The Body Temple
I want to talk about a view that really changed my life. During my yoga certification, I was introduced to the idea that my body was a temple. This concept changed so much for me and fueled my personal journey to have a sparkling clean temple in honor of the great boon I was given of having a human body. One of the first investments I made to support the cleansing I thought was needed, was a far infrared sauna. And boy have I gotten my money’s worth out of it! I purchased one that is considered to be portable in that it has a base with 4 walls that fit inside and a top. It has a cover so that it can be kept outside if desired but I have mine in my studio space where I teach and support others on their journey using the various tools and techniques I talk about on this blog.
At the time that I purchased this sauna I was in the middle of my initial personal detox journey that started when I became a yoga instructor. I felt it was very important to clean what I now viewed as my temple. That framing of my body changed so much for me. Your body is a tool that can be used in countless ways. For it to operate optimally, it needs to be properly cared for, nourished, rested, and honored and respected for the faithful servant that it is. Each person is unique and there isn’t a one size fits all strategy that will work for everyone. This is one of many things that really drew me to ayurveda. It was individualized. And the aim, as it is in yoga, is freedom through enlightenment. It saddens me how disconnected so many people are from their own body. And viewing my body as a temple the Creator would be pleased with, helped me more than I can express. I could no longer pollute it as I had in the past. When I educated myself about what eating animals meant for my body and digestive system, not to mention the poor animals, I was truly horrified and ashamed on some level that I had participated in something so destructive in every way. I didn’t understand how any animal lover could continue to eat animals particularly if they understood not only what it was doing to the planet and animals but to their temple. The number one thing killing our planet is animal farming. But like all other big businesses with the money to protect their interests and power, it is swept under the rug and virtually ignored. Like too many other things to even count. As far as I’m concerned, this widespread ignoring of big problems is precisely why we are sitting here with all our activities curtailed or taken away and walking around wearing masks. I truly do not know how anyone who loves animals can eat them. For me if it has eyes and can look at me and it bleeds like me, that’s it. I can’t eat it. Do you know how conscious cows are? Never will I ever eat that again. And as far as fish are concerned, our waters are by far our most polluted element right now so no thanks. Especially big fish who have had plenty of time to be in the nastiness. Enough about that I wanna talk more about my sauna.
First let me tell you a little more about the far infrared sauna. One thing that sets them apart is that they heat you directly more so than the air around you. This makes them easier for some people to tolerate and use. About 80% of the heat goes to heating the body rather that the air and penetrates more deeply into the body. This helps dissolve unwanted substances that have accumulated in the body. If you have never done a cleanse of any kind, please trust me when I say you are beyond overdue. Imagine your house had never been cleaned. Infrared rays have the power to revitalise your cells and metabolism. Does that sound as good to you as it does to me?
Our largest eliminative organ is our skin. It is often called the third kidney because of its ability to discharge large amounts of waste material. Many of us don’t freely or regularly sweat. It’s not a matter of you liking to sweat. It’s a matter of cleansing this body that you use to do virtually everything imaginable. The sauna will activate your sweat glands. The sauna also helps improve circulation and recovery from fatigue. It reduces inflammation and speeds up wound healing by increasing blood flow to the area. I always feel relaxed but energized after my session which lasts 35-60 minutes.
If you still need to be convinced of the need to detox think about this. Yearly, now in the US, (where else ?) 4 billions pounds of toxic chemicals are released by various industries into our environment including 72 million pounds of known carcinogens. These chemicals are dispersed in the air, water, food and soil so there is no escaping them. Don't forget about pesticides, herbicides and insecticides. And guess where the body stores these types of toxins? In fatty tissue. Thousands of drugs, pollutants, pesticides, and preservatives remain stored in the body for a very long time. There is a wealth of literature documenting illnesses in humans from exposure to chemicals. These illnesses include cancers of virtually every organ system of the body, as well as leukemia, liver disease, pulmonary damage, anemia and blood changes, nervous system disease, immune system damage, psychological damage, reproductive and fertility impairment, and kidney dysfunction. There are also many sub-clinical abnormalities that are suspected to result from presumed chemical exposure and the list grows longer each year.
Everyone needs to cleanse and detox. Period. Sweating is a top way to release toxins from the body. I love how I feel after a good sweat. I feel clean and there is definite satisfaction that I have taken the time to not only love and support myself on such a deep level but to keep my temple as clean as possible.