Last updated on 01/31/2026
In our hectic and fast-paced world, there is often no time for healthy and wholesome food. A healthy diet is frequently neglected. With an Ayurveda Detox program, your body is detoxified, your soul can breathe again, and your mind can refocus on what is essential.
At a Glance: What Is an Ayurvedic Detox Program?
An Ayurvedic detox program is a temporary pause. It is combined with fasting and a special diet. Your intestines are cleansed and your skin’s circulation is improved. The goal is the complete purification of your body.
Read More About Detox in Ayurveda:
- Ayurvedic Detoxification: Methods & Home Remedies for Ayurveda Detox
- Detoxification at the Sonnhof: Cleanse Body, Mind, and Soul
- Detox Now – Why Detox Is More Important Than Ever
- Detox Program After the Holidays
- Heavy Metal Elimination with European Ayurveda® – Detoxifying at the Cellular Level
The Ayurveda Detox Program
In Ayurveda, cleansing is understood as the efficient elimination process that stimulates your body to detoxify and renew itself. Your inner forces are released to eliminate metabolic waste (Ama) and other disruptive factors.
The most intensive forms of cleansing in Ayurveda include fasting and Panchakarma techniques. These cleanses have a comprehensive, profound, and intensive effect. They are only applied under constant supervision, taking the individual’s constitution into account.
Through an Ayurveda Detox program at our hotel, you give your body the chance to detoxify. Your mind gets the chance to focus on the essentials, and you give your soul the chance to breathe again.
Our therapists and experts accompany you on your path to a lighter self. Through gentle movement, treatments individually tailored to your Dosha type, and a gentle Ayurvedic diet with an individual Ayurveda food table, you will experience new vitality.
Waste products are released physically and psychologically: a cleansing on all levels of being takes place. Enjoy your new sense of life.
Ayurveda Detox Is Right for You if…
- You want to free your body and mind from environmental toxins, waste products, and old burdens
- You want to reduce your weight to feel the lightness of being again
- Your digestive system needs renewal, strengthening, or reconstruction
- You do not want to be alone on the healing path of fasting
- You want to pamper your body, mind, and soul with beneficial movement and gentle yoga sessions
- You want to detoxify not only your body but also your mind
- You want more ease in your professional life, partnership, and family
- You want to learn how to live European Ayurveda® in your daily life
What Are the Goals of an Ayurveda Detox?
- Detoxifying the body: I feel really good because old burdens and waste products are being eliminated from my body and I can regenerate. I feel light.
- Weight loss: I feel really good because I experience natural weight loss through gentle fasting and can go through my life with ease. I feel liberated.
- Spiritual cleansing: I feel really good because my mind and soul are also freed from old burdens through forgiveness rituals and I can truly relax. I feel ready for my new life.
- Strengthening the immune system: I feel really good because my organs are freed, my immune system is strengthened, and I am more resistant to illness. I feel healthy.
What Is the Procedure for an Ayurveda Detox Program?
The purification program starts with a consultation. Based on this conversation, the Ayurvedic detox program is individually adapted to your personal wishes and needs.
A short preparation phase follows, in which your body and mind are attuned to the coming days. This preparation phase includes special power elixirs and individual detox catering.
Through the Ayurvedic treatments, the waste products in your body are optimally loosened. This allows them to be eliminated from your body during the cleansing phase. This includes a fasting day on which you consume only rice soup.
For a complete purification of body, mind, and soul, the detoxification is intensified in the following days. Individual treatments follow that strengthen your immune system.
Through the detox program, you experience deep cleansing on all levels – feel the lightness.
“Detox in Ayurveda does not mean radical renunciation, but targeted relief. Only when digestion, metabolism, and lifestyle work together can true regeneration occur.”
Elisabeth Naschberger-Mauracher, European Ayurveda Expert & Managing Director of the European Ayurveda Resort Sonnhof in Tyrol
Detoxifying with Ayurveda
A central theme in Ayurveda and Ayurvedic detox treatment is digestion. However, this is not viewed in terms of individual enzymes or organs, but as an individual interaction of the Tridoshas.
The digestive process takes place on all levels: in the gastrointestinal tract, in the brain, in the sensory organs, and in every cell.
The reaction process initially takes place at three points in the digestive tract:
- In the stomach:
- Kapha causes the chewed food pulp to be mixed and liquefied. This takes about three hours.
- The softened components of the food can then be processed more easily. Ahara Rasa and Kapha are created from this first part of digestion.
- Both are transported further to the heart and from there fed into your entire organism. It is the elixir of life for tissues with a high Kapha content (e.g., for muscles, fat, and brain).
- In the small intestine:
- Pitta uses enzymes to split the liquid food pulp into its smallest components so that your body can absorb them.
- The largest part of the food is absorbed in the small intestine, resulting in Ahara Rasa and Pitta. The body needs both to nourish organs with a high Pitta content (e.g., the eyes).
- In the large intestine:
- Here, the bioenergy Vata takes over the work and transports the remaining parts of the food.
- It ensures that components such as minerals, water, and fats are absorbed by your body.
Pathological states of the digestive fire (Agni) manifest as follows:
- Too weak digestive fire:
- Kapha predominates and the food is neither split nor digested. The results are constipation, nausea, and even vomiting.
- Too much food or eating too frequently also weakens Agni. If the food is not yet digested but the stomach and intestines are full again, Agni is smothered.
- Fluctuating, changing digestive fire:
- Vata predominates and digestion fluctuates between constipation and diarrhea.
- The results are pain and bloating.
- Too strong, sharp digestive fire:
- Pitta predominates, causing the food to be burned too quickly and thus liquefied.
- The results are heartburn and potentially fever.
Through such disturbances, nutrients are not processed correctly and are lost, which impairs the building of vital tissue.
Instructions for an Ayurveda Detox Day at Home
In addition to a professional Panchakarma program, you can also free your body from burdens yourself at regular intervals.
To do this, you can perform an Ayurveda detoxification with home remedies or a Panchakarma program at home with our book. Regardless of which form of detox you choose, the same three Ayurvedic fasting rules always apply:
- No stress during the fasting period
- Stay in rhythm
- Drink hot water
Ayurvedic detox brings your Doshas into balance, optimizes Agni, breaks down Ama, and strengthens your psyche.
For an Ayurvedic cleansing day, you need three things:
- A day with time for plenty of rest, relaxation, and some movement in the fresh air
- Boiled water (Usnodaka) and rice broth (Manda) as cleansing drinks throughout the day
- Easily digestible meals made from Khichari, a delicious rice and mung bean stew
It is best not to work on this day. Your body needs a lot of relaxation for elimination and regeneration.
In the morning, prepare 1.5 liters of boiled water (Usnodaka) and 1 liter of rice broth (Manda) to drink throughout the day. For lunch and dinner, fresh Khichari is best suited for the detox.
Discover the Panchakarma Program for at Home
In our book “Ayurveda: The 7-Day Panchakarma Program for at Home,” our experts show you how you can gently detoxify in 7 days.
Ayurvedic Detox Recipes
With the following recipes, you can also perform an Ayurveda detoxification at home:
Usnodaka – Boiled Water
Heat 2 liters of water in a pot and let it simmer down to 1.5 liters. This makes it particularly cleansing. Fill the boiled water into a thermos and drink it throughout the day. Depending on when you drink Usnodaka, you also influence the effect:
- If you drink a lot of hot water in the morning, it cleanses the body and stimulates elimination
- If you drink a lot of hot water in the evening before going to bed, it flushes out toxins (Ama) and reduces fatty tissue
Manda Rice Broth as a Snack
Ayurveda recommends rice broth as a particularly digestible cleansing method with Vata balancing:
- Toast 2 tbsp (40 g) of Basmati rice in a pot for 1–2 minutes and then add 560 ml of hot water
- Simmer the rice for 15 minutes until soft, add 1 pinch of rock salt, and strain the rice water
- Fill into a thermos and drink in the morning and afternoon as a “snack”
Khichari: Rice and Lentil Stew as a Main Meal
A particularly digestible and cleansing meal during your detox day is Khichari.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp rice
2 tbsp mung beans
1 tsp Original Ayurveda Ghee
400 ml hot water
1 pinch Hing
1 pinch turmeric
¼ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1 carrot
½ zucchini
¼ tsp rock salt
1 tsp lemon juice
Cilantro
Preparation:
- Heat Ghee in a pot
- Add Hing and cumin seeds, stir, then add rice and mung beans and toast for 1–2 minutes. Stir in turmeric and ginger. Pour in 350 ml of water and bring to a boil
- Dice the carrot and zucchini, add to the Khichari, and simmer everything together until the water has evaporated
- Now season to taste with rock salt, lemon juice, and some fresh cilantro (if available). You can also add a little more cumin and Ghee at the end
Discover High-Quality Ayurvedic Foods
We have a wide selection of porridge, crispbread tailored to your Dosha, and other Ayurvedic foods in our European Ayurveda® online shop for you.
72-Hour Water Fasting: What Happens in the Body After Three Days of Fasting
The so-called 72-hour water fast is an intensive form of therapeutic fasting in which only water or calorie-free liquids such as unsweetened herbal tea or clear vegetable broth are consumed over a period of about three days.
The goal of this form of fasting is to temporarily relieve the metabolism and activate the body’s own regeneration processes. It is particularly frequently discussed in connection with cellular cleansing, fat metabolism, and metabolic recovery.
After around 72 hours without solid food, the body completely switches its energy metabolism. Carbohydrate stores are largely exhausted, so that ketone bodies from fat reserves are increasingly used as an energy source. This can promote weight loss and positively influence insulin sensitivity.
At the same time, the process of autophagy is more strongly activated – a natural mechanism in which damaged cell components are broken down and recycled. Some studies also suggest that fasting phases can trigger regenerative processes in the immune system.
Preparation and Practical Tips for Water Fasting
A longer water fast should ideally be well prepared. Many people start with one or two so-called relief days, on which the amount of food is reduced and hard-to-digest foods such as sugar or heavily processed carbohydrates are avoided. This usually makes the transition into the fasting phase easier.
During the fasting days, sufficient fluid intake is crucial. In addition to water, unsweetened herbal teas or clear vegetable broths can be drunk. Since the body also loses minerals during longer fasting periods, some fasters pay attention to a sufficient supply of electrolytes, for example through natural broths or mineral-rich drinks.
Light movement – for example, walks or gentle yoga – can support well-being during fasting. Intensive physical exertion, on the other hand, should be avoided, as the body has less energy available in this phase.
Risks and Important Information
Many people report that the second and third days of fasting in particular can be perceived as challenging. Typical side effects include temporary hunger, fatigue, headaches, or a fluctuating circulatory system. These symptoms can occur while the metabolism switches to fat and ketone body metabolism.
Certain groups of people should refrain from longer fasting phases or only perform them under medical supervision. These include, for example, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, people who are underweight, have eating disorders, or certain chronic illnesses. In the event of severe complaints or persistent malaise, the fast should definitely be ended early.
The Different Purification Programs at the Sonnhof
Depending on your complaints and needs, there are different purification programs that you can do with us. This way, you are guaranteed to experience the subsequent lightness and cleansing that your body and mind need.
AyurDetox Short Cleanse
4 nights, 3 treatment days plus room price
Your body is detoxified and freed from waste products with the help of a gentle internal cleansing, full-body oil, stamp, and herbal powder massages. Through further applications, your immune system is built up and your intestines are strengthened – individually tailored to your needs.
Learn More
- Consultation & Pulse Diagnosis
- Final consultation
- Therapeutic support
- Power elixir
- Virechana cleansing day
Treatments according to the anamnesis are also part of the AyurDetox Short Cleanse, such as:
- Upana – Salt-oil peeling from the power of the Alps, cleanses from burdensome energy and strengthens the immune system. Optimal for purification and detoxification
- European Ayurveda® Anti-Stress Massage (55 min)
- Abhyanga – Ayurvedic full-body oil massage
- Udanavata – Special abdominal massage
- Shirodhara – Forehead oil pour
Also part of the treatment are:
- Herbs during the stay
- Hot water drinking cure, ginger water, EA Detox water
- Yoga & meditation according to the weekly program
- Use of the Ayurveda Spa
Feel-Good Goodie: With every AyurDetox program, we give you a small, soothing token of appreciation.
We create good Karma! €5 per program is donated to the tree project “Grow my Tree”!
AyurDetox Intensive Cleanse
7 nights, 6 treatment days, 12 applications plus room price
Your body is detoxified and freed from waste products with the help of a gentle internal cleansing, full-body oil, stamp, and herbal powder massages. Through further applications, your immune system is built up and your intestines are strengthened – individually tailored to your needs.
Learn More
- Consultation & pulse diagnosis
- Final consultation
- Therapeutic support
- Power elixir
- Virechana – cleansing day
Treatments according to the anamnesis are also part of the AyurDetox Intensive Cleanse, such as:
- European Ayurveda® Anti-Stress Massage (85 min)
- Jambira Pinda Sveda – Stamp massage
- Shirodhara – Forehead oil pour
- Udvartana – Herbal powder massage
- 2 Abhyanga – Ayurvedic full-body oil massages
- Intensive back treatment
- Single Garshan – Silk glove massage
- Padabhyanga – Ayurvedic foot massage (25 min)
- Shiromardana – Head and face massage (25 min)
- Udanavata – Special abdominal massage
- Basti – Gentle internal cleansing and strengthening
Also part of the treatment are:
- Hot water drinking cure, ginger water, EA® Detox water
- Herbs during the stay
- Yoga & meditation according to the weekly program
- Use of the Ayurveda Spa
Feel-Good Goodie: With every AyurDetox program, we give you a small, soothing token of appreciation.
We create good Karma! €5 per program is donated to the tree project “Grow my Tree”!
Reset for Body, Mind, and Soul
7 nights, 6 treatment days, 12 applications plus room price
Would you like to detoxify physically and mentally? This program helps you to purify your body, free it from old burdens, and recharge your batteries. By cleansing the mind and letting go of old patterns and beliefs, you will be strengthened to be in harmony with yourself again. Let yourself be reset through physical treatments and coaching as well as yoga sessions.
Learn More
- Consultation & pulse diagnosis
- Final consultation
- Therapeutic support
- European Ayurveda® nutritional counseling
- Power elixir
- Virechana – cleansing day
Treatments according to the anamnesis are also part of the Reset for Body, Mind, and Soul, such as:
- Prista – European Ayurveda® special back massage
- Vishesh – Energy massage
- Upana – Salt-oil peeling from the power of the Alps, cleanses from burdensome energy and strengthens the immune system
- Udanavata – Special abdominal massage
- Prana Healing Massage (85 min)
- Individual yoga and meditation session
- Khadi Vasti (“Awakening of the Primal Power”) or Nasya – Nasal treatment
- Padabhyanga – Ayurvedic foot massage (25 min)
- Basti – Gentle internal cleansing and strengthening
- Mind Detox Coaching (55 min)
- Abhyanga – Ayurvedic full-body oil massage
- Shirodhara – Forehead oil pour
Also part of the treatment are:
- Hot water drinking cure, ginger water, EA Detox water
- Herbs during the stay
- Yoga & meditation according to the weekly program
- Use of the Ayurveda Spa
- Detox catering included in the room price
Feel-Good Goodie: With every AyurDetox program, we give you a small, soothing token of appreciation.
We create good Karma! €5 per program is donated to the tree project “Grow my Tree”!
What Is Special About a Detox Program at the Sonnhof?
It is particularly important to us that you feel completely comfortable with us and that your body and mind find the time and environment for comprehensive regeneration and complete detox.
- The right environment: I feel really good because I can let myself go in the cozy atmosphere. I am surrounded by untouched nature and mighty mountain peaks. At the Sonnhof, I feel safe and secure
- The right combination: I feel really good because I can benefit from Far Eastern life teachings and from far-sighted insights of conventional medicine. I can enjoy treatments personally tailored to me. At the Sonnhof, I feel seen
- The right team: I feel really good because I feel well-advised and professionally accompanied. I enjoy the full attention of top-trained specialists and trust in their extensive knowledge. At the Sonnhof, I feel individually cared for
- The right food: I feel really good because I pamper my body, mind, and soul with wholesome foods. I can enjoy a vegetarian and Ayurvedic diet in combination with regional products from the family’s own farm. At the Sonnhof, I feel nourished
