Have you ever been to inside a sweat lodge?
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When word hit the newswire that three adults passed away during a five-day "spiritual warrior" retreat intended for "spiritual cleansing," every bone in my yoga-practicing, spirituality-seeking body cringed. I thought, here's just another new age-y story gone awry to give all of us yogins a bad name.
I resolved not to lose myself in the idiosyncrasies of stereotypes and instead tried to extract a hopefully useful lesson out of this sad story: cleanses can be dangerous when taken to extremes, or highly beneficial when used in moderation.
We Americans often seek the quick fix--the lose 30 pounds in 30 days mentality. A quick stroll down a health food store aisle easily gives this away, touting all sorts of powders, formulas and pills to help detox our way to greater health. It doesn't help that these detox diets, fat-free fads and other methods to cleanse the body have been popularized thanks to celebrities, supermodels and nutritionists alike.
In my opinion, quick, commercial fixes to cleanse or detox anything as sensitive as the human body should be seriously scrutinized.
