Ayurveda cleanses can remove toxins or ama, balance your doshas, and restore your digestive fire or agni. This leads to better health and reduces dis-ease.
During an Ayurveda cleanse we are working on nourishing the body, vs depletion, and this is why it differs from other cleanses which are often one size fits all, harsh detox methods that the body and nervous system is far from ready for. It is like I ask you to suddenly run a marathon without any preparation for your body first , no warm up, no working up to this. Not a good idea.
In Ayurveda cleanses we take a more personalised and balanced approach and work on detox in a way that targets removing ama and excess dosha that accumulates through the harsher weather and stress, weak digestion, and environmental toxins.
Typically a cleanse involved a simpler diet, focused on certain whole foods that suit you, which can be vegetables, kitcharis, soups, stews, or herbal teas and broths, keeping warm and using complementary sessions of abhyanga or massages and supportive rest. The goal is to stoke your agni or digestive fire and allow your body to naturally eliminate the toxins, the body is intelligent and when supported well it does this. There is a whole science behind why kitchari is used, and your Ayurveda Coach can explain this.
Ama is sticky , heavy metabolic waste that forms when the digestive fire is weak and imbalanced. When the things we take in to our senses our undigested, it leads to ama in our cells and they clog the channels responsible for nutrient absorption and waste elimination. This ama leads to health issues, sluggishness, brain fog, skin issues, digestive issues, weakened immunity and feeling off.
If you notice thick white coating on the tongue, tiredness and low energy, heavy foggy feelings, foul smells in the body, nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, indigestion, skin issues , major cravings for sugar or unhealthy foods, feeling off in general then you may benefit from cleansing. Most people benefit from cleansing twice a year , especially nowadays.
When you prioritise rest and reduce the stimuli from mental activities and constantly doing , and eating processed or unhealthy foods your body knows how to detox and heal. When you lubricate the elimination pathways with medicated oils this also supports the process further because the oil pulls toxins out.
Simple food, warm, stoking agni.
Spring and Fall are the best times to cleanse because the earths natural rhythms are in transition and support this process far better . In Spring the focus is on reducing kapha or earth and water-heavy, damp, sluggish qualities. In Fall the focus is on reducing Pitta or fire element and reigniting digestive fire after summer heat.
If pregnant , cleansing is not recommended, instead focus on eating whole, nourishing foods.
If starting out , start gently and let your body learn what it is to cleanse first before going all in.
If menstruating, adjust accordingly, and avoid body treatments and just focus on lighter foods and cooling herbal teas.
Talk to your Ayurveda Coach about the food supplements and tools that you can add to your self care during cleansing or even otherwise. They will be happy to support you in achieving your goals. Regulate your nervous system, as this is the most important thing to do , ground and regulate. Simplify your diet and reduce the heavy things like caffeine, dairy and gluten and definitely the processed foods and sugar during this time.
Deeper cleanses are known as Panchakarma and involve 5 therapeutic treatments, a more strict diet, plenty of oil therapies with medicated oils, extensive rest and can involve other therapies. This is usually done through an Ayurveda detox centre and can last from 2-6 weeks. . The deeper cleanse involved purva karma or preparation where you start to let the body know we are starting the cleanse and you simplify diet and lifestyle, some pre herbs may be taken to begin toxin release. Then pradhana karma where you eat a very simple diet and do cleansing therapies and prioritise rest, usually around 5-7 days and allow the body to flush out toxins whilst agni is supported. Then paschat karma where gradual reintroduction to other whole foods and lifestyle practices takes place and observation of how the body responds and rebuilds. Then rejuvenation or Rasayana where restoration and immunity is boosted known as Ojas, and resilience is rebuilt after detoxifying. Tonics and restorative practices and nourishing Ojas boosting foods to suit you will be prioritised. This helps your benefit most from your cleanse long term.