Day 7

Congratulations—you made it through the whole cleanse! In the process you’ve given your body and your mind the gift of balancing and renewal and, hopefully, learned some self-care practices that will serve you well for the rest of your life. Spend more time today in self-reflection, writing down answers to the questions you posed yesterday—what is serving you in your current situation, what could change for the better, and what you would like your life to look like as you move forward. Setting your intentions down in writing can help make them a reality.

Continue the cleansing routine and diet you’ve been doing as you begin to prepare to transition back to your normal life. Be sure to add the Rejuvenating Veggie Broth to your breakfast fare and continue to eat kitchari at lunch and dinner.

We recommend that you do two or more of the following practices today.

MODERATELY ENERGIZING: Twist and Flow with Seane Corn
RESTORATIVE: Kripalu Restorative Practice with Sudha Lundeen
MEDITATION: Pratyahara Meditation with Sandy Anderson
PRANAYAMA: Nadi Shodhanam with Shari Friedrichsen

Don’t forget to complete your research questionnaire.

Returning to Normal
After being on a purifying diet, you need to slowly reintroduce foods so you avoid overwhelming your digestion and undoing all the benefits you’ve received from a week’s worth of cleansing practices. To do this successfully, add in only one or two new foods daily, observe how your energy feels, and notice whether you have any difficulty digesting the additions. Appreciate the smell, look, taste, and texture of each new food as you add it to your diet. If your digestion feels sluggish, drink digestive tea through the day.

Below is an ideal order of food introduction:

Day 1: fruits and vegetables
Day 2-4: Other vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts/seeds, and natural sweeteners
Day 5: Dairy and other non-vegetarian foods if appropriate
Day 6-7: Small amounts of sweets and caffeinated beverages
“Spices and Vices”: Spicy foods and fried foods, tobacco, alcohol, and recreational drugs are not recommended for at least a week after you finish your cleanse.

During your rejuvenation phase, you can keep drinking your digestive tea and continue taking triphala for a longer period of time if you have problems with elimination.

What Now?
As you move back into your “normal life” you may be tempted to revert back into your old (maybe unhealthy) patterns of eating, working, and resting. We want to support you so this doesn’t happen. We have collaborated with some wonderful partners to help you continue to eat a whole food diet and find ways to keep growing in your yoga practice. Check out the After The Cleanse section on Yoga International and stay tuned for email and Facebook announcements!

Thanks and congratulations for participating in the Spring Renewal Challenge. We hope you had a wonderful experience!

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