I recently started attending hot yoga after a loooong absence (almost 5 years - used to go to the 1st Sunstone when it just opened). I am thrilled to be back and am also trying to make a lot of lifestyle and diet changes, too. I have cut coffee out of my diet (organic green tea only), no diet sodas in over 2 months, no red meat in over 3 weeks (organic chicken or fish in small portions only and vegetarian only days at least 3x a week) and no alcohol. I have also tripled my water intake to at least 64 oz a day. Believe me, for someone that ate red meat at least 4x every week, drank 4 cups of coffee a day, had diet sodas at least 3x a week and had 2-3 bottles of wine over the course of a week - this has been a lot of changes and I feel great so far. After some initial headaches, my body has responded well and is already leaner (lost 7 lbs), I have more energy and I am not an emotional roller coaster anymore.

Next, I am planning to start a 3 week cleanse diet the beginning of January. This came highly recommended by some friends who were pretty much just like me (poor diet, lack of exercise, etc..) and I have seen it completely turn them around - I was skeptical at first.

All of the above changes have been to prepare me for this - I'm not a "cold turkey" type person and have been making more gradual changes. This is not the Master Cleanse but is rather a low-carb vegan diet (organic veggies only) supplemented with some protein/vitamin and high fiber supplements (again - all organic). It recommends drinking at least 64 oz of water a day and sweating every day w/ some form of exercise in order to better cleanse your body of toxins. So, I think yoga will be compatible. However, is there anything I should be concerned or aware about? Any sensations in yoga I may experience that are unusual while going through a cleanse? Should I increase my water intake to more than I am drinking now? Has anyone had experiences with a "cleanse" or "detox" diet before? I'm nervous about it...

Hi Melissa,
This is great news to have you back with Sunstone Yoga!!! You have changed so much of your daily activites so I would say expect anything to happen! LOL. Detox is different for every one esp in the heated yoga room. From my experience the first three weeks are the hardest on a detox program (headaches, nausea, muscle tightness, vivd dreams insomnia, lethargy, sugar cravings)

When you are preparing to take a Fire class, make sure you have enough fuel in your body, ask yourself, did I eat enough today to get me through the class? Fruits and leafy green vegetables digest in half the amount of time then legumes and proteins. It might mean you need to eat some pineapple 40min before class to help with muscle weakness. Consider adding a small amount of stevia (natural sweetener) to your water in the yoga room. When I say small amount I mean less than half a teaspoon to 32 oz water. This can help if you are feeling nauseous and weak.

When I am detoxing after the first couple of weeks I find I have more energy than I have ever had. Remember your body will do very well if you take the right food and add in a enzyme supplement and a good probiotic supplement. These can be purchased from Sundrops on Oak Lawn in Dallas www.sundrops.com

Hope this is helpfull.

Peace

Thanks, Nicole! It is great to be back. I really missed Sunstone the past few years.

Started the detox 2 days ago. I am learning to expect anything. I felt great the first day but woke up this morning with an overpowering feeling of nausea and even a little dizziness. I felt better after drinking more water and eating some fresh fruit and veggies but still feel a little "off." I'm trying to learn what my body needs each day and today will be my first day to try yoga after starting the detox (I've been exercising but haven't been to yoga the past 3 days).

I think I will just have to remember to not be too hard on myself if I have to sit out poses, feel weak, nauseous, etc... It will probably take me a few tries to learn what works best for me.

Thanks so much for the tips - I plan to try eating some fruit about an hour before class to see if that helps.