Releasing Toxins

​Welcome to part two of our discussion of the systems of elimination and how Yoga helps rid our body of toxins in a safe and healthy way. This is a continuation of the series “Your Body on Yoga” as we systematically go through all the systems of the body. 

According to Ayurveda—Yoga’s sister science devoted to physical health—there are three wastes the body needs to eliminate every day. They are feces (solid waste), urine (liquid waste), and sweat. Here’s a little bit about each one:

Let’s start with the easy one—sweat. A lot of people think yoga does not make you sweaty, but it’s a good idea to do enough strenuous work in your yoga practice to bring some sweat to the surface of the skin each day. Sweat expels toxins from the body, such as heavy metals and chemicals found in plastics and cosmetics. Sitting in a sauna works as does drinking hot, spicy teas. You can also practice yoga in a specific way.

Try this: Begin your day the traditional way with 5-10 rounds of Sun Salutations. Not only will you wake up tight muscles and loosen stuck joints, you’ll also begin to sweat. 

Or try this: If Sun Salutations are not your thing, squat in chair pose, hold lunging poses like Warrior and Side Angle, and do a 2-minute plank and locust pose. Strength poses will make you sweat too.

Next let’s talk about urination. As a reminder, we should be drinking enough water to have clear urine that has no odor. If your urine gets dark, cloudy or smelly, that’s a sign you haven’t been drinking enough. Fresh filtered water and herbal teas are best because caffeine acts as a diuretic, meaning it makes the body produce more urine causing water leave the body faster. And it’s worth mentioning too that sweat also removes water from the body, so if you’re doing a lot of sweating you’ll need to drink more water than usual.

Try this: Twisting poses will squeeze the bladder to stimulate urination, while the back bending pose Sphinx will lift and stretch the kidneys to keep them functioning well.

Here’s the truth about feces—we are supposed to have at least one, if not two or three, bowel movements per day. When you eat you should poop, it’s that simple. If you have a cat or a dog or other animal in your family you certainly observe this behavior in them; they eat and then they immediately eliminate. Ayurveda teaches that when feces stays in the body it becomes ama (ah-mah), putrified toxins that make us sick from the inside out. Two tell-tale signs are irregular bowel movements and a white coating on the tongue. 

Try this: Wind-relieving pose. Lie down on your back and pull your knees into your chest. Moving the knees away from the body and pulling them back in several times can be helpful in stimulating the downward movement of the colon. 

And try this: Squatting. The full yogic squat is a great position for the act of elimination because it reduces stress on the rectum. This position will often stimulate the bowels as well. 

Taking good care of your elimination systems will make you feel free and unencumbered, just what you need to make a fresh start in the new year.