Tips for Detox: The Power of Sacred Sounds and Prayer

Tips for Detox: 'Finding The Kind Of Prayer That Works For You'

Excerpted from The Detox Plan: For Body, Mind, and Spirit, By Jane Alexander

There's a power and energy beyond sounds and words such as the ones you intone in prayer that can take your detox to the next level.  Without such power, the physical benefits gained through a detox will soon vanish as ingrained behaviors and bad habits set back in and subject your body to the same assaults and abuse it's been a victim to for years.  If you want to make long lasting changes, you must go address the root causes.  For more, read below.


There is no “right” way to pray. You have to find what works for you. The following are just suggestions, nothing more.

Some people will feel drawn to rediscover some of the beautiful old melodic prayers of traditional religion. You may want to move outside your childhood, or best-known faith and look at other traditions — perhaps the poetical Sufi tradition, or a Quabalistic prayer, or the prayers of the early Christian mystics. Or non-denominational “New Age” type prayers.

You may wish to make up your own prayers — or find pieces of poetry or prose which have meaning to you. Of course you do not need to have a proper “format” — many people simply talk to God, as if he/she/it were another human being. If you find it hard to talk to someone in your head, use the Two Chairs technique and imagine God is sitting on the chair opposite you.

You may wish to chant a mantra or try toning sounds.

Some people find the best prayer is silence. Simply sit, kneel, stand or lie and still your mind.

Often gazing at a religious object, painting or symbol can become a form of prayer. It need not be a ready-made artefact — it could be a stone, a piece of wood, a shell or a beautiful view or corner of Nature. Some people find prayer leaning against a tree or gazing into the fire, or peering into a pool.

Hints On Praying
If you're really stuck, think about the following:
God, or the Higher Power, loves you unconditionally. Nothing you say will shock — He or She will simply be delighted to hear from you!
Don't worry about what words you use or don't use. It is your intention that matters, not how clever your vocabulary is.
Use your prayer time as an opportunity to be totally honest, totally yourself. Share every part of your life — good and bad. Prayer isn't necessarily about just spiritual matters — God will be as interested in your exam worries or your insomnia as your quest for inner knowing and piousness!
Be prepared for your prayers to be answered — though not always in the way you expect. Prayer can be very powerful.

Prayer Walking
Prayer-walking is a form of prayer which is being rediscovered by many people. In many ancient monasteries, monks paced complicated labyrinths to focus their minds on their devotions - but you don't really need any props to prayer-walk. Simply plan a minimum of half an hour for your devotions: five minutes to focus your thoughts and concerns; at least 15 for the walk itself and another five to sift through what you've learned. Walk at a pace that's comfortable but keep up a good rhythm. How you pray is up to you: if you have a religious faith you might want to think over scripture or recite a religious mantra. If not, you could repeat a word with significance for you - such as “hope” or “peace”. You might want to use your walk to think about people who need your help or prayers. Or you might simply appreciate the beauty of nature around you - notice the small things as well as the larger picture.

Mantras : A Different Form Of Prayer
Many people now commonly use mantras as a form of prayer and meditation. A mantra is simply a word or phrase used repetitively to enter a state of prayer and awareness of God. It can be just one word, such as Ohm, or a series of words such as the “Hari Krishna” chant (Hari Krishna, Hari Krishna, Hari Hari, Krishna Krishna. Hari Rama, Hari Rama, Rama Rama, Krishna Krishna.”

Muslims repeat the name of Allah or the other Names of God; Qabalists tone the God-names; Tibetan Buddhists turn the prayer wheel chanting “Aum Mani Padme Hum” while Catholics recite the rosary whilst fingering the beads of a rosary and Hindus repeat a mantra as they pass each bead of the mala through their fingers.

The need to detox: The South Beach Detox launches a local detox program in London, UK

The South Beach Detox launches a local detox program in London, UK

Press Release, Friday, March 12, 2010

After a successful launch in the US, The South Beach Detox will be offering a local detox program in London, UK. 

The intention behind The South Beach Detox program is to help people implement significant positive changes in their lives by employing simple but effective tools.  Through the practice of intelligent eating, proper exercise, good rest, and

awareness, you will learn to to create an environment for your body and mind to experience true well-being.  This is 4-Day Detox goes far beyond 4 days.  The South Beach Detox is in fact a training ground to teach you certain skills that can easily be employed in your daily life and that will bring tremendous results in the way of healthy, balanced and harmonious living.  Detox programs do not have to be difficult but require a certain level of effort to be successful.  The South Beach Detox was specifically designed with that in mind, i.e. to maximize the benefits, and mitigate the challenging parts, to the degree possible.  In order to gain the most out of your detox, your body has to get the deep rest that it needs and this requires a specific internal and external environment.  The South Beach Detox provides this environment with a perfect balance between exercise and rest.  

Here are some general guidelines regarding detox programs to help you maximize your detox experience.

Detox programs are designed to give the body the conditions necessary for it to expel stored toxins and waste material throughout the whole body. This is accomplished through a two-fold approach consisting of reducing food intake and increasing

rest. This combination allows your body to use its vital energy in a direction other than the attempt to digest food which is the bodyʼs number one energy drain. When the body has access to this new found (not wasted) energy it uses it to clean itself.  That's exactly what the detox is.  You may find yourself feeling much more energized than usual during this time - especially after the second day, but donʼt drain yourself in Yoga practice during this time. Spend more time resting in childʼs pose during your sequence and go into relaxation pose sooner if you feel the need to.  Listen to your body, the primary intention during The South Beach Detox is to conserve energy so the body can use it for cleansing itself.  Throughout these four days please take as many naps as possible and avoid any unnecessary social engagements or demands on your time and attention. This special time of detox is just for YOU!  So enjoy our organic nutritious energy drinks, detox yoga sequence, the guided meditations specifically designed to let you go within and support your detox, and the time for yourself.  We make ourselves fully available to you during this period of change and transformation.  Living free of patterns and habits is very liberating, so enjoy taking this opportunity to give your body and mind a deep cleanse.

FAQs on The South Beach Detox

Can I work during this Detox?

Yes. The South Beach Detox is specifically designed to create the perfect detox environment while allowing you to continue to work as usual.  It is a non-invasive detox that will allow you to function normally in your daily life.  However, remember to rest more than usual and avoid all unnecessary social engagements.

What is a Detox and Why Does it Work?

Detox of the Body is initiated through the limitation of caloric intake which allows the body to focus on cleansing rather than digesting. Digestion is one of the biggest energy drains in our regular life.  The extra energy that is freed through the detox is used by the body to cleanse itself. This detox program is structured so that your body receives optimal nutrition in the context of caloric restriction.  This combination of deep nutrition and body cleansing is a potent tool for transformation.

What is provided in this program?

All nutritional and cleansing products

Free unlimited yoga & meditation classes at one of our local studios 

2 30 Minute private consultations 

Free Manual on detox

Free Yoga, Meditation CDs/ tracks

Free Yoga DVD/ evideo

Free Detox & Nutrition Talks

Evening Lecture Series with Fred

About Fred Busch

Fred Busch is a dedicated practitioner of Yoga, Nutritionist, and author of “A Clear and Definite Path- Enlightenment and Health with Yoga and Holistic Living.”  He is the founder and Director of Miami Yogashala in South Beach and Brickell Yogashala, and is the Director of Teacher Training at Fulham Yogashala in London and Lima Yogashala in Peru. Fred is a graduate of the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment. Fred has produced several DVDs on Intelligent Eating and lectures worldwide on Yoga and Holistic Eating.

Tips for Detox: Detox Your Mind, Detox Your Body

Detox Your Mind, Detox Your Body

When it comes to learning how to detox your body, one of the most common mistakes it seems people make is forgetting to take their whole body into account.  We are all integrated and holistic beings with a physical body, emotional body, mental body and spiritual energy.  If any one or a combination of these aspects of “us” is out of balance or storing ‘toxins’ in various forms, then it affects the rest of the aspects of us.

So, for the sake of this article, let’s assume that you are wanting to do a body detox and lose some weight or cleanse your colon or what ever you have in mind for your physical cleansing aspect.  If you only focused on that one aspect of your detox, you would not get nearly the results you had hoped for.  For example, what people find is that when they are trying to lose weight with a detox diet, if there are other factors that are inhibiting their cleanse, the weight will not come off.  Then, what happens is you will end up blaming the supplements or the diet itself, when the real problem might be that you are not addressing other core toxic issues in one of these other aspects mentioned.

Addressing Your Mental Detox

Toxic emotional and mental thoughts are also a problem.

A big part of what keeps our bodies holding onto all sorts of toxins is that energetically we don’t know how to release them.  Your body is only the physical structure that is a manifestation or symbol of your emotional, mental and spiritual self.  What you are holding in those other areas will show up in your physical body.  So, in order to really do a thorough body cleanse, you will need to address these issues at some point.  It doesn’t have to mean a bunch of sessions with a therapist or counselor to address your past.  It may involve this if you think that this is an area you could use help with, but it need not.

The whole point is that you are one symbiotic and holistic body.  There are other factors at work than just your diet as a reason why you are accumulating toxins in your cells and tissues.  If your body is functioning at its optimum level, then much of this toxic debris and waste will be naturally flushed through your body’s natural elimination means.  This happens through your breathing (your lungs are a big source of toxic elimination), your sweat by way of exercise and through body elimination processes (urine and stools).  The only reason that your body may be more sluggish in eliminating a build-up of toxins in your colon is because one or all of these aspects of the body detox are not being fully addressed.