Your body already knows how to cleanse and rejuvenate. In fact, you are completing a mini-fast every night when you sleep: The term breakfast comes from "breaking the fast" of the night before. Your body is also constantly shedding toxins and waste through elimination.

However, this natural cleansing process often is not enough. The constant exposure to toxins now found in water, air, food, and medications place a huge burden on your body. In addition a stressful lifestyle, lack of exercise, and a diet of refined foods add to the toxic load. Some signs that you are experiencing toxicity might include ongoing headaches, skin problems, depression, low energy, poor digestion, and constipation.

Rejuvenating and purifying is often accomplished through a program of cleansing and detoxifying. This takes a willingness to step out of your normal routine and dietary pattern while living and eating to create lightness and balance.

Eat light, stay hydrated
If you normally eat meat, consider a lighter vegetarian diet for five days with an emphasis on organic fruits and vegetables and fresh juices. Concentrate on steamed vegetables and whole fresh fruit. Eliminate all refined sugar, refined carbohydrates (such as white rice and white bread), processed foods, and foods high in fat. Eat only small amounts of whole-grain carbohydrates. The key is to keep meals small and simple to give your bodily systems a break.

While detoxifying, it is critical to stay hydrated in order to flush toxins and waste out of your system. Drink at least eight glasses of water daily. Ayurveda recommends drinking plenty of gingerroot tea to help purify the body and boost your digestive system. You may also want to include fresh fruit juices in the morning, mixed fruit and vegetable juices during the day, and vegetable juices in the evening. If possible, prepare them using fresh organic produce.

Sweat it out
Exercise is a cornerstone in a detoxifying program. The increased heat and sweat generated through exercise helps to purify and detoxify your body. Take hot baths or go to a sauna or steam room to encourage the removal of toxins through your skin.

Ease back to your regular diet
Always end your cleanse with a gentle transition by gradually reintroducing foods into your diet that are more difficult to digest such as meat, nuts, starchy vegetables, and whole grains.

The above suggestions are general guidelines for purification and detoxifying. There are hundreds of different specific cleansing and detoxifying plans available. For more information on the Ayurvedic detoxification program, panchakarma, refer to Grow Younger, Live Longer by Deepak Chopra, MD, and The Wisdom of Healing by David Simon, MD.

Rejuvenate with Amalaki
Amalaki (Emblica officinalis), also known as Indian gooseberry, is considered the best herbal medicine for rejuvenation in Ayurveda. This valuable herb is one of the richest natural sources of antioxidant vitamins; its juice possesses almost 20 times as much vitamin C as orange juice.

Amalaki's traditional role as a rejuvenating herb has been studied in both cancer and heart disease. Studies have also shown amalaki to have antibiotic activity against a wide range of bacteria.

Amalaki is one of the three ingredients of Triphala, an excellent Ayurvedic bowel tonic and rejuvenator, as well as the basis for the ayurvedic herbal jam, Chavanprash, known as a general herbal tonic with potent antioxidant properties.

Ghee: The Golden Oil
Ghee is clarified butter and is a staple in the Indian diet. Ghee is used as cooking oil, as a flavoring instead of butter, and as a digestive.

How to make ghee: Place one pound of unsalted butter in a one-quart saucepan over low heat. Allow to melt completely, and raise heat to medium. Skim off foam as it rises. When the butter starts to boil, lower heat again and cook slowly for about 10 minutes. The ghee is done when all the moisture has cooked out and the milk solids at the bottom of the pan have turned a light golden brown (watch carefully so it does not burn). Remove from heat, let cool, and pour into a clean glass jar or bowl. Ghee keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator or can be stored at cool or room temperature for several weeks.