I’m feeling fresh as a daisy this end from my home detox as September has rolled in bringing with her the fresher Autumn winds. September is big news in Ayurveda (yoga’s sister science) as we go from the Pitta summer season where the fire and water elements are dominant into Vata, where air and space elements are dominant. Because this shift can cause havoc on our systems, it’s the perfect time to detox so that we’re more resilient and can cope better with the change in temperature and increase in wind. As my vata tends to be a little too high, I can’t tell you how great I feel now that I’ve reduced it somewhat and boosted my digestive fire. Too much vata can manifest as tiredness/fatigue, being forgetful or spaced out, lack of focus, feeling frazzled, insomnia, anxiety, gas bloating, dry skin, cracking joints, constipation, poor circulation to name a few!
Benefits:
Detoxing removes Ama, a toxic, sticky, foul-smelling residue which subdues agni (our digestive fire) and clogs up the channels of the body, creating imbalances and eventually leading to disease.
When there is no ama in our bodies and our agni is balanced, we should feel light and clear -just like a beautifully burning fire. We’ll experience:
- Waking refreshed after a good night’s sleep
- Feeling bright and energetic
- Being cheerful and enthusiastic
- A calm, clear mind
- No coating on the tongue
- Healthy glow to the skin
- Eyes clear and bright
- Regular elimination
- Steady weight
- Strong immunity
- No aches and pains
If you’d like to try a seasonal detox yourself, below is one of my favorite recipes that I crafted to use. You could eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the full four-days if you wished. Alternatively, try it for lunch and dinner for a day or two and see how you get on:
Green-Goddess Kichari with extra portion of love (greens)
2 tsp of kichari spice-mix (see recipe below)
Bay leaf
1 clove
1 cardamon pod cracked
1 tsp ghee
50g yellow split mung dhal (rinsed)
50g white basmati rice (rinsed)
450ml Bouillon veg stock
1 tbs chopped fresh parsley
Small sprinkling of sprouted alfalfa sprouts (or other sprouts of your choosing)
Chopped and sliced organic green vegetables of your choice (I like asparagus and courgettes in the kichari and broccoli, runner beans and sugar snap peas sprinkled with fresh mint for the extra portion of greens/love)
Method:
- Heat the ghee in a pan
- Add 2 tsp of spice mix, the bay leaf, clove and cardamom pod and heat for 30-45 seconds (It should start give-off a lovely fragrance but don’t over cook!)
- Add the yellow mung dhal, rice, stock and green veggies
- Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 25-35 minutes. Adding more water so that it doesn’t dry out and stick to the pan)
- Cook your extra greens in a pan of hot water
- Serve the Kichari in a bowl topped with the parsley and alfalfa sprouts with the extra greens on the side.
Spice-mix for Kichari
There is enough spice-mix here to make 8 portions (Lunch and dinner for 4 days):
1 tsp each
Black pepper
Fennel seeds
Ground coriander
Ground ginger
Ground Cumin
Pink Himalayan salt
2 tsp each
Black mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Turmeric
If you’d like to do my four-day Clarity and Recharge detox program with all the recipes, teas and herbs included you can purchase it here for £15. Please consult with your doctor for any pre-existing health conditions prior to use:
For more information or to book a personalised plan including yoga and meditation sessions via Zoom to complement this detox email info@clairesmithwellness.com