CLEAR: Yoga Nidra Helps Optimize the Body's Detoxification & Metabolism: Here's Why

In our 3 month clinic program CLEAR we focus on decreasing the body’s toxic load and improving digestion. The analogy I sometimes use regarding detoxification is that the body is like a barrel with a spout on the bottom and open on the top. When more is coming in that can go out and the barrel overflows we experience symptoms of some kind. One person may get headaches, another weight gain, another eczema, one PMS, bloating, endometriosis and the list goes on.

Our body’s are made to clear out things we don’t need. It’s amazing at this! It has a whole system set up for this including your liver, kidneys, bowels, lymphatics. Flow is essential for health. Anything that improves detoxification would be increasing the size and flow from the spout and improve healthy flow.

There are so many things we can do daily to support the body eliminating what it doesn’t need: exercise, drinking water and decreasing exposure to daily toxins in body products, cosmetics, foods and cleaning products are a few basics.

Sooooo, how does a mindfulness based practice like yoga nidra optimize detoxification?

Through it’s action on the nervous system and it’s impact on stress.

Why?

Basically yoga nidra is a stress releaser extraordinaire and when we are stressed the body does not prioritize detoxification, it prioritizes dealing with the stress.

In the barrel analogy the spout size gets smaller/constricts. 

I think about the body’s wisdom at prioritizing certain functions over others in different situations like this.

If my house was on fire I wouldn't start cleaning out a back closet or decluttering. I would shift all my energies to getting the fire dealt with.

Stress is like a fire to the body and the body focuses it's energy on addressing it for example by directing blood flow to parts of the body that may would support the protective fight or flight stress response This wing of our nervous system that deals with stress - the sympathetic - does not prioritize detoxification, digestion or reproduction.

Many of us are stuck in patterns of stress out of habit. We’re not actually in danger but our body is switched on as if we are.

Dealing with excess stress - real or perceived - is an indirect way to decrease your body’s toxic load (amount of stuff in the barrel) as the process of detoxification and digestion are optimized when we are out of fight or flight.

Naturopathic Yoga therapeutics (yoga therapy and yoga nidra) and acupuncture are two of the therapies we combine in our clinic to decrease accumulated stress in the body, support the body’s ability to self-heal and rebalance a stressed nervous system. This leads to increased health in all areas as the brain is rewired to peace and we regain our energy and a feeling of being at home with ourselves.

To give these a try for yourself you you can book here:

The yoga therapeutic body psychology coaching can be done virtually through zoom/phone just as well as in person and is excellent in times of increased stress or to clear the body of old accumulated tension.

Lastly, here’s a downloadable yoga nidra practice from our group classes for you to try at home. Just lie down in savasana and get as comfortable as you can and I’ll guide you through the practice. The less you move around the deeper your relaxation but regardless you will get benefits. (-: Enjoy!

To your vibrant health!

xo,