Day 6 of the Cleanse

I was up at 5:00 on the dot, my internal clock now completely adjusted to the new schedule, and was struck by how dark it was inside the house. Coming downstairs to the sunroom and looking up at the sky, I knew it would be another hour or so before the sunroom actually saw the sun. This is my favorite time of day because I'm alone with little to no likelihood of a break in the silence. I started with the Day 6 yoga sequence. For me this proved a bit more challenging than should be attempted first thing in morning, my body needing more warmth before asking it to take on those positions. But I got through it, and moved onto tea and breakfast.

I infused the jasmine rice I'd cooked the night before with cardamom and tons of cinnamon, so it had a pretty pink shimmer to it. Rice milk and honey the only accompaniments, and then I had company. Saturdays through the summer and fall we participate in the Farmer's market, so my husband was up and out into the garden right away to gather in vegetables and herbs. Silence for a few more minutes until the kids are up and the day really takes off.

I am amazed that we've both done so well this week without coffee and neither of us feeling too groggy or irritable. Cool! I've already started the gradual mental shift into drinking only decaf from now on, and maybe just one cup a day instead of my usual two or three. After all, it does get expensive and I like the organic stuff. So it would seem my personal coffee drinking habit is more luxury than necessity as drinking decaf and less overall coffee would benefit both my stress level and my wallet.

The toxin/metal/impurities aspect of the cleanse is a lot harder to measure. I had no baseline for where I started, and there have been no visual signs of cleansing of toxins, but my skin looks great and I feel good physically. I expect this has as much to do with the lack of stimulants and the diet, but there may be other ways to measure the results of the detox that I don't know about. I will admit that my diet had already been pretty clean to start with, I try to eat whole foods as much as possible and avoid processed items. I love dairy, occasional sweets, but stick to mostly vegetables, whole grains, plant-based proteins, fruit (not as much as I should) and water-based drinks (not a big juicer). And while meat is not something I'm totally ready to give up, it's not a weekly indulgence either. I don't know what a release of toxins looks/feels like, so I have no way to know whether the cleanse was effective this way.

One of the biggest positive visible signs of the cleanse has been the increase in my flexibility and physical strength attributable to daily yoga practice. That has been absolutely amazing. Stretches and positions that have been a bit out of my reach or comfort zone are coming more easily to me now, and I'm more likely to attempt a position at the studio that I know could land me on my face, rather than save it for a moment of private humbling. Pride no longer takes up any real estate on my mat.

I am happy to say that I made it through Saturday without much struggle. Though the usual managerie of delicious organic and whole foods offered at the Farmer's Market is always a wonderful temptation, I bought only what I needed for the potassium broth. It doesn't taste like anything and I'll probably throw in a dash of salt today so that the requisite 2-3 cups goes down in a more palatable fashion. But it's very easy to make and doesn't take a lot of time.

I ended the afternoon with a facial, and that was fantastic! And, by the way, why don't we do this at least once a month? It's so good for your skin and such a great way to relax and get that hands-on TLC we all need more of. I went shopping at the local fruit market adjacent to the spa afterward and rediscovered this local gem and all their domestic and exotic produce. I'm going back on Wednesday to their salad bar...how could I have forgotten about this place?

Dinner was more kitchari, my best batch yet, and potassium broth followed by a sliver of the mung bean cake I created. Came out a little drier this time so I'll need to revise the recipe a bit. Anyway, by 9:30 p.m. I was dog tired, fell gratefully into bed, and slept until 5:45 this morning.

Today is the final day of the cleanse and the realizations have already begun. While it is supposed to be a day of quiet solitude and periods of silence, I'll have to get a walk in later to fulfill this need. It's practically impossible to be silent during church and the following coffee hour. Not to mention my nine year old has been chatting me up since she came downstairs this morning.

Ahh, the gift of gab...wonder where she got that?