Time to DETOX | Part 1 of my Forest Detox Adventures!

So, in case you didn't know - I like food :)

I like coffee.
And wine.
And chocolate.

I also LOVE fruit and vegetables, nuts, crazy raw sprouted living things and green smoothies; I LOVE healthy food. But yeah, sometimes the coffee / wine / chocolate bit gets the BEST of me. And toast? Evil, evil toast; the busy/lazy person’s solution to breakfast-lunch-dinner. Eeeeeek. Are you with me here?? { Btw, you can tell a persons eating patterns from their instagram I find - hahaha - sneak a peak here to see if I'm falling on the good or the bad side today! }

Yes, sometimes we let things slip, and then they slide and then, we’re finding ourselves needing these ‘crutches’ just to get through the day. This has been me the past few months.

And I knew I wanted to make some changes.

But habits are funny things aren’t they? They grip on; they whisper sweet nothings in our ears. Sometimes you have to stand up and walk away from them. Even if just for a day. And somehow that little break; that little break is all the difference you need.

So, here I was, filling my weeks with 'busy'. Having two large coffees a day { that’s four, sometimes five shots FFS }. And my energy was a bit flat, I was putting on weight { eeek! } and feeling disappointed in my willpower - when a wonderful invitation drifted my way…

Somehow through an act of sweet serendipity I had connected with Sahar at Organic Miracles. Firstly, at the Creative Business Women’s High Tea and then through the post I wrote when I read about the Forest Detox’s that she had been dreaming of holding on her property in the hinterland outside of Byron Bay! Sahar read the post and reached out - she was holding a trial detox day; with some of her closest  friends. Would I like to join them? Ummmm, I didn’t have to think long about that one ;) YES! Yes, please. I need that in my life!

So on the very last day of the school holidays, when I was most in need of a some self-love, I dragged myself out of my warm bed, refused the toast and the coffee, drank a cup of hot water and lemon juice as prescribed and headed out into the hills…

Ready to detox.

The day lived up to every expectation; in fact, it surpassed my expectations. I connected with a new group of beautiful, smart, compassionate women. I stretched my body; I was cleansed and blessed. I scrubbed away those lingering habits and reconnected with my own needs and wants. I also acknowledged that I don’t want to do a full detox right now { I do a big detox about once a year } but that I needed to bring more consciousness to my eating patterns and clarity to my meal preparation. Time. Focus. Yes, slow down and breathe. Ha! Isn’t that ALWAYS the lesson?! It is for me.

I also took a lot of photos.

I took so many, in fact that I think I’m going to present them across a few different posts :) This will be Part One: From our arrival to the smudge stick cleaning and blessing we all received, and our first green juice.

Part Two will be yoga, kombucha, our spa/sauna/body scrub, flower petal creations and final juices. And if it’s okay with Sahar, I will do another post showing you her house. Because, she really has created a magical life for herself and her beautiful family. Are you ready to see?

Arriving. 

The morning was icy in the shadows, but the house was beautifully warm. We were nine, including Sahar, her mother and sister, Rosa, Shayna, Elke, Margarita, Madeleine and myself. Our introductions made we headed out into the sunshine.

Freshly picked Lemon Myrtle Leaves were added to our welcome tea. 

Dragon Fruit broke our fast. 

Our gracious host, Sahar.

Our first round of smoothies { ready and waiting for a shake! } in the sunshine. 

Green Glowing Smoothie; Moringa powder, Wilsons Creek spring water, lemon, kale, apple, pear and banana.

Yum.

Our chatty sunshine-energy earthed itself; our busy minds slowed and centered themselves, as Sahar first cleansed each of us with the smoke from a home-bound smudge-stick and followed through with a guided meditation.

Amazing. I do love a guided meditation. I did lots while I was pregnant but not so many in recent years... something I might have to reintroduce into my life. Revitalised and refocused we gathered ourselves, our yoga mats, and got ready to soar!

What habits you need to clear and shift in your life? What habits do you need to reintroduce? Let's talk.  Amber. XO

p.s. Part Two is now on the blog! You can read it here :)x