Hot Yoga is a relatively new twist on an age-old practice. Participants perform the yoga exercises in a heated room at approximately 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat that the body naturally generates through yoga postures, coupled with the increased temperature in the room, make the body sweat more than usual. This heat is thought to increase body flexibility, lower the risk of muscular injury, and help to strengthen the immune system. It is commonly referred to as ‘yoga in a sauna’.
Detoxification is just a fancy word to describe the natural process that the body undergoes to eliminate waste and toxins from the body. There are three main bodily systems that play a role in this process: circulatory, digestive, and lymph. The circulatory system is essentially the transport system that distributes oxygen throughout the body and gets rid of waste products accumulating in the body’s cells. The digestive system processes the food that we eat; storing nutrients and getting rid of whatever the body doesn’t need. Then there is the lymphatic system that collects fluid from the cells and takes it to the lymph nodes that dispose of contaminants in the liquid through the bloodstream.
Body chemistry is such that when healthy and active it will automatically undergo this process, efficiently detoxifying the body on its own. Sometimes, however, because of our diet or lifestyle, the body can become slow or inefficient in the detox process and thus needs a little outside help.
While all forms of exercise help the body to eliminate toxins, yoga is especially suited to this process. Yoga postures all focus on stretching and compressing the body, encouraging the flow and good function of the waste removal departments in the body. The fact that the body is being pushed, pulled, and turned in every which way aids the body in the removal of harmful toxins found deep in the body’s tissues, that other forms of exercise simply do not penetrate. These toxins include: carbon dioxide, lactic acid and lymphatic fluid. Furthermore, while you sweat in practically all forms of vigorous exercise, the sauna-like effect of hot yoga usually means you will sweat even more. Sweat is just another way that toxins are released from the body’s pores. In this process your skin converts toxins from fats into simpler and water-soluble compounds, which are released through this excreted liquid. Ammonia, urea, sugar and salts, are among these unwanted contaminants.
Another detox benefit of not just hot yoga, but all types of yoga, is the associated boost in circulation and metabolism. This is achieved through the heavy focus on deep breathing and postures that are simply intensified in the hot yoga setting.
5 Comments
Hi, new to detox, wondering about the best method for me. Very thankful there are sites like these to teach me how to detox properly and safely.
So happy I came across this site. Learning as much as I can about body detox has helped me make wiser choices.
I recommend a detox diet to all my friends and family members, not everyone knows about how many unhealthy chemicals they consume through junk food. No wonder we have so many health issues nowadays.
I have been putting these tips to great use and I am happy to say that I look and feel slimmer. Thanks!
All-Natural Summer Detox
Diets, detoxes, healthy eating. The summer is probably the best time to do any of these things, because your body already doesn’t need as much food in the summer to sustain itself. Weekends are often difficult to make nutritional changes, so try making some changes Monday through Friday. It is remarkably easier packing yourself a different [...]
Seasonal Cooking: Just Do it!
Did you ever wonder why you crave cabbage soup in the fall; sweet potatoes in the winter, and why strawberries and peaches are on your mind in the summer? This is because until recently humans ate in accordance with the seasons. Before the 1980s and the rapid expansion of air transport, people simply had no [...]
Homemade Skin Cleansers
The Trouble with Packaged Skin Cleansers A regular cleansing ritual is important to maintaining great looking skin. Yet most commercial facial cleansers probably leave you with more skin problems than what you started with. What is going on here? Well, most of these cleansers in their attempt to leave the skin squeaky clean actually [...]
Proper Gym Etiquette
Are you committing gym no-no’s that have others around you silently cringing? What if you are and you don’t even know it? Most gyms and health clubs have a list of rules that their patrons need to follow when using the facilities. These policies are put in place to insure that the work out [...]
February 2nd, 2012
Great advice, it's hard to find good detox advice nowadays. Thanks!