Day two of my five day juice cleanse-around 11pm. I lay in bed tossing and turning, caught in that Never Never Land between deep sleep and hazy wakefulness, way too incoherent to haul myself into consciousness and fix the rumbling beast that was punching holes in my stomach. Gas bubbles burbled and rattled, I could feel each gaseous explosion expand and pop in my belly. How attractive. As my belly continued it’s effervescent dance, I fuzzily realized I wasn’t resting well. With each pop and thunk I grew more annoyed and agitated, until my mind wandered back to dinner. Perhaps it was the wolf-like and primal manner in which I consumed a bowl of quinoa and steamed broccoli that was the cause of my intestinal froth. Maybe each hunk of partially masticated broccoli was staging a final revolt, screaming “slow down and eat mindfully! You call yourself a yogini, sheesh!”

I’ve had this issue before, this nocturnal rumba. I knew the solution; consuming 6-10 saltine crackers would cure me in minutes. “But I’m on a cleanse” I thought, wiggling under the covers and feeling guilty about breaking The Rules. “Screw the cleanse, I’ve gotta sleep-I’m teaching four yoga classes tomorrow!” I took to the stairs, my iPhone flashlight guiding me to the few crackers we had left in the cupboard, courtesy of a holiday casserole that was topped in the crunchy salty bits. If a handful of leftover sweet potato chips made it into my snack, I’ll never tell. I fell back into a blissful sleep within ten minutes. Such is the wisdom of listening to my body, regardless of the somewhat arbitrary rules my mind makes up along the way.

I woke up the next morning at 4:30am, and prepped our juice for the day.

Quench Juicery in Scituate, Massachusetts rocks!

There was a Hot Toddy, too!

Yes, I drank on my cleanse. I finished teaching my four Yoga for the Special Child classes, and was weary from trundling around in single degree temperatures. But! Hot Toddy to the Rescue! This lovely creation was courtesy of Quench Juicery in Scituate, Massachusetts. Right before my very eyes, they juiced an apple, ginger root and lemon, then mixed it with hot water, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It was delicious, warming and a recipe I fully intend to replicate at home! No, no alcohol, just good clean juice.

Oh, and I had them put some coffee in my smoothie but that’s another story.

Onward!

Gita

Why I broke my cleanse for a Hot Toddy...