Full confession: I hate cleansing.

Yup – you read that right. I love my coffee and wine and dark chocolate. I am terrible at fasting. I’m not diabetic, but if I miss a meal my blood sugar tanks and I get a little goofy – or sometimes I actually pass out.

AND….I am recovered from many years living with eating disorders. I grew up dancing ballet – loving what my body could do and hating how I looked, especially after puberty. In college I was bulimic to the point of giving myself a heart condition (from the extreme electrolyte imbalance). On the road to recovery I went through intense phases of orthorexia – a condition where someone is obsessed with a very strict eating “lifestyle” or “diet” in the name of “better health” – and orthorexia is anything but “healthy”.

Needless to say I haven’t had the best relationship with food in my life.

During my years of battling with eating disorders, I was especially obsessed with cleansing. I tried water fasts, juice fasts, smoothie fasts, super cleansers, Apple Cider Vinegar and raw apple juice – and I spent lots of money on “cleanse-in-a-box” kits for cleansing parasites, kidney stones, gallstones, candida and weight loss.

Cleansing used to mean a week of torture for the elusive glory of looking and feeling better. No pain no gain was my mantra, but what I got for all that pain was, ironically, looking and feeling worse.

If you may be struggling with an eating disorder, click here to check out the National Eating Disorders Association free online screening tool.

Now things are different

It took many years for me to not obsess over the scale, or count calories. And it took years for me to give up the habit of “hard core” cleanses, for a gentler, kinder approach. It took a lot of meditation (and still does!) on cultivating self love, and gratitude for what I have. While “hard core” cleansing has it’s place, I promise it’s not doing you any good if you’re stuck in self-loathing or desperate to lose weight.

Click here to read “What holistic cleansing is NOT”

So this year, I am launching our annual Spring Cleanse with a lesson in cultivating self love. Self love is the place where you start to rebuild a holistic, balanced relationship with your body and your life. Don’t worry – self love is not a prerequisite for joining this cleanse! It is, however, fundamental to a truly holistic approach to cleansing; and the Holistic Homestead is here to inspire and support you in that process.

Click here to read “A love letter from the Universe”

Once you’ve keyed into your deeper motivation for doing a cleanse, I can’t wait to help you craft a custom cleanse that will nourish you on a cellular level – body, breath, and mind. We will work from an ayurvedic perspective this year to discover your constitution, and build from there. My approach integrates gentle exercise, yogic breathing, meditation, gratitude AND super fun and healthy recipes.

Ready to nourish yourself, and love yourself deeply? Click here to register for our annual Spring Cleanse today!