TO DETOX OR NOT TO DETOX.......

To start the new year off with a detox, good idea, right? Yup that's what I thought too! So I signed up for a 7 day yogic cleanse, determined to do the right thing and go into 2012 having let go of the past, old issues and of course getting a whole new sparkly clean system as well! First day went OK. Stuck to my fruit & veg, hot water and lemon, went to the yoga class which is included in the cleanse, felt very virtuous. This was easy I thought. Day 2 I was felled like a tree struck down in the forest by a chain saw gang. Ran the gamut of nausea, vomiting, the runs. Oh and a headache from hell. Luckily it was a Sunday so I could retire to bed. Could not face food at all. Hubby just shook his head in disbelief at what I was putting myself through in the name of health. Day 3 dawned and didn't feel much better. This was not good as Monday is a working day - hubby looked at me with raised eyebrow as I lay pale and wan on the bed - clearly not much was going to get done in the office that day! Days 4 and 5 were supposed to be fasting days - uh - been there, done that on Days 2 & 3. Did I mention the self-enemas that were part of the program......?Was feeling so lousy never made yoga class on Days 3 & 4. I sat quietly early on the morning of Day 4, feeling more like myself and, shock, horror, having broken down the night before and taken two painkillers for the headache from hell (well it was either that or rip my head off my shoulders) and feeling blessed relief as it finally lifted. I looked out at the garden, sipping my hot lemon water and a little voice popped up in my head and said "what the hell are you doing to yourself???" Well doll to be honest I had kind of been wondering the same thing!! Clearly this cleanse was a lot harsher on my body than I had anticipated. In that moment, I knew I wasn't going back and when I made THAT decision I could feel my spirits lift and my body gave a huge sigh of relief. How often do we do that to ourselves? Put ourselves through something because someone else says it's "good" for us? Even when every fibre of our being is shrieking "DON'T!" A friend commiserated that I had wasted my money. Not at all! It was a powerful lesson in listening to and trusting my body. I also learnt that I can eat a lot less and I am also more aware of what I put into my mouth and am eating far more mindfully (have to admit, the first glass of wine after that was thoroughly savoured!) I know that my body is far happier with lightly cooked foods than loads and loads of raw fruit and veggies. I went into this cleanse too fast. Once I had adapted the food plan to my needs for the week my body was so much happier. We are all so individual and unique and our body is our greatest guide, not just in something like this, but in anything else we experience in life. If we just take the time to listen. Now I know - a detox like this is not for me. And at least I managed to avoid that enema!!!!!