Welcome to Day 6!
You are doing an AMAZING job!! You’ve reached the final day of the mono-diet, but really, this is only the beginning. Starting tomorrow, and through the rest of the fall season (until late January/early February) you will focus on the āyurvedic practice of rasāyana (rejuvenation). The rejuvenation process is all about building and nourishing your entire organism. You’ll be continuing some of the supportive practices like abhyanga and foot massage throughout the rejuvenation period, adding some additional supportive lifestyle changes, and focusing on rest throughout the rest of the vata season. People generally find the rejuvenation period sweet, soothing and enjoyable. Āyurvedic rejuvenation can:
Improve strength, energy, and vitality
Bolster immunity
Bring balance, awareness, joy, and clarity into one’s life and relationships
During the practice of yoga nidra we are afforded the opportunity to plant, nourish, and grow our seeds of intention. We tap into the level of the subconscious mind, and connect to the innate wisdom we call intuition. Today we will end this cleansing journey by planting the seeds we want to nourish and build through the rejuvenation process.
Preparing for Tomorrow:
Tomorrow you will begin reintroducing regular foods back into your diet. It’s a good idea to do this slowly, keeping your foods more basic, so as not to overwhelm your digestive system. We have purposely depleted our agni (digestive fire) during the kitchari phase of the cleanse, and we want to rebuild that fire slowly. If you complicate things too much on the first couple days post cleanse you will likely notice some digestive issues related to slow and sluggish digestion, symptoms like gas or bloating after a meal, or a lot of gurgling and rumbling sounds as your body works to amp up the digestion and process your foods.
For the first day or so after the cleanse I’ll tend to continue eating well cooked and easy to digest foods, like oatmeal and pureed soups, and slowly start adding in more well cooked and well oiled vegetables. Don’t be afraid of healthy oils and fats, especially during the vata season - they help combat the dry quality of vata.
While you should strive to include all 6 tastes in all of your meals to make them satisfying and nourishing to the elemental make up of your body, the sweet, salty, and sour tastes are most effective at pacifying vata dosha. I’ll talk a little bit more about the sweet and salty tastes in the “Beyond Cleanse” information. Today I’ll focus on the sour taste.
Sour taste is created by the earth and fire elements. Since these elements are not present in vata dosha, the sour taste is pacifying and balancing for vata. Sour taste supports agni and is responsible for the secretions all throughout the digestive tract - saliva, which improves your sense of taste, gastric secretions in the stomach which aid the digestive process, and secretions in the colon which moisten the colon and aid in smoother, looser bowel movements. The sour taste is also said to awaken the mind and coalesce scattered energy associated with vata dosha.
As you are beginning to re-introduce your regular diet throughout the next few days, give your digestion the support of the sour taste. Starting tomorrow morning, begin each day with a cup of warm lemon water to prepare your digestive system for food to come in throughout the day. You can also add sour directly to your meal by adding a squeeze of citrus juice, a small side helping of ferments (like saurkraut or kimchi), or some pickled vegetables.
If you are prone to bloating and gas, or notice more air in your digestive system during the fall season you can try one of my favorite hacks. Just before you sit down to your meal have a shot (1.5 - 2 oz) of kombucha. This fermented tea drink not only supports the secretion of your gastric juices, it also contains probiotics to support your gut health. Just remember that komucha contains green tea, black tea, or a combination of both. If you are sensitive to caffeine this may not be the hack for you. Instead try one of the suggestions above to increase the sour taste in your diet.
In addition to supporting your digestion, the sour taste also helps support liver function and removes liver stagnation, promoting the flow of bile which aids in the digestion of fats.
Just remember that the sour taste is made up of earth and fire, and in excess can aggravate both pitta and kapha, and exacerbate pitta conditions like skin irritation or excess heat, and kapha conditions like congestion.
Examples of foods with the sour taste:
grapefruit
lemon
lime
tomato
pickles
cheese
sour cream
yogurt
most fermented foods
vinegar