Ah the Master Cleanse…many have tried it, many have failed. Tells us something about the cleanse. And about trying to take short cuts. In the case of this Axis Yoga Teacher Training student, the Master Cleanse may have failed but the effort to cleanse unhealthy habits for lasting change did not.
After seeing great results following my Ayurveda experiment, I was really excited for this second experiment. However, due to personal circumstances I had to miss the panel of Axis graduates, which I think it is extremely important to help trainees through the process. After talking to one of my peers, we decided to do part of the experiment together.
I have been struggling with weight loss for the longest time. I believed I mentioned this in my first paper. I have always been the chubby one in the family, and I’m very self-conscious about my body. In the past, I used to exercise regularly and was “in shape” and felt somewhat happy about my body. I moved to Colorado in 2012 and since then, I have gained 20 pounds. Therefore, part one of this experiment was a Master Cleanse. If done correctly, this master cleanse was going to help me start that weight loss process quickly and I would follow it with healthy eating and exercise. I decided to do this master cleanse because I had seen results in other people. It seemed simple and doable. I wasn’t doing it alone, so that support piece was taken care of. We did some research and it required the following: distilled water, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and maple syrup. The master cleanse is recommended for at least 10 days.
I didn’t want to set my expectations too high so we decided to try if for three days and see how it went. Preparation for this cleanse was the key. We decided that since we were not going to eat any solids for three days, we needed to start cutting back on the things that were a daily habit for us. I started with coffee. I am that type of person that HAS to have a cup of coffee in the morning, otherwise I am not a happy person. We decided to start the cleanse on a Saturday. The Wednesday before, I stopped drinking coffee and ate regularly. Thursday and Friday, I decided that all that I was going to eat was fruits and vegetables. Dairy was not a big issue for me since I stopped drinking milk since the Ayurveda experiment. he master cleanse was recommended to be done with other things. We were supposed to drink a smooth laxative every night and in the mornings, a sea salt flush was recommended. I started the laxative tea that Wednesday before to start getting my body used to it.
Finally the day of the cleanse arrived! And oh, I was ready! In my head, it was going to be a great success and my results were going to be wonderful. How wrong I as. I decided I was not going to do the sea salt flush. It was just too much for me… Morning came and I prepared my first drink of the day, while preparing French toast for my daughter. But my will power was stronger than the delicious smell, so I was able to just drink my juice just fine. However, after drinking it, I started having an asthma episode, which I think was as a result of too much cayenne pepper. I even had to use my inhaler, which I only have for emergencies. After that, I decided to modify the amount of pepper and see if it still had the same effect. I kept drinking my juice throughout the day, for a total of 32 ounces. It is recommended that a person drinks at least 64 ounces but I was not able to. I started feeling very weird and weak and even though I knew there was going to be side effects, it just did not sit well with me. I decided to quit this master cleanse and focus my experiment on another unhealthy habit of mine.
The Denver Yoga Underground began in 2003 at the request of dedicated students who wanted to study yoga as a holistic system. Over the years, a diversity of people, seeking education outside of a studio, found a welcome refuge in DYU.
Today we specialize in grassroots Pay What You Can workshops, accessible retreats and our signature yoga teacher training, for the outlier yogi.