Doing a detox every year has many benefits, but are you missing this one important step?
We’ve all heard about the importance of detoxing. The many benefits include: increased energy, improved digestion, and the release of accumulated toxins and weight. Every year I do a detox to do just that. But complete health comes not only from a healthy body, but also a healthy and resilient mind. You can drink green juice until, well you are green in the face, but if you don’t address the thoughts and beliefs that may be holding you back from true health, you may be shortchanging yourself from experiencing complete health of body, mind, and spirit.
Hippocrates once said, “If someone wishes for good health, one must first ask oneself if he is ready to do away with the reasons for his illness.” That is why I believe detoxing the mind of negativity and toxic beliefs can help you to re-focus on your goals, gain clarity of purpose, and bring awareness to what may be holding you back from achieving true health and happiness.
Why is detoxing our mind of toxic thoughts and negativity so important? Since our thoughts become things, releasing negativity and transforming limiting beliefs can help you to create a reality that you love and deserve.
Aside from eating wholesome foods and drinking pure, filtered water during a cleanse, here are six tools you can add to your detox to assist you in releasing toxic thoughts that may be sabotaging your attempts to achieve total health and wellness.
- Breathe it out. According to teachings in Kundalini Yoga, which by many has been dubbed the Yoga of Awareness, alternate nostril breathing not only balances the right and left hemispheres of the brain, it also calms the mind, clears your energy, and increase feelings of peace and serenity. You can also use it to help when you need mental clarity and to uplift your mood. To do this breathing technique, sit in a relaxed position either on a chair or with crossed-legs on the floor. Close your right nostril with your right thumb. You can rest your left hand in your lap and press the tips of your index finger and thumb together. Close your eyes and begin to breathe in and out slowly and deeply through your left nostril. Continue for two minutes. Switch sides and do the same while closing the left nostril.
- Become aware. The Law of Magnetism states that you can only attract what you put out energetically. So if you put out negative thoughts and feelings, that’s what you will energetically be attracting back to you. Awareness helps us to re-focus, release, and reframe our thoughts. By becoming aware, you have the power to change your energy and to attract and project positivity back in to your life.
- Change your frequency. Joy, gratitude, and love… these emotions and feelings vibrate at a higher frequency and if you attract what you put out, then you understand the importance of thinking and projecting these higher frequency thoughts and emotions.
- Scan your thoughts. Mind traps are thoughts or beliefs that keep us stuck. Feeling stuck or in a funk? Close your eyes to do a quick scan of any thoughts or beliefs that may be making you feel this way. Now, view each thought as a choice – and realize that if you choose to believe it, it will become your reality. If it’s not a reality you wish to create, go beyond it and choose an alternate reality for yourself. By doing this, you just may also find that you are able to formulate the perfect solution to your problem!
- Live in the Moment. You’ve heard the quote, “The past is history, the future is a mystery, but today is a gift — that is why it’s called ‘the present’”. Well, we can lose focus and create energy leaks by thinking of things in the past that we can no longer change or of things that have not yet happened, or may never come to pass. Harness your energy, release any worry or doubt (both worry and doubt can be toxic to the mind), and focus on what you can control by staying grounded in the present moment.
- Be Grateful. There was a landmark study done on the effects of gratitude and the research showed that those people who were tasked with writing down the things they were grateful for (as opposed to those who were tasked with writing down their worries and hassles), exercised more, felt happier, slept better and had fewer physical complaints. Sociologist and research professor, Dr. Brene Brown has found that “It’s not the joy that makes us grateful, but the gratitude that makes us joyful.” Simply put, increase your gratitude and increase your joy. And if you remember step three from above, being in a state of joy is one way to raise your frequency.
Next time you think of doing a detox, don’t forget the importance of the above steps to also renew, reboot, and reset your mind for complete health of body, mind, and spirit!
