Yoga and Your Body's Water Cycle

August 2003
by Linda McGrath

Sweating is one of your body’s most effective, and most commonly underused ways to clean itself. And your body definitely needs it. Studies show that in this country, we are continuously increasing our bodies’ reserves of carcinogenic heavy metals such as mercury, lead, nickel, cadmium as well as alcohol, nicotine, sodium and cholesterol. Even though we’re not in Detroit (rated worst), we still have Hwy 101, Pacifico and In-and-Out. So sweat is good.

The more you sweat, the more you sweat… When I first started yoga, I barely broke a sweat. Now, I walk out looking like I was thrown in the pool. And proud of it, because apparently scientists regard sweat as one of the surest signs of vibrant health and a zippy metabolism. Nobel Prize winner Dr. Andre Lwoff, a French virologist, believes that high temperatures during infection help combat the growth of a virus. Along the same lines, German physical education professor Dr. Ernst lead a study on cancer (or rather, the lack thereof) among marathon runners. Analyzing their sweat, he discovered that the athletes excreted these potential cancer-causing elements by perspiring. He and other scientists concluded it is necessary to sweat profusely at least once a day to maintain good health and that usually, only the most active athletes achieve this on a daily basis. In other words, you can run a marathon, or you can just come to yoga…

With continuous practice, not only does the volume of sweat increase, but the sweat also becomes very clean and clear. American Indians knew that long ago: they used to go into their heated tents before big hunting trips to sweat off their human odor. The first major changes that happen when you start to practice is your skin. When you think about it, look at someone who’s been doing Bikram for a while - the tone is even, the surface is smooth, and the hue is glowing.

But, (big but!), to sweat, you must drink! Water. Not coffee or tea. The caffeine dehydrates, so the water in these beverages makes it a wash, at best. Not orange juice, not even the most organic and freshly squeezed kind. The nutrients it contains require water to be digested, so again – a wash. Just pure, plain, beautiful water. Lots of it.

If you’re practicing in the morning, make sure you drink the night before. If you’ve had some wine, drink even more. If you are practicing in the evening, you can still catch up during the day. If you’re out in the heat, that’s a factor too. I don’t believe there’s a magic amount that works for everybody. Even if you already drink a lot of water and you start Bikram, your body is going to need a bit more than what it’s used to receiving so far. Some people don’t drink enough to begin with, which can be dangerous because you’re asking for heat exhaustion. Those need to increase their water intake much more. So for a week, have an experiment and see how much water you can absorb. Drink more than you are thirsty for. When you grab the bottle, don’t sip – drink until you can’t drink anymore. Chug. And then come to class. The more you drink, the better class you’ll have, and the better you will feel afterwards. The first few days, you may be squeezing your legs in Eagle pose every hour, but by the end of the week, you’ll know what the right amount for you is.