Spring is in the air! Usually at this time of the year, I’m about two thirds the way through a 200-hour yoga teacher training and I take the trainees on a weekend getaway where the students experience a 36-hour fast followed by Yoga’s Six Kriyas or cleansing techniques. Fasting and detox is part of the yoga lifestyle and many of these are extremely restrictive. Much of the teaching gets tangled into diet culture and the obsession with skinny, which can potentially cause more physical and mental harm than intended. 

How to balance Yoga’s restrictive cleansing practices without falling prey to toxic diet culture?

Restrictive practices of yoga were intended for Yogis (predominantly men) who were essentially becoming a renunciate or monk, which included taking vows of chastity, poverty and participating in their own funeral ceremony. People who wanted to experience Self-realisation above all else had to let go of all their personal attachments to the world and live an austere life.

Fast forward to today, everyone and their sister practices yoga — regular human beings with a wide spectrum of age and ability, who are looking for ways to enhance quality of life, reduce pain and/or stress and live more mindfully. Most of this demographic are not looking to renounce the whole world. 

The purpose of the practices are to keep the body light, agile and able to sit still in meditation. However, so much of it gets tangled into the toxic diet culture as a means of getting skinny, and can be dangerous. It’s important to unpack the practices to be able to do this safely and improve the quality of your life rather than harm you physically and mentally. Let’s explore:

What is fasting? 

To fast means to abstain from food, drink or both for health, religious, ethical or ritualistic purposes. The practice is ancient and endorsed by religious leaders and physicians across the globe. Fasting can be used for disease prevention, worship, sacrifice, penance, self-control, weight loss, detoxification and even protest. 

Fasting can be short or long, and sometimes limited calories or foods can be included. There is a whole spectrum and science to fasting, so people can find a practice that suits their own lifestyle. All cultures around the world practice some form of fasting: from lent, to Ramadan, to Navaratari, and more. 

Fasting for Yoga practices means following prescribed rules and practicing meditation as a means to achieve a transcendent state. The practice is a way to control your desires and attachments, and also to be aware of how much of your mind is consumed with food. By restricting food intake, your mind is freer to pursue meditation.

What are the Six Kriyas? 

Kriyas are cleansing techniques and again have the same intentions to achieve a transcendental meditative state and gain control over your desires and attachments. Yoga has six practices:

1. Trataka — eye gazing at a flame. The purpose of this is to release tears from the eyes, as a lot of stress hormones come out of the eyes in the form of tears. (Yes… crying is a form of detox!)

2. Kapalabhati — usually known as a pranayama practice, this is also a way to clean out the nasal passages, remove mucus from the lungs and more.

3. Jala Neti — using a Neti pot with warm salt water to clean out the sinuses and nasal passages. More extreme versions of this is to use a thread or cloth (sorry… not for me)

4. Japa Dhauti — consuming large amounts of warm salt water in one go to clean out the digestive tract. Again, you can do this with a cloth, swallowing and regurgitating it to remove bile, mucus and other toxins (yes… attractive right?)

5. Nauli Kriya — stomach churning to activate the digestive power to move food and toxins through the system and out (either up or down)

6. Bhasti — also known as colonic irrigation or an enema.

What’s the balance? How to get started? 

If you are considering fasting and Kriya practices, please begin by examining your intentions. So many yoga practitioners say they are following the yoga way, but are secretly hoping for weight loss. It’s important to be up front and honest with yourself from the start, so you can create healthy boundaries and keep yourself safe. 

Second, consider your past health history. Are you hypoglycaemic? Do you have low blood pressure? Have you had a history of eating disorders? If you answer “yes” to these questions, or have other health issues, it’s very very important to speak to a medical professional who understands the process of fasting, to see how you can incorporate this practice into your life safely without compromising your health. 

Third, look at your lifestyle. Do you run or lift heavy weights? Do you sit at a desk? Are you teaching 8 classes per day? Do you engage in manual labour under the hot sun? All of these affect the type of fasting you should do. 

It’s important to not only look after your wellbeing, but the wellbeing of those around you. For example, if you are raising a family, make sure you are fully aware that your children will be learning habits from the way you practice fasting. What they see and experience will be different from what’s going on inside your mind. It’s easy for children to think that fasting is a form of weight loss (which is the most marketed benefit of fasting), and you may unintentionally encourage disordered eating patterns in them. 

Also, if fasting affects the quality of your relationships, consider adapting and adjusting your regime. If dinner with the family is the most important meal, then don’t skip dinner. While you might worry about eating at the end of the day, remember cultures have done this practice safely for eons of time. You will be fine. 

I’ll leave you with this. Think moderation, think peace of mind, and if you end up thinking more about food and your body as a result, something is off balance. Make sure you are talking to people about this, so that you can safely explore some beautiful teachings and practices.