To stay warm and grounded in the cold and dry winter months, we tend to eat heavier, sweeter and fatty foods and spend more time indoors in low-key activities. Since the major holidays also fall in the winter months, we tend to overeat.  All of this slows down our digestion and metabolism and more than in any other season, we accumulate more toxins in the winter season.   The toxins get stuck and stored in our abundant fat reserves.  Ayurveda refers to the toxins as AMA and it can result from slow digestion, environment and unresolved stress.

When spring approaches and the moisture in nature and in our body returns, it naturally moves into the drier areas of our body to our stored toxins to loosen them up for removal.  If all goes well and we do not continue to create more toxins, we eliminate them.  But for most of us, the level of toxins is too high and we lack sufficient digestive fire (Agni in Ayurveda), we are not successful.  Instead the toxins get loosened up a bit and sluggishly move until they hit a vulnerable spot in the body and get lodged there.  Feeling sluggish and heavy after the cold, dry winter is one of the many symptoms of toxin accumulation in the body.  If unaddressed, these symptoms worsen, multiply and become chronic resulting in aches and pains, stiffness, frequent colds and allergic reaction, swollen glands, weight gain and depression to name a few.

To do a Cleanse is to actively help our body get rid of the accumulated toxins on a timely basis before it gets lodged deep in the tissue and to reset our body’s ability to detox on a regular basis. Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of care. That “pound” in our golden years is thousands of dollars spent on health care; yet never really experiencing true health.   If you are only going to do a Cleanse once a year, spring is the best time.

Rooted in 5000 years of wisdom, Ayurvedic Cleanse addresses all levels of our being.  It is not a starvation cleanse, but a very systematic and scientific approach to rid the body of accumulated toxins effectively. It is crucial that we prepare the body and eliminate the toxins gradually.  It is equally important that the food intake during the cleanse is light and easy to digest so the body does not accumulate more toxins during the process. It takes a lot of strength and energy to go through the cleansing process, so it is not recommended if someone is emaciated.  And certain medical conditions require that you do a Cleanse that is specifically tailored to you.  I do not recommend ever doing a Cleanse by reading a book from the shelf or from information on line.  It is best that you seek the guidance of an expert when undergoing such process.  A Cleanse can be done with or without Panchkarma.

Ayurveda’s most profound therapy to detox, rebalance and rejuvenate is Panchkarma (PK). It is a group of Ayurvedic therapies designed to purify the body of toxins and thus reverse the development of disease and aging.  This is the deepest way to detox, rebalance and rejuvenate at every level. The therapies are combined according to the individual needs based on the pulse diagnosis and imbalances. Since the PK addresses every level of our existence – physical, mental/emotional, energetic and spiritual, the benefits of the PK are long lasting, resulting in relief from respiratory issues, allergies, headaches, digestive problems, sleep disturbances, acne and skin conditions, arthritis, nervous system disorders i.e. anxiety and depression.

The point of the Cleanse is to let go of the old that no longer serves us.  Think of what no longer serves you.  What mental/emotional and psychological structures have you created that might have been useful in the past but no longer hold their appeal.  Now is the time to create fertile ground on which to build new structures, a new way of existence, a new way of thinking and feeling.  Pondering upon these questions can be the beginning of YOUR spring cleanse.

To do  a cleanse is to actively help our body get rid of the accumulated toxins on a timely basis before it gets lodged deep in the tissue and to reset our body’s ability to detox on a regular basis. Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of care.  That “pound” in our golden years can translate into thousands of dollars spent on health care, yet never really experiencing true health.
NOW is the time to plant the seeds and set the foundation for your health in the future.

Teachers and lessons are everywhere all the time, if we choose to learn.

Where there is pain – there is a need for self-love and to reconnect to Divine love.

Where there is betrayal – there is a deeper need and commitment to our purpose in the world.

Where there is anger – there is a need for compassion and understanding and to cultivate more wisdom and intelligence.

Where there is ignorance – there is a need for better education, a need to speak up and to lead.

When there is self-absorbance and selfishness – there is a need for selfless acts of kindness.

Emotions (energy in motion) seek to flow and to be expressed.   They arise for self-examination and self-purification; they are not meant to burn others.

Guilt, shame, blame are constructs of the mind to make us feel we “fit in” so we can be  spared the criticisms and judgments.  Choose them if you are looking to fit in – otherwise look deeper!

The fire element in the third chakra helps us transform our emotions if that is what we choose.  It is the same fire in our physical body that transforms food into energy.  Too much fire can burn and too little may not provide enough momentum for the shift.  The “just right” amount can transform our emotions into devotion, intelligence and wisdom.   It has the power to transform our anger into passion, our fear into love and our anxiety into creativity.

This is the power of transformation! This is the power of Ayurvedic Medicine!

Consciousness is universal energy and life force.  Consciousness is a state of existence that is understood by direct experience and not by intellectualization.   Our journey into the physical body begins with consciousness just like a tree begins with the seed.  However, it transcends the human life as we know it and beyond the earth, in other words, it does not end when our human life ends.  It has no beginning and no end and is beyond the concept of time and space.  It contains the energy, information and intelligence and is the source of all thought, emotion and our liveliness. Healing comes from connecting with this source and disease arises when we disconnect from the source.

Our individual consciousness is part of the unified field of consciousness.  The laws of unified field are the laws of nature and this is the foundation for Ayurvedic Medicine.

The ultimate goal of all Yoga and Ayurveda is the development of consciousness so we can live to our potential and free ourselves of suffering.  This became distorted and lost over the years as Yoga evolved and is now finding its way back to us.

The mind, body and soul – also called the “trinity” rests on this field of consciousness.  There are many levels of consciousness resulting in different vibrations and frequencies. Which level we exist at depends on our own evolution. Every thought carries with it the energy and vibrations. For example, if we are stuck in the emotions and commotions of life, we will continue to attract the same. Meditation and healing practices allow us to raise our vibrations and therefore elevate us to the higher state of existence. In this higher state, we begin to develop a bigger context and look at the bigger picture i.e. we may begin to feel love and compassion towards someone that we could not stand before, or we may be able to express the most difficult of things that we had suppressed for long time with ease, we begin to connect to intuitive messages and may begin to channel info for the higher realm – when we exist in this state of consciousness, we will attract the same in our lives. Coincidentally, in this higher state, we may find resolve to major issues that had us stuck before. We can liken this higher state of existence to the eagle view – the only difference is that it happens effortlessly when we continue to engage in practices that develop our consciousness.

This experience of consciousness is very expansive, whole and liberating and we naturally gravitate towards this experience and begin to infuse it in our lives; aligning our actions and choices to what we have experienced.  This feeling of wholeness permeates through our being.  Psychological stress that also causes blockages in the flow of this energy and intelligence begins to dissipate.  We now set up the ground for healing and health.  What we need to do to heal again becomes clear.  We become open to making changes that were not possible before.  We tune in to what we need and we find ways to get it.  We begin to believe that healing is possible and begin to trust in the bigger picture.  We move towards acceptance, which spares a lot of our energy that was tied up in worry, control and conflict. It is this internal shift that goes a long way helping us with our symptoms and medical diagnosis.

There are numerous illnesses that result from disorders of the nervous system and then manifest into various physical symptoms.  Through the meditation, we release the stress from our nervous system. The mental and emotional imprints on the nervous system begin to loosen their grip and channels that were blocked begin to open.   In this way, we are working at the root cause of illness and not just stuck in the limited medical diagnosis.  We are multi-dimensional beings and the only way to restore wholeness is to begin at the source.  Healing happens in our core and not necessarily in the elimination of symptoms.  When we heal from within, the symptoms either disappear or no longer come in the way of our happiness.

In the spiritual path, it is natural to wonder, to question and even to challenge the truth.    Nothing worthwhile happens without inner inquiry and introspection.  To become one with consciousness is not to control the outcome of our actions, it is rather to co-create with that which is larger. It is to harmonize with our higher self and let nature do what is for the highest good. We regain our power when we harmonize with nature. We heal when we reconnect with the consciousness out of which all life arises.  When we become that open, that tuned in to who we truly are, there is no longer an attachment to a desired outcome, instead we feel okay with what ever happens.

Saving lives happens all the time in the medical world.  For many, it is no less than a miracle and it is when we are so grateful to have modern medicine, technology and science and the experts in the field to give us another chance at life.

Now consider this:

It was not too long ago when cancer was a rare disease and so were many of the modern day illnesses.   This is when people used food as medicine, harmonized their life styles to the need of the body and to nature i.e. they got up at sunrise and started to wind down at sunset, had tremendous support of family, neighbors and spiritual guidance from their elders.  The medicine and healing was embedded in the lifestyle, not in a prescription from the doctor.   This was Ayurvedic medicine; the principles were not just used in India, they were used in many other countries.

So what happened!  How did it come to be that we have drifted so far away from health and healing.  We have evolved!  Yes!  In technology, in medicine, in everything except our concept of health.  As much as we can do, we can’t change nature, we can’t change how our body works, we can’t trick the body with drugs without serious ramifications.

Increasing life expectancy becomes more useful and valuable when at the same time we can increase the quality of life.  When health and medicine is reduced to a test or a pill, we miss out on experiencing, evolving, expanding, and understanding our own making.   This is where Ayurveda fills the gap, provides us with answers and tools to heal and evolve.   This is where Ayurveda gives us our power back – to be in charge of own health and healing.

Now imagine for a moment that you have no major unresolved physical/mental or emotional issues, have a wonderful support system of family and friends, there is harmony and balance in your life and you are able to handle stress easily.  What does that feel like?  Do you feel an expansion in your heart?  Do you feel you can breathe easy?  Have more energy?  Close your eyes and stay with this good feeling and now look at your current situation. Do you feel a shift in your perspective?  Do you feel that perhaps you can think clearly and may be feel encouraged or inspired to make a positive change in your life?

When we elevate ourselves to a higher state, we increase our vibrations.  Our high vibrations act as a magnet and attract the same in our lives.  We gain a new perspective; we can see the broader view, the bigger picture.  We gain more clarity and are able to look at our emotions, dramas exactly as they are and do not identify so strongly with them.  This frees up a lot of our energy to develop our gifts and talents and become an asset to ourselves and to those around us.  We find purpose and meaning in our lives.  We are free to do what we are here to do.  Our life force is no longer being choked; rather it freely pulsates through our entire being. Coincidentally, many of the symptoms begin to disappear, we take charge of our own health, and more importantly, we move beyond the emotions and commotions, and physical ailments. We realize that we are much more than our limited diagnosis and symptoms.  It is this shift in perspective that ultimately heals.

This is what the teachings and practices of Yoga and Ayurveda bring into your life.  These complementary sciences understand that we have an innate desire for happiness, fulfillment and expansion and provide a map on how to achieve it. The teachings contain the intelligence and sophistication on how to transform our anxiety into creativity, our depression into devotion, our anger into radiance.  It guides us on how to find our inner light that can illuminate our path.

It is important to note that the teachings of Yoga are not meant to be separate from teachings of Ayurveda.  Where practice of yoga provides a lab for you to experience the teachings through asana, Ayurveda guides you on how to optimize your health through diet, lifestyle changes, herbal support and much more.  The ultimate goal of all Yoga and Ayurveda is for you to experience a heightened state of vitality, consciousness and liberation from suffering. Yoga may teach you on how to have an optimal alignment of the body, steadiness in the mind when you are on the mat, Ayurveda will ensure and support that you maintain the same balance and alignment when you are not on the mat. In the trials and tribulations of life, we become accustomed to a mediocre way of being.  We take lack of energy, mental anguish and life of struggle as the norm.  We get so wrapped up in this way of thinking that we no longer see what is possible. I urge you to get out of that rut and believe that you can take a flight to a life of joy, harmony and freedom from suffering.