DAYS 1-8:
LETS GET STARTED:
Lets start with some basics and set the stage as to why you are here and what you expect to get out of it.
BIO DETOX DAY 1
Please spend the day reflecting on what detox is to you.
What does it mean? Why are you here?
What is it you are seeking mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually to change or find clarity in over the next 40 days.
If you could wave a magic wand and wake up and have that thing, or that essence, appear and be present in your life what would it be?
Once we know what we want, or what we want to change, then we can achieve it!
We all learn and operate in different ways. Push yourself today to create the environment around this question to really find out what the answer is. Hold yourself accountable to what that is. If you are a writer, journal it. If you are a talker, talk and brain storm with friends or family to dig in to this deeper. If you are an artist create a vision board.
Be SPECIFIC.
Figure out exactly what you want to get out of this and why, be honest and clear.
I hope the whole 30 or modified diets are off to a good start!
Much Love and Peace *
Hillary
PPS TIPS!!
TIP! Caffeine:
If you are a coffee/caffeine drinker start weaning off now, from 3 cups to one cup. Coffee to black tea, Black tea to green tea, to hot lemon water or herbal teas. I find the caffeine headaches and low mood withdrawal the worst so this may help ease the start of the detox come Day 1. I expect you to experience better energy, better eating habits, less sugar cravings, and improved sleep. Just do it, break the habit…..and see what happens!
TIP! Document Your Experience:
Get a journal or create a writing space you can go to to write things down, changes, goals, thoughts, observations, doodles. Monitor changes, sensations, progress and pitfalls. This is more than just a “detox,” this is a lifestyle change to help you recognize obstacles to health involved in the mental and emotional changes as well as the physical. Our relationship to food as well as health move far beyond the physical so DIVE IN! Literally with a pen in your hand on paper to stimulate neurons and connections in a way we just don’t get on a computer. Use colored pens, draw, use your non-dominant hand. Get creative.
TIP! Get Organized:
Clean out the closet and take out the trash! A detox is the perfect time to cleanse inside and out and get rid of unnecessary clutter that symbolically may be an obstacle to your full potential.
TIP! Rest:
Do not underestimate the energy it takes to detox and heal. If you feel tired…REST…you may need extra sleep or naps daily especially in the first 3-5 days of diet changes and with a specifically deep topic on a certain day. Give yourself that time to really get rested and let tissues heal as toxins are processed by the liver and eliminated.
TIP! Catharsis:
Talk it out. We store emotions in our bodies, in our cells and fat tissue. As you release toxins you also release memories and sensations from old traumas. Go to therapy, talk to old friends, reconnect with family, ask for help or really spend time in stillness processing things.
TIP! Continue Self Care:
The people that benefit most from detox/cleanse and weight loss plans stay connected! I highly recommend check-ins or posts to the group as desired to help maintain lifestyle changes and support. Post a note when you feel you need support or when you feel up and have support to give let it shine! Please share! This creates a firm foundation, a united platform, to actually change old habits and maintain them. The long-term goal is to keep you in your bliss…happy, energetic and present for a full life!
BIODETOX DAY 2
Physical Detox:
I used to love doing cleanses in my 20’s and early 30’s for the extreme effects of what my body could endure and the exaggerated, accelerated changes in a short period of time. The master cleanse, juicing for days to weeks, pushing limits and extremes. I felt great, but it never lasted, essentially I was running on adrenaline and in a matter of days I would be eating girl scout cookies and brie checking my email. On to the next thing….. aware-less. The extremes may have matched my lifestyle then, all or nothing, working three jobs, night school, marathon running but it only promoted more extremes when what I needed more than anything was moderation, nourishment, ease and kindness in my life and lifestyle.
This detox is a way to align our biology with our biography and make any positive changes to support that or let go of what we don’t need anymore that is affecting us on a cellular level. The physical components of a detox are rewarding as reminders of what our bodies can do and how they can feel when we really take care of ourselves. Liken your approach to this detox(in regards to the habit of food and drink) with how you would treat a five year old child….you would never let that child go hungry, or make them stay up to midnight working, you would never give that child alcohol or coffee, you would never punish that child for being tired and needing a nap, you would NOURISH, LOVE, BE ATTENTIVE TO and ADORE that child and give her everything she needed to support her vitality. That is the goal! Love yourself in this process.
Take note of any physical changes.
What do you like?
What do you dislike?
Do you miss anything? Feel surprised at any outcomes or physical changes in symptoms?
Is it easier than you thought to break dietary habits?
Do you use food as nourishment or for comfort? Pain relief ? Stress management?
Everyone has a different experience with detoxification. In general the first three days are the hardest where you may feel fatigued, headaches and flu-like symptoms as your body detoxes from caffeine, alcohol and sugars. This is a crucial time to stick with it, avoid dehydration and rest when you need it …all day long if you need to…your kidneys and liver are working overtime and the muscles are trying to rid the body of lactic acid. Sleep, nap, take the day off and drink 8-16 glasses of water per day. Don’t be surprised if you have extreme thirst so drink, drink, drink. The fourth and fifth day is essentially where the magic happens and an entirely new world opens up with increased energy, clarity in thinking and amazing creative motivation.
Symptoms which may be relieved by following a detox program include:
Digestive problems
Bad breath
Fatigue
Irritability
General malaise
Constipation
Headaches
Itchy skin
Skin rashes
Joint pain
Weight loss resistance
Poor concentration
Side Effects:
Anti-aging effects
Weight loss
Clearer skin and eyes
Increased productivity
Greater motivation and creativity
Reduction of allergic symptoms
Mental clarity
Energy Boost
Sleep more deeply
Less anger or irritability
No to Low PMS
You can look back at this each week and by the end of the cleanse see what really sticks out. When you reintroduce your regular diet at the end of the 40 days see how your body and mind respond. It will tell you exactly what it needs, likes or dislikes!
As Michael Pollan says: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
Stick with it!
Much Love and Peace *
Hillary
BIODETOX DAY 3
Mental Emotional Detox:
Let the games begin! You are right around the corner from starting to feel some relief from physical detox symptoms in regards to foods and habits. You are now committed and both feet are in the water, all you have left to do is submerge yourself. Do you dive in head first? Do you slowly wade out lifting your arms up until you absolutely have to go under? Do you let the waves just wash over you in complete surrender?
Soon you will realize the physical part is the easy part of all of this and it is the mind over matter or mind delving into the matter, the why, that poses an interesting challenge if you are curious to look into it? What is your story? Why are you the way you are? Why do you do things this way versus that way? Is it better? Is it worse? Does it matter?
What do you think about and what emotions are coming up as you move through some physical discomfort and change?
Do you feel bored? Are you missing the distraction and business of food tasking? Alcohol? Caffeine boosts?
Are you trying to find something to fill in a gap or are you just sitting with it?
When you break habits and are in a new “place” so to speak what do you have to say to yourself?
The Story of Your Life by Kia Miller: https://kiamiller.com/
Become a witness of your life, how you think, make decisions, talk, interact. Observe as though you were a writer studying an important subject that you wanted to write about!
What would be the title of the book of your life? How does the main character – YOU – deal with challenges and joys?
Thoughts: Swami Rama referenced the idea of "being in the world, yet above it," and being able to witness our worldly interactions from an objective perspective. In the yoga tradition, witnessing = observing with non-attachment.
Imagine becoming like the eye of the hurricane. All around you is the clamor of the world, but you remain at peace, a witness of it all. The reality within you is a major influence on the world outside. Become aware of the reality within. It can also influence another person and change the course of their day.
Practice: Sit in Meditation for 10 minutes simply following your breath (inhale/exhale). Witness your thoughts. When a thought appears, label it: ego, past, future … then let go of any clinging to the thought coming back to the mantra and your breath. Sense the deep silent consciousness beyond the mind. The more you become a witness to the thoughts, the less control those thoughts have over you, increasing your presence, awareness and power to choose.
Much Love and Peace *
Hillary
BIODETOX DAY 4
Technology Detox: PLUG IT OUT!
When I lived in NYC over a decade ago my dear friend and integrative nutritionist, Sacha Jones of Stiggly Holistics, started hosting “plug it out” parties.
No lights, no phones, no nada, no nothing electronic. We would play games, play guitar, eat finger foods we didn’t have to cook with electricity and talk….have good old fashioned face to face conversations, laugh and spend time together. This is a concept that is almost impossible now without completely removing yourself from society as we know it….going off the grid. Sad but true.
We live in a fast paced world fueled by technology. You almost can’t function without constantly being engaged with your phone/computer/lap top/iPad.
Are our smart phones making us wiser or wounded?
Are you happier being connected to your phone and its information or not?
Are you addicted to being in touch?
Disconnect to Connect! You cant do it fast enough to improve your health. I propose you disconnect from as much technology as you can on a regular basis for this 40 day period.
Take facebook off your phone, you really don’t need to know.
Remove all Apps ie Period trackers….use a calendar.
Do not use your phone in the car. DO NOT TEXT. Put your phone in the trunk.
Take email off your phone and just check it at a specific time in the day on your computer if necessary.
Do not sleep by your phone or laptop it affects fertility and disrupts sleep. Use your phone as an alarm?....buy a battery clock to use. Cant do it then at the very worst ABSOLUTELY put your phone in airplane mode at night before you go to bed.
Do not check any information on your phone until an hour after waking or until you absolutely have to.
I think you will be surprised and amazed at how much more time you will have in the day and how much less anxiety you will experience. The constant draw and push-pull sensation that we have to always and immediately be doing something, answering something, are missing something, is so overwhelming and we do it all day every day without even really acknowledging it. I believe this habit is playing a fundamentally negative role in our biology by disrupting our endocrine system, promoting the sympathetic “fight or flight” nervous system and demoting our parasympathetic “rest and digest” mode, it leads to feelings of anxiousness, depression and for many people leads to insomnia.
PLUG IT OUT! Write a letter. Buy a newspaper.
Much Love and Peace *
Hillary
BIODETOX DAY 5
NEW MOON RITUAL “ What do you want to create in your life?”
What seed do you want to plant? What dream do you want to come true? Set your intentions!
~Thank You Forever Conscious
Mystical Mother Moon travels through a cycle every month. She goes from new to full, from darkness to light all within a space of 28-30 days.
In astrology, the Moon is connected to our emotions, intuition, feelings of security, maternal energy, creativity and our potential.
When the Moon is Full, we often feel all of this energy on the strongest and most deepest level.
In fact, as Mother Moon moves through her cycle we will feel her energy affecting our lives in different ways-
New Moon: on a New Moon we enter the energy of creation. It is the perfect time to plant a seed, set our intentions and make a wish out to the Universe. During this time our psychic energy is high and we may feel feelings of solitude.
Waxing Moon: following a New Moon, a waxing moon helps us to begin taking action on our goals, dreams and wishes and brings experiences into our lives that help us to grow.
Full Moon: the Full Moon represents the most powerful point in the cycle, it is a time of high energy and high power and is a time to release and let go of all that no longer serves you, in order to welcome in the new. In the cycle of death and rebirth, the Full Moon represents the starting of the death.
Waning Moon: following a Full Moon, the waning moon gives us time to go within and reflect on where we are and where we are going. This is the moment just before the rebirth and helps us to reflect on our emotions and who we are. Revelations can occur and our intuition can be strong.
Much Love and Peace *
Hillary
BIODETOX DAY 6
Create the focus you want to take on this cleanse with Mantra.
"Why Mantra?" by Kia Miller
First lets look at what mantra means: In our modern world it is a term used to indicate any repetitive thought, which can either be a slogan or an affirmation (positive) or a belief like "I am too fat" (negative).
In the Yoga Tradition, mantras are words or sounds that are believed to free the mind from thinking. Sounds great doesn't it?! It certainly interested me and my first experience actually chanting mantra proved that there was more than meets the eye. I found that I was not only thinking differently, but I was feeling better also.
When I started this journey, the key questions were: "What is mantra?," and "Why is it considered the master key that dissolves all blocks on the path to self-realization?"
What I came to understand was that mantras are energetic verbal formulas designed to transform consciousness, to draw one into a devotional state, and to improve ones ability to be focus the mind.
Mantra is actually the vehicle through which we reach silence. We harness the enormous power of the conscious mind through repetition of the mantra, which allows us to gradually pierce through the veils of thought that separate us from a state of pure awareness. It is here where we touch the soul of our original being.
Our mind, just like our body can age through old ideas, emotions, beliefs and opinions that create blockages in our channels of perception. We stop seeing things as they really are and see only what our minds habits allow us to see.
Chanting mantra is a very effective tool to draw our attention away from our ordinary preoccupations and limiting beliefs. It opens the flow of energy through our vocal chords into our entire nervous system as well as awakening our prana/lifeforce as a whole. It is this awakened inner flow of energy, which produces moments of flow, connectedness and inspiration.
If you have not started chanting yet I highly recommend you explore it :)
There are many incredible musicians with mantra recordings on www.spiritvoyage.com
Below are a some mantra based practices on Yogaglo: check links
Balance Your Brain
Initiate the Flow of Kundalini Energy
Healing Meditation to Clear the Chakras and Find Calm
Clear The Past
Healing with the Siri Gaitri Mantra
Meditation to Conquer Negativity
Some of the mantras I use are:
I am balanced. I am fertile. I am grounded.
I am beautiful, I am bountiful, I am bliss.
I am open to receive.
I trust in the power of the universe to guide me.
Play around with this concept and see what feels right or “fits.” You can create your own mantra that is specific to your cleanse journey/goals or use one that resonates with you. I suggest spending 3-11 minutes a day at least once in a quiet space focusing on this. Enjoy!
Much Love and Peace *
Hillary
BIODETOX DAY 7
What are your thoughts? Negative or Positive self talk?
Use your Mantra! or “I am Beautiful!”
The mind, as we know, is so powerful and can make or break a day, a relationship and create or destroy all of our hopes and dreams. What are your thoughts? Where does your mind wander when it is allowed to drift and dream?
Do you punish yourself at the end of the day with thoughts of what you should have done or could have done? Do you honor yourself for doing all you can and could do, living to your full potential for that day? Some days taking out the trash is being at your best and warrants a “job well done my dear!” other days you may get more done before 10 am than a normal human could ever endure and again, “job well done my loved one!”
We tend to judge ourselves harder and harsher than anyone else in our lives. Often we judge ourselves in an unrealistic, sadistic and somewhat narcissistic way, as if we are so powerful and amazing that we are capable of doing all things, solving all problems, meeting all tasks, and enduring all relationships without need. We can judge and compare ourselves to others and worst of all we judge and compare ourselves to self with ceiling high limits and punishments that have no therapeutic value.
Violence is not just a physical act of aggression.
As Kia Miller has expressed, “We can be violent with our thoughts and words as well as actions. Many of us operate with a flow of negative thoughts but don't notice it. This drains us of our energy whether we are thinking negatively about ourself or someone else. It is therefore an action of self harm to continue in negative thinking. We have a choice: first we must notice that we are doing it, then shift our thinking to the positive.
Working to understand the source of our negativity will help us to release it. Sometimes we may realize that there was no legitimate reason for the negativity other than the habit of being caught in a negative rut. “
How does your self talk serve you?
How can you re-route your thought processes to honor your truth?
Energy and positive thinking are contagious. Can you spread the disease?
I recently read this snippet and loved the message it put across.
“Lately I’ve been replacing my “I’m sorry”s with “Thank You”s, like instead of “sorry I’m late” I will say “thank you for waiting for me” or instead of saying “ sorry for being such a mess” I’ll say “thank you for loving me and caring for me unconditionally” and its not only shifted the way I think and feel about myself but also improved my relationship with others who now receive my gratitude instead of my negativity.
~ Source unknown
Much Love and Peace *
Hillary
BIODETOX DAY 8
The Power of the Breath
I think this is my favorite part of the series so far! I’m so excited to share this with you and I hope you can use this as a tool for daily self care from this day forward. It works and it is powerful. We breathe every day, unconsciously, ceaselessly, and as a part of life. Lets engage in the breath and honor the experience.
Breath and Self Care: If you can control the breath, you can control your actions.
Start with a simple breathing exercise daily. (See Below)
Do it every day for the remainder of the detox.
3- 11 minutes a day.
Alternate nostril breathing. This balances the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system, the male and female energy on the body, and correlates to the sun/moon, yin/yang.
Nadi Shodhana, or “alternate nostril breathing,” is a simple yet powerful technique that settles the mind, body, and emotions. You can use it to quiet your mind before beginning a meditation practice, and it is particularly helpful to ease racing thoughts if you are experiencing anxiety, stress, or having trouble falling asleep. There are several different styles of Nadi Shodhana, but they all serve the purpose of creating balance and regulating the flow of air through your nasal passages. In fact, the term Nadi Shodhana means “clearing the channels of circulation.”
Benefits of Alternate Nostril Breathing
With just a few minutes of alternate nostril breathing, you can restore balance and ease in the mind and body. Sometimes when we feel frazzled or find ourselves doing too many things at once, it’s because energetically, we are out of alignment. This breath is great for restoring that necessary balance. In addition to calming the mind and reversing stress, alternate nostril breathing also:
Improves our ability to focus the mind
Supports our lungs and respiratory functions
Restores balance in the left and right hemispheres of the brain, and clears the energetic channels
Rejuvenates the nervous system
Removes toxins
Settles stress
Whether you’re nervous about a project or presentation, anxious about a conversation, or just generally stressed out, Nadi Shodhana is a quick and calming way to bring you back to your center. If you find it difficult to settle into your meditations, try moving through a few rounds first, then remain seated and shift directly into stillness; this should help to ground you before meditation.
Nadi Shodhana Practice
Next time you find yourself doing too many things at once, or you sense panic or anxiety begin to rise, move through a few rounds of alternate nostril breathing. It’s a great way to hit the reset button for your mental state.
Take a comfortable and tall seat, making sure your spine is straight and your heart is open.
Relax your left palm comfortably into your lap and bring your right hand just in front of your face.
With your right hand, bring your pointer finger and middle finger to rest between your eyebrows, lightly using them as an anchor. The fingers we’ll be actively using are the thumb and ring finger.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath in and out through your nose.
Close your right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale through the left nostril slowly and steadily.
Close the left nostril with your ring finger so both nostrils are held closed; retain your breath at the top of the inhale for a brief pause.
Open your right nostril and release the breath slowly through the right side; pause briefly at the bottom of the exhale.
Inhale through the right side slowly.
Hold both nostrils closed (with ring finger and thumb).
Open your left nostril and release breath slowly through the left side. Pause briefly at the bottom.
Repeat 5-11 cycles(3-11 minutes), allowing your mind to follow your inhales and exhales.
Steps 5-9 represent one complete cycle of alternate nostril breathing. If you’re moving through the sequence slowly, one cycle should take you about 30-40 seconds. Move through 3-11 cycles when you’re feeling stressed, anxious, or in need of a reset button.
Tip: Consistency is helpful, so try to match the length of your inhales, pauses, and exhales. For example, you can start to inhale for a count of five, hold for five, exhale for five, hold for five. You can slowly increase your count as you refine your practice.
I like to listen to this meditation and in the quiet space in the latter half do my 11 minutes of Nadi Shodhana.Meditation for Anxiety and Stress
VIDEO:https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/ayurvedic-living/living-ayurveda/yoga/nadi-shodhana-pranayama/
If you can’t create the space of 3 minutes a day to make change in your life then self care is non-existent. As they say, “put the oxygen mask on your self first, before assisting others.” Something needs to change. Make and create change, 3 minutes a day, 180 seconds, start now.
Much Love and Peace *
Hillary