I Just Swallowed a Lemon Pit! Day 10 and the end of my Winter Wonderland Cleanse

Gorgeous White Winter, Thank You to the Angels for this Day
Day 10 The Master Cleanser Winter Wonderland Cleanse:

I have been conserving my energy, or rather, putting it to where I wanted it to go most. I thought I'd be posting a lot more, but each day, I "met myself where I was at" and didn't push beyond that. It's been a wonderful ride and the BEST decision I could have made! Winter cleansing is always a whole other perspective. 
As is typical when I do The Master Cleanser, I downscaled my amounts of lemon and maple syrup as the days went on, ending up with 4 tablespoons of lemon per quart and 3 tablespoons of maple syrup.
 I also downsized from 4 quarts to 3 the last 3 days of the cleanse. This is totally intuitive and going with my body - if and when you do this cleanse, trust your own guidance system.
Normally I exercise any day I'm not Flushing with salt water, but yesterday, I skipped it and honored what my body asked for. This morning, my salt water flush took only 12-15 minutes from consumption (and laying on my right side) to elimination. That tells me things are moving really easily on all levels. 
My energy is back with a force today (I got up at 6:45). I feel motivated, focused and alive. My mood is super high and I can literally feel the joy moving inside. As is typical with cleansing, I went through many ups and downs with physical energy, fatigue and lowered mood as well as being "wired," filled with energy and happy - all at different moments, and sometimes close together! My goal of gaining clarity and letting go of any old stuff that was hanging around in me is met. I feel a cleanness inside, as if whatever I needed to let go of was washed away. Mostly, I feel aligned on a spiritual-emotional level, trusting my choices and intuition.
Report: I've dropped almost 9 pounds this time around and by tomorrow, I expect it to be a total of 10. Though that was not my reason  for cleansing, it puts me back in the zone in which I feel my body truly wants to be.
Tomorrow I will introduce solid foods gently, starting off with a kale, pineapple, dill and ginger smoothie and probably having a grapefruit during the day as well. I want to pause between the foods, re-introducing the art of chewing and allowing my digestive system to rest. Cleansing is a highly spiritual and meditative journey. It takes us within to the quieter place of intuition. On a nutritional end, it always becomes so clear how much less food we really need then we think we do, and how much we use food as a filler for sadness, anxiety, fear and lonliness. As I move deeper into February, my intention is to take time each day to tune into my body, eat when I know my body is truly asking for food, pause between the bites to listen and take with me the gifts from this cleanse. My next cleanse will probably be a springtime Juice Feast, so stay tuned...
Most importantly, allow yourself to slow down and listen to what your body is truly asking for. When you think you need to fill it, first take a moment to "Just Be" and see what happens. Don't be afraid to listen to your body and quiet your brain. Let food honor you; choose it with love and not abuse. Love everything you choose and eat it with passion. Most of all, know that you are perfect exactly the way you are and love all parts of yourself. 
As Valentine's Day approaches, do something sacred that affirms your love for YOU. Self-love is the most passionate and healing of all. Sending each of you love...

Winter Wonderland Cleanse Days 2 & 3

Yesterday Day 2 The Master Cleanser:
8:00 AM Salt Water Flush (1 Quart warmed water with 2 teaspoons sea salt)
8:30 AM - Elimination
No exercise to allow my body to flush
9:30 AM 1st Quart Master Cleanser (1 quart warmed water with 6 tablespoons lemon juice and pulp, 4 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup and 1/10 - 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (I always go heavy on the cayenne)
2:15 PM - 1/2 of 2nd Quart Master Cleanser
7:00 PM - 3rd Quart Master Cleanser
8:00 PM 4th Quart Master Cleanser
Lots of extra sleep
Today day 3:
Lots of extra sleep
10:00 AM Rebounder - a bit dehydrated and weak
10:20 AM- 11:45 AM 1st Quart Master Cleanser
1:30 PM - 2nd Quart Master Cleanser 
6:00 PM - 3rd Quart Master Cleanser
7:20 PM- 4th Quart Master Cleanser

 February 2nd yesterday:
I Just got back from NYC. I was wondering how I would navigate my energy through the day of activities and family. Normally, I clear my schedule of any major plans during a cleanse, especially ones that involve lots of other people and outside venues, till I'm in it and decide what my body actually wants. I did my salt water flush this morning, drinking the quart of liquid at 8 and reading a good book while laying on my right side. At 8:30 I eliminated and waited awhile so see if I was complete. Then I took a warm, soothing bath with lavender sea salts, giving myself more time before drinking my first quart of Master Cleanser, which I drank around 9:30. I only got to drink half of my next quart in the car at 2:15 (given the day's plans) and finished it up back home at 7:00. So, I was not spacing my Master Cleanser as I optimally would. I actually did really well on both energy and blood sugar the whole time. No hunger, though when I got home and saw the Organic Black Truffles made with coconut oil that I bought to send my niece/nephews for Valentine's Day, I did have a pang of food lust! I'm drinking my two evening quarts now. Typically, I like to finish up a little earlier, but I had to go with the flow of the day. I'll probably get extra sleep tonight as well. I would love to hear about other people's cleanses, or if you've let go of a food or added one in...please write it.

February 3rd today:
Today was a day of honoring my body, spirit and goals. Last night, I got lots of extra sleep and still needed more this morning. It's interesting for someone who typically wakes up without an alarm at 6:30  (in the Summer it's often 5:00 or 5:30) to be sleeping so much this Winter! My body does eat, sleep and exercise with the seasons, and Wintertime I often honor whatever it needs with sleep. This Winter my body and spirit are wanting a lot more sleep, and adding on the cleanse is certainly continuing this trend! Early Winter was sleep time for processing and integration and now it's more sleep from the cleanse. Remember my post about "Meeting Ourselves Where We're At??" This a really good exercise for me in that teaching. It involves letting go of the noisy thoughts that tell me it's not OK to stay in bed; that it means something is wrong and it's not making good use of the day, and it's a telltale sign of my emotions. So what if it is??? For me, telling that voice loving words and giving that little girl a big hug are the answer. These days, I need to do it most every morning.
After waking up and making my first 2 Quarts of Master Cleanser, I did my 20 minutes jumping on the rebounder/mini trampoline (also known as the lymphosizer, as it's the only exercise that detoxes the lymph and organ system) and noticed both dehydration and weakness. I am typically never noticeably dehydrated, so I know it is connected to cleansing. I love all these new sensations we only get to experience during this time. I bounced at a speed that honored my body's muscle weakness and fatigue, giving it some strong spurts during moments of energy. When we start to detoxify, the first place that energy is pulled from is from our "wei chi," the outermost part of our bodies, so we often will feel incredibly fatigued in our muscles and tissues. Don't worry...this means the body is taking its energy and directing it toward the organs for core healing. When I did the 31-day Juice Feast, there were many days early on that I didn't exercise, and 3 weeks into the cleanse, I ran miles! 
I did a chakra balance tape to let go of any emotional blocks inside my body and align my spirit. I have used this one for thirteen years and absolutely adore it:
 Chakra Balance CD 
 Aleta St. James is a true healer in her ability to help us open up blocked power sources.
I focused on a project that was my goal today, from notebook to computer. I was watching the snow fall the entire day, and when I finally went outside in late afternoon to clean off my car, I was wonder-struck by what appeared to be a foot of snow (but was around 7 inches). The forecast was for only 1-3inches, so this gift was a pure miracle. What came up next for me was the desire to have a playmate with whom to have a snowball fight and build a snowman. This truly was my little girl, my adolescent and my teenager all wrapped into one. I wanted a playmate so badly! Though I missed not having one, I loved that part of me that was ready to play, and I loved that she came out so strong during the cleanse. I remember sledding with my best friend hundreds of times as children, and the rush of going downhill, not knowing exactly how it would turn out, a little scared but excited to go. I remember having warm soup and hot chocolate after coming in from the cold. For a moment, I really missed that, questioning my decision to Winter cleanse - no playmate and no food?
Happily, I let the emotions just Be, and had a juicy conversation with a girlfriend, who promised she would play with me over the next few days, as we are expecting more snow. I just drank my last 2 Quarts of Master Cleanser at 6:00 and at 7:20 and feel completely content.
The most fabulous and sometimes difficult part of a cleanse are the ups and downs as we detox and feel it all. There are moments of exhiliration and moments of sadness, and it's an opportunity to naviagate the largeness of life through the lense of a cleanse.

Day 1 Winter Wonderland Cleanse

I started my first cleanse in over a year. That's a huge amount of time for me between cleanses. Typically, I would have cleansed last spring and done another Juice Feast, and if not that, definitely in the Fall to detoxify and build my system for Winter. Though I thought about it both times, meeting myself where I needed to be met, when the pull not to "quite yet" was greater than the desire to start one, I waited on cleansing and continued to eat.
Holiday time a year ago, as those who read my blog may know, I inserted a cleanse right in the middle of the season to pull my energies away the holiday foods and energies that pull us all down the rabbit hole. That cleanse ended up literally saving my life, as readers of T.H.E. Blog know. This year, I had a lot of difficult things I was navigating in my life during that exact period of time, but I chose not to cleanse. Life challenges and Holidays = weight gain and lowered energy for me. I dropped the weight simply by going back to the foods that I love and trusting my body, but the energy, moods, emotions and thoughts were still with me, taking up way too much space and pulling me away from my visions, goals and dreams. With all the cleansing I have done, including the 31-day juice feast, I have been feeling that the foods I ate during the holidays sent my body back into old "cellular memory" that surfaced in the forms of thoughts and emotions I hadn't experienced in years. Clearing those out was my primary reason for this Winter cleanse. 
I am fortunate to have clear and shining skin, without acne or major disturbances. Eating a Raw lifestyle continues to support its collagen production and clarity. I believe that a raw foods way of life, by nature of its sheer alkalinity and frequency is the only way of eating that combats aging through the skin. Over the last couple of months, I saw hormonal changes in my skin that I never experienced before, with breakouts in certain key areas that correspond to the organ system. My skin was screaming out for a cleanse. If skin could talk (after all, it is the largest organ, unlike what some men may think :) mine was chattering away.
So here I am, ending Day 1 of my cleanse. I'm doing The Master Cleanser this time - tried and true, I thank Stanley Burroughs once again for creating a cleanse that has stood the test of time.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/360680135411?lpid=82
Like my 31-day Juice Feast, T.H.E. Blog will chronicle my cleanse for the next 10 days.
Just an update and important for any newcomers to know from a seasoned cleanser:
My day started off powerfully with lots of energy for the cleanse and minimal hunger. I had vitality and an uplifted mood that carried me through till after a counseling session. I even rebounded on the mini trampoline for some movement and exercise.
In the second half of my day, I had intended to do some reading and note taking for which I had designated the time. I was clear and looking forward to spending the afternoon in what I had envisioned - cuddled on the couch with a blanket and my computer nearby.
I put myself into a couple of phone conversations that though seemingly fine, brought me back into all my "circular thinking" that has been taking me away from my body and my quietness. One of my main reasons for this cleanse is to clear out the old emotions that have been taking up a lot of space lately inside of me.
It was right after the calls that all my energy was suddenly zapped :) and for a moment I thought: Oh, I can't do this. Why don't I just eat and bag the cleanse. How am I going to do this for 10 days?? It would feel so much better to eat.
I can honestly share that this was emotional (not physical) hunger roaring like a lion!!
And then I changed my plans totally and went into bed for a long nap!
It was super hard to get up, and I thought of skipping my evening Master Cleanser quarts and staying in bed.
One foot in front of the other, here I am, up and having made my second two quarts and almost finished drinking the last one. I am no longer hungry or tired and in fact have enough energy to write this post. Note to myself and to all cleansers: Take the time to stay with your choices and remember that sometimes even talking with dear friends is not what you need. You may just need inner quiet. That is cleansing in itself. Trust your body, trust your intuition, stay with your intention and honor the cleanse. PS - If your body needs a nap, grab it!