Detox Your Body, Mind, and Soul

So we have already thoroughly established that hot yoga deeply detoxifies your cells, so lets explore some other ways in which you can clean your body out!
The most obvious way to a healthy lifestyle and a happy body is through your diet. The saying "What you eat is what you are" has a lot of truth. When you fill your body up with pesticide ridden, antibiotic pumped, unnatural foods your body doesn't know what to do with it! Just like when you accumulate a lot of junk in your house, you cant always just throw it away. Often times it simply piles up further and further until you decide to do an intense spring cleaning, and get rid of all of it! Your body functions similar. Eating non-organic and highly processed foods leads to a pile up of toxic waste in your lower digestive track, concentrating in your colon. I know, its absolutely disgusting but its the horrible truth. So, how do we rid our bodies of this 5-10lbs of excess weight and restore our body to its natural, healthy state?
DETOX!
Now a new problem arises. Which of the thousands of detox plans out there do you choose? This can be a particularly tricky question, especially if you don't know much about the topic. When selecting a plan be sure that it is riding your body of processed, material without using processed or highly sugary food/liquids to do so. For example, if you choose to do a cranberry juice detox, do not chose the cranberry juice that is nice and sweet such as a Ocean Spray brand. Instead, choose the bitter, low sugar, organic brands that may be slightly more expensive, but will do the job you are purchasing it to do. Another detox plan that is deceivingly high in sugar is an Odwalla detox. These delicious drinks are so yummy largely because they are extremely high in sugar.
There is one detox that I find to be extremely effective, either as a short 3-7day detox or as a permanent eating strategy. The raw food detox diet. There is lots of great information out there on this strategy but my favorite book is by Natalia Rose a well informed raw food specialist. The raw food diet consists of eating healthy foods straight from the earth, such as organic fruits and veggies and sprouted whole grains. It makes sense when you think about what we have gone over so far. The closer your food is to its natural form, or the earth the better it is for you. However, when using this method as a short detox plan opposed to a lifestyle it is important to keep it to the minimums, no salad dressing veggie dips, or animal products of any kind, simply the fruits and veggies themselves. If you own a juicer or blender, it is also great to juice or smoothie your foods to aid in the "quick exit" of your food from your body and ultimately washing away toxins. Along the same note, you should always be drinking a LARGE quantity of water when you detox. It not only helps washing away toxins, but it also helps keep your body hydrated so your digestion system doesn't dry up ultimately clogging your colon and defeating the purpose all together. Another great addition to your detox plan is clensing your colon. Colon cleansing can be done various ways, the easiest way would be to pick up an enema from your local pharmacy or drug store and administer it to yourself. For a full and thorough cleanse, schedule a colonic appointment. The best place to go in the Seattle area is definitely The Tummy Temple on NE 65th st. The tummy temple's main focus is on the education of and administering of colonics. They also offer nutrition counseling, acupuncture and massage therapy services. Their staff is extremely kind and are there because they love helping people and they truly believe in what they do.
Lastly, it is important to realize that Detoxification means removing poisons from your body. Therefore, it is important to see how they got there and your body's physical responses. When you eat food that is high in toxins, those poisons enter your cells disrupting their cellular chemistry, decreasing your overall energy. Often times these foods make you have a head ache, stomach ache, or feel fatigued. Unfortunately, when detoxing, all those feelings which are bottled up in your cells are released, and you can feel it! Common symptoms of detoxing are:

• Fatigue- this is because your body is utilizing all its energy to heal your body.
• Cravings- You will most likely crave those toxic foods your body is used to you giving it. Just like a smoker craves cigarettes, you will crave the food you are used to eating.
  
• Irritability- This is unfortunately mostly mental. Most people are used to snacking or eating out of boredom, so naturally you can become stressed or irritable when you cut this out.
  
• Physical Pains- These include aches, pains, sleep problems, gastrointestinal disturbances, and nausea.

We've all had those days where nothing seems to be going right and the world seems to be crashing down on your head all at once. How some days can be so great and some so horrible, I will never understand. However on these horrible days there seems to be nothing better than a quick yoga class to recenter myself. They not only help me detox from greasy foods and toxins, but from my emotional baggage that, no matter what I do, always seems to find its way back to me. Therefore on those days that are unfortunately stuck in the muck, my yoga is my safe haven. All the grime that has built up gets washed away, leaving me feeling refreshed and new. Some times I forget this simple medicine, often if I am busy with finals and stressed or having a hard time managing my school and work loads all at once. But on days like today, where somehow the universe seems to be throwing me hard balls, I find release taking an hour to focus on myself and rid my mind and body of the pile of muck that we all seem to accumulate on those particularly cloudy days.
Even if yoga does not have this same calming effect over you, it is always important to find that something where you can detox your mind of all the stress and worry that your day has built upon you. These forces have drastic powers to hold you down, making it essential to cleanse yourself and have a chance to start fresh each day. How do you detox your mind?

Since we have established Hot Yoga is wonderful for your body, mind and soul, let look at some of the places, both good and bad, right here in Seattle!
Trying out various studios around your area is fairly cheap if you take advantage of their first time student packages. Many of these packages consist of a week unlimited or 10 classes for $20-$30! This is a steal considering average prices for packages of equal value.
Over the past month or two I have purchased these first time packages and tried out almost all the studios in my area. Lets take a look.
From the Laurelhurst district to the top of Queen Anne there are several great studios to try out!

I Love Hot Yoga is right across the street from the large grass/sports area on East Greenlake Way. It is a nice, newly built studio with a great beginner package of 10 sessions good for a full month for $30.
Like all studios, there are obvious positives and negatives. The studio is smaller than most and therefore fills up quickly especially in the evening during 6:30pm classe. Several downfalls go hand in hand with a popular, yet small studio like this one. In order to insure yourself a spot it is necessary to arrive at least 20min before class and you can count on the room being full and slightly cramped. In addition, for those of you who strive for a challenge and truly want to detox all of those icky toxins out of your body, this may not be the studio for you. I Love Hot Yoga is more focused on the mind meditation rather than a good workout and is also much cooler than many hot yoga studios. The room temperature is lower than many studios and the teachers vary drastically in style.
However, there are reasons why it fills up every night. This studio is one of the only ones in the area with plastic floors instead of carpet, and they sanitize the floor between each session keeping the room nice and fresh! Because the room is kept a lower temperature and most of the instructors are not drill sargents, it is a great place for beginners to become accustomed to the practice of hot yoga.

Hot Yoga of Laurelhurst is located on off of 45th several blocks east of UVillage. This studio is a great all around studio with a nice balance of Bikram-like and Power Vinyasa class options with the room heated up to a high temperature perfect for total detoxification. The instructors are consistent in their practices and provide lots of one on one help and suggestions throughout the class, enabling the students to become more and more advanced with each class. Laurelhurst has a similar new student package as I Love Hot Yoga, but slightly cheaper! They offer 10 classes that are good for 30 days for only $20.
This studio is carpeted, and can tend to get more humid than some studios, which helps you sweat out even more toxins if that is what you are after. Despite the carpeted flooring, it is kept very clean and rarely gets smelly. The studio can be tricky to find the first time, so give yourself a little extra time to get there for your first class.

Bikram Yoga of Seattle is located in Fremont directly off of 35th across from the water. This studio is Bikram certified and therefore only teaches this traditional sequences of 26 postures. The only variety offered is the various teaches personal styles that they bring to class. However, this sequence is known for its deep detoxification qualities and for working every organ, bone, joint and muscle from your skin to your bones. The room is kept at a hot level and the overhead fans are only turned on upon occasion for a small refresher during class, so the studio is one of the hotter ones in the area. This is great for those who wish to become more advanced in their practice and push their bodies to new heights fast. All the instructors are very helpful and give personal critiques during class. The room is carpeted and tends to get a bit smelly because they keep it so hot. I would not suggest this studio to someone just getting their feet wet in the world of hot yoga, but rather to someone with a few sessions, even months under their belt and are striving for a true challenge.

Haute Yoga on Queen Anne is located directly on Queen Anne Ave next to Starbucks where the old Jamba Juice used to be. For first time students they offer 2 weeks of unlimited classes for $25. I will be honest I have not had a chance to visit this studio yet, but plan to soon and I will update you on its positives and negitives as soon as I get in there. However, the word on the street says it is a very nice top of the line studio, but is rather small (similar to I Love Hot Yoga). They do offer both Power Vinyasa as well as Bikram-like classes. Hopefully I will get more information for you soon!

There are few activities as detoxifying as hot yoga. The high temperature and humidity within the room pushes your body to new heights normal yoga can only dream of attaining.

Have you been feeling sluggish, tired or out of balance? Do you struggle with bad skin, fatigue, digestive problems, aches, pains or weight loss? The need for your body to be in balance skin to bone, head to toe is much more of a vital need than most realize. Today's busy society makes it too easy to fall into bad lifestyles where your body becomes deprived of the nutrition and cleansing it needs.
The practice of riding one's body of toxins has been practiced throughout centuries all around the world including ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. By riding your body of toxins that have been building up in your body for years and renewing it with healthy nutrients, can lower your risk of disease or illness and add to the youthful longevity of your life.
I am planning on turning the city of Seattle inside out to find the very best places and the best deals to help make your body feel like new. Journey with me into the city's many hot yoga studios, health food stores, acupuncturists, herbalists, and restaurants catering to a variety of healthy eating techniques as well as a variety of other detox friendly establishments.