Fall Cleansing

The studio where I teach normally offers two cleanse weeks a year: Spring and Fall. It's strictly a yoga cleanse. Daily asana practice made up of equal parts yin and yang. The "yang" is Ashtanga-based and the yin is borrowed from Paul Grilley's teachings.

Advice on relaxation and rest is also provided, and diet is discussed but is purely optional. As a teacher, the last thing you'd want to do was encourage any craziness in terms of internal cleansing though most teachers are aware of some of the more ... um ... interesting methods of detoxing, fasting and literal scrubbing of the insides. North Americans, being a bit body conscious in an unhealthy way, don't need new ways to starve or purge themselves. Cleansing in western understanding involves extreme fasting techniques, starvation diets that masquerade as something good for a person or flushing the intestinal track with spicy salt water concoctions that are nothing more than enemas in disguise.

Cleansing ends up with a body only focus for most people despite good intention otherwise.

OmGal suggests a different approach to the annual cleansing. One that incorporates all aspects of a person life. Our lives are about more than our bodies after all. They include the stimuli that bombards us, our dwelling space and need for fresh air and natural surroundings.

Among the other things she suggests, I found this quite helpful:

• Unplugging for a day or weekend. Turn off cells, computer, and television. Let the world narrow to the immediate and intimate.
• Clean out closets. There is the old rule that if you haven't worn or used it in a year that you are unlikely to again - so pitch it. Clutter begets clutter. Cleanse your home of it and feel lighter.
• Reconnect daily with the outdoors. Take a walk. Breath the air. Enjoy the golden hues of autumn as the emerge.

Take some time for yourself as the season changes to prepare for winter physically and mentally.