New Beginnings
– a time
for cleansing
New Beginnings
– a time for cleansing
New Beginnings – a time for cleansing by Melanie Waxman
Spring is a time of new beginnings. We often feel the urge to eat lighter foods, detoxify, reorganise our homes and get outside. These cleansing activities actually help us to burn off the excess Winter energy and embrace the more lively energy of Spring.
Here are some simple ideas to help you move into this boisterous time of the year.
Cleanse Your Diet
Use bitter foods to cut through those feelings of being stuck or congested. Bitter taste is especially cleansing for the liver and blood and also stimulates digestive enzymes and reduces hunger. Some examples are dandelion greens, arugula, sesame seeds, citrus, walnuts, green tea or olives.
Include good quality liquids throughout the day; water, fresh vegetable juices and herbal teas like nettle, mint, fennel or a ginger lemon. Enjoy simple broths or soups made with leeks, celery, spring onions and Chinese cabbage, and lightly seasoned with miso.
Spring is a good time to reduce salt and oil intake and to lighten up cooking using less grains and more quickly cooked, colorful dishes. Include a serving of sauerkraut or some lovely home-made radish pickles.
Early Spring has always been the time when fresh herbs were used to detox from the Winter months. You can try fresh mint, cilantro, parsley or even a nettle soup. Experiment with spices like coriander, turmeric, ginger, cumin and fennel.
Cleanse Your Body
The effervesent energy of Spring is going to move you whether you like it or not. This is the time to get outside and experience the power of nature. Early morning exercise is specially beneficial as it makes the most of this enthusiastic energy. Walking is ideal to slow your mind and gently detox your body. Dancing to your favorite songs or stretches that twist the body are wonderful for removing toxins.
An Epsom salt bath is a lovely detox. It activates fluid movement in the tissues, increases perspiration, relaxes muscles and clears your energy field. Good for stress too.
Try a ginger foot bath to relax and improve sleep. Simply add 1 generous tablespoon of fresh grated ginger to a small tub of semi-hot water. Soak your feet for 15 minutes. Or give yourself a gentle foot massage with almond oil and lavender essential oil. Both treatments are marvelous for grounding and soothing the system.
Cleanse Your Home
Creating space in your home and on your devices will also create more space in your mind and help to detox any unwanted patterns and create new habits. Act like a warrior. With zest, get rid of or donate what you no longer use or need. Listen to uplifting music while you clear out and make it fun.
Find a new place for everything you keep. Move paintings and decorations to different spots in your home.
Throw out expired make- up, shampoos, body lotion etc. Change chemical-laden products for natural ones.
Delete all unwanted apps and documents on your devices, including outdated contacts, old whatsapp messages and emails.
Bring in the love. Imagine that everything in your life contributes to your joy and excitment. Apply this to your closet, fridge, desk, shelves etc . Get rid of any food, clothes, papers and stuff that brings you down. Surround yourself with what you love and makes you come alive. Let go of the rest.
Put half a lemon in your dishwasher to provide a lovely cleansing scent.
Fill your home with spring flowers. Plant pots of fresh herbs and put them on your windowsill. Grow plants that help clean the air; peace lilys, spiders, aloe vera or weeping figs. Plant a low maintenance tree in your garden or add bee-friendly flowers such as lavender, holly hocks, lupin, lambs ears, geraniums, oregano or wisteria.
Cleanse Your Thoughts
Write down three things that are going well in your life and why. Try this exercise daily for a week to bring in more nourishing energy.
At the end of each day, write three blessings that you are grateful for. They can be simple like having a laugh with a friend, watching children play, or a beautiful woodland hike with your dog.
Try a ‘negative thought rant’ on a weekly basis and write down every negative thought that comes into your mind. It only takes 5 minutes. You can then tear the paper up and throw it away.
While walking outdoors pay attention to something beautiful. It could be wild daffodils in the hedgerow, a gorgeous tree in blossom or water rushing over rocks. Notice how it makes you feel. Carry the energy of nature within you as you go about your day.
Happy Spring Everyone x