How can Gentle Yoga aid detoxification? Dave Brocklebank, founder of the Burren Yoga and Meditation Centre in Ireland, provides the answers.

Q: What are the goals of Gentle Yoga and how does it differ from other forms of Yoga such as Vinyasa or Hatha?

A: The type or school of Yoga in our Gentle Yoga and Detox courses is Satyananda Yoga, the Bihar School of Yoga. Satyananda Yoga systematically introduces practices to beginners, and the main emphasis (and goal) is on the awareness of the practitioner rather than on physical prowess. There is less emphasis on external physical alignment, and one focuses inwardly on the breath, on any feelings inside, what is happening inside the body, and eventually getting more in touch with internal energies. It is suitable for all ages and all fitness levels.

Q: How does Gentle Yoga combined with a natural detox program enhance the detoxification process?

A: Sometimes when we embark on a detox process, we can become obsessed with food, and our thoughts and attention become a little too fixated on food, or on missing those comfort foods that we sometimes like to eat.
By broadening our focus, including the detox within a wider Yogic context, and realizing that we are working on all layers of our being, our focus is really on improving health, and increasing energies on all levels, This gives us a wider perspective or a wider field of vision on which to focus awareness.

Q: Can other forms of Yoga be practiced as part of a natural detox program?

A: The most important thing about one’s Yoga practice is not so much the form, but rather the following factors: time, quality, and frequency. Ideally practice should be daily, between 5 and 7 days a week. Even if one does not feel in good form, one should still do some practice. A balanced practice is best, so one should learn practices under the guidance of a good qualified Yoga teacher.

Q: Can you suggest asanas that are particularly effective for body detox? For mind detox?

A: The wind releasing pose (sometimes called the leg-lock pose) massages the intestines and encourages peristalsis and waste elimination. Nauli, the contraction of stomach muscles, is a strong practice which helps digestion, corrects stomach functioning, and aids peristalsis. Pashimottanasana, the sitting forward bend, stimulates the stomach, intestines, and also stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system to help introduce relaxation and “letting go” of thoughts.
One of the Shatkarmas called Trataka, in which one gazes at a candle, and then closes ones eyes and views the after image is a powerful way of cleansing the mind. It should only be practiced under the guidance of an experienced Yoga teacher.

Q: What role does Yogic breathing play in detoxification?

A: One could write a whole book on the benefits and role of breathing in both detoxification and maintaining a healthy state of being. By becoming aware of the air we breathe—the care and respect we bring to this process—helps heighten our awareness to the importance of the other things we during eating, drinking, and other activities.
Some of the benefits include: oxygenation and bringing energy and prana to one's being, removal of carbon dioxide from the blood stream, and release of Nitric Oxide which aids absorption of oxygen into the blood. In addition, the movement of the diaphragm massages internal organs and promotes improved digestion and elimination of toxins. Also, Yoga stimulates the para-sympathetic nervous system which brings about relaxation, "letting go", and improved repair by the body’s internal processes.

Q: What benefits have you observed (mental and physical) from a Yoga-Detox combination and how do they compare to the benefits derived from just a food-based detox program?

A: The short term effects are that the detox process itself becomes more enjoyable as one is taking up new positive habits and learning a broader way of looking after the whole being. The Yoga practices also aid the detox process so it can speed up. And many of the practices also feel good and increase enjoyment and well being.
Longer term there is more to focus on, and instead of getting bogged down by just thinking about all those nice tasting comfort foods that one is deprived of, one can feel more positively after engaging in some Yoga practices which help one feel in better form, and give the mind some other new things to focus on.