The myth of twists
In yoga classes this week we have been debunking a common myth in yoga that you might have heard - twisting detoxes your body.
Firstly, while it's true we are surrounded by pollution and heavily processed food, your body is not toxic! What IS toxic is the messages continually pumped out by the diet & wellness industry that there's something wrong with your body that needs to be fixed - this is not true 🙄
Secondly, your body is already set up perfectly to remove waste products eg. your kidneys, liver and lymph drainage systems, and every time you go to the toilet 💩 No twisting needed!
But there is a partial truth buried in this myth... Twisting and other movements where you put pressure on your tissues does help to rehydrate your tissues, through the action of squeezing and releasing, like a sponge absorbing fresh water after it's squeezed.
You can see this in action on your skin if you use a finger to put some pressure on the back of your hand. When you release the pressure the area will stay pale for a bit and then fresh blood & fluids will rush back in. Imagine this happening inside your body the next time you twist.
This squeeze & release action can happen all the time in our day to day movement, but as we know with our modern lifestyles we're moving less and less, which means that things can get sticky. When you have a knot in your muscle for example this gets in the way of the smooth movement of your tissues preventing the re-hydrarion. This is why things like massages, myofascial release and the squeeze & release of twists is so helpful!
And I think this squeeze & release action can be applied broader than just your physical body (you know I love a good metaphor!)
Some pressure in your life can be useful, motivating, and drive action, eg. If you have a project deadline you need to meet. But you don't get the benefit of the pressure unless you also get the release eg. by resting, reflecting, learning and planning instead of rushing on to the next project.
So here's some things to think about:
💜 How much pressure do you feel under in your life?
💜 Is it external pressure or pressure you put on yourself?
💜 Are you able to balance the pressure with release?
💜 And physically do you move your body enough to get the squeeze & release action in your tissues, or would some twists & physical pressure be useful?