Shri Me Spring Cleanse - Freedom & Vitality

Sometimes we need to still the water to see life more clearly. We need to clean out our internal physical system to make more room for spring's fresh new growth, and to make more clear and free up our heart's true intentions toward living. Take time this spring to honor what your body is telling you naturally to do, after a winter of eating heavier foods, like all of nature it wants to be renewed; refresh and feel freedom. Clear your system with cleansing foods and liquids and bring more vitality into your life. Here's my annual Shri Me Spring Cleanse to guide your way.



SHRI ME! SPRING CLEANSE
7-8 Day Program
3-day lead in, 1-2 day fast, 3-day transition off

Shri (shree) – full of vitality, and the essence of spring!

A safe and effective path to a cleaner, clearer, healthier you!
TO DO everyday of program (and of your life!):
1.) Eat organic!
You’re cleansing, ridding your body of toxins, so don’t add pesticides, herbicides and other unhealthy processes to your body.

2.) Drink fluids!
First thing in the morning, before lunch, dinner and bedtime:
Drink four 8oz glasses of water daily, some with lemon, all with no ice!

Can be in hot water, or in part in a cleansing tea like:
Traditional Medicinal or Yogi Tea formulas in tea bags, like
Cranberry-weightless, De-Tox, or Dandelion Root blends.

3.) Get plenty of rest, fresh air, exercise & time for reflection… Exercise is great for the body, mind & spirit, but be mindful you don’t overdue it while cutting down on calories (which fuel the body). Be sure to make time for silence. Stillness keeps us in tune with our intuition. Deep rest restores us, body & soul.

4.) Set an intention every day…
..to be open to Grace and possibility.
It’s important to begin where you are, with acceptance, and not put off being well for some later date.
Life’s a daily practice in remembering who we truly are.

If you sometimes forget your divine goodness, and feel agitated, anxious, or self-sabotaging (with impulsive eating or over reactivity) sip calming herb tea blends with passionflower, chamomile, skullcap, St. John’s wort or kava.

Yogi Tea’s Kava, Stress Relief is my fave! Kava is also a gentle, cleansing diuretic. Milk Thistle seed (Silymarin), regenerates liver tissue and can be ground and sprinkled on food, or taken as tea or extract. Read all labels, and take as directed any medicinal herbal supplements/teas. If you have a chronic liver condition or frequently drink alcoholic beverages, ask your physician before starting a cleanse, taking supplements or drinking detox teas.

DAY 1 & 7:
I. Enjoy bitter, leafy greens in salads or steamed dishes (w/ little or no oils or dressings, a pinch of sea-salt is ok)
Whole grain rice, quinoa & vegetarian or bean soups are good, as are pale, low sugar, fresh (not dried) fruits/juices.

MEAL IDEA: Start the day with lemon water and a bowl of gluten-free complex carb (quinoa, amaranth, &/or brown rice) and have a lunch and dinner of steamed vegetables, and detox, herb tea. This helps push out toxins, and eliminates any foods you might be allergic to (wheat, dairy…)

II. Eliminate all dairy, meat, nuts and processed or whole grain breads, pastries and other sugary carbs (most fruits & fruit juices, cookies, chips and candies). Eliminate all grains on days 3-5.

CLEANSING GREENS:
Organic leafy lettuces and bitter greens, arugula, chard, chicory, collards, celery, dandelion greens, kale, parsley, spinach & wheat grass are all excellent during first and last days of a cleanse.
CLEANSING PALE FRUIT:
Organic avocados and low-sugar, high enzyme, pale fruits such as pears, pineapples, grapefruits and kiwis are easy to digest and good to eat on the first and last days of a cleanse (as whole, fresh fruit, not dried).

Note: The deep blue, purple, red, orange and bright yellow fruits (like bananas) are very sweet and can zing you out while cleansing, even though they are high in Vitamins A, C and other great antioxidants (the blues, reds & purples especially=proanthocyanadins and flavonoids). Bring them back gradually after the cleanse. Remember, eating organic, seasonal, local (when possible) fruits and vegetables is worth every penny, for your health, the environment and the local & global economies.


SHRI ME! SPRING CLEANSE
DAY 2 & 6:

I. Enjoy two (am and afternoon) organic, green juices. OR one or two 1 oz shots of wheat grass and/or 6oz carrot juices with added greens, beets & ginger, or eat lightly steamed, al-dente carrots & small amount of beets. Or begin the “Master Cleanse” drink, see recipe below.

II. Sip and savor warm veggie soup broths, detox teas and lemon water. (Rapunzel Vegan Veggie Bouillon, $3.29/16 serv.)

MEAL IDEA: keep it simple, mainly liquid & easy

FRESH, ORGANIC GREEN JUICE OR CARROT JUICE BLENDS: (at home, or in town @Alternative Food Coop, 357 Main St.)
Green juice with kale, apple and celery = good in evening, very calming.
Green juice with kale, arugula, citrus, radish, ginger and parsley = good during day.
Note: Vegetable juicing stimulates digestion and circulation (especially with ginger) and nutrients are easily absorbed into the bloodstream. Note, beets turn everything red and can be overpowering, but are so very good for you. I like to juice them separately, after the green juice, and top off my drinks with a swirl of red.

HOT VEGAN SOUPS: try one of the Coop’s 3 delicious vegan (no animal ingredient) soups, like Thai Tofu (soy) Stew (every Monday) or Carrot Ginger Soup. $3.99 eat in/$4.99 to go. 789-2240

NOTE:
*Odwalla, and other store bought juices, are often too sweet, but if the only way you will comply, go for it! Odwalla’s Superfood with Spriulina is best, if cannot make fresh juice.
*Carrots are naturally sweet, so watch your blood sugar. Add wheat grass, parsley, kale, lemon and ginger to balance out the sweetness.
*Raw (un-juiced) veggies have a fibrous cell wall that needs to be broken down before digestion, so that the assimilation of nutrients is possible, hence the benefit of juicing or lightly steaming before savoring. And chew well, as the "Juiceman" used to say, "Drink your food."
* Red apples are too sweet on a spring cleanse (they’re more suitable in the fall),
although adding a half of small apple, per 12 oz fresh green juice or carrot juice is common, nutritious and delicious. Bananas are also very sweet, if adding to a non-frozen, fruit smoothie, be sure to include a veggie protein supplement, such as soy or spirulina to balance out the carb rush.

III. Eliminate coffee & chocolate (caffeine) consumption, gradually, if need be. Withdrawal Headache First Aid:
Sip ginger tea & massage peppermint oil into your temples!

NOTE: You can substitute coffee with Cafix or Teechino, yummy coffee like sensations, or with an earthy dandelion root tea. Wheat grass shots give boosts of energy and make you feel so green, a dark drink seems unpalatable. Drink detox tea blends, or veggie soup broths, and add the Master Cleanse formula on days 3-5, in place of your coffee time fix.

SHRI ME! SPRING CLEANSE
DAY 3 & 5:


I. Enjoy any combination of cleansing fluids such as the Master Cleanse, lemon water, herbal (detox & calming) teas, light veggie juices (no beets), wheat grass, or clear soup broths. An all MC fast is optional.

II. Eliminate all processed foods, sweets (no fruits, accept lemons), animal foods (meat, milk, eggs, cheeses), nuts, grains and caffeine.

MEAL IDEA:

Master Cleanse
from Dr. Elson Haas, author of Eat Right for the Seasons, and The New Detox Diet

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon (or lime) juice
1-tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/10-teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 ounces spring water

Mix and drink 8 - 12 glasses throughout the day. Eat or drink nothing else except water, laxative/detox herb tea, and peppermint or chamomile tea (for tummy health). Keep the mixture in a glass container, or make it fresh each time.

*Note: Rinse your mouth with water after each glass to prevent the lemon juice from hurting your teeth enamel.

SHRI ME! SPRING CLEANSE
DAY 4 - FAST


I. Enjoy Master Cleanse, &/or clear fluids only - no fruit or veggie juices, accept wheat grass, and, if desired, you can add
one ounce shots of immune boasting, lymphatic draining herbs, Black Elderberry or Echinacea angostifolia (up to 4x/day).*

II. ADD shot(s) of Black Elderberry herbal extract if want to stimulate lymphatic drainage, especially if you have an imbalance of flora, (aka, an excessive nonbeneficial yeast growth of Candida albacans) or if you have chronic or acute cases of eczema, acne or swollen glands. This herb safely moves lymph, so toxins will move into the blood stream, and out of the body with ease and speed. (Herb Pharm Black Elderberry 1 0z )

II. ELIMINATE all of the same foods as in day 3, plus veggie juices and soups, accept clear broths. Eliminate any vitamin or mineral supplements in tablet or capsule forms. It is up to you how many days to liquid fast, 1-3.

III. VERY IMPORTANT – After fasting:
Take a Pro-Biotic supplement (preferably a high strain acidophilus, with FOS); try to get at least 12 billion strains of mixed flora. Pro-biotics restore your colon with the beneficial flora (good bacteria) that you may have flushed out of your system during cleansing (along with the bad bacteria).

BONUS: You can stimulate circulation and the removal of dead skin cells with a no water, pre-shower scrub down. Using a loofa brush start at your chest and scrub out to the peripheral, moving from the heart to hands and feet; end your shower with cold water.

TWO IMPORTANT REASONS WHY WE CLEANSE:
1. Due to the huge quantity of today’s environmental contaminants, regular cleansing is vital to maximize the body’s energy and to prevent chronic illness.
2. During the winter we tend to eat a more acidic, high protein diet, which can cause the intestines to secrete a heavy mucous coating, decreasing the absorbtion rate of nutrients. Too much acidic food also causes the intestines to harbor harmful bacteria, toxins.
These two problems can lead to constipation and autointoxication, causing the intestines to re-absorb toxic materials back into the blood stream. A seasonal cleanse helps clean the colon and the hold toxins have on your life.

“Healing may not be so much about getting better as about letting go of everything that isn’t you—all of the expectations, all of the beliefs—and becoming who you are. Not a better you, but a realer you.”

—Rachael Naomi Remen, M.D., The Human Patient (Anchor Books, 1980)

When we clean the physical body in a slow, meditative fashion, we simultaneously wash away negative thoughts and emotions. While engaging in the above detoxification techniques, think about the significance of a clean body, mind and soul as a way to better understand your true self and achieve greater success in your physical, emotional and spiritual life.


If you have comments, questions or just need some inspiration to stay on task and get through this cleanse, feel free to call, email or visit me. It helps to know you are supported in this effort to revitalize your life. It’s time to live with Shri- the essence of spring, full of vitality!
~Rebecca

Rebecca J. Briggs, RYT, CN
Yoga teacher, Natural Health Educator, Herbalist, Thai massage therapist
Call: 401-533-0116
Email: rebeccabriggs9@gmail.com
Blog: www.hOMnaturale.blogspot.com
Visit me while at work:
@ the Alternative Food Coop 341 Main St. Wakefield
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays 9:30-3pm 789-2240

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