My physical body has been a wonderful vehicle, carrying me through life for almost fifty-six years. I am deeply grateful and appreciate my physical self more now than ever. I like to reward my body, gifting it with regular detoxing, rest, and resets. I’m aware that my diet as a child wasn’t the most nutritious. I never went hungry or became malnourished, but I did become overweight and was generally unfit.
After years of research, I understand now that my body was toxic even as a child. My brother, Jimmy, and I ate a lot of packaged snacks. When Dad was still with us, Mum made sure to put a decent meal on the table every night. But after he left, preparing meals became very hard for her. Mum was struggling with both a brain tumor and the emotional fallout of her failed marriage, and with two volatile teenagers at home, I’m not surprised she couldn’t keep up. Chapter 11 in my book, Spirit Being Human – Discovering Resilience after Trauma, covers that traumatic time in my life.
The physical discipline we received back then was considered normal parenting: regular smacks, “hidings” (repeated hard smacks), and the occasional smack on the arm, leg, or even face. It left me with stress and inflammation that I now understand as toxic. I remember being low-energy as a child, with frequent respiratory issues and difficulty doing anything physical. In high school, I even began to experience joint problems.
My friends and family have been curious about why I chose to fast regularly. I’ll explain more in part two of this blog series.
Initially, fasting was difficult, and I felt unwell on day one. But it got easier each time. Day two—the juice day—feels like a replenishing, sweet treat for the taste buds and stomach after a tasteless water day. Detoxing brings so much energy and clarity. Joint pain disappears, and your body feels free of discomfort. Of course, pain returns when stress creeps back in, or if you start eating junk again.
Today, Ron and I are detoxing together over the next three days. It’s been about six months since my last detox, and I try to do one with each season—four times a year. 2024 has been a busy year, and time has flown. Just four months ago, I was severely sick with the flu for almost four weeks. I feel that the flu acted as a natural detox, with my body expelling through phlegm.
I’ve been detoxing regularly for 28 years now, and it’s been an interesting journey. I’m not as strict with it as I used to be; back then, I followed detox routines exactly as outlined in Annie Clark’s 3DCU method. In the 1990s, Clark published many books on health, nutritional recipes, and lifestyle changes. The process involves:
- Day 1: flushing your body with pure water—filtered rainwater or Pureau, rather than tap water, if possible. This day is tough and often brings fatigue or nausea, especially for tea and coffee drinkers.
- Day 2: juice day (along with water, teas, or broth).
- Day 3: fruit day (again, with water, teas, or broth).
These days, I add lemon water, herbal teas, or bone broth to make the detox easier and more suited to my needs.
Taking a break from regular food and drink for three days is a significant reset. The digestive system gets a break, and with fewer demands, the body can better focus on cleansing toxins. My experience with detoxing has been a true reset, happening on many levels: body, mind, and spirit. I try to time detoxing with the new moon, and this month’s new moon in Scorpio is ideal for it. Given that it’s also Halloween, I might even end the day with a fire tonight!
For more about the significance of this month’s new moon in Scorpio, see Yoga Journal – New Moon in Scorpio.