5 Essential Ayurvedic Practices for Quick Post-Thanksgiving & Pre-Christmas Digestive Reset
Updated: Dec 8
The holiday season often tempts us with delicious and indulgent foods that fill our tables and hearts with joy. However, after the Thanksgiving feast, many of us feel bloated and sluggish. Thankfully, a quick Ayurvedic cleanse can help reset your body and mind as we approach Christmas and New Year's Eve. Here are five impactful Ayurvedic practices to detoxify your system and boost your energy during this busy time. Ready for a digestive reset Ayurveda style?
1. Embrace a Simple Diet
A simple diet is key to an effective Ayurvedic cleanse. This means embracing easily digestible foods that support your body's natural elimination processes. Focus on warm, well spiced, cooked whole foods.
For breakfast, prepare a warm bowl of oatmeal topped with digestive spices such as cinnamon or cardamom—which can help with your digestive fire (agni) and reduce toxins (ama). For lunch, a nourishing khichdi, combining rice and mung dal, offers a perfect blend of protein and carbohydrates while resting your digestive system. Include seasonal vegetables like roasted Latte Spice Squash Recipe, beet soup, Liver Cleanse with Ayurvedic Food, and roasted root vegetables to further enrich your meals.
Reduce ama (toxins) and balance your agni (digestive fire). Here's our complimentary Ayurveda recipe eBook to support you with light, easy to digest meals during your cleanse.
Here's a list of 11 Cleansing Soups:
To ease your transition, avoid heavy, processed foods that offer little nutritional value and increase ama. Aim to reduce or eliminate dairy and added sugars, which can contribute to inflammation and sluggishness. Studies show diets high in sugar can lead to increased fatigue—keeping your sugar intake in check can enhance your energy levels.
2. Hydrate Wisely
Proper hydration is vital for any cleanse, and Ayurveda emphasizes drinking wisely. This means not just increasing your water intake but also choosing drinks that balance your doshic picture.
Start each day with a glass of warm water mixed with the juice of half a lemon. Research shows that lemon is rich in vitamin C and can stimulate digestion, helping to flush out toxins (ama). Herbal teas such as ginger or peppermint are also beneficial. They can ease digestion and add hydration, which is crucial for optimal body function.
Don't forget to incorporate hydrating foods into your meals. Fresh soups or broths made with seasonal vegetables provide both hydration and essential nutrients, making them an excellent choice during your cleanse. Keeping up with hydration can increase your body’s metabolic rate significantly aiding your detoxification process.
To support you in taking care of your emotional wellbeing, consider adding How to Detox Emotionally|10 Ayurvedic Practices for Emotional Cleansing.
Heavier meals, eating out more, off your regular schedule, all of these factors can tax your agni. Our warming beverages can enkindle your digestive fire and are not just for Vata type people or imbalances. If you're feeling sluggish, heavy, bloated, give them a try to stoke your inner fire. Choose or modify the recipes to suit your doshic picture.
"Vata is particularly noticeable during this time of year (travel, irregular schedules, windy, cold days) for everyone. What occurs in nature can affect you regardless of your predominant dosha. Ritucharya, or living in harmony with the season, means that even if you are more Vata or Pitta, you need to address the Vata qualities of the season. We are part of nature, not separate from it. What happens "out there" influences us internally.
Ayurveda is the wisdom of life, which involves understanding how you experience the dynamic nature of each season, day by day, and moment by moment. It's not about following a list of rules or adopting one-size-fits-all solutions. It's about tuning into your inner experience and making choices that balance the present moment. Living Ayurvedically is a continuous meditation in all aspects of life. We live meditatively by listening to what Is. In this way, Ayurveda (the wisdom of life itself) is a vehicle to cultivate the inner stillness we all need and seek. And, that is the greatest gift we can give to the world."
- Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
4 Warming Vata-Pacifying Tea Blends to Balance Your Dosha Coming Soon: 7 Warming Morning Drinks Beyond Golden Milk
3. Incorporate Daily Detox Rituals
Daily detox rituals enhance your cleansing efforts. Here are a few practices to consider:
Oil Pulling
Start your mornings by practicing oil pulling. Swish a tablespoon of sesame oil in your mouth for about 10-20 minutes. This ancient practice helps remove toxins from your mouth and supports overall health.
Dry Brushing
Before you shower, try dry brushing (garshana) your skin using a natural bristle brush. This technique can stimulate lymphatic drainage, improve circulation, and exfoliate dead skin. Some studies suggest that regular dry brushing can enhance blood flow.
Abhyanga (Self-Massage)
Conclude your daily routine with an abhyanga, or self-massage, using warm sesame oil. Not only does this practice nourish your skin, but it can also calm your mind and encourage natural detoxification.
Two-Minute Meditation Technique: Learn to weave a state of calm throughout your day.
4. Prioritize Meditation and Yoga
Meditation and yog-asana are pivotal in an Ayurvedic cleanse. Engaging in daily practices can ground you, relieve stress, and improve your overall health.
Dedicate a few minutes each day to our free daily guided meditations or pranayama (breathing) exercises. This can be as simple as sitting quietly and focusing on your breath. Research indicates that consistent practice can reduce stress levels allowing you to connect more deeply.
Yog-asana is equally important for detoxification. Incorporate gentle poses that stimulate digestion and promote healthy bowel movement. Postures like twists (e.g., seated spinal twists) and forward bends (e.g., forward fold) help release toxins, support healthy liver, and enhance flexibility. A study found that regular yoga practice improves digestive health.
5. Get Adequate Rest
While following these Ayurvedic practices, prioritize rest. Quality sleep is essential for your body to recover and rejuvenate.
Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Establish a calming Ayurveda nighttime routine, like dimming the lights and avoiding screens for at least an hour before bed. To promote relaxation, enjoy a cup of herbal tea—such as chamomile or lavender—which can help improve sleep quality. Studies show that herbal teas can enhance sleep duration.
Consider listening to your body and allowing moments of downtime during the day with our two-minute meditation technique. Short breaks or quiet moments of relaxation can greatly support your detox journey and improve your focus.
Final Thoughts
As you move through the post-Thanksgiving and pre-Christmas season, incorporating these five essential Ayurvedic practices will help you rebalance agni, release ama, and restore dosha balance. By focusing on a simple diet, hydrating effectively, embedding detox rituals, embracing meditation and yog-asana, and ensuring adequate rest, you can create a smoother transition to the festive season.
This cleanse is not just a physical reset; it is also a chance to nourish your mind and spirit. As you embark on this journey, remember to pay attention to your body, honor its needs, and prepare for vibrant celebrations ahead.
By committing to these practices, you will feel revitalized and ready to embrace the joy and festivities of the holidays—all while keeping your well-being at the forefront. This path to balance is not just about cleansing; it is an opportunity to reconnect with yourself and set meaningful intentions for the celebrations that are yet to come.
5 Essential Ayurvedic Practices for Quick Post-Thanksgiving & Pre-Christmas Digestive Reset
Discover how personalized Ayurvedic treatment can change your life
Book a free consultation with Veena from Saumya Ayurveda
“So glad I found Veena! After conducting a detailed assessment to determine my dosha imbalances, Veena developed a treatment plan that was unique to me and easy to understand. Most importantly, it produced results! I plan to continue working with Veena as part of my overall journey to better and sustainable health.”
--Maureen Young, USA
“I found Veena through a Google search after attending a yoga retreat where I felt disconnected from myself. In the past, I’ve traveled to India and tried to incorporate Ayurvedic treatments during our family trips, but I never experienced the full benefits.
That’s when I decided to search for someone in the US, and I couldn’t be luckier to have found Veena. She is incredibly knowledgeable, and after every session, I feel more grounded, connected with my body, and aligned with my well-being. If you haven’t scheduled a consultation with Veena yet, I highly recommend it. Committing to work with her will truly transform your overall health.”
-Gabriela Ephrem, Minnesota
"Finding Veena was like finding myself again! Her advice, humour, support, knowledge and herbs are extraordinary! Thank you for a lifetime guidance”
- Evgenia Gibbs, UK
Discover the Saumya Ayurveda Way
We all want to be heard, understood, and cared for as whole beings, not a set of isolated symptoms. True health is more than the absence of disease, which is why Western medicine so often leaves us feeling hopeless and unseen.
Deep down, you already know what you’re searching for: a new framework for living – one that brings your entire being back into balance. With Saumya Ayurveda, you’ll receive individualized guidance to create the physically, mentally, and spiritually vibrant life you crave.
Saumya Ayurveda provides concierge, top-notch, award-winning Ayurveda care. We strive to keep it simple, so you can focus on you! Our practice model is client focused not on retailing herbs.
Our effective multi-appointment consultation packages provide you with experienced Ayurveda care, enthusiastic guidance, and inspiring support.
Explore our personalized services and book your FREE discovery call today.
BEFORE YOU LEAVE…
If you found value in this article, please help others by sharing it and reposting it on your social media platforms. Just click the three vertical dots at the top of this page.
Saumya Ayurveda is dedicated to offering you insightful Ayurveda content for free to assist you in embracing an Ayurveda lifestyle. Thank you for your support.
MEET VEENA: YOUR AYURVEDIC GUIDE
Veena is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and meditation teacher, and monk.
She is President Emeritus and teaching faculty of the Meditation Center.
Veena fell in love with the traditional medicine used in her family’s home, learning herbal remedies at her grandmother's knee.
An experienced Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, Veena’s deep, intuitive knowledge of Ayurveda empowers her clients to reclaim their fullest, most vibrant lives –mentally, physically, and spiritually.
Veena individualizes treatment plans to each person, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, so it fits your life and becomes woven in your lifestyle, naturally.
Learn more about Veena's work and book your FREE discovery call today.