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.

5 Girls Juicing Days 22 - 28 Morning - Juice Feast

Good Morning World!

I feel magnificent. Two days to go in our Juice Feast; it's been 4 weeks today!
I realized a dream of being able to cleanse and live on only juicing for one month.

Cleanse Menu:
4/30 Day 22
Master Cleanser Day 7
Salt water flush
Cleansed my bathroom sink (see below :)
1 quart master cleanse early afternoon
1 quart master cleanser early evening
1 quart master cleanse night
Total: 3 quarts

5/1 Day 23
Master Cleanser Day 8
1 quart master cleanse morning
1 quart master cleanse later afternoon
1 quart master cleanse evening
Total: 3 quarts

5/2 Day 24
Master Cleanser Day 9
2 quarts master cleanse morning - needed it!
1 quart master cleanse afternoon
1 quart master cleanse night
Total: 1 gallon

5/3 Day 25
Master Cleanser Day 10
1 quart master cleanse morning
1 quart master cleanse afternoon
1 quart master cleanse evening
1 quart master cleanse night
Total: 1 gallon

5/4 Day 26
Warm salt water flush, followed by 30 minutes laying on my right side - 2 hour wait to eliminate
12:00 noon: 16 oz. juice of 1 whole organic cantaloupe and cilantro - the most delicious juice of liquid bliss ever!
8 oz. of 1/2 bunch spinach, 1 container grape tomatoes, 3 carrots, 3 stalks celery, parsley
20 chlorella tabs
Night: 1 litre coconut water
Total: 1 litre 24 oz.

5/5 Day 27
1 quart cantelope cilantro juice
2 teaspoons bee pollen
22 oz. cantaloupe cilantro juice
1 quart 8 oz. beet, collards, cucumber, apple
1 teaspoon bee pollen
Hot bath with Jota ozonated Rizol oil (oils of clove, Moxa, thyme, marjoram, oil of bitter almonds, frankincense, Rizoles from ozonated pure raw lipid plant extracts) and salt scrub
1 litre coconut oil
Total: 1 gallon

5/5 Day 28 Today!
1 quart spinach, carrots, celery, red pepper and dill
1 teaspoon bee pollen


My bathroom sink was filling up and not draining properly. Guess what? It was filled with "old waste" ands needed to be cleansed! One morning, I had alot of energy and plumbed my sink myself, clearing out the cabinet below, unhooking the drain, cleansing the sink of its "gunk," and rehooking the drain. It felt so fabulous to know I had the capacity to do this on my own, without a plumber or brawny man :) I also appreciated the black waste as I cleaned it with bare hands from my sink; it was all the stuff that had served me well and now needed to be let go, revealing a sparkling clean drain. The metaphor was not lost on me! I am responsible for my own cleansing; I am capable of my own cleansing; I know what has to be released and what gets revealed under the layers of mud. My purpose is to stay in my own process and not another's business, so to speak. It is my responsibility to cleanse my "stuff" and get to my higher self. It is from there I can relate to others.
On the topic of elimination, my last salt water flush took two hours before I released. It required patience, as I knew I couldn't start juicing until the flush worked, so that meant waiting till noon to drink. I felt pretty cleaned out, and then the last two days, I started releasing on my own without any flushes. It feels like the last of the old garbage making its way out.
On the subject of going back to juicing, my experience of drinking my canteloupe-cilantro juice deserves a description. I am not exaggerating when I say that this juice was the sweetest taste I ever experienced. It was passionate and sublime, and I literally felt all of amy chakra energy centers open, including my sexual chakra. It reminds me of when I lecture on food, and share how a child who grows up on fast food often cannot taste the sweetness of a string bean or a piece of broccoli. Maybe it's because I was drinking Master Cleanser for 10 days; I'm not sure. All I know is that I never tasted something so delicious in my life, and I've eaten all kinds of foods of every nationality. I will hold onto that flavor and somatic (body) response for a long time, going back to it when I need inspiration, a tangible reminder of the sweetness of life or when I want to eat more quickly than my body should be.
Just a mention of my last few days of Master Cleanser. Days 7 and 8, my body only desired 3 quarts, rather than the gallon I had been consuming every day. Then Day 9, my body felt weak and I "downed" 2 quarts just in the morning. What I see from this is another reminder to observe the changes during the cleanse and honor your body with what it needs in that moment. It may shift from day-to-day.
I would also recommend waiting till completion of the cleanse to have any new "processes" done connected to your physical being. In other words, I had originally planned to have my hair done a couple of weeks ago, and my body clearly told me that it was in the process of cleansing and to wait until I was done with my cleanse to go to my stylist. We want to let go of the old before we bring in the new. Also, I waited on a dental consult as well. If you do go, I recommend waiting on any x-rays or procedures until your cleanse is finished.
I am sitting in wonder of the last month. Could it be that in only 3 days I will be eating solid food? If I didn't have some new things in my life happening, I would stay on this cleanse for longer. It does feel a bit weird to think of chewing! That being said, when we commit to a process and length of time, it is important to honor our orginal commitment; mine being to Juice Feast for 1 month; 30 days. That is a powerful methodology for any and all aspects of our lives; stay with the time you allot to something. In other words, if you are working on a project and have designated two hours in your day to focus on it, when that two hours is up, stop working an move onto something else. It's a wonderful methodology to accomplish your goals and homor your commitments.
Wednesday evening, Nubia is having the 5 Girls over, minus Irina, who is in Paris celebrating her life with dear friends. We'll be breaking bread with a raw potluck, though I will start my re-initiation to solid food with soaked prunes and prune water on Wednesday morning.
I appreciate everyone who inspired me on my journey and all the moments that have led up to this last month. I have been empowered by our fabulous Facebook Juice Feast community! Whenever I had a low moment, I would go on FB and see a hundred and fifteen names holding the energy for each of us to juice a little more in our lives; letting go of the old and bringing in the new. Thank you for keeping me on my path.
With Love and Gratitude,
Hope & The Holistic Empire