Exercises For Detoxification Support
There are exercises that can be beneficial to perform in conjunction with specific cleanses and fasts or as detoxification methods by themselves. The path of yoga, which is the oldest system of physical, mental and spiritual development, offers several cleansing exercises that will be explored in this section of the course. Yogis, people who practice yoga, view the body as a vehicle in which people can move into higher states of consciousness. If the body is clear, the mind and senses will be sharper and the person’s body will be more resistant toward illnesses. Yoga offers a method of cleansing the nasal passages, called Neti. There are two ways of performing Neti; the first is called Jala Neti, during which one uses a small pot with a spout (which can be purchased at many health food stores). A salt and water mixture is then made in the Neti pot and poured into one nostril with the head tilted toward the opposite side of the body. If the nostril is clear, the water will pass to the other nostril and flow out; if it is clogged, repeating the process on both nostrils several times will often clear it. After performing this on both nostrils, one can gently blow any leftover water out of the nasal passages. The second method is called Sutra Neti. In this practice, a catheter or a 12-inch piece of waxed cord is used. It is dipped in lukewarm salty water and then passed into the hole just inside one’s nostril. Once the cord can be seen in the back of one’s mouth, it can be slowly pulled out. According to the Sivananda Yoga Center in the book The Sivananda Companion To Yoga (1983), either Neti exercise should be practiced daily.
Another part of the yogic purification system, is a process for cleansing the lungs called Kapalabhati. Translated directly, Kapalabhati means “skull shining” and refers to the positive effect that this breathing exercise has on clearing the mind. Kapalabhati releases any stale air that is in the lungs, making room for them to be filled with oxygen-rich, cleansing air. This method consists of a series of inhalations, exhalations, and retentions of air. The Sivananda Yoga Center describes the process: “To exhale, you contract the abdominal muscles sharply, raising the diaphragm and forcing air out of the lungs; to inhale, you relax the muscles, allowing the lungs to fill with air. The exhalation should be brief, active and audible, the inhalation longer, passive and silent.” (70) When beginning this practice, the Sivananda Yoga Center recommends doing three rounds of twenty exhales and then slowly working up to rounds of sixty exhales.
Along with cleansing through nasal purification and breathing, a yogic technique for dealing with the stresses that can arise in one’s daily life is relaxation of the body, mind, and spirit. There are many ways to relax and each individual has ways to do so. The deeper one’s relaxation is, the longer it will positively affect one’s life. In The Healing Path Of Yoga (2000), Nischala Joy Devi says that many people in her yoga classes use television, reading, or competitive sports as their ways to relax. Devi notes, however, that people’s brain waves and heart rates do not actually relax during these forms of unwinding from one’s day. She states, “Usually what we call relaxation is shifting our ordinary thoughts to another set of thoughts—often mindless activity. It is sometimes appropriately termed ‘killing time’ or ‘wasting time.’ For most of us, that is neither conducive to productive activity, nor to relaxation.” (64-65)
Deep relaxation is distinct from mindless activity in that it allows the physical body to soften and the mind to detach from activity and worry. Devi states, “Tension melts away and thoughts surface as air bubbles escaping from the bottom of a muddy pond. There is a pop and a release when they merge with our conscious mind.” (65) Humans’ natural state is to be relaxed in the mind and body according to the Sivananda Yoga Center. It is when both mind and body are continually in their relaxed state that one experiences great health. There is an intimate relationship between one’s mind and body, for when one’s mind is agitated, the body becomes tense and if one’s body is relaxed, one’s mind is relaxed as well. The Sivananda Yoga Center reminds people in The Sivananda Companion To Yoga (1983) that the mind is the original source of all actions of the body. The mind receives information that alerts it for action and tells the muscles to be ready through the nerves. The muscles then contract so that one’s body can move. This allows people to be ready for any dangers that may present themselves to them. For many people living today, however, their minds are constantly receiving such information and so their bodies are in a constant state of contracting for danger. The Sivananda Yoga Center emphasizes this point; “In the hustle and bustle of the modern world, the mind is continuously bombarded with stimuli which may cause us to freeze in the alerted ‘fight or flight’ pattern of response. As a result, many people spend much of their lives—even while asleep—in a state of physical and mental tension.” (23)
Deep relaxation can be a very powerful tool for cleansing the body, mind, and emotions of stress both during specific cleanses and as a daily practice. There are three parts to deep relaxation that focus on the body, mind, and spirit. In order to relax the physical body, the Corpse Pose is used. In this yoga pose, one lies on the back with the feet about 18 inches apart and the hands, with the palms up, about 6 inches from the body. To deeply relax each part of the body, one tenses and then relaxes each part individually, starting with the feet and moving up to the head. There are many parts of the body that can be tense, including the jaw, eyes, and fingers, so in order to relax the full body, all parts need attention. The Sivananda Yoga Center says, “This alternate tensing then relaxing is necessary because it is only by knowing how tension feels that you can be sure you have achieved relaxation.” (23)
The second part of deep relaxation is to relax the mind, which is done through conscious breathing. To practice conscious breathing, one can continue to lie in the Corpse Pose and then breathe steadily, focusing on each inhalation and exhalation. Whenever one’s mind drifts away from the breath, it can be gently brought back.
Spiritual relaxation is the final stage of deep relaxation, which is necessary to practice in order to relax the body and mind completely. In The Sivananda Companion To Yoga (1983), the Sivananda Yoga Center describes this process: “Spiritual relaxation means detaching yourself, becoming a witness of the body and mind, in order to identify with the Self or pure consciousness—the source of truth and peace that lies within us all.” (23) Relaxation comes in layers and means surrendering and letting go instead of holding on to something and tensing. This idea is very powerful for the cleansing process because it can help the body release during the detoxification process.