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Why should you care about cleansing?
Cleansing is the process of detoxifying the body through diet and nutrition. We accumulate toxins through byproducts of digestion and cell respiration. Not to mention nuclear and electromagnetic radiation, GMOs, environmental pollution, heavy metals, and probably cosmic rays too. This messes up our endocrine system and nervous system and immune system, so we have experiences of poor immunity, allergic reactions, food sensitivities, fatigue, insomnia, stress, and so on. If this sounds familiar, then you too may be experiencing toxic accumulation!
Practicing regular cleansing can be a powerful technique of preventative medicine. Skillfully done, cleansing can be rejuvenating, but it must be practiced with caution to prevent negative effects. With countless systems for home cleansing available, it would seem this area of preventative medicine is new on the scene. Fad diets and radical cleanses can have dramatic effects, but can be potentially harmful. The best techniques are based on ancient time-tested traditions.
Cleansing is very well described in traditional medical systems like Ayurveda, which is based upon and intertwined with yoga philosophy. Master Patanjali described the commitment of "purity" (saucha) as the first niyama in the classical text Yoga Sutra (c. -250). It goes without saying that maintaining a clean and healthy body is a benefit of yoga. With asana we learn balance, poise, discipline - and we can apply these qualities of mind to practicing an effective cleanse for a few hours or days.
Ultimately we want to cultivate a yogic relationship with everything in our lives, including what we eat. Through self study we can discover a unique balance of foods that encourages physical and mental contentment - santosha.
You're invited to join me and drop in at Padme Yoga Center for a series of classes on nutrition and lifestyle topics into 2012. I've studied with some amazing yogis and healers, including Paul Pitchford who wrote Healing with Whole Foods. You don't have to have a knowledge of yoga to enjoy these classes, but a commitment to wellbeing helps. You can expect to learn practical principals that will help you make informed decisions about your personal health plan.
Mojohito will be teaching a series of classes on nutrition topics at Padme Yoga Center starting November 06 (see under "workshop")
Visit Mojohito's website http://grassrootsvitality.com/
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