Yoga and St. Patty’s Day, You’ve got to De-tox to Re-tox

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.

These systems are designed to naturally remove waste from our bodies, but as daily stress and an unintentional focus on an unhealthy diet or an over indulgent diet (such as my St. Patty’s day feast) creep into our lives, there is a need to give our bodies some assistance in performing its natural detoxifying functions. Yoga is an ideal companion to these functions. The practice of yoga purges toxins though sweat, twisting, stretching/releasing, and breathing. Vinyasa Flow yoga, which we practice at Body Investment Studio,  involves an active transition from one pose to another with every inhale or exhale. As you flow from pose to pose, deep yogic breathing allows your body to release more sweat, helps clear out carbon dioxide from the lungs, and aids in the circulatory processes as well as stimulates the organs of digestion. If you can breathe you can do yoga; yoga teaches us that you can detox by simply paying attention to your breath.

“In a well-rounded yoga practice, every part of the body is pushed, pulled, twisted, turned and upended,” explains New York City yoga teacher Witold Fitz-Simon, founder of the yogaartandscience.com blog. “This facilitates the removal of waste products such as carbon dioxide, lactic acid and lymphatic fluid from the deep tissues and extremities of the body that a jog or a bike ride just don’t reach.”

In addition to the physical benefits of yoga, yoga is a mental detox as well. Yoga helps flush out toxic thoughts like stress, fear, depression, and anxiety by teaching you to move your awareness away from the chaos of the mind  and back to your breath and the present moment.

A regular yoga practice helps detox the body and mind of physical and cerebral toxins that hamper your daily life. Yoga is a bodily and therapeutic practice wrapped up in one.

As an example, the pose in the photo, which you can do from your desk or couch, is particularly suited to aid with detoxification. Side Bend: Sit at front edge of chair. Lengthen spine upward.

Inhale and reach left arm upward, rest right hand on right leg. Exhale and lean body to the right. Breathe deeply 5-10 breaths into the left side of the body.

Have a happy St. Patty’s day and join me at Body Investment Studio, 10416 Investment Circle, Ste. B, Rancho Cordova, California, for a de-toxing, life changing, yoga time!

Similar Posts:

None Found

Short URL: http://www.ranchocordovapost.com/?p=8926

Posted by Kate McKinney on Mar 17 2010. Filed under Sponsored. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.