How to Re-balance Your Mind, Body & Soul with a One Day Reset –
Ayurvedic Cleansing

What is Ayurvedic cleanse?

Ayurveda recommends a seasonal cleanse in between the seasons where there’s confusion in nature, where temperatures can go up and down dramatically as we transition into one season from another. This transition in season can often lead to confusion in our body.

What is Ama ‘Toxins’?

Ayurvedic cleansing prevents the accumulation of toxins in the body called ‘Ama’ in Sanskrit. ‘Ama’ are metabolic toxins resulting from undigested food and emotions and in Ayurveda, it is believed that ‘Ama’ is the bedrock for all the diseases in the body and mind. Therefore preventing and eliminating accumulated toxins from the body regularly is important to our optimal health.

‘Ama’ can be built up in the body by a poor diet regime, such as irregular meal times, eating highly processed or sugary food, overeating and improper food combination. For example not eating correctly for your Dosha (mind-body type) such as eating too much cold or raw food when you are Vata or experiencing Vata imbalances.

Another cause of Ama build up can be lifestyle, for example, high stress, lack of sleep or too much sleep, lack of routine or exercise and of course environmental toxins. And finally repressed or unresolved emotions can also be a cause of Ama build up.

If you don’t know your Dosha (mind-body type), make sure to take my Dosha quiz here!

Agni – Our Digestive Fire

‘Agni’ is a Sanskrit word for ‘fire’.

Agni is a digestive fire or transformative energy that governs metabolism. It controls the function of the digestive enzymes and metabolic processes and helps break down, digest, absorb and assimilate our food.’Agni’ maintains the nutrition of bodily tissues and strengthens the immune system.

Therefore according to Ayurveda, having a balanced Agni (digestive fire) leads to good health and longevity.

A weak, impaired ‘Agni’ is often a result of an accumulation of ‘Ama’ in the body, and can cause imbalances in the body and mind such as indigestion, congestions, low energy, fatigue and feeling of fear, anxiety, depression, lack of clarity and anger.

The imparied ‘Agni’ can also be a cause of an accumulation of ‘Ama’. Either way, we want to maintain a balanced Agni in order to live a healthy, purposeful life.

One Day Reset

An Ayurvedic seasonal cleanse can vary in lengths between 3 days to 3 weeks. But here, I wanted to share the benefit of having a one day reset on a weekly or monthly basis to help re-balance your body and mind.

I personally like doing one day resets after a busy weekend of eating and drinking, or a busy stressful week where I hadn’t been able to eat healthily and exercise much.

You can also benefit from one day reset if you have:

• Digestive problems such as constipation, excessive gas and bloating, loose stools and irregular bowel movements
• A feeling of heaviness & sluggishness
• Fatigue & lethargy
• A lack of mental clarity
• Fear and anxiety
• Stress

My one day reset consists of having porridge for breakfast, and then Kitchari for lunch and dinner, and I highly recommend this to you too.

Great thing about an Ayurvedic one day reset is that there’s no need to buy any fancy superfoods and take days to prepare for the cleansing!

However, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, I recommend consulting with a doctor or a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner first.

Also this one day reset is not appropriate if you are feeling extremely weak, on medication or recovering from illness.

Kitchari

Kitchari is a traditional Ayurvedic dish which is very easy to digest but nourishing and purifying and it is a great way to cleanse your digestive system and support your Agni. Kitchari is similar to stew (or porridge) and is made with mung beans, vegetables, basmati rice and spices.

It’s also tri-doshic meaning that it’s suitable for all Doshas. (If you don’t know your Dosha, the Ayurvedic mind-body type, click here to take my Dosha quiz!)

All you need is basmati rice (or you can also use brown rice or quinoa), mung beans, seasonal vegetables and spices. I like to cook with minimal ingredients (so it’s nice and simple). I only use a few spices and have two or three vegetables. You can also make Kitchari according to your Dosha, by cooking with vegetables and spices that balances your Dosha.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

For rice and mung beans:

1/2 cup of basmati rice (white or brown, or you can also use quinoa)
1/4 cup of split yellow mung beans or whole mung beans (which have green skins)
1 tablespoon organic sesame oil for Vata, organic coconut oil for Pitta or organic sunflower oil for Kapha
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon of mineral salt
1 teaspoon of chopped or grated fresh ginger
3-4 cups of water

For vegetables:

1 tablespoon organic sesame oil for Vata, organic coconut oil for Pitta or organic sunflower oil for Kapha
¼ teaspoon of mineral salt
¼ mustard seeds
Optional: Pinch of asafoetida
2-3 cups of vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes and greens)
Optional: Few leaves of coriander or basil for garnish
Optional: Juice of half lime (per serving)

Method:

For rice and mung beans:

Rinse rice and mung beans. Soak rice for up to an hour and soak mung beans as per the instructions on the package. Whole mung beans should be soaked overnight.

In a large pot, warm the oil over medium heat and add cumin seeds and coriander seeds until you can smell a nice aroma.

Then add the rest of the spices and stir well and cook for about 1 minute. Stir well. Drain rice and mung beans and add them and mix well together for a few minutes till rice and beans start to stick to the side of the pot.

Add water and stir well. Then cover the pot and bring to boil. Stir and simmer at medium heat for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.

For vegetables:

In a large pot, warm the oil over medium heat and add spices until the mustard seeds starts to pop.

Add water and vegetables and stir well. Then cover the pot and bring to boil. Stir and simmer at medium heat until the vegetables are soft. Stir occasionally.

Combine vegetables with rice and mung beans and gently mix together.

The finished dish should be creamy and stew-like. If you prefer a soupier consistency, add more water.

Serve with juice of half lime and sprinkle on some fresh coriander or basil.

This recipe is for 4 servings. Remaining bowls can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours but no more than 24 hours. It is always best to have any food fresh so I don’t usually keep leftovers refrigerated for more than 24 hours and never in the freezer!

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