The grass is green, flowers are blooming, everything is covered in pollen … it’s spring! I love spring–and not just because of the sunshine and bright colors! I also love it because it feels like a fresh start.
For a lot of people, a thorough house scrubbing is a part of that fresh start. It has also become popular in the yoga community to do an internal spring cleaning–by eating clean foods to clear out the toxins that find their way into our bodies through our diets and environmental factors.
A couple of years ago, I took part in this ritual. I thought about doing it again this year, but after writing about the debate here, I decided against it.
Here’s why:
1. It’s a little too much like a crash diet. I’m sure cleansing feels GREAT for some people, but my experience was that it felt a little too much like a punishment–like I had to deprive myself because I’d eaten poorly the rest of the year. Plus, if you buy into the part of yoga philosophy that says we’re perfect the way we are (including our flaws), cleansing seems like a moot point.
2. I trust my body to “cleanse” on its own. My yoga practice has empowered me to trust my body’s strength, wisdom, and defenses. I also believe that if I pay attention to my body’s signals, I should naturally gravitate toward “clean” foods, anyway. Mindful eating seems a lot more balanced to me that a restrictive diet.
3. My intentions weren’t quite right. I pondered the idea of another cleanse because I love the idea of releasing toxins from my body. But when I was really being honest with myself, that’s not the biggest reason I considered it. First of all, my teachers and mentors cleanse every year. I look up to them, and I want to be disciplined and serious about yoga like they are. Second, it’s a way to lose a few unwanted pounds. That’s not the purpose of a cleanse, and if it’s even in the back of your mind I think it could be a very dangerous undertaking.
4. I don’t have the support system in place right now. The last time I tried a cleanse, I did it with a friend. Through the entire experience we chatted about what we were going through, compared notes, and supported each other. This was my saving grace, and I don’t think I could have done it without the extra support. This year, I’m on my own–and I know that’s not a recipe for success for me.
5. There aren’t enough yummy fruits in season in the spring. The last cleanse I did called for eating only fresh fruits and veggies for several days. I didn’t really crave things I wasn’t supposed to eat, but I found myself really hankering for juicy peaches and watermelons. But, alas, these things weren’t in season yet!
Are you planning to cleanse this year? Why or why not?
Erica Rodefer is a writer and yoga enthusiast in
Charleston, SC. Visit her blog, Spoiledyogi.com,
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I am delighted with your honesty! I feel the exact same way – during a yoga teacher training last year, we had the option of participating in a detox (with heavy encouragement to partake, I might add). I chose not to detox as it reminds me of my old dieting days (not to mention hearing more yogis commenting with things like “I hope I lose these ten pounds I put on over the winter” instead of “I hope I have bouts of enlightenment and clarity!”). Anyway, during the training I answered plenty of personal homework questions, one of which was “did you participate in the detox – why or why not?” I answered that I’d been detoxing from dieting for the past ten years, and I wasn’t about to stop. Like you, Erica, I trust my body to do what it needs, not to mention having complete support from my colorectal surgeon that if you listen to your body, it will take care of itself. What a concept!
Thanks again for writing with frank honesty – Keep up the good work.
just reading the article’s title on twitter made me laugh
in a good way
#’s 1 & 2 are enough for me to safely without guilt say, “no way! don’t need it!”
besides, i don’t yoga to discipline me for that, i grew up catholic and have lent
I don’t do a “detox” per se, but I will often go through a period of “intense flushing” where I will eat certain foods which naturally cleanse my body. For me it is a diet of strictly water (of course), eggplant, & rice. After a couple of days I can feel my system has been flushed and then I resume a typical Yoga diet. I strongly identify with your statement number 2. If you are following Yoga eating habits you really don’t need to detox your body.
I am cleansing, or rather I already have. I do the master cleanse in the Winter, because winter is when the earth also purifies itself. The master cleanse is hard but I pride myself on self discipline and the results just can’t be argued with. And I do have boughts of enlightenment and clarity. the first time I did it, because the Master cleanse requires no eating, I realized, while at a Farmer’s Market, because I still have to feed my son, with free sample abound how apt I was to pick up something and put it in my mouth without thinking about it. Then I considered what I consume visually and emotionally without thinking about it, ie television and movies etc. I love the master cleanse. I also did it last summer, and who knows, I may do it again this summer. Due to toxins in the air and water, there is always something to be detoxed from your body.
Maybe I’ll do it in the summer when work is less busy and there’s delicious fruits to be had.
This post raises a lot of insightful questions. I am on day 8 of a 10 day cleanse, probably my 5th cleanse ever. I cleanse because of the ayurvedic rituals, and because I generally have positive experiences (though there have been some negative).
However, as I adopt more and more of the Buddhist philosophy, I am left in the middle, wondering:
a) if the present is really all we have, should I spend my ‘present’ depriving myself of valueable time with loved ones at groovy restaurants and tasty food?
b) like you are saying Erica- if yoga is meant to be our detoxifying agent, couldn’t I just intinsify my practice schedule and be a more mindful eater.
All that to say I will admit what I DO enjoy about cleansing, in general, is that I usually end up with a bunch of new recipes, eat a bunch of unfamiliar foods, and end up with a renewed sense of awareness for my nourishment and the patterns I should try and get away from.
I have totally thought about doing a cleanse. Mostly cutting out wheat and gluten for two weeks and cutting back on the dairy intake. But I have to agree and resonate the most with #1 on the list above. I’ve done it before and I did feel like I was depriving myself. Then again I’ve heard from teachers and other holistic health pros that we need to investigate and be with those feelings more. Cleansing is definitely different for everyone, but I know it is good for your body in many ways.
I have old eating issues and a bad history with dieting too, and I feel the same way as the author and some of the commenters – it’s just too much like the old deprivation days to feel like a positive thing. I think this is normal for many of us who have found finally inner peace from those dieting demons thru yoga. I don’t think people should really be encouraged to do cleanses as part of yoga training. If people want to do it, and it feels good and healthy for them, I think that’s cool, but I don’t think anyone should have to answer for not doing it, personally. Namaste!
Unfortunately (or fortunately?) if there is any chance of weight loss then it’s something that I cannot participate in. I’m a bit too underweight to risk it. Not that I have an eating disorder or anything, I’m just a twiggy fellow and always have been. This also prevented me from fasting when I was in my pentecostal/evangelical christian days. I think that the yoga and exercise that I’ve been doing lately has indicated well enough what I’m doing right and wrong as far as food intake, and I can adjust from there. Were I pounding down McDonalds and the like every day (or at all), then I could imagine a cleanse being pertinent.
I respect anyone who chooses to follow a strict regime in order to achieve a specific goal. I, however, do not believe in cleanses. I’ve worked with nutritionists most of my life to make sure I had a healthy, well-balanced and nutritious diet. And because of this, I fear that some cleanses strip the body of essential nutrients and temporarily deplete a system’s ability to function at is maximum capacity. I’ve also learned in great detail our our bodies are naturally and brilliantly designed to self-clean, regulate, fight, and filter toxics.
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I also love the fact that you are so incredibly honest.
Fasting is part of so many spiritual/mystical schools, as part of their ideas about cleansing the body, increasing awareness (or even inducing psychedelic experiences!).
But the world has gotten pretty toxic, not only by what we eat but what we put on our skin, and even the air we breathe. Detoxing is also a great way of putting you face to face with your cravings, a great form of Tapas (not the Spanish ones though).
Which is why you have so many good reasons to do it. If you ever want to do it with support, and do it “your way”, here’s a great resource, my wife did it and loved it!
The problem comes when people try to match that goal up with finding
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