Healthy Practice > Understanding the Lymphatic System

Since I keep mentioning practices to boost the lymphatic system, I am posting an article that I recently wrote for Better Homes and Gardens, December'14 issue.

Healthy Practice > Hot Towel Scrub

With the temperature dropping to 6 degrees celsius (and expected to fall further), Delhi is freezing. The sudden onset of cold literally froze my yoga practice. Staying late in bed, eating heavy carbs that the body seemingly demands in the cold weather, and a subsequent feeling of stiffness in the body has kept me from getting onto the yoga mat for a few days now. The one thing that I look forward to, however, is the hot towel scrub.

I was introduced to this wonderful practice during an Ayurveda workshop that I attended a few months ago. The interesting thing about that workshop was that the lady who conducted it, Shonali Sabherwal, is a Macrobiotic Nutritionist and Chef. While giving us helpful tips on healthy eating the Ayurveda way, she drew many similarities between the Ayurvedic and the Macrobiotic approach to food (more on that in a subsequent post). Amongst the other nuggets of information that she shared, up came the hot towel scrub.

How To Do The Hot Towel Scrub
This simple practice is exactly what the name suggests. Dip a hand towel in a tub a of hot water and scrub yourself. Keep dipping the hand towel in the same tub of water. The steam from the hot towel helps to release the toxins trapped just below the skin. The scrubbing action with the towel helps to remove these toxins. Practicing the same repeatedly has a wonderful detoxifying effect and boosts the lymphatic system.

Although the practice is fairly simple, I feel that scrubbing in the direction that the lymph flows is especially beneficial. So start form the limbs inward, towards the heart. Feet upward and raise your arms and scrub downwards, starting from your finger tips. Then neck down to the collar bones, and the down the back of the neck and outward towards the shoulder joint. Scrub your chest area starting from the sternum upwards and then outwards toward your armpits. In the abdomen area it is recommended to move in a clockwise direction.

Since the neck, back of the knees and inside of the elbows have huge clusters of lymph nodes, I spend a little more time in these areas. The other two areas that I enjoy wrapping in the hot towel and scrubbing are the soles of the feet and the palms. The soles and palms have lots of nerve endings as well as acupressure points, hence I find it especially rejuvenating focusing on both.

Dipping the towel in the same water, even as it starts getting dirty, has a unique advantage, according to Shonali. Toxins have an affinity to attract and pull out more toxins! Much like using salted lukewarm water, instead of plain water, for gargling, I think.

Since the practice is slightly dehydrating, much like what you feel after spending 15 minutes in a steam too, do drink some water before and after. Also, slather on some moisturiser since hot water leaves the skin rather dry.

My Experience
I fell in love with this practice the very day I started it. It left me feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. One of the biggest benefits for me was that the PMS symptoms started receding naturally, without any medication. The skin was left glowing, shining even. And in this biting cold, a hot towel scrub feels heavenly.

When I googled the hot towel scrub, I learnt that it is an age-old practice followed as part of bathing rituals in Korean and Turkish households. I especially like this practice for its simplicity. The lack of any additional salts or essential oils makes it largely free of any side effects. The fact that you can spend as much or as little time as you like makes it even more easy to follow.

Healthy Practice > Adopt Just ONE Daily Practice

If there was one thing that I would urge anyone to do, it would be this - please adopt just ONE healthy practice!

The alarming rate at which lifestyle diseases are increasing is scary. Almost every day one hears of friends, family or acquaintances falling sick, at times very seriously sick. Instead of living in fear of illness let's choose to do something about it, NOW.

Given the hectic lifestyles that modern living demands, combined with the chemical-laden food we eat and the polluted air we breathe, doesn't it make sense to do something to detox our bodies?

Human bodies may be very fragile and vulnerable to diseases, but they are also marvellous and miraculous in so many ways. If helped to function optimally, our bodies have an immense ability to self-heal. One especially witnesses quick healing in children's bodies, be it broken bones or ruptured skin. When my one and a half year old son knocked out two teeth, the dentist asked me to simply put the teeth back in and the gums would have sealed them as if nothing had happened! Unfortunately, but the time I got in touch with a paediatric dentist I was way past the time window (ideally 30 minutes) for the advice to work. Even so, within 12 hours my son's gum, that was agape with the impact, had closed up.

But it's not just children. Even grown ups have remarkable healing experiences. From spontaneous cancer remissions to reversing heart disease, there are plenty of cases that showcase miracles within a human body. I sincerely believe that if one body can experience healing, almost all bodies are capable of it too! We just need to allow our bodies to function optimally.

Even one healthy practice, when done consistently, will help your body to undo at least some of the damage that it is subjected to due to our environment and lifestyle. You can choose any healthy habit that clicks with you. A few of my favourites are:
- Yoga
- Pranayam
- Oil Pulling
- Hot Towel Scrub
- Acupressure
- Kunjal Kriya and Jal Neti

There are of course so many more. Take your pick but stick to it diligently for at least a month to see the difference.

Happy Healthy Living!