Creative projects are on the rise – spilling out around the house – and I notice the trips to the pantry to sneak a handful of dark chocolate chips has steadily increased while yoga has decreased as my source of fuel.
Rather than plow through and set myself up for a full detox, or set myself back through illness or energy crisis, I choose a 3-day reset to restore balance in my body, my work, my creativity, and my sanity. Before the chocolate train takes me any further, I make a quick stop at Reset-Ville. A 3-day stay always does the trick for me.
There are 7 parts to my 3-day reset:
1. Sweat and stretch. I used to replace my home practice with a trip to hot yoga and a deeply detoxifying hour of sweating, breathing, and stretching. I took 1 litre of mountain spring water with me, complete with added flower essences to support my practice. Now I turn towards nature walks (mind the ice) and hot water yoga (Tibetan Breathing Yoga). If hot yoga isn’t your thing, try a studio that offers a warm flow instead of the full hot. If you prefer, grab a cycling class or Zumba, or a one hour online class. Remember to enjoy a good, long savasana or cool down. Show up all 3 days.
2. Liquid nourishment. I hit the grocery store or local market and grab beets, carrots, cucumber, chard, kale or greens of choice, and apples. Ginger, too, if you like. I found fresh pea shoots this time – why not? I juice enough veg for 2 cups of juice and add 2 cups of mountain spring water, put the blend in a pitcher in the fridge and drink it throughout the day. I add another litre of spring water to my day -on its own or as herbal water or teas. You don’t have to juice, in fact, keeping the greens intact in a kale, ginger, apple smoothie provides fibre and nutrients for your detox. Throw the veg in your blender, grate your ginger, add fresh water and squeezed lemon and blend. Drink a glass immediately and pour the rest into jars in the fridge to drink later.
3. Eat clean. I keep dairy, gluten, and sugar at bay for the 3-day stay at Reset-Ville. I enjoy fruits, veg and limited chicken or fish. I snack on nuts and goji berries, and warm my belly with chia-chaga porridge with hemp hearts, apples, coconut oil and cinnamon. Make a morning breakfast smoothie of 4 dates, 2 bananas, cinnamon, honey, coconut oil and cooled herbal tea or nut milk. Choose roast butternut squash soup with ginger and coconut milk or veggie soups for lunch. For dinner enjoy veggie stirfrys, yam fries, lemon-kale roast potatoes… Keep it simple. Keep it fresh. I make a chocolate pudding from 4 ripe bananas, 1-2 avocados, 1/4 cup cacao powder, 1/4 cup maple syrup, a pinch of himalayan or sea salt, 1/4 cup coconut milk… if you really NEED dessert. Blend them together on high and pour into SMALL jars and place in the fridge. If you have a craving, grab a jar. Also tastes great with 1/4 cup almond or nut butter!
4. Get salty. A daily detox bath with himalayan salts, dead sea salts, or herbal salt blend of choice provides nourishing hydrotherapy. Add essential oils of mint and lavender or deeply-relaxing neroli. Grapefruit is energizing and sweet orange provides a lift. Petitgrain is purifying. Try dry-brushing or self-massage before you slip into the salty tub. I’m starting my reset off with a trip to the float tank. An hour of meditation and salt therapy combined.
5. Play footsies. Self-massage helps with the reset and connects you to your body. Before or after your bath rub each body part with a quality oil. Add essential oils for the benefits of aromatherapy. Pay particular attention to your feet (after the bath). Give yourself a reflexology treatment as you rub rich cocoa butter or oil into your tender tootsies. Better yet, if you have a willing companion, exchange foot rubs with one another. Don’t forget the kids. Rubbing your little ones’ feet is a nourishing way to send wee ones off to dreamtime.
6. Meditate. Find an online meditation you enjoy, a walking meditation in nature, or use your salt tub time to mentally recite a mantra. Aim for 11 minutes a day, you pick the time, mornings and evenings are well-suited, however, maybe a midday meditation in the sun is more your speed. Notice 3 things: the stillness of your body, the silence of your speech, the expansiveness of your mind. Rest, relax, release.
7. Write. Journaling is extraordinarily therapeutic and stirs creative expression. You can choose to journal about your day, your current happenings. You can journal about your dreams during the reset. You can journal about any discomfort, illness or injury in the body. This brings us into the present moment with our discomfort and often symptoms ease immediately as we write about where we feel them, how we feel about them. You can have a synchronicity journal… that’s fun. Record the interesting coincidences in your life and see if they form a path.
It may seem like a lot but it’s not. It’s moving the body, good food and liquids, massage and soaking, writing and resting. It’s only 3 days and you will realize, how, when you’re stuck, you can reset in just a weekend.
Stephanie Hrehirchuk - Author 