Swirl & Flush
Every time you do to do the laundry when it piles up, don’t forget that you have a visceral laundry to tend to. And it is a similar process – you need to identify the accumulated toxins in your body and then toss them in a swirl – rinsing, soaking and flushing them away. The word “detoxify” has become so hip for the past decades, as in our age of over-saturation we are exposed to daily pollutants, harmful bacteria, environmental toxins that often thrive on poor life choices and negative attitudes. We all wait for spring and fall to go on the next juice fast, but we forget that actual detoxification is part of our daily mental and physical hygiene.
The ancient healing practices abound with myriad ways of diet, breath and mind detox tools, but prior to sticking to a cleansing program we first need to identity what toxins are, where they come from and how to get rid of them, and maintain a clean inner and outer environment.
A toxin is like a parasite that harbors in the body and usually wreaks havoc, by interfering with its natural self-regulatory mechanism. Normally, the immune system, liver and kidneys are the “knights” that work together to fend off toxins as they are encountered. When toxin levels are in excess of our body’s capacity to remove them, they and pile up and when the burden becomes too high we start to feel ill. We tend to think about toxins coming from environmental sources such as exhaust fumes, solvents and inhalants, but it is important to consider the other numerous, less apparent toxin-producing sources we are exposed to on a daily basis. These include toxins from our lifestyle, toxins created within our bodies (internal toxins) and toxins created from our emotions.
We are exposed to more pollution today than any other period in history. During the past 100 years, approximately 75,000 new chemicals have been released into our environment. Industrial and technological advancements have resulted in many new and stronger chemicals, air and water pollution, radiation, pesticides and herbicides. But these chemicals not only destroy the ecosystem – they damage our bodies. Our body was never designed to deal with the considerable onslaught of these toxins. By lowering the amount of exposure to these environmental toxins and taking steps to cleanse out those that have accumulated in our body, we can considerably reduce the risk of illness. It is hard however to know where these invaders come from, as they have contaminated the air we breathe, the water we drink, and have slowly crept into our lifestyle habits.
We actually introduce hidden toxins in our bodies through the foods we eat, the cosmetic products we use, the prescription drugs we ingest to sooth away any pain. We are the “pain-away” generation that would rather binge on sugary and starchy foods and get addicted to alcohol, caffeine and tobacco and then take heart-burn yams to sooth the acid reflux away. Instead of dealing with the daily stresses of life holistically we try to compensate by consuming low-calorie, low-fat foods that have little nutritional value because of over-processing and the addition of ingredients used to help make the food appear more attractive and taste fresher. These ingredients include artificial food additives, colors, flavors and preservatives. Certain types of meats that we consume contain hormones (used to fatten up cattle and poultry) as well as antibiotics, both of which can cause hormonal disruption in our bodies. To cope with the increasing levels of daily stresses, some of us turn to addictive substances such as caffeine and other stimulants, sedatives, alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs, all of which have to be filtered out of the body through the liver and kidneys. In today’s fast-paced society, we also do not get the proper amount of sleep and exercise needed to stay healthy. Once the whole self-regulatory system is disrupted our bodies start to produce toxins internally and endocrine system breaks down resulting in a chain reaction of poor digestion, toxic build-up and improper absorption.
Countless metabolic reactions are occurring in our body at every moment. These reactions occur at the molecular level and are necessary in helping us break down proteins, fats and sugars into energy during the digestive and metabolic processes. Each of these reactions creates toxic waste products (such as carbon dioxide and ammonia) that must be eliminated. Not to forget hormones like estrogen and androgen which must be broken down and excreted by the liver after they are used. If they are not properly broken down and excreted, then hormonal imbalances result and cause symptoms such as weight gain, skin disorders and blood sugar imbalances. In addition, toxic build-up can occur when elimination mechanisms are inadequate due to poor nutrient intake or improper absorption of nutrients. In most cases, it is the combination of excess toxin formation and poor toxin elimination that leads to toxic pile-up.
On the other hand, the intestinal tract is full of bacteria and yeast that can prove highly beneficial. They assist in the digestion of some vitamins and play an important role in the body’s immune response. But overgrowth of certain strains of bacteria and yeast can become harmful to our health by constantly absorbing nutrients and producing waste. This leads to inflammation, a weakened immune system and a slower metabolic rate. It usually takes about 12-20 hours for the food we eat to be digested and eliminated from our body, but when we have digestive problems such as decreased enzymes to digest our food or slow peristaltic movement undigested gets trapped in the large intestine and causes harmful bacteria and yeast to grow. This build-up produces high levels of toxic compounds that are absorbed into the body’s blood circulation which requires immediate detoxification and elimination from the body. But in order to cleanse from the bottom up we inevitably get to the main culprit of the toxic chain – our emotions and mind frame.
According to the ancient yogis toxins first originate on the mental and emotional plane. They figured out that every emotion and thought process that went through our mind immediately turned into a biochemical reality within the body. Today, contemporary research, indeed, shows that positive, uplifting ideas and emotions are associated with an entirely different mix of neuro-peptides and hormones than those of stress, pain, fear and anger. Emotions are powerful driving forces that are overtures of the hormonal secretions. They are the messengers for taking action either into the ecstatic energy of love, bliss and abundance or into sharing with others one’s negative emotions.
When experiencing a traumatic or stressful event, it is common for us to react with anger, fear, grief, sorrow, resentment and other related emotions. Repeated cycles of these types of emotional stresses have a direct effect on the nervous and hormonal systems, which can indirectly affect our body’s ability to detoxify. Rather than accepting these as normal or natural emotions, we tend to suppress them and dump them away. Sooner or later, they surface up, because we are trying to mask the situation without ever getting to the bottom of things.
Want to know the best way to detox? It’s not by fasting, eating, running, popping pills, or buying the latest diet book. I’ll give you a hint: it’s free, it’s automatic, and you’re doing it right now. You guessed it, breathing. Throw away all the detox fads and just get to breathing.
Indian and Chinese Yoga abounds with effective and purifying ways to detoxify both body and mind and let the light of the sprit shine through – making us healthy, glowing and positive. As we practice detoxifying breathing techniques daily we not only flush the harmful substances away, but we open the etheric nerve channels of the body to channel life force. In turn we naturally tend to eat a healthier diet, limit exposure to environmental toxins and make sustainable lifestyle choices mutually beneficial for us and the planet.
The ancient healing practices abound with myriad ways of diet, breath and mind detox tools, but prior to sticking to a cleansing program we first need to identity what toxins are, where they come from and how to get rid of them, and maintain a clean inner and outer environment.
A toxin is like a parasite that harbors in the body and usually wreaks havoc, by interfering with its natural self-regulatory mechanism. Normally, the immune system, liver and kidneys are the “knights” that work together to fend off toxins as they are encountered. When toxin levels are in excess of our body’s capacity to remove them, they and pile up and when the burden becomes too high we start to feel ill. We tend to think about toxins coming from environmental sources such as exhaust fumes, solvents and inhalants, but it is important to consider the other numerous, less apparent toxin-producing sources we are exposed to on a daily basis. These include toxins from our lifestyle, toxins created within our bodies (internal toxins) and toxins created from our emotions.
We are exposed to more pollution today than any other period in history. During the past 100 years, approximately 75,000 new chemicals have been released into our environment. Industrial and technological advancements have resulted in many new and stronger chemicals, air and water pollution, radiation, pesticides and herbicides. But these chemicals not only destroy the ecosystem – they damage our bodies. Our body was never designed to deal with the considerable onslaught of these toxins. By lowering the amount of exposure to these environmental toxins and taking steps to cleanse out those that have accumulated in our body, we can considerably reduce the risk of illness. It is hard however to know where these invaders come from, as they have contaminated the air we breathe, the water we drink, and have slowly crept into our lifestyle habits.
We actually introduce hidden toxins in our bodies through the foods we eat, the cosmetic products we use, the prescription drugs we ingest to sooth away any pain. We are the “pain-away” generation that would rather binge on sugary and starchy foods and get addicted to alcohol, caffeine and tobacco and then take heart-burn yams to sooth the acid reflux away. Instead of dealing with the daily stresses of life holistically we try to compensate by consuming low-calorie, low-fat foods that have little nutritional value because of over-processing and the addition of ingredients used to help make the food appear more attractive and taste fresher. These ingredients include artificial food additives, colors, flavors and preservatives. Certain types of meats that we consume contain hormones (used to fatten up cattle and poultry) as well as antibiotics, both of which can cause hormonal disruption in our bodies. To cope with the increasing levels of daily stresses, some of us turn to addictive substances such as caffeine and other stimulants, sedatives, alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs, all of which have to be filtered out of the body through the liver and kidneys. In today’s fast-paced society, we also do not get the proper amount of sleep and exercise needed to stay healthy. Once the whole self-regulatory system is disrupted our bodies start to produce toxins internally and endocrine system breaks down resulting in a chain reaction of poor digestion, toxic build-up and improper absorption.
Countless metabolic reactions are occurring in our body at every moment. These reactions occur at the molecular level and are necessary in helping us break down proteins, fats and sugars into energy during the digestive and metabolic processes. Each of these reactions creates toxic waste products (such as carbon dioxide and ammonia) that must be eliminated. Not to forget hormones like estrogen and androgen which must be broken down and excreted by the liver after they are used. If they are not properly broken down and excreted, then hormonal imbalances result and cause symptoms such as weight gain, skin disorders and blood sugar imbalances. In addition, toxic build-up can occur when elimination mechanisms are inadequate due to poor nutrient intake or improper absorption of nutrients. In most cases, it is the combination of excess toxin formation and poor toxin elimination that leads to toxic pile-up.
On the other hand, the intestinal tract is full of bacteria and yeast that can prove highly beneficial. They assist in the digestion of some vitamins and play an important role in the body’s immune response. But overgrowth of certain strains of bacteria and yeast can become harmful to our health by constantly absorbing nutrients and producing waste. This leads to inflammation, a weakened immune system and a slower metabolic rate. It usually takes about 12-20 hours for the food we eat to be digested and eliminated from our body, but when we have digestive problems such as decreased enzymes to digest our food or slow peristaltic movement undigested gets trapped in the large intestine and causes harmful bacteria and yeast to grow. This build-up produces high levels of toxic compounds that are absorbed into the body’s blood circulation which requires immediate detoxification and elimination from the body. But in order to cleanse from the bottom up we inevitably get to the main culprit of the toxic chain – our emotions and mind frame.
According to the ancient yogis toxins first originate on the mental and emotional plane. They figured out that every emotion and thought process that went through our mind immediately turned into a biochemical reality within the body. Today, contemporary research, indeed, shows that positive, uplifting ideas and emotions are associated with an entirely different mix of neuro-peptides and hormones than those of stress, pain, fear and anger. Emotions are powerful driving forces that are overtures of the hormonal secretions. They are the messengers for taking action either into the ecstatic energy of love, bliss and abundance or into sharing with others one’s negative emotions.
When experiencing a traumatic or stressful event, it is common for us to react with anger, fear, grief, sorrow, resentment and other related emotions. Repeated cycles of these types of emotional stresses have a direct effect on the nervous and hormonal systems, which can indirectly affect our body’s ability to detoxify. Rather than accepting these as normal or natural emotions, we tend to suppress them and dump them away. Sooner or later, they surface up, because we are trying to mask the situation without ever getting to the bottom of things.
Want to know the best way to detox? It’s not by fasting, eating, running, popping pills, or buying the latest diet book. I’ll give you a hint: it’s free, it’s automatic, and you’re doing it right now. You guessed it, breathing. Throw away all the detox fads and just get to breathing.
Indian and Chinese Yoga abounds with effective and purifying ways to detoxify both body and mind and let the light of the sprit shine through – making us healthy, glowing and positive. As we practice detoxifying breathing techniques daily we not only flush the harmful substances away, but we open the etheric nerve channels of the body to channel life force. In turn we naturally tend to eat a healthier diet, limit exposure to environmental toxins and make sustainable lifestyle choices mutually beneficial for us and the planet.
Yogea Detoxifying Breathing: Swirl & Flush
This Yogea healthy mix of detoxifying breathing techniques integrates cleansing practices from Indian “Kriya Yoga”, “Laya Yoga” and Chinese Qi-Gong. Deep diaphragmatic breathing alternates with pumping Kappalabhati (shining skull) breath to create more white blood cells and promote the oxygen flow to the brain – helping the body absorb vitamins and nutrients more efficiently. Further, sharp and brisk detox twists of the liver, spleen and kidneys help flush the toxins away from the body and de-stress the mind. Moreover, deep tapping pairs up with rhythmic breathing to boost the vital functions of organs and expand the diaphragm muscle, which expands the lung’s air pockets, invoking a relaxation response within the body, and massaging the lymphatic system. Finally oceanic breathing opens up the meridians as the increased blood flow carries nutrients and ample amounts of oxygen to the body, while the lymphatic system flushes away destructive toxins. A brief purifying meditation takes you into a healthy mind set and clears away your aura to a radiant glow.
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