something crunchy and savory? Whip up these tasty kale-chips! This plant-based recipe is perfect any time you need a healthy, yum-worthy snack..

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  • 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Cleansing
    • Fall Recipes and Health
    • March 03, 2021
    5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Cleansing

    When done correctly, cleansing can rebuild your body from a place of nourishment and love. Here are five mistakes to avoid for a better cleansing experience. 

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  • A Gentle Detox with Total Body Cleanse
    • Ayurvedic Herbalism
    • March 04, 2020
    A Gentle Detox with Total Body Cleanse

    Whether you’re planning a traditional Ayurvedic cleanse or a quick detox, Total Body Cleanse can offer support. Find out how these powerful herbal tablets can supercharge your cleanse.

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  • How Cleansing Has Transformed My Life
    • Natural Cleanse and Detox Tips
    • September 13, 2019
    How Cleansing Has Transformed My Life

    Ayurvedic cleansing has been around for thousands of years. Check out this real-life, inspirational story of how cleansing helped one woman develop a more positive relationship with food. 

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  • Should I Do a Liver Cleanse?
    • Health and Wellness
    • June 10, 2019
    Should I Do a Liver Cleanse?

    There are many types of liver cleanses and liver flushes promoted today. Would you benefit from doing a liver cleanse? As with anything in Ayurveda, it depends. As we are all unique, with specific health circumstances and constitutions, we need to look at our own situation before deciding.

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  • A Relaxed Approach to Cleansing
    • Natural Cleanse and Detox Tips
    • March 28, 2019
    A Relaxed Approach to Cleansing

    Perfectionism can get in the way of healthy cleansing. Learn why the "no pain, no gain" mentality is just one more thing to eliminate as you start your cleanse.

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  • Ayurvedic Asana: 9 Yoga Poses for Cleansing
    • Natural Cleanse and Detox Tips
    • March 22, 2019
    Ayurvedic Asana: 9 Yoga Poses for Cleansing

    The purpose of yoga is to align the mind, body, and breath, creating stability, calmness, clarity, and a sense of inner peace. When we bring together the mind, body, and breath, we access the opportunity to be present in this moment rather than spending time spinning our wheels in the what-ifs of the future and the regrets of the past.

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  • How to Fast the Ayurvedic Way
    • Health and Wellness
    • May 25, 2018
    How to Fast the Ayurvedic Way

    Welcome to the Ayurvedic approach to fasting—rather than creating a sense of denial or deprivation, it offers a much needed rest from the constant barrage of foods and experiences. 

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  • You Need This: A 3-Day Gut Reset, Just in Time for Fall
    • Fall Recipes and Health
    • September 20, 2017
    You Need This: A 3-Day Gut Reset, Just in Time for Fall

    Because the liver is essential in digesting the fattier, heavier foods typical of a winter diet, a fall reset should focus on clearing out the liver and promoting bile production. Before the cold winds of fall arrive, consider a 3-day reset to keep you balanced all winter long. 

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  • Into the Unknown: My First Ayurvedic Cleanse
    • Natural Cleanse and Detox Tips
    • September 11, 2017
    Into the Unknown: My First Ayurvedic Cleanse

    Whether you choose to go to a panchakarma center or do a home cleanse of a kitchari mono-diet for a day or more, taking a step in the direction of giving your body-mind time to unwind and be still is healing in and of itself.

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  • You Might Need a 1-Day Digestive Reset
    • Natural Cleanse and Detox Tips
    • August 11, 2017
    You Might Need a 1-Day Digestive Reset

    As such a crucial function of the body, digestion is worth nurturing, and sometimes the best way to do that is with a simple reset and reboot.

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  • The Best Springtime Juice Recipes
    • Ayurvedic Recipes
    • April 17, 2017
    The Best Springtime Juice Recipes

    Juicing is great for giving the digestive system a break while supplying the body with a boost of nutrients. Here are a couple of recipes to get you started.

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  • Prepare for Your Cleanse with Yoga
    • Natural Cleanse and Detox Tips
    • October 13, 2016
    Prepare for Your Cleanse with Yoga

    In the active phase of cleansing you will eliminate most exercise and/or strenuous movement in order to allow the body a chance to fully rejuvenate. However, the preparation phase is an optimal time to practice detoxifying yoga. Here are a few potential postures to incorporate into your exercise practice.

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  • An Easy Way To Cleanse at Home
    • Natural Cleanse and Detox Tips
    • October 07, 2016
    An Easy Way To Cleanse at Home

    In Ayurveda, this change is a time for us to let go of what is no longer needed, to detox, and prepare for the coming season. What has been left undigested, creating toxicity, or ama, in your life? What are you ready to release, to detox, and to let go? 

    Read Article
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Natural Cleanse and Detox

In Ayurveda, a cleanse or detox refers to a period of time in which you adjust your diet and lifestyle to promote optimal digestion. This is mostly accomplished by committing to eating a monodiet of kitchari (basmati rice and yellow mung dal) for the duration of your cleanse and eliminating hard-to-digest foods and experiences from your diet and surroundings.

How Cleansing Works

According to Ayurveda, the body digests not only food but also experiences, emotions, and thoughts. Agni (or digestive fire) acts as the body’s internal flame, driving all digestion and transformation and converting the positive things that enter the body into nourishment.

When ama (natural toxins) enter the body, digestion becomes bogged down—not unlike the way wet kindling can dampen a campfire. For example, a greasy meal eaten six months ago or an unresolved argument can linger in the system and create imbalances.

An Ayurvedic cleanse works by “resetting” agni by giving it a break from digesting complicated substances. Kitchari, Ayurveda’s meal of choice for cleansing, is incredibly easy on the digestive system, and its combination of rice and dal helps form a complete protein that can keep you nourished and sustained for the duration of your cleanse.

What a Successful Cleanse Has to Offer

Some of the benefits of cleansing include:

  • Increased energy
  • A better sense of balance
  • Better sleep patterns
  • More regular elimination
  • An overall feeling of wellness

Unlike panchakarma, a traditional cleanse program completed under the guidance of a practitioner, the cleanses you’ll find detailed in these blog articles can be done safely from the comfort of your own home.

How to Plan a Successful Cleanse

When it comes to planning your cleanse, the options may feel overwhelming. Shorter cleanses can range from a simple one-day digestive reset to a three-day cleanse with kitchari, while longer cleanses can last up to 21 days.

Generally, the longer the cleanse, the more benefit you will receive from it. Along with this, the longer the cleanse, the more delicate your body and your digestion will be, so you will only want to commit to a longer cleanse if you can give yourself ample time to ease back into your normal lifestyle and diet gently.

While Ayurvedic cleansing is very gentle overall, it is best not to cleanse if you are ill, injured, debilitated, menstruating, pregnant, or breastfeeding.

For those who can cleanse, spring and fall are the ideal times of year to do it according to Ayurveda, though cleansing the summer and winter can be supportive times as well.

These articles are designed to help you choose the length of time that best works for you and your lifestyle, how to customize your kitchari, how to plan meals throughout your cleanse, mistakes to avoid, and how to follow through with your intentions.

We’ll also explore how to customize your cleanse for the spring or fall seasons, supportive herbs (like Total Body Cleanse) that you can take to help support the process, and much more.