What Does a Detoxed Body Feel Like?

Detoxing used to be a vague concept to me. I thought it meant flushing out toxins occasionally and calling it a day, and I'm fairly certain you do, too. Well, that's one way to look at it, and that's often what the health industry advertises as a detox. 

The problem with this detox approach is that people often end up right back where they started (often feeling even worse). Flushing out toxins in an extreme manner once in a while is asking for your organs to deal with a tremendous amount of work, considering they are probably already sluggish in the first place. In fact, let’s review a few myths and misconceptions about detoxifying our bodies. If you've been following my work for a while, you may already know that I teach and use Ayurveda in my own life as well as in my teaching. 

But Ayurvedic Medicine is much more than using turmeric, ginger, eating a vegetarian diet, and detoxing. This ancient knowledge is so deep that you could study it for a lifetime and still learn something fascinating every day. Now, on the other end of the spectrum, people often ask me why I promote detoxification if we already have a liver, kidneys, and gut that do the work for us already. My answer to this question is this: if our bodies were doing a good job of detoxifying as they should, we wouldn't be experiencing the issues most of us face today, such as bloating, hormonal imbalance, or weight management issues. 

We can't deny that we are bombarded with all kinds of pollutants and toxins that affect us physically, emotionally, and energetically. It's not just our food that's highly processed: everything we see, hear, smell, touch, eat, believe, and think affects us in some way too. There is only so much our bodies can take. On top of that, the stress from all the drama happening in our society and the toxicity of social media makes it even harder for our organs to do their work properly, which leads us to toxic substances building up in our bodies. 

Ayurveda has a special name for this toxic buildup: Ama.

Ama is seen as gunk, waste, or toxic sludge that can’t be utilized by the body.

Ama usually accumulates in our bodies because of:

• Heavy, processed foods eaten repeatedly
• Overeating
• Emotional Eating
• Excess cold and raw foods
• High-stress levels
• Excessive or too little exercise
• Excessive or too little sleep, taking naps
• Repressed emotions

It is widely known in Ayurveda that Ama is the substance you mainly want to get rid of because it is said to be the root cause of all diseases. Yes, that means the bloating that keeps bothering you, the excess weight that doesn't seem to go away, the annoying and confidence-crashing acne, and excruciating PMS, or feeling "unclean" and heavy, with a lack of mental clarity. (Side note: as you can see, there are plenty of signs that we can hold on to Ama that aren't necessarily related to being overweight. Someone can be slim and still have Ama.).

Ama is a sneaky little gunky bastard that can stick to your deep bodily tissues and live rent-free in your body. It is cold, sticky, heavy, viscous, gross, and sometimes smelly.

Who wants that kind of roommate? Mm.mm. Not me. It HAS to go. Shoo.

If there's one thing I want you to remember, it's this: every time you catch yourself wanting to lose 5, 10, or even 15 lbs,  that's your Ama talking . Or every time the bloating keeps coming back, and you have low confidence and feel heavy and “dirty”, that's your Ama talking, too.

Your body wants your attention, giving you daily signals about whether you're taking good care of it. You probably don't need to lose that much weight in the first place; you just need to get rid of the nasty feeling of Ama that's plaguing you.

Living an Ayurvedic lifestyle is one of the best ways to get rid of Ama, turn the clock back, and finally take control of our health and weight. And it all starts with gently detoxifying our bodies daily in the Ayurvedic way.

As you can see, detoxifying your body the Ayurvedic way is not a one-time thing. It's a lifestyle that one maintains to keep toxins away and gently flushing Ama out daily.

These are the good signs that your body is free from the excess build up of Ama, and your gut health or digestive system is strong.

• Being free of digestive issues
• Being able to digest any food (in reasonable amounts)
• Healthy-looking complexion and glow
• Having a healthy, steady weight for our frames
• Feeling passionate, excited, and energetic
• Mental clarity
• Feeling confident, with motivation to pursue goals
• Good immunity
• Good night’s sleep

This information was taken from my book and online program, Detox To Glow . Start your journey today to feel healthier, lighter, and happier in your body!