Ayurvedic Spring Cleansing Rituals For Balancing Kapha
Spring clean the Ayurveda way, and make space in your body and mind as you transition into a new season. On the weekend of the spring equinox (20th March), join us for a 3 day Mauli cleanse to balance kapha dosha and emerge feeling energised and nourished.
Your Shopping List
- Basmati Rice
- Ghee
- Split mung beans (any colour will do)
- Garlic
- Onion
- Chopped tomatoes
- Vegetables of your choice
- Herbs & spices: cumin seeds, ginger, turmeric, salt, pepper chilli, fresh coriander
- Strength & Spirit Alchemy
Kitchari Method
1. Soak your daal for 30mins or longer. Add rice to the same bowl for 20 minutes or longer. I did rice and daal in equal parts but some do more rice and vice versa.
2. Once soaked, mix together and add to a big wide pot. From there add some spices- chilli, salt and Tumeric. Cover and let simmer.
3. Add the ghee to another pan, add the cumin seeds and wait for them to go brown-keep frying until they are roasted beautifully.
4. Add any chopped vegetable of your choice and ginger, onion and garlic. Allow them to caramelise and then add tomatoes.
5. Add your favourite superfoodfor an added boost of health.
6. Mix all together and enjoy!
Spring Cleanse Tips From Our Favourite Ayurvedic Experts
1. Geeta Vara – “Mindfully eat 2 -3 moderate-sized simple meals a day with no snacks between meals – just herbal teas or fruit. Key rule: Eat only when you have hunger!
2. Jasmine Hemsley – “When you eat is important for digestion. Our bodies naturally want to follow the cycle of the day, while snacks and artificial light disrupt the body's cycle. Aim to eat breakfast between 7 and 9, lunch by 1pm and supper before 7pm. Bed by 10pm folks!
3. Laura Plumb – “Simply put, I am most likely to go out of balance when I let myself get overscheduled. To balance that, I take great self-care—emphasising morning abhyanga, lengthening morning meditation, slowing down even further over meals, and luxuriating in a rose-filled mineral bath before bed. Then I find a day to get in the kitchen and make a seasonal vegetable kitchari or something special for friends, because nothing is more restorative than quiet, creative time with Mother Nature’s loving bounty."
4. Radhi Devlukia “Traditionally, kitchari is eaten 3 times a day in this cleanse. However, in case you want some variety you can mix it up with some veggie soups and super stewed apples! BUT you must make sure whatever you eat is super cooked before eating it. Cooking food thoroughly means it's being digested and broken down outside of the body before getting to your stomach, making the job far easier for your belly!”
1. Declutter your bathroom cabinet – be ruthless and throw products away that have passed their use by date or that you’ve had open for over a year. Not only do they clog up your space, they attract bacteria and clog up your skin too.
2. Give yourself an at home clarifying facial for outer radiance- constant changing between cold and dry air from central heating leaves its mark. Your skin will appreciate kapha-balancing measures such as detoxing masks and clarifying and hydrating oils, and lots of fresh air.
3. Immerse yourself in nature - physical activities outdoors in the open air are fun and have a positive impact on our well-being. Whether jogging, cycling or walking in the park – what's important is that you don't exhaust yourself doing it. The Ayurvedic rule-of-thumb here is not to exercise beyond 50 percent of your maximum capacity. As soon as you start to breathe heavily or to sweat a lot, then you should shift down a gear or stop.
4. Purify and cleanse in a warm bath - take a nightly soak in our healing salts, followed by abhyanga (self massage) with a warm massage oil focusing on the healing reflexes of the feet.
5. 20 mins of gratitude journaling - light your Mauli candle and with a pen and paper, list out all the things you are grateful for in your life. Continue journaling using stream of consciousness technique with the prompt "I am ready to let go of...".
