The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Diet, Clothing, Hydration and Drinking › Juice fasting and bikram yoga
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Diet, Clothing, Hydration and Drinking › Juice fasting and bikram yoga
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Hello everyone
I am about to go on a raw fruit and veg juice fast and was wondering whether anyone has experience of juice fasting while practising Bikram yoga.
My concern is maintaining my energy levels so that I can continue to practice my normal five (to seven) times during these two weeks. I was advised not to take any regular supplements as it interferes with the detoxification process so all I’m taking is green powder consisting of wheatgrass, spirulina en kale.
Any other natural/herbal remedies you can recommend that would aid the cleansing process and/or boost energy levels?
Many thanks!
Hi Cyberry
It seems you are committed to your yoga practice and to your short-term cleanse. Your words seem to imply you are either following a plan or getting someone’s professional help or advice.
If you are sticking with your cleanse then my suggestion is to stick with it and then modify your practice to suit your energy levels and ability. You may find yourself feeling more or less energetic, maybe unable to do all the poses in every class, you may find you have to rest in class, or skip a class. Choose your ‘barometer’ and then stick with it. It’s only 2 weeks. Your yoga practice is about mindfulness. You are the one making the choice to eat differently. So don’t get caught up on whether you can or can’t do your yoga. Notice it, adapt and before you know it your 2 weeks will be up.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Gabrielle,
thank you for your balanced perspective, much appreciated. I’m not being guided by a professional but have read up quite a bit on juice fasting. You are of course right – I should listen to my body and act accordingly and I will. But I would like to ‘set myself up’ as best as possible to continue my practice since I’m also giving up smoking whilst on the juice fast!
This is therefore no ‘ordinary’ juice fast… and I have found in the past that exercise is very important to me in the throes of nicotine withdrawal. I’m combining the two in an attempt to rid my body of all the toxins that have built up over the years, counter the digestive problems that have befuddled previous attempts and start afresh, so to speak.
Regards
CyberryHi Cyberry
Well that definitely puts a different spin on your situation.
Congratulations on giving up smoking. Please tell us if you have been a heavy smoker. I have been waiting to find out what your other health challenges were (as referred to in an recent post) so thanks for sharing your news.
It really seems to me that the best ‘detox’ you will get in response to giving up smoking is full deep breathing.
So, how would it be to change your intention to make your breath your primary focus? While what you eat is very important, if your body is crying out for food because you can’t find the energy to go to class and action your yoga and deep breathing, then find something that will fill that hole that fits into your cleanse definition. Maybe it will be raw organic green vegetables. I don’t know. Your body has a lot to do. Two weeks is the beginning of the process because it will take more than that to reverse the years of smoking. So make whatever you do sustain and support you in everything you do. I am looking forward to hearing how it transpires for you mentally and physically if you’re willing to share.
Have fun on your health crusade
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Gabrielle,
Yes, it does indeed put a whole different spin on the entire endeavour… And I’m afraid the congratulations are a bit premature :-). The date is set in the near future so in the meantime I am doing all I can to prepare myself mentally.
Thank you for the tip on focussing on the breathing, I think that is a good one and will keep it mind.
In response to your suggestion to consider eating if my body truly needs it, it’s one of the things I’m still trying to figure out: at what point and to what extent I should allow myself to ‘compromise’. If it’s not leafy, I don’t digest raw veg very well, hence the decision to juice.
Will keep you posted – to as great an extent possible 🙂
Kind regards
CyberryCyberry – and other hot yoga friends,
A great resource for finding a balanced approach to a “raw diet” or “juice feasting” and other lifestyle behavioral choices is a NING site http://www.rawfoodrehab.com run by my friend Penni Shelton. I believe there are several thousand members and we all help encourage each other, share information, etc. Its free. I even found my hot yoga introduction class teacher on this site – she was a member and invited me to attend her hot yoga chain’s introduction classes.
I have spent several years trying raw, juicing,vegetarian, vegan etc and finally found a perfect combination diet which works for me. Every body is different. I am a former smoker and a former over-drinker (trying to combat PTSD nightmares and anxiety). After trying lots of strategies I found my way to healthier choices too, as I know you will as well.
Be patient with yourself, and your body. Keep associating with like-minded, health minded folks like on here and other forums and you may find the boost you need to succeed.
Angela
Hello everyone
I am about to go on a raw fruit and veg juice fast and was wondering whether anyone has experience of juice fasting while practising Bikram yoga.
I do juice fasts every once in a while – fruit juices, veggie juices, green drinks, coconut water, tea — they’ve all made their way into the fasts I’ve done.Two things that I’ve learned if I’m juice-fasting while doing yoga:
1) Filling my water bottle with something clear that has calories/minerals/sugar, like coconut water, prevents me from tanking out during class while not making it obvious that I’m drinking something other than water.
2) Try anything new at least a day before you have class. Some juices, for whatever reason, can take hours or even overnight before revealing their full effects… detoxing through sweating is great, but if the juice you’ve chosen wants to detox you through your stomach halfway into your class…. ’nuff said 🙄
Hi Nynn,
thanks for the tips. Drinking in class is seriously frowned upon at the studio where I practice, so I’m not sure I should start now… Out of curiosity, which juices/combination did you find stimulated your digestive system? I am aware different bodies respond differently, but it would still be useful to know.
I’ve discussed my intention to go on the fast with one of my instructors (who I happened to find out has a lot of personal experience with juice fasting), so that also helped allay my concerns.
As for myself… well, I’ve decided to wait for the below-freezing temperatures to rise before I rise to the challenge! In the meantime I’m incorporating fresh juices and green stuff into my diet with great results.
Regards
C… Out of curiosity, which juices/combination did you find stimulated your digestive system? I am aware different bodies respond differently, but it would still be useful to know.
LOL, organic prune juice :ahhh:I know, I KNOW, there are about a million prune jokes out there, so WHY would I decide to pour myself a nice tall glass of prune juice? 😆
Look, in spite of everything, it tasted amazing – absolutely nothing like those dried prune things that show up in trail mix. And it didn’t give me awful stomach cramps or nausea or anything… in fact, I will probably drink it again in my next fast. With caution – in all seriousness, for the next several hours after I drank it, even letting a teeny tiny fart escape in public would NOT have ended well.
(sorry if that was a bit graphic, but hey, it’s one of those need-to-know things)
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