Healing waters for maintaining body chemistry

This simple, safe water therapy practice has been recommended by yogis for centuries.

Our bodies are 72percent water for good reason. Water serves many purposes within us: it circulates nutrients and hormones, distributes heat and provides the medium in which chemical reactions take place-and most important, water flushes out toxic substances and waste materials via the kidneys. And through this process the basic balance of body chemistry is maintained.

Body Wash

A simple practice recommended in ancient yogic texts can enhance all these water-based functions and more. The practice: Learn to drink large amounts of water first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. From 2 to 9 glasses of pure, room-temperature water (up to 1.5 liters) floods the internal environment and dramatically assists the body in performing its cleansing and balancing activities. (Please note that this is not the same as drinking water slowly throughout the day. This water is taken all at once, first thing in the morning).

Drinking such large amounts of water may feel uncomfortable initially. Start slowly-with 1 to 2 glasses. To reduce feelings of satiation, don't taste the water with your tongue as you drink it. Just let it roll down into the throat. Don't consume other foods or beverages for at least half an hour after drinking. And it's important not to drink alcohol of any kind the previous evening.

Let the water work its way through your system. After drinking, you can use the yogic churning exercise (squatting, then alternately lowering first one knee and then the other toward the floor) to move the water through. In the first hour, you may urinate a number of times. This is normal and will not strain your kidneys. You may also find that the water prompts a bowel movement. Both of these outcomes are natural and healthy and will clean your system of toxins that build up overnight as well as those that accrue in the rush of twenty-first century living.

Benefits   Cautions

Those who have tried this practice have reported a surprising range of benefits. Radiant skin, improved bowel functioning, gradual weight loss, fewer headaches, reduction in joint pain, and improved immune functioning are just a few. Daily practice brings the most improvement.