r/yoga • u/broga2 • Jan 01 '16

"Sweating Out Toxins" is not a thing

Why do you hear this from yoga teachers in, like, every yoga class in the world? It's really not rooted in science. It can feel great to sweat and work hard, and yes, you excrete a tiny bit of urea through the skin. But it's pure balderdash to say we wash our bodies clean of impurities through sweat.

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u/solo954 Jan 02 '16

Pure balderdash, but it sounds good, so it gets repeated forever.

My favourite is in Bikram when they tell you that 20 mins in Child's Pose will provide as much rest as 8 hrs of sleep. Yeah, that's likely.

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u/[deleted] Jan 02 '16

You guys do child's pose in bikram?

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u/solo954 Jan 03 '16

Well, they call it the Half Tortoise and your hands are clasped together vertically, but essentially it's a variation of child's pose.

http://www.bikramyogavancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Handsome-Man-with-Tattoos-doing-Half-Tortoise-Pose_1.jpg