juicing not required
“To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”
Buddha
Juice cleanses were never my thing. I tried a few years back and hoped for all the glowing results regular cleansers raved about like clear skin and improved digestion. Maybe I would even lose a few pounds! That would make me happier… right?
I didn’t experience any of those things. Was I doing it “wrong”? Did I not commit myself enough? Was I missing something? How was I ever supposed to be a leading wellness professional if I couldn’t power through a juice cleanse?!
Although I don’t doubt the necessity and power of consuming whole fruits and vegetables, I saw better results in digestion/life when I stopped eating meat, started eating less packaged foods and more whole plants, avoided soy, when I began experimenting with Ayurveda under the guidance of trained professionals to compliment my own self-studies.
Something I was reminded by Divya Alter when we first met 2 years ago for an Ayurvedic consultation was how unique all of us are, and that what works for one might not fly with another.
She writes in her cookbook, “There is nothing more damaging to your system than a premature, harsh, or improper detox.” No wonder I felt like garbage when I sucked down liters of juice – my liver wasn’t prepared and so what I thought was beneficial wound up making me feel gross.
Something I keep learning on my own is how things ebb and flow – just when we think we have something figured out, we are often quickly reminded that we don’t.
Life, our bodies and our minds shift for various reasons, just like the seasons and the tides, and the best we can do is stay present with ourselves in each moment instead of relying on one cure-all that will solve all problems until the end of our days.
Equally as important are the shifts I notice in my relationship with my self, others, and the world around me when I started to become more invested in sustainable lifestyle practices – from yoga and meditation to eco-friendly fashion to holistic health.
This path has supported me as I continue to become more conscious of what I consume [whether food or media or material items], how and why I consume, and how I go about my day in general.
I offer you Divya Alter’s time-tested Ayurvedic tips for Spring – like foods to incorporate and avoid – to help support your transition into this sweet season.
Sometimes it takes a life overhaul like juicing [although I personally would only recommend doing so if suggested and guided by a professional], sometimes it takes one powerful quote to spark the flame of curiosity that leads to potent transformation.
Whatever path you wind up choosing, my wish for you is that you are gentle with yourselves in this process; that you continue to ask questions and take everything with a grain of salt; that whatever cleanse or purge or big shift you decide to try, you recognize the wholeness of yourself exactly as you are, the fullness of the moment exactly as it is.
Read the newsletter for my matcha un-latte hack, upcoming events and new classes at Modo Yoga Paris, YouTube yoga classes and guided meditation, a new podcast with yogic insight from my literal Facebook friend, and more.
Onward.
Photo: Grant Henry Media for Harmonica Designs in Brooklyn, NY.
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