Want to Cleanse This Spring? Do This First.
Ever since I can remember, the idea of “spring cleaning” has thrilled me. When I was younger it meant organizing my bedroom, my closets, and my cabinets. It was an activity I associated with the return of flower buds and chirping birds… the time of transition from the cold of winter to the warmth of summer… the time of renewal and possibility. Spring cleaning was my chance to clean and clear the external clutter around me and start fresh.
And then I got older… and got a “real” job… and got married… and had children. And the clutter got more significant and more overwhelming. Despite all of my attempts to clear the clutter, I never felt like I was getting anywhere. And I was right. I wasn’t getting anywhere because I was trying to fix the wrong problem the wrong way.
It’s not about the clutter.
The clutter wasn’t just the wedding gifts I had never used or the stuffed animal zoo in my daughter’s bedroom. No. The clutter had grown from simple external clutter to clutter in my mind coming from every aspect of my life… too many obligations, too many activities and too much information… too many voice messages, text messages, and emails… too much everywhere around me, all the time.
And so the solution for the clutter could never be found by giving away unused gifts or by getting more plastic storage bins for my daughter’s toys. It was this realization, that my exterior world was a reflection–a mirror–of my interior world, that changed how I viewed spring cleaning and spring cleansing.
The connection between cleaning and cleansing.
In recent years, spring cleaning has expanded beyond external clutter to “spring cleansing” your body. Every time I work with private clients or do a keynote, lecture, or workshop, I’m asked about “cleansing”. And my answer is always the same- cleansing is not a “one-size-fits-all” prescription and it goes beyond cleansing just the body. Cleansing involves clearing the entire system- body, mind, and spirit- of excess toxins that have built up. It’s a practice that is very important in Ayurveda to maintain optimal health and vitality
Cleansing starts in your mind.
The clutter that shows up in your exterior world doesn’t start on your desk or in your closet. The external clutter that shows up starts inside you… inside your mind and in your thoughts and beliefs. Your outer environment is simply a reflection of your interior world and what is going on inside of you. If you are chaotic and disorganized inside, everything in your life will become chaotic, disorganized, and filled with clutter. And eventually, the clutter in your mind shows up in your external world and eventually in your health.
My secret to cleansing–start with the mirrors.
Before you start any cleanse, first cleanse your mind. If you don’t cleanse your mind, no amount of juice-fasts or elimination diets or dry-brushing or sauna sessions will work to cleanse your body. You might feel a little better because you’ve eliminated a few toxins, but the toxins in your mind will start to multiply and the effects of the cleanse won’t last.
By cleansing from the inside out, starting with your mind, you remove the attachments to things from the past that no longer serve you that must be released in order to create the space for change.
Be well,
Avanti Kumar-Singh, MD
