Juice For Thought: Ayurveda and Juice Cleansing

I get asked this question a lot.  What is Ayurveda’s take on juice cleansing?  My answer:  it depends.

It depends on your dosha (constitution) and what might be out of balance.  Ayurveda looks at the qualities in our environment, in our bodies and in our minds.  The key principle to remember when looking at these qualities is “like increases like.”  Juice cleanses by their very nature are cold, light and dry.  With this in mind, let’s briefly look at the three doshas of Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

Vata – comprises air and ether.  Qualities of air and ether are light, dry, mobile, cold.  In the mind when out of balance it can show up as anxiety, jitters, nervousness, inability to focus.  In the environment it can show up much like what we are experiencing now.  The weather on the east coast is currently cold, windy, changeable, dry.  So if your constitution is mainly Vata and any of the above is happening for you, then no, I would not recommend a juice cleanse for you. 

Pitta – comprises fire and water.  Qualities of fire and water are light, dry, hot, oily.  In the mind when out of balance it can show up as aggressive, anger, irritability.  In the environment it can show up as hot and dry as in a mid summer day.  So if your constitution is Pitta I might suggest substituting one or two meals a day for a juice and then having the last meal as a fresh, wholesome meal. 

Kapha – comprises earth and water.  Qualities of earth and water are cold, heavy, dull, soft, sticky.  In the mind when out of balance it can show up as possessiveness, greed, lethargy.  In the environment think of spring, wet, cold, damp.  So if your constitution is Kapha then yes for you I might recommend a juice cleanse for a few days, as you would be applying the opposite qualities to those that you are experiencing.

Juicing by its very nature is lightening, cooling, and energizing, which is why so many people say, "but I feel energized at first when cleansing."  It is creating a lightening effect in the body and mind, however, if you are not careful you could also be putting out your digestive fires (agni) and setting yourself up for a slow metabolism, weight gain, and unstable blood sugar.

I like to ask clients first why they feel they need to “cleanse”.  Then see if based on their dosha as well as what is out of balance if it is an appropriate time to cleanse.   When the seasons change such as summer into fall and winter into spring Ayurveda finds these the best times to cleanse to help with the changes going on in the environment. 

There is a wonderful cleanse that is easy to digest and offers a complete protein called Kitchari.  Along with the Kitchari, certain spices would be recommended for you to use to help make the cleanse more efficient.  I have attached a link at the end of this blog by Dr. John Douillard that will give you excellent information on Kitchari. 

More then anything else, I also ask clients to keep a tab on how they feel when cleansing.  If you are feeling cold on a juice cleanse then your body is speaking to you and you might be overriding the message because of Pragya Paradha – mistake of the intellect.  For example, we know we are cold but we continue to do the same thing that is making us cold.

The important thing to remember is that juice cleansing, like most cleanses, will lower your digestive fire.  If your body feels it is starving it will hold onto the fats and toxins.  Try sipping on ginger tea to keep your agni sustained.  If you are feeling really hungry maybe adding a teaspoon of coconut oil to the cleanse might help or maybe you have been cleansing for too many days or maybe this cleanse is not good for you now. Remember, it all depends.  Try to drink your juices at room temperature not cold.  Use low sugar fruits such as apples and lots of greens.  If you are a Vata or Pitta then I suggest waiting until the weather gets warm.

 If you decide that you want to juice cleanse anyway then maybe the above guidelines will help you in making the best decision for your body, mind and spirit.

Whether you are cleansing or eating, always give thanks and eat mindfully.  Turn off all electronics and eat as close to nature’s source as is possible for you.  Drink warm water and herbal teas throughout the day.  Remember that your body is an amazing vehicle taking you through this journey of life.  Treat it like the treasure it is.  We have been given organs that do an outstanding job of cleansing all the time.  Say hello to your liver, pancreas and gallbladder, just to name a few cleansing organs.  Let’s help them by eating properly in order to keep our digestive fires optimal.

Above all, know thyself, and think twice before jumping on the latest craze.  Perhaps just paying more attention to how, what, where and when you eat will make all the difference in creating a balance in your body that will be long term. 

It really does depend!

If you are interested in a Kitchari cleanse let me know.  Please click HERE below for more information.

Maha Bhutas

Akasha    Vayu    Tejas     Apas     Prithvi

Space        Air        Fire      Water   Earth

The season is changing, just look to nature to remind you.  If I can borrow the words of Ram Dass, “Be Here Now”. 

This tree is present in the now.  It is not worried if it is an oak or an elm, if it is day or night.   It is fulfilling its dharma and because of that it can share its magnificence; sometimes quietly with no leaves and sometimes majestically as now.

But always, always perfectly for this tree.

Akasha holds this tree gently for the story to take place.  Vayu begins to shake its leaves in a slightly different pattern that signals a change is about to come.  Tejas takes that friction that Vayu can create because of Akasha and cooks up a perfect stew of leaf colors from greens to yellows, oranges and reds.  Apas gives the correct amount of nourishment for life to continue through this signal of change.  Prithvi then takes all these elements and makes a beautiful bed of rich soil and leaves upon which to rest the roots of the tree until it is time to awaken again.

In gratitude to the Maha Bhutas and this tree on Kripalu soil for its gentle reminder of how to exhale with grace.

Food For Thought This Fall: Food Combining & Ayurveda

To start let me explain briefly how foods are viewed in Ayurveda.  Each food has its own taste (rasa) which can be heating or cooling, then it has its own energy (virya) which is heating or cooling and lastly it has a post digestive effect (vipak).  If two or more different foods are eaten of different tastes, energies or post digestive qualities the combination can weaken our digestive fires causing the food not to be digested and eliminated properly resulting in the production of toxins in our bodies causing many problems especially when done repeatedly over time. 

Here is a list of some of the foods that Ayurveda recommends that you DO NOT mix:

•  Fruit with milk

• Cheese and fruit (I know there goes those platters that you see served at almost every party)

• Meat and milk

• Fish and milk

• Milk and salt

The following is a list of foods NOT recommended in excess:

• fermented foods such as pickles

• milk and yogurt

• wrong diet for the season you are in

• cold foods at night such as ice cream or ices

• leftovers

The first question I am usually asked about mixing milk and fruit (especially for smoothie lovers) is: Why!?!?!  Simple answer is milk is a laxative and fruit is mostly a diuretic. The qualities of milk (best taken warm) in Ayurveda are sweet, heavy, and cool.  Fruits eaten alone are digested quickly and foods such as milk take a longer time to be processed.  Therefore, fruit will curdle the milk which can create acidity in the stomach, giving you that sour feeling. Also while many fruits like bananas are sweet, the post digestive effect of a banana is actually sour. The post digestive effect of milk, on the other hand, is sweet, causing indigestion when mixed together creating toxins and changing the intestinal flora.

Taking milk with fish again creates an incompatibility in the stomach.  Milk has a cold quality and fish as well as meats have a heating quality.  Ayurveda tells us that this combination can cause the channels in our bodies to become blocked over time.  The same holds true with salt and milk - heating and cooling.

The one season that Ayurveda, according to the classics, tells us to eat yogurt and cheeses is winter, but they should not be eaten at night.  They are best eaten during the lunch hours of 10am-2pm when your digestion is the strongest.

We want to work at keeping our digestive fires high.  In Ayurveda, the definition of health is not simply to be free of disease but as stated in the Sushruta Samhita is:

“He/she in whom, the dosas (body humour),agni (digestive powers), dhatus (tissues), malas (waste product) and their activities are normal, his/her soul, sense organs and mind are calm and clear, is called ‘Svastha’ (healthy person)”.

Keep Calm And Breathe On

"How many breaths do you take in a day?" was recently asked of a group of meditation students.

This is not a pop quiz so let me give you the answer, which is 15-20 breaths per minute.  If we use the number 15 then in 60 minutes we would take 900 breaths. Multiply 900 by 24 and that means we take 21,600 breaths in one day or 24 hour period.

I know how many times I do things in a day such as brush my teeth, wash my face, eat, run, yoga, sleep etc but I couldn't tell you how many times I take a breath.  OK, so it is part of the autonomic nervous system and we don't have to think about it.  But imagine if we did. I bet we wouldn't have to worry about over populating the planet :)   But seriously, take a moment and think about that. If our breath didn't happen unless we had to pay attention to it, maybe we would all be advanced yogis and put an intention toward every breath we take.  We have been given instead an amazing earthly body that handles this function from the moment we leave our mother's womb until the time of our death.  This blog is an invitation to sit for 3 minutes sometime today and pay attention to each inhale and exhale you take.  One technique I find helpful is to say the word Ohm. With each inhale mentally say Oh and each exhale mentally say mmmm.

Perhaps try this for the next 30 days and see what develops for you.

We cannot breathe for yesterday, we cannot breathe for tomorrow, we can only breathe now.  

In awe and gratitude for my breath, this gift of life.

Namaste

Pitta Season Survival Guide

"When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use.  

When diet is correct, medicine is of no need."

-Ancient Ayurvedic Proverb"

Do you have a happy tummy?

We are in the height of Pitta (fire&water) season. Pitta regulates our digestion, metabolism, appetite, and works our brain, and intellect.  As the season heats up, do you notice yourself "cooking" more as well?  What I mean is perhaps you find yourself becoming impatient, angry, intolerant or arguing more.  Those feelings can also be happening inside your stomach, causing it to become easily irritated and inflamed.

What is a Pitta to do you ask?  First, find your breath.  Allow some of your exhales to release through your mouth to release excess heat.  If you have not been practicing your Nadi Shodhana now is a perfect time to begin again as this breath balances the nervous system.  

Find yoga poses that create and instill coolness and a sense of calming in the body and mind. Strike a forward folding asana such as uttanasana to come into yourself.  These forward folds can be standing or sitting.  Bring in more gentle twists to release heat in the abdomen and the liver.  Try a few cobra poses too.  Think of the moon and the calming affects that it brings to the earth.  Remember that the five elements that are in nature (ether, air, fire, water, earth) are in each and every one of us.

Most importantly pay attention to the signals your body is giving you.  Are you having problems with your digestion and elimination  because you are eating too many spicy foods and at the same time attending more hot yoga classes?  Come back to the basic Ayurvedic principle that "like increases like".  To find balance think cooling and slowing down.  This would be a great time to add some restorative classes and/or slow flow practices.  As always look to your local farmer's market for the fruits and veggies growing in the Pitta season.  Nature is beautiful and smart and provides us with what we need, we just need to pay attention.  Besides who doesn't like watermelon - even the word is cooling :)

City Watermelon on a stick! Genius!

A Nose Knows

Are you bathing your organs in the stress hormone of cortisol? If so you could be overworking your adrenals, activating the insulin producing section of your pancreas and causing that excess weight around your middle which can in turn eventually affect the function of your thyroid.  The answer for most of us lies not in getting out and running another five miles but in doing the reverse by slowing down. Your body is already overworked and asking for you to rest, slow down and ground.  It is begging for your attention to not push things more by adding more activities to your day.  Find ways to reduce your stress such as getting away from your desk at lunch and going for a walk or maybe just finding a quiet space to meditate for 5 minutes.    Looking at your diet is important too so be sure you are not eating too many processed foods.  Try switching to warm veggies and organic grains for some of your meals and remember to make lunch the largest meal of the day when you can.  

Here is a pranyama (breath work) that works beautifully to balance the parasympathetic and sympathetic portions of the nervous system. Nadi Shodhana, also called Alternate Nostril breathing.  Try this daily for 10-15 minutes a day and see how this breath relaxes, grounds and supports you.  Maybe add this to your lunch hour, it is delicious.

Take a soft inhale through both nostrils, then softly exhale out both nostrils.  Gently close off your right nostril with your thumb and inhale through your left nostril, pause at the top of the inhale, then release your thumb and close off your left nostril with your ring finger of the same hand simultaneously and softly, gently exhale out the right nostril.  Pause at the bottom of the exhale, then close off the right nostril and inhale through the left.  Repeat for 10-15 minutes and let the breaths be so gently that if you had a feather by your nostrils it would barely move.  Begin and end the breathing with the left nostril.

When finished just let both hands relax in your lap and pause and feel what Nadi Shodhana has to offer you each time you practice.

Namaste

You Are What You...Digest (and DON'T Digest)

How important is the food you eat and how you digest it?  Here is what could happen if undigested food (toxins also called ama in Ayurveda) reach any one of these tissues in your body over a period of time:

.  Plasma:  acidity; heart burn, ulcers

.  Blood:  it becomes hot and will also overheat the liver, skin problems

.  Muscle:  fibromyalgia

.  Fat:  gaining weight without reason, high cholesterol

.  Bone:  osteoporosis, arthritis, stiffness

.  Nerve/Marrow:  MS, autoimmune diseases, Alzheimer's autism

.  Reproductive fluid - prevents nourishing your ojas (immunity)

Granted this doesn't happen overnight but if you spend years receiving these signals from your body and are not doing anything about it, problems can arise.  Perhaps it is time to look at your diet carefully.  If you are constantly popping over the counter medication and just masking the problem you probably have started to see that what you were taking originally is no longer working and you need to increase your dosage to receive the same benefits.  First and foremost always check in with your doctor and do not stop taking without your doctor's permission any medications you are on.  Second, find out ways to bring yourself back into balance through diet and lifestyle. Third, notice what happens when you do so.

How we eat is just as important as what we eat.  Are you eating on the run, in your car, at your desk, between appointments?  Are you shoving things down just to get through the day?  Ayurveda is a 5,000 year old science that is a wonderful tool to help you start to make small changes in your diet and lifestyle.  

Simple things like drinking two small glasses of warm water first thing in the morning to wake up your colon and help with a bowl movement can make big changes in how you feel during the day.  Scraping your tongue clears toxins from the body and helps to stimulate digestion.  Oiling your body before leaving the house for the day can help to remove toxins from the skin and give you a protective layer of love for your largest organ.

Stay tuned for more blogs on how to nourish your body, mind and spirit.  How to fine tune your diet and lifestyle and, therefore, learn to reach your fullest potential with love and gratitude in this lifetime in the body.

Three's Company with Sattva, Rajas & Tamas

 Recently I was fortunate enough to spend hours with a group of amazing ladies.  We come from different walks of life but we are all the same. 

In today’s world it seems we are constantly focused on the outer body and not the inner.  Even in yoga, as a teacher, I see many students sit on their mats and have a hard time quieting their minds.  They tend to be in the “mindset” of asking for progress reports: How did I do? Did I work up a sweat? Did I challenge myself? Am I getting any better? How can I progress?

As a teacher we speak about quieting the mind and we perhaps work with pranayama, but do we give our students what they want instead of what they need just to keep our classes full?  I believe we give them what they need at the moment in hopes they will sit on their mats wherever they are to bring harmony to their body and mind. I am on this path in this life like everyone else: Learning and stumbling and sometimes rising during whatever life brings.

We live in a world where others are constantly telling us what reality is. In magazine, on television screens, and on billboards, we think they are selling us reality, but in truth they are just selling.  Can you be quiet enough to hear that and can you get comfortable enough in your own skin to not be altered by the words of others selling for the sake of selling?

In yoga we speak about the maha gunas (great qualities) of the mind.  They are sattva, rajas, and tamas.  In order to work towards achieving good health and happiness, we must work with the mind as well as the body.  These qualities of sattva, rajas and tamas are in nature as well as us.  All three of these qualities are in us but some will play a more dominant role at times then others.  These qualities are continuously being affected by our diet and lifestyle as well as our environments.

Sattva – is clarity, harmony, balance

Rajas – is movement, stimulation, chaos, activity (mind)

Tamas – dull, dark, greedy, stubborn, inertia (mind)

Sattva can be achieved through a good diet of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables and non-processed foods.  It is also found through good deeds,  finding balance in your lifestyle, and by maintaining the right relationships (keep good company).

Rajas can be exacerbated through caffeine, sugar, spicy, and pungent foods.  We need balanced rajas in order to get things done, to wake up and go about our day, however, it can also bring about restlessness, overstimulation and competitiveness.

Tamas can be exacerbated through processed foods, and eating left over’s and microwaved foods.  It is the quality that can bring about a heaviness in order to fall asleep at night and rest when needed, but too much tamas can cause us to be lethargic, inactive and lack motivation.

So how do we increase sattva and keep rajas and tamas in balance to stay productive and lead a happy, healthy life?  Through the wisdom of Ayurveda, a 5,000 year old science!

• First and foremost to establish a routine of Dinacharya in one's life (a daily practice of cleansing our sense organs each morning).  See earlier blog for more information.
• To keep good company – spend time with like-minded individuals.  Hang out with people and friends who support you and each other! Be with positive people and if that is not happening see how you can change it.
• Listen to uplifting music and movies.  Read things that nourish your life and soul. Stay positive.
• When you sit down to a meal, sit down to a meal.  Be mindful of what you put in your mouth as that food will either nourish your body or create toxins in your body. Chew slowly and eat as fresh as possible.  Sit at a table and don’t eat on the run.  Remember you are nourishing your body and life; give it the time it needs to digest well.  This digestion nourishes all the tissues of your body or not if you are always eating on the go.
• Go outside summer, winter, spring or fall for a walk in nature.  Look around you see how nature thrives.  Even in an urban oasis as my beloved NYC there is nature all around the concrete.
• Turn off ALL electronics to quiet the mind, senses and spirit.  Try practicing this an hour before your bedtime, then notice if you start sleeping better.  Pick up that book you have been wanting to read and take it to bed before turning the lights out.
• Last and surely not least – Gratitude for these crazy, wonderful, challenging, hectic lives we lead.    I believe we have been given a gift by being born into this world. What gifts can you give back?

Can you give gratitude for what you have? Can you find balance deep within yourself to find peace?  Can you not be lead by fear?  Sit and meditate each day Give yourself space and time. The answers are there. Nothing to buy just dedication to living the best life possible and fulfilling your dharma.  Keep your senses healthy through your dinacharya routine so that when the answers come you will be able to hear, as sometimes they do not come through your ears alone. 

Manage Your Kapha And Kick Off Spring Right!

Are you feeling tired, heavy in mind and body, groggy, weighed down, and experiencing sinus problems? Then my friend, Kapha is visiting you this Spring.  In the ancient science of Ayurveda this is Kapha season. Kapha is comprised of the elements of earth and water and helps to control the body's stability as well as it's lubrication.  Kapha gives our cells their structure.  It also helps to coat the lining of our stomachs so that the digestive juices don't burn a hole through it.  When balanced, it is a wonderful, nourishing, building time, that provides lubrication for our joints especially after the cold, dry winter season of Vata.  So while winter is cold and dry, spring tends to be cold, wet and damp, which sets the stage for things to ripen and grow. It allows water to enter to produce or regenerate life all around us. However, when the earth and water elements of Kapha are out of balance, it causes many of the qualities listed in the first sentence.  When there is perhaps too much water it can inhibit a feeling of growth and feel more like being stuck in the mud.

So here are many of the qualities, or in Sanskrit the gunas, of Kapha:  Heavy, dull, slow, cold, wet, smooth, dense and stable. Kapha tends to hang out in certain areas of our body like our brain, joints, mouth, lymph, stomach, pleural cavity and pericardial cavity.

So What Can YOU Do?

Here is the good news; in Ayurveda one of the main tried and true tenets is "like increases like," so to alleviate many of the above symptoms all we have to do is apply the opposite quality.  We can do this by adjusting our diet and lifestyle accordingly. Think about heating, lightening and invigorating your diet, your body and your soul. Think of melting the excess water by heating things up, charging up your spirit and creating beautiful grounding space everywhere.  I invite you today to look and see what you might be able to do to sail through this glowing season of Spring and bloom into Summer.

Daily To Do List

• Diet:  avoid, meat, cheese, ice cream, milk, sweets
  

• Eliminate any iced drinks and opt for sipping warm water perhaps with lemon throughout your day
  

• Neti pot
  

• Eats lots of veggies steamed, without sauces
  

• Warm, clear broths like with miso or veggies
  

• Spices such as black pepper, ginger, turmeric 
  

• Grains such as millet or spelt
  

• Think of flavors or tastes that are have an astringency (dry things up) such as dandelion tea.
  

• Check out the Ginger, Cardamon and Fennel tea on my site HERE.
  

• Rise with the sun and throw away your snooze button 
  

• Exercise - go for brisk walks in nature
  

• Yoga - make it a light, energizing practice and pranayama.  This is especially the time to increase your digestive fires (agni) to burn up any excess mucus that tends to accumulate with Kapha in the Spring.  Try adding Ujjayi (victorious breath) and Kapalabhati (skull shining breath) to your practice. Please always check with your doctor first if you are pregnant or have any medical conditions that could be counter intuitive such as abdominal complications.  If you have not practiced these pranayamas or are unsure of them please speak with a yoga teacher you trust. I'll soon be adding some videos of these practices to help demonstrate so stay tuned!
  

Some Helpful Morning Yoga Moves

This is the time for more invigorating sun breaths and salutations, lots of twists and pumping actions to wring things out.  Set your yoga mat up by your bed and when you get up in the morning give yourself 10 mindful Sun Salutations to welcome the day.  Get into your ankles and legs to move the plasma and lymph systems.  If every there was a time to work up a nice sweat it is now and you don't have to do this by running hundreds of miles or doing power yoga in a 100 degree room, but you do have to breathe and move and if you are doing yoga notice at the end of your practice before coming into shavasana if you have a nice sweat going on.  Notice if you have built up heat to melt away any excess Kapha that might be weighing you down.  

And When It's Time For Bed...

All the elements are amazing and play an important role in our bodies so love up your Kapha in this Kapha season and maybe especially during the Kapha times of day which are 6AM to 10AM and 6PM to 10PM.   Start to wind down your day by around 9PM so that you can be in bed by 10PM.  Turn off those computers, cell phones and TV's and let this naturally tamasic time of day lull you to a peaceful and restful sleep.  You never know, you might love all the energy you have the next day when you do so because, after all if something feels right it just might be the start of a beautiful new relationship. 

Oil Up For Your Health

Sushruta Samhita, Vol. 2, ch24:21 
Sneha (oil) affused (sic) on the human organism imparts a tone and vigor to its root-principles (tissues), in the same manner as water furnishes the roots of a tree or a plant with the necessary nutritive elements, and fosters its growth, when poured into the soil where it grows.  The use of sneha at a bath causes the sneha to penetrate into the system through the mouths of the veins and the ducts of the body, as also through the roots of the hair, and thus soothes and invigorates the body with its own essence.
Under the circumstances, affusions (sic) and anointments of the body with oil or clarified butter should be prescribed by an intelligent person with due regard to one's habit, congeniality and temperament and to the climate and the season of the year as well as to the preponderance of the deranged Dosha or Doshas in one's physical constitution.

I love that the above is translated from Sanskrit into English for a text that is over 3,000 years old.  Reread the last paragraph and note where it speaks about climate and season.  Spring is a wonderful time to renew or begin your self-oiling.   Love yourself up in the morning with warm oil and if you have a few extra minutes, oil your scalp as well.  

In Spring the earth begins to renew and things start to move.  The dry, cold, rough of winter starts to thaw and things begin to blossom as cold turns to cool and wet.  Pause and see if you feel some of the qualities of Kapha in your body or in your mind: heavy, cold, dull, soft, stable, gross, cloudy or smooth.  If so, try adding some warming spices to your meals like black pepper, chili pepper, mustard, scallions, cumin and coriander. But, remember these are to balance Kapha and if used in excess can disturb Pitta which can already be on the warmer side.  A nice thing to try to heat things up is the Cardamon, Ginger, Fennel tea I posted earlier HERE.

It is important to remember that oiling removes toxins from the skin, wakes up the lymphatic system and coats you with a warm blanket of love as you head out into your day.  Make sure to put on this most important accessory before heading out your door.

For this time of year I recommend Sesame for Vata's, Coconut for Pitta and Sunflower or Mustard for Kapha.  Mustard oil is especially good for Kapha if you have congestion building in your body such as in your sinus cavity it really helps to stimulate and warm things up to move out.

 If you can get hold of a squeeze bottle it is a nice way to apply the oil, plus you can warm it in your sink or a bowl by placing it in hot water first.  Have these things out the night before and start warming it when you first go into the bathroom to eliminate and then scrape your tongue and brush your teeth.

.Have two old towels that you will use just for oil (and throw away when they get too oil stained).  Do not put them in the dryer as they can start a fire, let them air dry only.  Stand on one or sit and begin with a small amount of oil by rubbing it with your hands into your scalp (the secret to getting oil out is to put shampoo in hair without water and rub then step under water and rinse, then shampoo once more) or leave this step out if you don't have time or are not washing your hair.  

Begin massaging the oil onto your body, covering each and every part.  Move as slowly as time permits, just rubbing without intention is like eating on the run you are just doing it without really knowing why.  I like to sit and massage my feet as well but be very careful to rub some off on the towel as you don't want to slip in the shower.  I use the second towel to pat myself dry after the shower.

If you find a day where you have extra time it is nice to sit in the oil for 20 min.  You don't want to usually sit much longer then this as oiling can get heavy but these are things that are discussed further in a consultation.  

 Then take your shower and use any remaining oil on your hands to massage your face, throat and ears.  Rinse off, no soap except on your privates if you like, and allow the love to envelop you.