The Best and Brightest Cleanse Ever!

I did approximately 17 days of cleansing this month.  That's consecutive, of course, since one day on/one day off would hardly be effective.  I recently noticed a tincture at the back of my cupboard to cleanse your lymph system, and I thought, "Maybe I should do that.  It's been a while." Generally when I have a spontaneous thought-germ like that I try to follow it.  I figure my brain fed me that idea for a reason, so I decided to go for it.  My herbalist counseled that in order to properly cleanse my lymphatic system I needed to clean my elimination organs first (liver, kidneys, colon).  Seemed like a good idea; I knew my liver for one could definitely use a good bath.

Let me give you a bit background on your lymph system, and please, forgive any errors, I'm a total laymen.  Your lymph system is comprised of your lymph nodes, tonsils, spleen, and thymus gland (I have no idea what that one does).   It's like a highway for your circulatory system and your major organs: removing waste, toxins, cancer cells, pathogens, and dead blood cells, and also providing nutrients, white blood cells and hormones to your blood.  Unlike your circulatory system, which has this great pump called your heart to keep it going, the lymph system has no pump, so when it gets clogged up it's more difficult to drain.  Exercise is a great way to stimulate your lymph system.  Stimulating your lymph system promotes healing.  

Cleansing my lymph system seemed like a good idea because I'd been sick a couple times lately, and when I get sick it often starts in my tonsils.  Also, I had sort of a tough month February (as if you hadn't noticed) and I needed something difficult to sink into.  I'm a glutton for punishment I guess.

I decided to do 10 day whole body cleanse first, and then move on to my lymph cleanse.  This isn't one of those things where you fast and drink only a wacky version of lemonade.  No, instead it's just a bunch of supplements to take every day, while eating clean.  I assumed that cleansing would be pretty easy.  I mean, I had already pretty much cut out alcohol and caffeine, because I knew I wanted to cleanse, and after the holidays I needed a break.  And I already eat pretty healthily; I don't eat gluten at all, and I don't eat that much starch either.  I don't eat lots of red meat, I like eating lots of raw veggies and salad, no fast food; you get the picture.  So the main thing was to cut out dairy (except yogurt - it doesn't deserve to be called dairy), and really commit to no alcohol.  Easy.  Besides when I first started seeing my herbalist, Jeff, I cleansed very successfully for about a month.  Now that I'm all enlightened and shit I got this.

So it turns out that was really the wrong attitude.  Surprise!  Going into something assuming victory doesn't always lead to victory.  Whaaaaat?  Right around day 3 or 4 of my first cleanse I REALLY didn't want to be doing it.  Without the motivation of a recent major illness my resolve to cleanse was seriously disabled.  I wanted to have a glass of wine with a friend.  Not 3 glasses of wine, just one.  And I wanted to be able to eat a little ice cream at work.  On numerous occasions I had a cleanse-fail, usually involving alcohol and a friend I hadn't seen in a while.  At first I was really bummed, down on myself.  I wanted this to be the Best and Brightest Cleanse Ever!  But then I decided okay, this isn't the last cleanse.  And I started it, I bought the supplements, I'm going to finish it.  I mean, if you fall off your bike you've got to get right back on, yeah? 

So I recommitted, and went on to cleanse number 2.  And fuck, it was just as difficult!  Turns out, I'm pretty tough on myself already, as far as food goes, and I have no interest in making life more difficult in that arena. I'll cleanse again, and when I do it I'll approach it with less hubris and more humility.  Because I think it is a valuable exercise, both physically and mentally.

I'll close with an anecdote.  A new enthusiastic student of Buddhism went to her teacher and asked, "If I meditate four hours a day how long will it take to reach enlightenment?" His teacher told him it would take 10 years.  To which the student asked, "If I meditate for eight hours a day then how long will it take to reach enlightenment?" Her teacher's response: "Twenty years."  Nothing gets easier as you advance.  The lessons become more complex and difficult as your ability to rise to the occasion grows.