So here I am, starting the first day of my detox week. Well, actually it's day 1 of a three week cleansing programme, which right now feels so long, but I feel excited! I know first hand how amazing I am going to feel at the end of it and that's what keeps me motivated. I am looking forward to all the benefits - the clear skin, shiny eyes, feeling lighter, brighter, happier and generally on top of the world! Yes, this cleanse has the potential to bring tremendous improvements to our health and general well-being. In fact, I will go as far as to say that if you stick to the programme you will most definitely experience great benefits.
The aim of this blog is to document my diet and daily routine every day for 7 days. I am hoping that it will be helpful for the reader to learn about the alternative, ayurvedic approaches to detox and weight loss, and that it will keep me accountable and motivated to move on to the second stage of the programme, which will be preparation for the panchakarma treatments at home.
Monday, 12 October 2020.
Weight: 57 kg
I woke up at 5:30am but didn't get out of bed until 6:20am, which is late for me. Monday is not my favourite day of the week so no surprises there! My usual morning routine looks like this: get up, make the bed, brush my teeth, scrape my tongue + face massage with organic rosehip oil. The 10 minute lymphatic drainage and marma point massage have been part of my morning routine for the past 12 months and I am proud to say that I haven't skipped a day!
Afterwards I change into my yoga clothes and head to the kitchen where I drink 2 glasses of warm water - a glass of plain water followed by another glass, but this time with the addition of the ginger immunity support elixir. I take the water with me into the living room where the most important part of my day is about to begin.
I roll out my yoga mat, light the incense and open up my journal. Journaling in the mornings has been a part of my daily routine for the last 6 years. The entries differ from very basic, like start time of the yoga practice, how long for each practice etc, to reflections on how I feel that morning and what's happening in my life. Before I start my practice today, I reflect on the content of the three affirmation cards that I've been using for the last couple of weeks as way of focusing my mind. The content is about joy and this is my practice intention for today. My asana practice is one hour long, broken down into - 20 minutes warm up for the spine, 10 min sun salutations (6 rounds with mantra) and 20 minutes floor exercises for digestion. I then practice 20 minutes breathing and meditation. My breathing practice today it is kapalabhati pranayama with breath retention and maha bandha, followed by Antar Mouna meditation with internal visualisation + 15 minutes of mantra practice. I am in the middle of a 40 day mantra sadhana and I feel the benefits of it in my life already!
So, that's almost 2 hours of practice and it takes me to 8:45am. I did make myself a drink between the asana practice and breathing/meditation, and today this was a herbal tea - a mixture of cinnamon, cardamom and the ginger immunity support elixir.
Quick shower and I am ready to start my day at 9am! My diet for today will consist mainly of mung bean soup, so I pre-soak the mung beans in hot water. I also prepare a detox tea for the day - a mixture of spices, and pour it into the thermos. My breakfast today, more like a snack at 10am, is 1/2 pear and apple steamed with cinnamon and cloves - I wasn't feeling very hungry.
I spent my morning working - mainly checking and replying to my emails and putting together a 'to do' list for the week. I have been drinking plenty of warm water, detox tea and the ginger immunity support elixir. However, despite this I develop a headache, which turns severe as the day progresses. I suspect that the trigger is coffee withdrawal as I have been indulging myself lately. I am prone to migraines and there is a danger that this headache will turn into one.
I start lunch preparations at around 12:30pm. It takes me just a few minutes to wash the mung beans and get them on the stove to simmer for 40 min. I feel quite hungry so I also wash some red rice and add it to rice cooker and cut up some organic greens for steaming. After that it's back to work and wait for everything to cook. Once cooked, I prepare a tarka (spiced oil) for the soup and voila! Lunch is served at 1:30pm! My lunch break is one hour, and normally I would go for a short walk after. However, my headache is intensifying so I opt for rest at home but away from the screen.
Despite the headache, I managed to work until 5:30pm today - mainly writing blogs and creating marketing materials. I had a snack at 4pm, which was a juicy pear, and did not feel hungry afterwards at all, so I skipped dinner today.
My headache did turn into a migraine, which had me in bed by 7pm and asleep by 9pm.