Cleanses and detoxes have become quite the fad now a days. Whether you are going for a juice cleanse, the “master cleanse” or a mono-diet cleanse; these can be great ways to rid the body of unwanted toxins and give the digestion a much needed break. With all of the chemicals and pollutants we deal with in this modern society, an annual physical cleanse is quite vital for sustaining good health.
However, good health is far from a physical concept. As we go through this world, day by day, we are not only accumulating physical toxins, but we begin to store mental toxins as well. The concept of mental toxins may not be as popular of a subject, but I guarantee you that it is more detrimental to one’s overall health then physical toxins.
In fact, 99% of all diseases stem from a mental/emotional origin.
These mental toxins may manifest in the form of stress, anxiety, anger, criticism, judgment, jealousy, sadness, depression, insecurity… The list goes on. Some of these mental toxins are in our awareness while others may be stored so deep, we do not even realize they are present. Either way, these toxic emotions are barriers to our health, wellness and a good quality of life. They need to be processed and released just as physical toxins do. Without a healthy mind, a healthy body is of little use.
Healing the mind may be an intense practice and we may need to begin slowly and gently. As we move through the countless years of emotional conditioning, walls and toxicity we have created, it may seem overwhelming at first. It is as an amazing teacher of mine once said:
“Our stored emotions are like a pot of garbage; without movement or recognition, they stay silent and unnoticed, however powerful they may be. It’s only once we begin to stir the pot that the stench begins to rise.”
The stirring of the pot is the process we go through during mental detoxification. If this pot hasn’t been stirred for a while, the stench may be quite intense and hard to handle at first. It is only once we being to remove these layers of “garbage” that this process begins to get easier and optimal health can truly emerge.
With the removal of mental toxins, true awareness begins to shine through; awareness of our feelings, our actions, our reactions. We begin to be able to hear the words of our heart again. We begin to come into innocent observation, instead of observing through experience and conditioning. Our relationships will flourish, as we are able to open our minds and our hearts to others. Our ability to love both ourselves and others will be endless. And as another great teacher of mine said: “Love is true freedom.”
