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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I very much would like to hear from those of you whose success with Yoga might inspire others.
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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.
Hello Norman,
Thanks for sharing this article… I’ve been practicing Yoga for about a year now…and I have love the experience … I started feeling some discomfort in my right knee when I do lotus pose…my right knee is tender and I feel some pain. My right side is my lazy side and somehow I believe that I pushed it too much… I will have to learn the hard way. I am very disappointed and sad because I did not want to stop my Yoga practice since I feel that I get a lot from it…. but today the pain is there and I haven’t been able to do my practice…before I could do other poses and if I stay away from lotus pose I was fine…however I tried today as I said and balancing poses were giving me a hard time. So I have decided to stop…I found your information and I have read all the information you posted…and it has been giving me hope…and a positive feeling….I believe I will have to go to the doctor and see what the matter with my knee is….but I really thank you for your words and for posting such a great info…Muchas Gracias
Hi René,
First, let me say, “It is not necessary to sit in the lotus pose in order to benefit from your practice of Hatha Yoga.”
When Paramahansa Yogananda began teaching Raja Yoga, which is a much higher practice than Hatha Yoga, in the USA, he told his students to sit in a chair for meditation. He realized that sitting cross legged would be difficult for most Westerners and he said he was not trying to make Easterners out of Westerners.
I assume that you read the article Reduce & Heal Your Knee Pain and are willing to practice the first point I make, which is, STOP whatever activity is aggravating the joint and causing the pain.
If any pose aggravate your knee, stop doing it until you heal your knee and/or learn how to do the pose without aggravation.
If you “pushed your right side too much”, the best action you can take is to learn from this and be more gentle.
Where there is strain, there is no Yoga. Where strain begins, Yoga ends. –Brother Achalananda, Swami and Self-Realization Fellowship Minister
Embrace your difficulties in practicing Yoga as opportunities to learn. Then with patience and more practice, I am sure you will succeed.
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments, or if I might help you in any way,
Namasté,
Norm
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