Hi Reader,
How have you been this week? Have you noticed the change in the air over the last couple of weeks? Slightly cooler mornings and shorter days?
Maybe you can feel it in your body too. Perhaps you’re feeling more bloated after meals, your appetite has changed, or food seems to sit heavier than usual. But it could also show in drier skin, lighter sleep, or energy that feels a little more up and down.
And often we only notice what has changed when something happens that makes us stop and think. That happened to me recently over a bowl of pasta salad.
A few weeks ago, I made a simple pasta salad for lunch. Pasta, tomatoes, a few vegetables, olive oil, seasoning. Nothing particularly remarkable. Except for the tomatoes.
Tomatoes are one of those foods I have to be very careful with. I like them, especially when they are home grown, ripe and full of flavour, but my digestion doesn't agree - too much heat. And yet, I ate the salad and felt absolutely fine. It made me realise: My digestion has changed.
Back in spring, I did the Ayurvedic spring cleanse. For a week, I ate only simple food, returned to regular mealtimes and gave my digestion a break from constantly having to deal with different foods and combinations. And I felt better afterwards, as I usually do.
But this time, I noticed something else in the months after the cleanse: My digestion had gradually become steadier.
Foods that I previously had to be careful with, like the tomatoes, weren’t causing the same problems. I could accommodate more variation without immediately feeling the consequences.
And that, for me, is one of the most interesting things about an Ayurvedic cleanse. The seven days are only the beginning.
During a cleanse, we simplify. We eat foods that are easy to digest, support Agni (our digestive fire), create regularity around meals and sleep and keep life as simple as possible. In other words, we create better conditions.
And then the body continues from there. Of course, what happens afterwards matters for sure. If we immediately return to irregular meals, late nights and eating whatever happens to be available, those conditions disappear pretty quickly. But if we carry some of that rhythm back into everyday life, digestion has an opportunity to become stronger and more resilient. And resilience is what we are aiming for.
Avoiding foods can be useful for a while when digestion needs support. Over time, we want to build greater digestive resilience.
I certainly want my digestion to be able to cope with the occasional tomato, meal out, holiday or day when everything doesn’t happen exactly as planned.
That’s why seasonal cleanses are so important. They are not just about those seven days, but what becomes possible afterwards.
Autumn Cleanse starts soon
I’m getting ready for my 7-Day Ayurvedic Autumn Cleanse, and you’re very welcome to join me.
We’ll start with an Opening Circle on Tuesday evening, 29 September, where I’ll help you prepare for the week ahead.
The cleanse itself runs from Friday 2 October to Thursday 8 October. We’ll simplify our food, support digestion and establish a daily rhythm that helps the body make the transition into autumn. And the good news is that the Autumn Cleanse is all about nourishing.
You’ll have the daily guidance inside the course, recipes and practical instructions, and we’ll go through the week together in our WhatsApp group.
Then we’ll meet again for our Closing Circle on Sunday 11 October to reflect on the week and, importantly, look at what you want to carry forward.
If your digestion, eating or daily routine has become a little scattered over the summer, this is an opportunity to strengthen your digestion, rebuild a steadier rhythm and prepare your body for the colder months ahead.
Opening Circle: Tuesday, 29 September · 7 pm Cleanse: 2–8 October Closing Circle: Sunday, 11 October · 10 am
Early Bird: £79 until 23 September · £97 thereafter
Join the Autumn Cleanse →
From my Practice this Week...
I’ve spent more time on my mat this week. And one thing I’ve really noticed is simply how good it feels to move my body - also beyond the usual movements.
The reaching, folding, twisting, lengthening, breathing, ahhh. My body feels different afterwards and my mind feels more grounded too - more 'ok, I can do this' rather than, 'oh, so much to do'.
One posture I’ve been returning to is Janu Sirsasana — Head-to-Knee Pose.
It’s a posture I’ve practised and taught for many years, and there is much more happening in it than simply trying to get your head somewhere near your knee.
If you’d like to explore it with me:
Read: Janu Sirsasana
From my Kitchen this Week...
As I’m preparing for the Autumn Cleanse, I thought I’d share one of the digestive teas we’ll be using during the week.
Autumn Digestive Tea
- 2 cups water
- ¼ inch fresh ginger
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp liquorice powder
Bring the water to the boil and add all the ingredients.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Strain and drink one glass after meals.
It’s a simple way to bring a little digestive support into the day, especially as we begin moving towards cooler autumn weather.
A note on liquorice: Regular consumption or larger amounts of liquorice aren’t suitable for everyone, particularly if you have high blood pressure or take certain medications. Leave it out if it isn’t appropriate for you.
This Week's Blog Post/Podcast
Which nostril are you breathing through right now?
Here’s something you may never have paid attention to. Close one nostril and take a breath. Then change sides. Does the breath flow more freely through one side?
Most of the time, one nostril tends to be more open than the other, and this changes naturally throughout the day.
Yoga has paid attention to this for a very long time.
The right nostril is associated with pingala nadi and the more active, warming and outward-moving qualities. The left is associated with ida nadi and the cooling, calming and inward-moving qualities.
And this is where Nadi Shodhana — alternate nostril breathing — gets particularly interesting.
By deliberately alternating the breath between the two nostrils, we begin working with that balance between activity and calm. It is also one of the reasons Nadi Shodhana has such an important place in the traditional progression from asana to pranayama and eventually meditation.
This week, I’ve taken a much deeper look at this familiar breathing practice: what Yoga says is happening, what modern research is beginning to show, and why a few rounds can change how the mind feels. And in the podcast, we actually practise it together. Before you do, remember which nostril felt more open. Then check again afterwards.
You might be surprised by what you notice.
Read & Listen Here
A Glimpse behind Back to Rhythm
Something interesting has been emerging as I’ve been working more on Back to Rhythm. The programme seems to follow a very simple progression:
Your Symptoms → Your Patterns → Your Rhythms → Your Anchors
We begin with what you can already see.
Perhaps you’re bloated in the evening. You wake during the night. Your energy crashes in the afternoon. You become irritable when you haven’t eaten. Or you finally sit down at night and suddenly feel wide awake.
Then we start looking for patterns.
When does it happen? What tends to come before it? What keeps repeating?
From there, we look at the rhythms underneath those patterns — when you eat, sleep, work, rest and move.
And then we choose the anchors that can begin to change those rhythms.
I’ve taught all of these things for years. Building Back to Rhythm has made me see much more clearly how they fit together. I think there’s a framework crystallising here.
I’ll keep you posted.
🌿Pause & Reflect
Before you go, think back six months.
Have you noticed a particular food item or group that your body handles differently now?
Or perhaps you've noticed a change somewhere else. Maybe in your digestion, your sleep, your energy, response to stress, or the way your body feels when you move.
Usually we are more aware of what still needs fixing.
This week, see whether you can also notice what has already changed.
Sometimes the evidence that something is working appears much later than we expect.
Know someone who would enjoy this Sunday Read? Feel free to pass it on. And if it was passed on to you, I write one every Sunday — you’re very welcome to join us.
💭 If you have a question, or there’s something you’d love me to explore in a future Sunday Read, you’re always welcome to let me know.
Here’s to moving through your days with a little more calm, ease and intention.