 |
| Colorado Fall |
A seasonal cleanse is effective in eliminating the residues left from foods eaten in the winter and summer as these foods are more extreme. When fasting during the transition from summer into fall the residues from the excess sweet and cooling foods of the summer prepares us for the storage season of the winter.
In this post I will be giving you 4 cleanses/fasts to look over and decide which ones best will work for you. Trust your intuition in this process of choosing the cleanse that will be of most benefit to your physical, emotional and spiritual health. I will be explaining good fasting practices, when not to fast and reasons for fasting.
A cleanse/fast can be an uplifting experience that enhances out health, experience of life and attitude. Virtually every religion and healing tradition recommends fasting for therapeutic or spiritual advantages. Please be aware of that excessive fasting on juices can seriously impair the metabolic rate and digestive strength, cool and weaken the body and sometimes result in abnormal weight gain after the fast. Therefore please listen to what your body is telling you. To avoid these adverse reactions the type of cleanse should be matched to the individual.
Some Reasons for Fasting:
- To overcome emotional attachment to foods
- To cure physical and mental stagnancy, which can manifest as poor appetite, apathy, fatigue, mental depression and many chronic aliments like arthritis/inflammatory diseases.
- For purification of the body in preparation for a change of diet.
- As a seasonal cleanse
- For spiritual reasons, to strengthen one's spiritual practice, prayer and meditation. Can also be done before or during times of ritual.
- To enhance one's mental awareness, sleep and dreams.
When Not to Fast:
- In cold weather, an extended fast can be harmful.
- During serious physical or mental degeneration, unless advised by a doctor or qualified health practitioner.
- If one is starving or deprived of proper nutrition.
- During pregnancy or lactation.
For Good Fasting:
- Use pure water and foods. Freshly pressed juices are preferred although unrefined, organic, bottled juices may be used.
- Chew food well.
- The quantity of food and liquid can be somewhat determined by your intuition, which is heightened during fasting.
- Try not to eat more than twice a day unless very hungry.
- Get sufficient mental and physical rest and keep warm.
- Daily enemas are traditional with fasts. They are often useful for those with slow digestion, although they are not as important for those fasting on grains, vegetables or fruit as for those on tea, water and juices.
- Complete a series of small fasts before attempting a long one
- When breaking a fast it is important not to overeat. The success of a fast depends on how well it is broken, for the want to binge can be overwhelming.
Four Fasts:
The final factor to consider is the generally tonifying and building qualities of grains compared with eliminating nature of vegetables and fruit. Accessing whether you have an excessive or deficient imbalance is important when choosing your fast.Signs of heat and/or excess: Feels hot, dislikes heat, drinks copious cool beverages, red complexion or robust person, strong voice. This person is wiser to use raw vegetables, fruits, or juices for fasting.
Signs of coldness and/or deficiency: chills, pallor, aversion to cold and an unusual attraction to heat or weak, thin and pale. This person is wise to use cooked vegetables or grains, with additional supplement of chlorella.
Steamed Vegetable Fast:
For the person who has overeaten consistently, consuming excess sweets, nuts, beans, grains, dairy, or eggs and is a little on the cool and deficient side.
This fast can be done for as little as 3 days and no more then 14 days. Shorter fasts of one day or even half-day can be very helpful if they are done weekly.
Whole-Grain Fast:
For the person that want to improve mental focus and who ranges from fairly balanced to slight deficient and thin or cold.
Also mung bean and rice can be combined, though eaten at separate meals. Spices such as peppercorn, fennel, cumin and ginger can be added.
This is a three day fast.
Micro-Algae Fast:
For the person with blood sugar imbalances and sugar cravings, and for those that find fasting difficult or it's their first fast.
This is 3-7 day fast.
Raw Fruit, Vegetable or Liquid Fast:
For the person who eats abundant animal products and who don't have signs of coldness or deficiency. Suited to the excessive person.
a) Fruit juices, vegetable juices, and/or wheat grass drinks.
Examples of vegetables: Carrot, beet, celery, cabbage, parsley, and other greens. Carrot is one of the safest juices to use.
If using Beets, please limit your intake to half a beet a day, if you experience diarrhoea then cut back on your beet intake.
b) Adding water with a squeeze of lemon to help cleanse the liver once a day.
The total consumption of juices, teas and water on a liquid fast will fall between 6-8 glasses a day, though more can be taken if thirsty. Most people do well with one-half or two-thirds of total fluid being from fruit, vegetable and grass juices and the remainder from teas and water.
Fluids should be room temperature when drunk, not cold and Juices can be diluted by half with water to slow down the fast.
On the second to third day of the fast you probably will experience hunger and then it will go away, once it comes back again it's a sign that your body has fasted long enough.
Enjoy whichever fast that you choose, allow yourself time to hear what your body is telling you and remember to not over cleanse. Wishing you all a wonderfully tranformative Fall/Autumn.
Blessings on your path.
