How many of you have thought of and/or tried a cleanse? If you have, you know how confusing the products and belief systems are that are out there. From fasting to using cleansing products, the options are endless, but what does cleansing mean for you? That is what this article is about.
When someone comes to me and asks me how they should cleanse, I ask them four things:
Why are they cleansing? For example, are they having digestive problems, is it something spiritual for them or is there another reason.
What type of cleanse are they referring to? Many people find cleansing to be mostly about taking products, others, mostly about fasting/ juicing and still others find bodywork an integral part. Understanding what my client is wanting is key in my helping them.
Are there any physical challenges they currently have that could interfere with the cleanse or that the cleanse could be too much for. Contrary to popular belief, a cleanse isn't always healthy for the system. In fact, if someone's immune system is weak, cleansing could cause physical problems, especially if they use products that further weaken them.
How much time are they planning to spend on the cleanse? For some, they just want a day. For others, a week. I need to know this to help them with their cleanse.
Once I have this information, I can assist them in finding a cleanse that works for their unique system. I start by:
Checking their ayurvedic type through pulse testing. If someone is dominant in Kapha energy, I would offer solutions much different than a dominant Pitta.
Take a full intake of foods they currently eat, sleep habits, health conditions and mental/physical well-being.
Once I have that information, I can then begin developing a plan for them. Here is an example of a recent client that I assisted through a cleanse that met his needs.
We'll call him Mitchell. Mitchell is 43, about 40 lbs overweight and had been dealing with major fatigue and sadness issues. He has constipation, lethargy and feels like sleeping all the time. He was also on various heart and thyroid meds which weren't working very well.
I tested his doshas and his Ayurvedic type is Kapha dominant with Vata. His Kapha energy was very imbalanced and conflicting with his Pitta flow. Vata was off a bit but it seemed more related to the other energies.
Mitchell confided in me that his main problem was the constipation. He felt that if he could just go to the bathroom normally, he wouldn't feel so sad. He had tried laxatives but they only made him cramp up. He had also tried some of the products on the market but they made him more constipated. I explained to him that these products actually had too many things in them to work for his bodytype. For example, the psyllium bulked him up which made him feel worse and the senna wasn't strong enough to actually do anything more than bloat him.
I told him rather than a quick cleanse, it would be best to bring his body into a balanced state.
We started by getting his constipation in check. I did some energy work on him and it showed that his large intestine and liver were not working at optimum flows so we began with using triphala (ayurvedic herb) and a tablespoon of high-grade castor oil at night. I also offered specific food and food-combining options. Within a week he was coming back and within two, he felt much better and the bloating had come down dramatically.
Next, I kept feeling that his meds were fighting is system. He was taking levoxl and when I muscle tested him for it, it wasn't doing anything for him. I asked that he talk to his doctor about trying Synthroid instead as my inner guidance was telling me. He did and he began on Synthroid the next week.
While he was changing meds, I focused more on energy work and his continuing with the program we'd laid out. I also began incorporating pranayama(breathing) techniques, yoga and some NLP work for releasing stress from his body and mind.
About 3 weeks later, he was feeling much better and the Synthroid was having a much better affect in his system than the other med did. He had also lost 11 lbs and a lot of bloated weight. We decided that he wanted to try a juice fast for a few days to see how it would feel so we planned out a fast and incorporated wheatgrass juice and a few products. He did it for 3 days over a weekend and then I offered a clear plan to bring his body back to balance.
After the fast and balancing, he felt he had received what he needed in the form of a cleanse and had new ways of eating, breathing and looking at cleansing options for his unique system which he could do for himself in the future. He also decided to take a weekly yoga class at a local studio which he was really enjoying.
I hope that offers you an idea of the uniqueness of the cleansing process and some new options for deciding for yourself what you need.
Many Blessings, Jenifer
Jenifer Shapiro is a proven intuitive, professionally trained in coaching, hypnotherapy, NLP, yoga, shamanism and other mind, body, soul therapies. She holds an M.B.A. in international business and is the founder of The Empowerment Centre in Paoli, PA and HolisticHometown.com as well as the originator of Integrative Release TherapyTM. She teaches and works with individuals, teens and holistic entrepreneurs to assist them in manifesting empowering, fulfilling lives and businesses. She can be reached at (610) 213-1010 or http://www.TheEmpowermentCentre.com.
