The Cleansing Power of Yoga ― Kriyas and Other Holistic Detox Techniques for Health and Wellbeing

Swami Saradananda explains in this unique, coloured, illustrated book how removing stuck and toxic energy can have not just far-reaching physical benefits but also emotional and spiritual ones, from increased energy, clarity and focus to a stronger sense of connection with the people and world around you. 

Purification (saucha) is a central aim of all yogic practices – the first principle of self-discipline (niyama) in Patanjali’s eight-limbed approach – as the ancient yogis believed that impurities in our internal body adversely affect our state of mind and prevent the attainment of true contentment. And kriyas – little-known ancient yoga techniques designed to cleanse the body, mind and emotions – have far-reaching relevance in today’s society of over-consumption.
After a fascinating introduction, Swami Saradananda presents six main chapters of kriyas and other cleansing techniques relating to our five senses and the mind (which controls our senses), each with a specific aim: clarifying our vision in life (sight), enhancing our communication skills (sound), optimizing our energy and allowing us to breathe more deeply (smell), nourishing us and enhancing our capacity to ‘digest’ life (taste), enhancing our connection with others (touch), and simplifying our life and filling it with sublime thoughts (mind). Each chapter includes at least one yoga pose as well as a breathing exercise, mudra, mantra, cleansing chakra visualization and any more specific techniques relevant to optimal well-being in that area. The book then ends with a chapter of routines for a wide range of conditions, from physical complaints such as headaches or tinnitus, to emotional ones such as sadness, guilt and anger.The end result? Readers will end up with all the holistic detox tools they need to feel overall better, lighter, happier and healthier in their own skin.

Swami Saradananda is an internationally renowned yoga and meditation teacher who has inspired thousands of people to practise. She has been teaching for almost forty years, and her books include The Power of Breath, Chakra Meditation, Relax and Unwind with Yoga, Yoga Mind and Body, The Essential Guide to Chakras and Mudras for Modern Life. For 26 years, she worked with the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres and directed their facilities in New York, London, New Delhi and the Himalayas. After an extended period of personal practice in the Himalayas in 2001, she was author in residence at the Peacemaker Community in Western Massachusetts, and she then went on to direct yoga and meditation retreat Haus Yoga Vidya, just outside of Cologne, Germany. She now lives in London but still spends time teaching both in Germany and India. She is also a trustee of the Ganga Prem Hospice, a charity that has built a cancer hospice in Rishikesh, North India.