The Yoga-Body Cleanse: My Week of Ayurvedic Detox

Making this Kitchari required a few different grocery stops, but doesn’t the result look good?

The Prep

Some of the ingredients for Kitchari weren’t easy for me to find — I hit the farmers’ market, Trader Joe’s and Publix, and still had to make a separate trip out to an Asian market to find the beans. Because you eat a ton of veggies and fruits and all are supposed to be organic, if possible, it should be noted that this was not an inexpensive venture.

You’re also supposed to nix any health/beauty products you use that aren’t all-natural. While I didn’t switch everything out, I did make a few swaps, and several ended up being real keepers — I’m kind of obsessed with my Tom’s toothpaste and paraben-free body scrub from The Body Shop.

But it wasn’t all shopping! I also made a concerted effort in the week leading up to this to eliminate alcohol as well as caffeine (the absolute hardest thing ever — I felt like someone was taking a jackhammer to my head for almost four days, which made me reeeally glad I took care of that pre-cleanse), clean up my diet, and make a point to get some meditation into my daily schedule. This was all a huge help in transitioning into the actual seven days of cleansing.