Hormonal Reset: Phase 1 - Light Therapy

Rise with the sun and go to bed with the sun - watch the sun set and rise whenever possible. Turn your phone on airplane mode when the sun dips below the horizon and unplug WIFI in the house. Avoid artificial light after sunset, especially bright lights and screens. Candlelight is ideal, or very dim lighting. If there are streetlights, close the curtains or do what is needed to block out the light, especially while sleeping.

Listen to your body as it gets tired and lay down. Without artificial light interference, your body will begin producing melatonin as it's meant to in the evening, which will help you to feel sleepy. Allow yourself to rest early and wake up naturally, without an alarm. Aligning with the sun is foundational to hormonal health.

Slow Elimination Diet: Phase 1 (3 weeks)

1. Eliminate sugar (especially processed sugar and sugar derivatives like high fructose corn syrup). Raw honey and dates are better alternatives in moderation.
2. Eliminate dairy (organic ghee is ok)
3. Eliminate caffeine and alcohol
4. Eliminate wheat gluten
5. Eliminate vegetable oils such as sunflower, safflower, canola, etc. Replace with ghee, cold-pressed olive oil (do not heat), cold-pressed coconut oil (small amounts) or cold-pressed avocado oil. Note: most nut milks use these vegetable oils and are high in sugar.
6. Eliminate all processed foods with chemical additives and preservatives.

Nutrient Absorption

1. Eat in balance with your physical activity. Listen deeply to your body in terms of when you need to eat, how much and what. Take pleasure in eating slowly, chewing well and enjoying your food.
2. Ideally make lunch the biggest meal of the day, eaten when the sun is highest in the sky, while digestive fire is strong.
3. Avoid mixing protein and carbohydrates. Eat protein alone with veggies or carbs alone with veggies. Fruit is best on an empty stomach.
4. Do not combine fluids with food. Wait 30 minutes after drinking to eat and wait 2 hours after eating to drink (unless it's fruit, which only needs about 30 minutes to digest).
5. Swap out your water for fresh spring water

Morning Practice

1. Wake up a little bit earlier than everyone in the house for some alone time.
2. Find a comfortable spot to sit.
3. Check in with your body, feel the sensation of the soles of your feet on the floor and the palms of your hands. Use your hands to make skin-to-skin contact wherever your body is asking to be touched. May be a shoulder, your belly, etc.
4. Bring awareness to your breath and any areas where you may be holding tension. Begin a silent dialogue with these parts and open yourself to receiving information from them, then extend this dialogue to the organs and systems of your body you intuitively feel most drawn to connect with - your liver, stomach, lungs, heart, intestines, spleen, kidneys, womb, nervous system, digestive system, etc.
5. Sit her for a bit simply breathing and tuning in deeply with the body. Really become present within your skin and listen to what your body needs.
6. Greet the sunrise outside and imagine breathing the sunlight into your forehead. If you have a spot of earth (garden or something) stand barefoot for a few moments while you welcome in the sun.

Body Journal: 30 days

Keep a little notebook with you (can also be done with the phone notes, but less screen time is encouraged) to track the following:

• sleep cycles
• anything you put in your mouth - food, drink, supplements
• notable changes in your physical state when emotions arise, but instead of labeling the emotion, simply note the actual sensation in the body (ex: Instead of, "I feel sad" you would say something like, "there is a heavy sensation in my heart and tension in the chest region. Energy levels are low, etc.). You may also note the environment/activity (ex. "solar plexus has a lot of sensation, flutters, palms sweating, face hot - reading email from "Jane" or walked into so and so's house).

This is an exercise in learning to observe the body in all the different states with curiosity and objectivity.

I suggest about once an hour taking a quick inventory of the body and jot down anything worth noting. Shouldn't take more than a minute or two.

Monitoring the Kidneys and Lymph

Don't eat for drink anything for 12 hrs (19h - 7h).

Pee in a clear cup - if the urine is cloudy and has sediment, that is a good sign that your kidneys are processing lymphatic waste. If the urine is clear, it is a sign that the lymphatic system is blocked up and kidneys need support. Do this once every few weeks.

Tongue Scraping

Buy an Ayurvedic tongue scraper and each morning take note of the color of the film you scrape from your tongue. It can vary between very white to brown depending on the internal temperature state of the organ tissues. White is cold and yellow to brown tones are hot.

Adrenal Cocktail
Fresh squeezed orange juice
Pure coconut water (be sure there are no additives like ascorbic acid)
Sea Salt

50% OJ + 50% coconut water + a pinch of salt

Magnesium/Epsom Salt Baths
Take baths whenever you can and make them luxurious. Adding essential oils like lavender and rose are wonderful for the nervous system. Use candles, leave the phone in another room, unplug and take your time.