Fall Detox Rituals

We don’t often think of doing a detox in the fall - normally we think of spring for detox practices. However, this time of year is actually a fantastic time to shed some old habits and clear our, body, mind, spirit, and our physical environment. 

In nature, fall is a time for letting go — letting go of the abundant summer season and shedding what’s old, releasing negative energy. Think about a tree losing it’s leaves: nature lays everything bare in the fall — it illuminates what’s always been there by shedding the excess, returns us to our essence, and eliminates what we don’t need. This is a preparation process: we are being prepared to go inward for winter, conserve our resources, and return to nothing so we can create newly in the spring, without being held back by the things we no longer need.

Fall marks the end of the heightened energy of the summer that we receive from the sun: extroverted, outward energy. It invites us to turn inward, slow down, and grieve.

Yes — grieve! You are grieving the loss of what you’re letting go of. In Chinese medicine, fall is the season of the element Metal (or air). Grief is the emotion associated with Metal element. In the fall, it is a good time to allow our grief to cleanse us of what is no longer needed, what is no longer serving us.

Here are some rituals you can take on for this fall to practice letting go and embracing grief, creating a blank canvas for new creation in the future:

• Cleaning rituals:

  • Declutter and clean out your home, car, and workspace. Clean out your digital spaces as well - email, social media, subscriptions, etc.

  • Declutter and clean out thoughts, behaviors, and activities that are no longer serving you.

• Create a grief ritual for yourself. Write down all the things you’re letting go that you feel sad about. Line by line, say a little prayer to yourself as you let go of each item: “Thank you, I’m sorry, I forgive you, I love you.” Allow yourself to feel sadness and grief and loss as you let go.

• Create a Dopamine Detox challenge for yourselves and friends this month:

  • Sugar

  • Alcohol

  • Coffee

  • Social Media

  • TV

  • News

• Take extra vitamin C to flush your system and boost your immunity. Follow this 21 day protocol: increase your dose from typical daily dose by 1,000mg each day for 10 days. Hold at that dose for days 10-12, then decrease by 1,000mg until day 21.

• Eat seasonal vegetables cooked and warm. Some great seasonal veggies: squash, beets, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, onions, leek, garlic, ginger. Here are some warming spices you can also add to your repertoire at this time of year: cinnamon, clove, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, rosemary.

• Practice breathwork or meditation to cleanse the lungs and the mind.

• Take epsom salt baths with warming essential oils (add rosemary, cinnamon, frankincense, sandalwood, cypress or eucalyptus - all warming, centering and grounding. I like getting my oils from Anima Mundi Herbals.)

Enjoy your fall season, and reach out if you need any support in your detoxing rituals!