Q. In Mexico I see widespread use of limes. Do limes have any special value?
Yes. Limes, and this includes lemons, are recommended by Yoga Science because they are good disinfectants. The juice kills many germs in the stomach and intestinal tract. This is especially important to help combat intestinal amoebas in warm climates like Mexico’s.
The use of lemon has been recommended to travelers by a doctor with the Organization of American States to prevent amoebic problems in Mexico.
Many yogis start the day drinking the juice of one lemon diluted in a glass of warm water because of its beneficial effect upon the liver, spleen, intestines, kidneys, bladder, and urinary tract. Lemon juice taken daily on an empty stomach will disinfect the physical organs. The acid in the lemon destroys undesirable germs that get into the body.
Another value of this practice is to aid in the easy evacuation of the bowels. If you are bothered by constipation try the following:
Simple, Easy-to-Do, Yogic Technique for Easier Bowel and Bladder Evacuations
1. Upon arising in the morning, drink a warm glass of water to which has been added the juice of one lemon or lime. This will stimulate the peristaltic action of the colon.
2. To further aid in this process, bend over, put your hands on your thighs or on a table, bend your knees slightly, and do abdominal movements.
3. With your spine straight but inclined and most of your torso weight on your hands, exhale and draw your stomach and abdomen in and up. This motion is assisted by the partial vacuum created by the lungs being empty and by the weight upon the hands.
4. Push the abdomen and stomach out slowly and pull in again and then out.
5. Take a breath and repeat.
All the movement is done with the breath out. As you get better at this, you may increase the number of movements you can do comfortably without taking another breath. Do Not Strain at any time.
If you suffer from chronic constipation, you may practice this stomach exercise at other times of the day. Never practice on a full stomach. A good time is before meals, when the stomach is empty. Women should not practice this technique when pregnant or during the menstrual period.
Aids in Indigestion and Stomach Problems
The technique may help you to cure indigestion and stomach troubles of a general nature.
Even if you have none of the above problems, you still may want to practice this technique in order to better cleanse and disinfect your body. Try it. After a time you may find it very pleasant as your body feels lighter, cleaner, and more energetic.
When poisons are eliminated from the body, energy flows easier and you feel better.
Your Stomach Will Love Papaya
Papaya, sometimes called a miracle food by a lot of “health nuts,” can help you with almost any kind of stomach and digestive problems and is considered a general all around tonic.
You can find the large, inexpensive variety of papaya everywhere in Mexico. Aside from the border states, which often have the large Mexican papaya, you will find the smaller variety papaya throughout the USA. Before its popularity in the USA, the papaya was used as a meat tenderizer because of the papaya enzymes’ ability to break down meat tissue. Eaten with the meal, papaya can be a digestive aid. Yoga Science as well as most healing therapies recommend it for stomach disorders.
Fasting with only papaya fruit and/or juice usually brings a nice glow to the skin.
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Thanks Norman, I have been wondering what the benefits of lime juice are and how they differ from lemon juice. It seems that they have the same action in the body, is that right?
Hi Rosemary. As far as the purposes mentioned in this article, they are essentially the same. However, there may be scientist with more plant expertise than I have who might have another opinion. Generally the yogis take the position to use the fruit that is grown closest to you. Until modern times and modern transportation, many people did not have a choice.
Since my wife, Victoria Challancin, is a culinary professional, I asked her. She said the main difference between lemon and lime is flavor.