Ayurvedic cleanses are centered around a monodiet that includes whole grains, legumes, vegetables, ghee, many spices, and a wide variety of flavors. It is a simplified diet, but it is not a fast. Meals are tasty and satisfying, with complete proteins and balanced nutrients. The goal is to balance vata, pitta, and kapha, digest and eliminate toxins (ama), balance and strengthen metabolic fire (agni), and restore the body’s natural intelligence. This helps to reset our baseline health at very deep levels. Your body would probably benefit from an Ayurvedic cleanse if you have any digestive difficulties, you have intense food cravings, or it is hard for you to know when you are hungry or tired. You could also benefit if you have low energy or exhaustion, or have trouble sleeping or waking up. Anxiety, stress, scattered thoughts, lack of concentration, having a foggy head, and feeling lethargic also indicate that a cleanse could be helpful. The benefits of cleansing affect the whole system. It calms the mind and nervous system, and brings clarity and a sense of groundedness. It helps restore energy and vitality, and regulates sleep and digestion. It also helps prepare the tissues to receive deep nutrition and rejuvenation and promotes optimal health. A cleanse can be a one day digestive reset, a simple 3 day cleanse, or a traditional ayurvedic cleanse, which lasts 3 to 21 days, depending on what is appropriate for your body. A key consideration is how much time and energy you can devote to the cleanse, ideally taking time off work and allowing your body to turn as much of its energy as possible to the cleansing process. Auyrveda is a comprehensive system of health that seeks to correct imbalances, ideally while they are still small and easy to shift. Cleansing around the change of seasons is an effective way to strengthen metabolic fire (agni) and support health and renewal on many levels.
