Can you actually detoxify through a simple breathing technique? Don’t you need movement that makes you perspire in order to activate the detox process? Yes, you can! It took me a while to realize what an integral part of the yoga practice the breathing was. It was even more surprising to find so many different breathing techniques that addressed different needs – physical, mental and even spiritual.

When you make the breath conscious, you extend it and you rest the awareness on the inflow and outflow, scanning the body and sending it where vital energy is mostly needed. If you feel stuck in your hips, and you focus the breath in that area in a couple of minutes the blockage will start to release. If you feel anxious and you slow the breath down, you elicit the relaxation response in the body. You exit fight or flight mode, and enter a state of ease. Breath is an intake of oxygen and a release of carbon dioxide. It is the most natural purifier of our organism.  It’s amazing to think of our breath an extension of the energy vortex of the Earth. Energy always circulates, in never stays still. As we inhale we tap that source of universal energy. When we exhale we release what we no longer need. It’s very simple and effective, especially when it comes to detoxifying the body.

Lately, I have integrated the classical Shining skull breathing and a technique I picked up in Egypt, known as Caduceus empowering. It’s an activation of the navel center to get rid of toxins and receive prana or nourished energy. And all you have to do is plug in your thumbs into the navel with the hands crisscrossed, while you twist on the breath. It goes together with Shining skull breathing because it targets the navel area activating the trillion cells there that constitute the body’s powerhouse. When you do two rounds of Kapalabhati and feel the fire in your belly, you need a plug-in-mechanism to facilitate the flushing of toxins.  You are activating the second chakra  – the seat of the inner fire, giving the body a chance to rinse from within.

The fusing of two diverse breathing tools is so effective because the first seals and the other one heals. I love the classical Indian practices, and I feel they amplify in effect when coupled with other useful tools. Funny enough, I picked the Caduceus empowerment exercise from a guy in a Papyrus store in Egypt who was doing it while waiting for the clients. When I asked what he was doing, he explained it was an old tool from Egyptian Alchemy that the priests did in order to activate their vital pool of energy. I found the plugging in of the thumbs really effective, and made it part of my daily practice. It is because when you press the thumbs into the navel you are triggering vital reflex points that stimulate the main meridians, and promote circulation.

When I want to detoxify I always combined the trusted Kapalabhati with this twisting motion that activates the energy vortex within. The turning spiral pushes away the wastes and soaks the body in fresh and purified blood. It brings oxygen to the brain and alkalizes the gut – so many reasons to practice these breathing tools in tandem.

Try it, this uniquely blended integrative practice will boost your vitality, flush out toxins, bring oxygen to your brain, and instill sense of release and renewal.

Detox Yoga Breathing: Flush Away

This combined breathing practice integrates the classical Kapalabhati technique with a reimagined practice from Egyptian alchemy to promote healthy circulation, while purifying the bloodstream, releasing toxins, normalizing the stomach flora and oxygenating the brain.