Why weight loss fails and the core principles of yoga for slimming and detoxification.
The pleasure and satisfaction brought by high-calorie foods arouse the desire to eat, leading to unhealthy eating behaviors and the intake of more high-calorie foods. This places an increasingly heavy burden on the body, resulting in a more and more bloated figure. This forms an indestructible "iron triangle" of obesity.
The "poison" of the mind
The "poison" of behavior; the "poison" of substances.
Why do most dieters fail?
Excessive calorie intake due to various physical and mental factors can lead to obesity, which in turn causes a range of symptoms such as joint pain, constipation, anxiety, low mood, and self-doubt. These symptoms, in turn, further exacerbate obesity. These factors support and reinforce each other, ultimately forming a self-sustaining and self-reinforcing closed loop.
Obesity is a closed, self-reinforcing cycle, and the mutually reinforcing factors within this cycle (psychological and behavioral "toxins") are habitual, subtle, and difficult to detect. If only one factor in this cycle is addressed (such as dieting or taking medication), other factors will immediately "assist," causing the weight loss process to be repetitive, which is why most obese individuals end up failing to lose weight.
Furthermore, forcibly adding a particular solution can place an extra burden on both mind and body. Even if weight loss is achieved, the weight will immediately rebound once the additional solution is removed.
Self-maintenance of the ring in an obese state
Obesity and toxins from all walks of life are the main culprits behind health problems, while unhealthy detox and weight loss methods are accomplices, exacerbating the harm to the body and placing an extra burden on it.
The "unhealthy behavioral patterns," "obesity," and "psychological and physical problems" shown in the diagram, as well as their interrelationships, are all factors harmful to physical and mental health and can be considered "toxins." They are "toxins" in themselves, and at the same time, they are also the result of "toxins."
Yoga slimming and detoxification principles
Awaken your senses and defeat the "iron triangle" of toxins.
Through yoga practice, awareness is enhanced, and three types of "toxins" that were previously unnoticed and lurking in the "darkness" are revealed under the light of awareness. Dieters are then able to take correct actions after recognizing the true nature of these "toxins," rather than simply blindly following their feelings.
Elevate feelings to a conscious level, so that they no longer control behavior subconsciously. This book advocates the correct approach to handling feelings by recognizing what one feels, why one feels these things, and how feelings motivate one's behavior.
When your senses are processed correctly, your body's "call" for food won't be "distorted." Those trying to lose weight simply decide whether to eat, what to eat, and how much to eat based on their body's needs. They don't need to be swayed by their feelings or rigidly follow "authoritative recipes" from books, because their body has already told them what it needs. Just eat according to your body's needs-that is, "eat according to your intuition."
When you can clearly distinguish between true and false hunger without relying on external food stimuli, and consciously eat solely according to your intuition, you can enjoy a free, happy, and healthy life without any worries.
Correct perception is like a magical "demon-revealing mirror," exposing the poison of the "iron triangle," while correct behavior is like a "golden cudgel," capable of completely defeating these toxins, dismantling the iron triangle, and naturally restoring physical and mental health.
Purify body and mind, break down obesity
The detoxification and weight loss process in Eastern yoga is constructive, while simultaneously reducing the burden on both body and mind. Through practice, people become aware of the formation, action, and effects of various toxins on the body, such as unhealthy lifestyle habits, poor living environments, and emotional patterns. Following this, people naturally change their lifestyles and seek the right methods to address the issues of "toxins" and obesity, thereby breaking the closed loop of interconnectedness and resolving the problem of detoxification and weight loss.
There are many ways to detox and lose weight, and Eastern yoga is one of them. Its yoga techniques are mainly manifested through the two levels of body and mind.
Main function at the bodily level
★ Abdominal breathing massages the stomach and intestines, promoting better digestion of food, regularizing gastrointestinal motility, and smoothly expelling metabolic waste from the body.
★ The diet advocated by yoga can provide the body with more antioxidants, which can effectively neutralize free radicals.
★ The yoga lifestyle reduces or eliminates adverse stimuli to the body, decreasing the generation of free radicals.
★ Yoga postures can strengthen the body, shape the body, burn calories, and cleanse pores through sweating, helping the skin to breathe smoothly.
Its main role at the psychological level
★ Abdominal breathing fully relaxes the respiratory muscles except the diaphragm, thus achieving a calming effect. Furthermore, by focusing on breathing, practitioners develop self-awareness, enabling them to perceive the subtle effects and influences of toxins on behavior and health.
★ Yoga relaxation techniques allow practitioners to find peace, consciously relax their bodies, eliminate the "toxins" of tension and anxiety, and soothe their weary minds.
★ Yoga meditation helps focus a wandering mind on a single point, enhancing awareness and enabling practitioners to anticipate potential harm when toxins first appear or in the early stages of bodily damage, allowing them to take appropriate action. Meditation can help practitioners become "prophets" who can predict future health conditions.
As practitioners gradually "see" the facts, their thoughts and behaviors are based on a clear awareness of themselves and come from their own free choices, rather than being forced to mechanically achieve their goals. This is a characteristic of Eastern yoga for detoxification and weight loss.
Unlike other weight loss methods, yoga focuses more on the "mind." Choosing a quiet and warm environment with green plants, and calming a restless mind through breathing, focus, and meditation, helps cultivate the right attitude, thus helping you avoid detours on your detox and weight loss journey.
This chapter covers the following four aspects:
Sitting posture: The posture used when practicing breathing and focusing.
Breathing techniques: Yoga's unique and beneficial techniques for both body and mind.
Focus: The method of calming a restless mind and "fixing" it on one point helps practitioners perceive real information, thereby truly finding the "toxins" that cause obesity.
Relaxation techniques: Yoga techniques that soothe and rest the mind and body.
By practicing the content of this chapter, learners will be able to perceive the answers when faced with the following situations:
Why simple dieting doesn't work: eating by intuition
How to cope with the unhappiness of dieting and weight loss
Overcoming resistance to change
Learning to manage one's feelings enhances self-worth.
Break free from food dependence and improve body image
Set realistic weight loss goals
Want to lose weight? Start from within. --- Eastern Yoga Emotional Detox
Maintaining a normal weight is achieved through the behavior of "eating when hungry and stopping when satisfied." However, in real life, the satisfaction and calmness that eating brings are often used to relieve stress, increase pleasure, and mask pain; this is called "emotional eating."
Occasional emotional eating episodes can be quickly corrected, but long-term emotional eating can have lasting negative effects on the mind and body, such as weight gain, acid-base imbalance, excessive dependence on food, and decreased self-esteem. Moreover, people become dependent on both the motivation and the outcome of emotional eating; simply dieting can make people feel deprived of happiness and unable to tolerate the pleasure of not having food, which is why weight loss always ends in failure.
Through the exercises in this chapter, practitioners will open their hearts, face the issue of eating, learn to accept their feelings, establish a healthy attitude towards food, and develop a detox and weight loss attitude that suits them-an attitude that forms the foundation for regaining a beautiful figure and ensuring good health in the future.
Many obese people envy others who are slim and slender. When they decide to lose weight, they try all sorts of methods in an effort to lose weight quickly and easily. However, if the real cause of obesity is not found, weight loss efforts will not only be in vain but will also harm their physical and mental health.
Many overweight people sweat profusely at the gym, but after a long time, the results are minimal. Even if they experience weight loss in a short period, many are unsure whether they've lost fat or water. This is because if the weight loss through vigorous exercise is primarily water, drinking more water afterward will quickly restore the weight. However, if the weight loss is primarily protein, it can disrupt normal metabolism, affecting the immune system and harming health.
Correct behavior can guide people to lose weight healthily, and correct behavior stems from correct thoughts, which in turn stem from correct cognition.
Thoughts, to a large extent, are generated not based on wisdom but on emotions and feelings. When thoughts based on emotions and feelings dominate, people easily fall into a closed loop of obesity.
The first day's practice can transform negative emotions into positive ones. Approaching the meal with positive emotions prevents you from using food to cope with your emotional issues.
The first day of practice can also help practitioners balance their senses and calm their minds. A balanced sense of senses and a calm mind can better help practitioners find the "toxins" that cause obesity.