MEDHYA YOGA & WELLNESS

Do you know toxins accumulated in our body is the root cause of most of our diseases.

In ayurveda these toxins are categorised into 4 types

• Ama, which comes from improper digestion of food and malabsorption into cells
• Ama Visha, which forms when ama stays for longer in our body and starts to ferment in our channels
• Gara Visha, which comes from environmental toxins and chemicals accumulating in the body
• Indravajraabhijinya visha, which comes from electromagnetic radiations

In order to prevent and treat any disease from its root, it is important that these accumulated toxins are removed or eliminated from our system

When the food that we eat is heavy, processed and cold (like hard aged cheese, unfermented soy products like tofu and soy milk, red meat, cold milk and ice creams, and nut butters like peanut and almond butter) or if our digestive fire (agni) is too low, then it becomes hard for our gut to digest those foods.

The undigested food clogs our digestive channels – stomach, large intestine and small intestine, preventing the flow of fluids like hormones, digestive enzymes and bile) through the body.

Even if we eat healthy food, the toxins or Ama in the body will prevent the assimilation of nutrients from those foods.

If left untreated this Ama stuck in our digestive tract starts to ferment and becomes Ama visha, which is a poisonous substance, much more dangerous than Ama since it is now acidic and can penetrate deeply into the tissues, creating skin rashes, inflammation, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, and even cancer.

The good part is our body gives clear signs when this initial toxin – Ama starts to accumulate in our body. Some of the signs that one must watch out for are : feeling of tiredness, heaviness and fatigue after meals, skin disorders, especially inflammation like acme, eczema, stiffness in body, aches, joint pains and headaches, constipation, excess mucous, and finally the clearest indicator being a white coating on the tongue. All of these symptoms may be so common so as to seem vague but they certainly indicate that the food we are eating is producing Ama.

In the holistic science of Yoga and Ayurveda the journey to achieving good health begins with cleansing the disease causing toxins.

Here are 4 simple yet highly effective ways to do so:

1. Exercise

Exercise is a valuable method for supporting the body’s natural detoxification processes.

Exercise increases the circulation and metabolic rate of the body increasing the digestive agni. When we exercise, oxygen and nutrients are efficiently delivered to all cells, and waste products, including toxins, are transported to organs like liver and kidneys for elimination from the body.

Exercising also helps in relieving stress, promoting the release of endorphins and reducing cortisol levels. Stress reduction, in turn, supports overall health and detoxification.

2. Vaman Dhauti

yogic purification technique to flush out the impurities from the upper digestive tract by voluntarily induced vomiting. In this kriya, saline lukewarm water is drunk more than normal capacity. Then after keeping it inside for a few minutes water is thrown out of the stomach using finger-inducing purging.

This kriya is highly beneficial for acidity or indigestion related problems and can be done once a week.

3. Fasting

Generally our body goes through cycles of food processing (usually during the day) and detoxification (during the night). When the body does not get food for a while, the digestive organs are well rested and they go into detoxifying mode.

However, drastic fasting methods like water fast are not advocated in Ayurveda as that might make the body think it is starving, and the body attempts to preserve its resources which actually impedes detoxification. A better and safe way to start with is intermittent fasts or juice fasts.

4. Detoxifying Teas

Lastly to cleanse Ama, which is cool in nature, we can make Ama detoxifying tea with warming spices and sip it after heavy meals or when we feel bloated. Even otherwise we can drink this tea to stimulate our digestive fire.

These simple practices of cleansing are safe and highly effective and can easily be made as part of your lifestyle.

However, if you are suffering from diseases and are on medications there are high chances that the body is loaded with toxins which have gotten deep into the tissues. In such cases it is best to consult with a good therapist or Ayurvedic practitioner on the safe and effective methods of cleansing toxins from the body.