As a proud Irish American, in honor of St. Patrick himself on St. Patrick’s Day, I’m going to celebrate and partake in the best fodder and libations we Irish have to offer (corn beef, brown bread, colcannon, and of course a pint or two of Guinness). But, just as I’m true to my heritage, I must be true to my body. ‘You’ve got to de-tox to re-tox,’ that’s my motto! And Yoga, with its focus on breath work as well as through stretching and compressing every part of the body, is well-suited to help cleanse the waste-removal systems of the body.
The three main waste-removal systems of the body are the circulatory, digestive and lymph systems. The circulatory system pumps blood throughout the body, delivering oxygen to and carrying waste products away from cells. The digestive system processes food, separating nutrients from waste and eliminating anything the body doesn’t need. The lymphatic system collects intracellular fluid from throughout the body and transports it to the lymph nodes where anything harmful (i.e. bacteria) can be removed before the lymphatic fluid is returned to the bloodstream.
