The changing of seasons is a significant time, according to Ayurveda, the ancient healing practice of India. In order to cast off the heaviness of winter and prepare for the seasons of growth and light, it’s time for a gentle cleanse. We have the opportunity “to start digesting things that have lingered over the winter” and bring ourselves into “harmony with the rhythm” of spring, says Jacksonville, Florida-based Ayurvedic healer Kyle Roberts.

Roberts suggests five to seven days for the cleanse, which he approaches as a time of “rejuvenation.” (Or try three days, if that feels daunting.)

Prepare to eliminate sweets, snacks, and alcohol. Black coffee is okay, but if you can, replace it with herbal tea. Beyond food, “stop or restrict things you’re attached to” — like Netflix, social media, and cable news.

Plan to eat only kitchari, a porridge-like blend of rice and mung dal, twice a day, with lunch being the largest meal. Roberts acknowledges you will feel a little hungry and irritable, and cravings will arise. “Part of the effort is to be okay with the things you’re craving.” Be sure to hydrate with plenty of water.

 

Welcome simplicity during this time by establishing a consistent daily routine.

 

Upon waking, “immediately connect with your breath.” Take five to 10 slow, deep inhales and exhales. Then, document your dreams. “This is a way of helping to digest the mental aspect [of our lives] and to develop physical, energetic, and mental integrity,” shares Kyle.

Once out of bed, enjoy warm water with lemon, a pinch of salt, a splash of apple cider vinegar and a bit of honey.

Now, it’s time for physical cleansing. Kyle suggests that you splash your face with water, brush your teeth, and use a tongue scraper. Consider abhyanga next: gently massage your body with coconut or sesame oil to “encourage a healthy circulation of lymph, and blood.”

Finally, spend at least 10 minutes in meditation. Follow your breath in and out for three counts. Plan to repeat in the evening.

At mealtime, connect to your food. You might enjoy a bit of light music, but no intense conversations or electronics.

Before bed, engage in a review of the day. “A lot of the direction of Ayurveda is to do your dharma, walk your path, complete your purpose, and fulfill your responsibilities,” he says. Journal and reflect on “what is working, what is not.”

Above all, consider rhythm and symmetry. Rhythm means eating, sleeping and waking around the same time. Symmetry means “not eating too much, not eating too little.” This goes for sleeping and talking as well.

Once the cleanse is complete, ease back into nourishing, grounding foods like cooked veggies. If meat is part of your diet, sip bone broth.

“When complexity is occurring, treat complexity with simplicity,” says Roberts. “There are so many things that are changing right now. Ayurveda is about living with what is and being strong in that.”

 

VATA (SPRING) KITCHARI RECIPE

 “The idea is that it’s enough food to satiate your hunger, nourish the body, and keep it supported,” says Roberts. It is also easy to digest and the beans and rice provide a complete protein.

½ cup split or whole mung beans

1 cup basmati rice or barley

2 tbsp ghee

1 tsp black mustard seeds, whole

1 tsp cumin seed, whole

1 pinch asafoetida

1 inch ginger, fresh, chopped

1 tsp turmeric

6 cups water

1 piece kombu, chopped

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp garam masala, powder

1-2 tsp mineral salt

½ lemon, squeezed

½ cup coconut

¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

 

1.     Wash and soak mung beans for 4 hours. Rinse rice 3 or 4 times.

2.     In a saucepan, heat ghee, mustard and cumin seeds, and asafoetida on medium heat until they pop.

3.     Sauté ginger and turmeric.

4.     Add mung beans and rice and sauté for a few more minutes.

5.     Add water, kombu, coriander, cumin, and garam masala and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

6.     Add salt and lemon and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Add more water if necessary to bring to porridge consistency.

7.     Stir in coconut and cilantro and let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

 

Eat this twice a day, with lunch being the largest meal. You can add small portions of simply cooked, unseasoned vegetables like squash.

 

POST-CLEANSE REJUVENATION DRINK RECIPE

 “This is best for ending the cleanse and is intended to nourish and build cleansed tissue,” says Roberts.

1 ½ cup of whole milk or your favorite nut milk (almond, cashew)

1/4 tsp saffron

1/4 tsp cardamom

Pinch of cinnamon

1 pitted date

Local raw honey

 

1.         Put all ingredients, except honey into a blender and blend until combine.

2.         Add to a saucepan over medium-low and gently boil milk with saffron,
            cardamom, and cinnamon on medium heat until 1 cup remains.

3.         Add honey to taste.

 

STORY BY NICOLE BARLEY / STYLING BY KEITH RECKER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE BRYCE