Spring Cleanse Frequently Asked Questions

This year, Mandala has decided to make it even easier for you to take part in the Spring Cleanse. Everything can be done at home, so you don't even have to live nearby to benefit from this supportive and healthy cleanse. Contact Jolie to learn more!

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this cleanse work?

This is a home cleanse.  This means that there are no official meetings.  There is a detailed daily instruction manual, daily emails with specific guidance and many suggestions of how to best support yourself but the focus of the cleanse is your personal experience in your home learning new habits and practices for healthy living.

What should I do to get started?

Come into Mandala studio or sign up by sending an email to info@mandalayoga.com with "sign up for The Cleanse" in the subject.  After this you will receive a welcome letter instructing you on how to begin.  You can come into Mandala to pick up your cleanse package or indicate that we should send it to you.  It is good to sign up a week or two before The Cleanse so you can do a Pre-Cleanse Phase.  The pre-cleanse phase helps to get you ready for the actual 8 day cleanse.  It makes your transition into the ten day cleanse much easier and deepens the detoxification effects of your cleanse.

What does Pre-cleanse mean?

Pre-cleanse phase is the week or two before the actual 8 day cleanse where you transition into cleanse mode.  In your welcome letter you will be guided on what foods and habits to begin to let go of, what habits to begin to practice, what tools to buy and how to specifically prepare your home for The Cleanse.

Why is this cleanse better than any other?

The biggest benefit of this cleanse is that it sets you up for the long term.  It is a gentle but thorough transition off of foods that are harming your body into foods that create a detoxifying experience.  Struggling through the unfamiliar routines of this cleanse makes it yours forever.  By the end of the 8 days you are thoroughly immersed in a lifestyle that, from my experience, keeps you more vibrant and healthy and better able to move through sickness and imbalance.  If you were to cater the whole cleanse you would feel the benefits but not have them as your own to incorporate into daily living.

What am I actually getting in my cleanse package?

You are getting a fantastic Cleanse recipe book, a daily step by step instruction guide, herbalized ayurvedic body oil to help loosen toxins, instructions on daily practices in yoga, meditation, breathwork and writing, daily email support with recipes, suggestions of how to move easily through each day, reminders of what you need to be prepared for each day and more.  You have email access to me with your questions and challenges as often as you need.  There are many cleanses on the market that you can do on your own.  People have told me that the daily support and access to my knowledge and experience, the detailed instructions each day and personal suggestions have been invaluable to making this a truly successful cleanse.

What does The Cleanse include?

Additional cleanse tools are available for sale through our website or at the studio.

What do I need to have to do this cleanse?

You will need a juicer and a blender.  Other than that you need vegetables, fruits and the other ingredients for cooking your cleanse meals.

What if I don't have a juicer? Can I buy my juices?

Yes you can.  It may be quite expensive as you will be drinking a full quart of juice each morning.  It is also really worth your while to own and get familiar with using a juicer.  My juicer is in full use from the first time I do The Cleanse each spring through the summer and into early fall. I do think it is of great benefit to work with your own juicer; learning how to be efficient and quick with your juicer and knowing what juice combinations are your favorites.

Do I actually eat on this cleanse?

Yes this is an eating cleanse.

What foods can I eat on this cleanse?

There is a Master Food List at the back of the recipe book that is in your Cleanse package.  It includes the grains quinoa and millet, almonds, walnuts, all vegetables except for yams and potatoes, all fruits (although tropical fruits are not especially encouraged).  You may use olive and flax seed oil, honey, maple syrup and other condiments as you will see on the list.  You are encouraged to eat heartily and deliciously.  A huge benefit of this cleanse is that you learn how to eat well and abundantly and see how this is what leads you to a healthy, trim energized self.  It dispels the myth that to be healthy and trim you need to deprive yourself and eat tasteless boring food.

What is the Master cleanse drink and how do I know how to make it?

The master cleanse is a drink made from lemons, powdered clove, filtered water and honey or maple syrup.  Some people add cayenne pepper as well.  The recipe is one if the first pages in The Cleanse recipe book which is in your package.  There is also a cleanse on the market where people drink only this master cleanse drink for several days.  While this may be beneficial for certain people at certain times the downsides are that it does not guide you into how to eat once you are off the fast.  You do not get to practice the eating habits which lead to long term health.  It can be detrimental to lose weight so quickly on an extreme fast and then once you start eating again your metabolism may have slowed down and more weight may be gained.  Again, this does there are times such a fast may be exactly what someone needs and can work with thoughtful guidance.

Are there other things I will need to purchase?

Below are some suggestions to help support the cleansing process:

What does a typical day look like on The Cleanse?

How do I cook my food on the Cleanse?

You cannot cook with oil although you are encouraged to use raw olive and flax seed oil on top of your food.  You can water saute, bake and steam.  Your cleanse package will instruct you on several methods including water sauteing, making vegetarian sushi and more.

How do I get off of coffee?  Is there any way I can have it  on this cleanse?

Coffee is not on the Master Food List.  This is your cleanse and you can follow it as diligently as you choose.  To get off of coffee use your pre-cleanse week to transition.  Start by switching to decaf or half decaf half regular and moving the time you have your coffee to after lunch. You can switch to green tea or an herbal tea in the morning during this pre-cleanse week if you feel the need. During the cleanse after your hot water with lemon or lime or plain and your juice you an have an herbal tea and even a green tea if you feel the strong need.  Rooibos or red bush tea is a rich decaffeinated tea that can be very satisfying.

Is this a raw food cleanse?

The recipe book includes many delicious raw food recipes.  If you wanted to do The Cleanse completely raw you could.  I do strongly suggest that you eat cooked meals at least the first few times of doing The Cleanse.  If your body is not familiar with eating a raw foods diet the raw foods can be difficult for the digestive system to thoroughly digest.  If the body has not cleansed before jumping into eating all raw foods could create a healing crisis.  If you wanted to move into raw foods doing this cleanse with cooked foods would be a good first start.  After that you could begin to incorporate more raw foods into your diet and see how that felt.  I could certainly guide you into eating raw if you wanted to pursue that route eventually.  From an Ayurvedic perspective cooked foods are more grounding to the body, vata balancing and supportive to strong metabolism.

During the course of your cleanse, we recommend that you facilitate your body's cleansing processes with hands-on treatments. To get the toxins moving, try Abhyanga, a deeply relaxing full body warm oil treatment with herbalized oils. To help squeeze out the organs and stimulate lymphatic flow, try Garshana/Vishesh, a whole body exfoliation followed by warm oil treatment. To help sweat out the toxins, the Swedna steam treatment is unparalleled. All of these treatments and more are available at MAHA (Mandala Ayurveda Healing Arts), with Jolie Parcher and other therapists. See our Hands on Treatment Page for more details and pricing.