I asked my Yogidetox community for personal yogidetox stories. The stories from my detoxers split open my heart. At the helm of this big ship I can’t know each person’s unique process. I often think I don’t need to guide the Yogidetox anymore – our culture has evolved to making this commonplace enough.

Yet these stories invigorate my personal detox inspiration. I’ve taught this course twice a year since 2002. Each course as it’s own flavor. And it’s own specific evolutionary Ayurvedic teaching. This years it’s about conversations with Agni, with our inner fire. We’re getting on track with purpose. It’s going to be a third chakra upgrade.

Without further ado…

Humble + Exultant: Stories from the Yogidetoxers

From Mary Sullivan

Detoxing turned on a light for me, it opened my eyes to the freedoms I have in choosing what and how to eat. It drew an immediate connection for me between eating and physical and emotional health. Cleansing opened a path for me to get in touch with my spirit at a deeper level.

In my pre-cleanse days, the only control I exercised on my food intake, was when I decided I had to diet to loose weight. I punished myself with denial of food, not finding pleasure in my choice at all. Now I enjoy my food with much more balance cleansing or not. I eat for my body and my pleasure, nourishing every part of me each day at each meal.

I have been cleansing with Cate formally or informally for almost 10 years, and in those weeks I learned to honor my body and my choice and really enjoy the simplicity and clarity that detoxing brings. I look forward to the seasonal opportunity to connect simplify and come back into balance.

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From Mary Frances Jeffrey

My Detox – From a Novice

I practice yoga, but do not teach. I know how to eat healthy, but don’t always do it. I am an RN and know how to, what we need to do to be healthy, but am not always the best example. Spring 2013 was my first detox. I was skeptical, but gave it a go.

I want to tell all the newcomers – This will be my third detox. I am not a pro. I don’t even do it all that well. Each time I do it, I learn more and feel more confident in the process. Do I understand all the Ayurvedic implications? No. Do I understand all the processes going through my body? No. Am I 100% faithful everyday? No. Do I feel wonderful during and after? Absolutely.

During first detox, I was convinced I got the flu because I felt lousy the first week. But on our Facebook page, I discovered that others felt the same. Of course, there were those who felt wonderful too. The lesson? Accept how my body was going to react to this new adventure and go with it.

So don’t be timid – Jump in and give yourself this gift.

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From Jen Ehrentraut

Detoxing: Shedding and Gaining

On the surface and on paper, all of the things that can be measured from my “detox” are absolutely astounding. I’ve shed 36 lbs. I am no longer at risk for becoming a Type 2 Diabetic. I’ve gone from a size 14 to a size 8. I am more active and have more energy than I’ve had in years. I sleep better at night and think clearer during the day. And 10 months later I continue to love living a much cleaner and less toxic lifestyle.

Now here’s where the truly remarkable part comes in, the immeasurable – I am actually proud of myself!

While I’ve physically lost weight, I’ve also began releasing many of the self-sabotaging and harmful thought patterns and beliefs I didn’t even realize I had about myself, my body, my health and my life.

I’ve gained way more than I’ve lost.

Detoxing is way more than just removing the toxic substances in life (physically, with food and emotionally, with thought patterns and feelings).

Somewhere along the way, I’ve also learned to value and love what nourishes my spirit as well as my stomach.

I’m a much lighter version of me. I am myself again.

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From Jovan Speller

I was getting that sinking feeling again. That feeling when I know that stress, fear and anxiety are fighting against, and winning, another battle against my efforts toward wellness. I knew that soon they would rule my body and dominate my choices. They craved salty processed foods, constant mental distractions, and halted all forward movement. The hardest part was making the choice to fight again.

I decided on a 7-day detox to beat back the unhealthy cravings. When I am at my lowest I give myself goals that are realistic and attainable. The sense of accomplishment brings me new energy to keep going. Before I started my detox, I was heavy in my body and spirit, unfocused, overly-emotional and in physical pain from immobility.

Day 1-2 was all liquids, teas from whole cumin, coriander and fennel seeds and vegetable juices. Day 3-4, I added raw fruit and veggies. Day 5-7, I added thin soups like mung dahl. I walked to and from work 2.5 miles each way. By day 4 I knew this detox would not just be a 7 day stint.

I was back on track, journeying toward wellness.

And so my journey continues, clearer, lighter and connected.

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From Jen Fisher

I had to share. I love cleansing. As always, the first 2 days were hell. I still haven’t become a good ‘pre-cleanser.’ Day 3, I feel like a rock star! Every time I cleanse I like to try something new with the hope of refining my daily habits. This cleanse I am trying oil pulling every morning with coconut oil. It’s AWESOME! I love how my mouth feels and I’m hoping for some whiter teeth. I miss being in the studio with you and a group, but I love the fact that my body started to crave the cleanse as soon as it got warm.

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From Fernanda Grisetti

My Detox Story? Honestly, I don’t have one. I’m a bit ashamed to admit it now, but I’ve never detoxed before. I’ve always thought, “I eat pretty healthy and cleanly, why detox? Sounds scary and difficult.” I thought it was a fad, or maybe a good idea for people who ate terrible diets, but for me, no thanks. That is, until I joined the Living Ayurveda Course and my life changed. I know, that sounds trite, but it did.

My routines changed, my habits changed, my diet changed, and I started to tune in more deeply and honestly to what my body was actually communicating to me. And now, as Spring begins, I honestly FEEL this desire to cleanse, to move gunk out, to refresh, to clear some space in my physical body, my mind, and my emotions, and to give myself a clean, more open space to move forward. I can literally feel the ama starting to gunk up despite the fact that I don’t have much kapha in my constitution.

I’ve never been able to hear my body so clearly, but it’s telling me, let’s detox, let’s clear out and clean out! I’m so ready!

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From Rebecca Ruzzo

As I embark on my first Yogidetox, I am reflective of what brought me to this point and where I hope to be.

I have struggled with my weight from adolescence on but never have been out of control. Over the past ten years, though, something changed. I met my husband, who is a chef and fell madly in love. Food became our focus, what we did. I stopped paying attention to calories and diets and just ate what I wanted. This spring marks one decade of doing that and approximately 100 extra pounds. Throughout that time there were such wonderful things – marriage, dog, house, baby girl. There were also times of depression and struggle. Not moving my body, eating obsessively. No motivation to change. Why? I couldn’t figure it out and it tore me up.

I remember the exact day this past October when I realized things needed to change. For the first time, I WANTED things to change. I craved health and vitality instead of bread and cheese. I chose to take on the mantra “Eat to live instead of living to eat”. I didn’t know what I was going to do about it, but I knew I wanted it to be a lifestyle change and not just a fad diet. I wanted to be healthier – mind, body and soul. I reached out to a woman I knew that went through this same thing years ago. From that first email I received back from her recommending just journaling what I ate and incorporating the 4pm apple a day, I have never looked back. She recommended the book “Crazy Sexy Diet” which is all about eating plant based diet and alkalizing your body to prevent disease. As a Registered Nurse, this book completely spoke to my medical knowledge. It made sense.

One of my closest friends adopted the Ayurveda lifestyle several years ago. She does this cleanse twice a year and asked me to do it with her. My goal in October was to do this detox. And here I am. I am 29 pounds lighter and already a whole lot healthier – especially mentally. What a difference it makes when you nourish yourself.

I am new to this and nervous. But I am passionate about it and I believe in it. The biggest miracle may just be finding what works which makes the process easy. That’s where lifestyle change begins. I am open and ready. I look forward to pressing the reset button.