‘Cleansing’, ‘Fasting’, ‘Detoxifying’…what do they mean?
On one level, they refer to the normal processes of shedding wastes that occurs on a daily basis. On another level, they refer to taking time to observe what is, reflecting on what has passed, sifting out the chafe, and retaining the essence. When these things don’t happen smoothly or regularly, things back up.
Imagine the kitchen garbage piling up, the toilet overflowing, or the windows jarred shut. So it is with the body. It takes things in, chews them up (or not), and must let most go, if it hopes to take on more of life. Emotion and thought are included in this cycle as they are experienced and processed just the same as food and drink.
Traditionally, all religions and cultures have both established and evolving ways of recognizing and honoring this fundamental movement of letting go. Besides the nearly universal practice of fasting during the night until sitting for “break-fast” in the morning, we find weekly routines in religious Sabbaths, monthly routines in maternal societies that revolve around the moon, rituals to ease the transitions between the seasons, and yearly customs centered around “holy-days” that follow a fasting of sorts with celebration and renewal.
If not so imposed by society, circumstance and nature herself may intervene. For example, a common cold serves to incite a fever that opens the pores to burn off built-up tension and debris; it forces us to rest and take stock in our lives; and it limits the appetite to accept only simple liquid and porridge. Famine, war, and natural disaster force a different kind of cleanse upon us, on a larger scale than our selves.
Apart from these somewhat arbitrarily imposed ways, we may as individuals be aware of when we need to help our cleansing abilities along. For this purpose, our instincts serve us well. Yet often we lose touch with them, and then the trouble comes. Our bodies complain of sluggishness or restlessness, of being cold or hot, of muddled or disturbed thoughts, or of pain. Perhaps the lungs rebel with a cough, the stomach with nausea, the abdomen with bloat, or the liver with a burst of anger.
Fundamentally, all discomfort is an imbalance: either too much or too little of something. However, while it is good to know the difference, as an indulgent society we do well to look foremost at what we are having trouble eliminating, rather than at what we are not getting. For example, although poor energy and a worrisome mind may be due to simply not eating or participating in life, they also result from failure to digest and absorb what /is/ taken in or experienced. Perhaps one eats too much, too quickly, under stressful circumstances, and/or the fare is too stimulating and congesting; there will also be, then, bother to the mind and emotions.
To ‘detoxify’ ourselves, we invoke our means of getting rid of toxins by opening the pores, bowels and bladder, regulating the liver, and lastly promoting rest to allow for regeneration. We can do these things with subtle changes in the ways we eat, move, and relax ourselves.
Next month, we begin to detail this process, offering both simple home advice and clinical help.