New Year, New Detox? Don’t forget your mental/emotional bodies too!

January is a popular time to clean house – to organize your kitchen cupboards, purge your closets and crawlspace, and, for many, take stock of physical health goals and maybe even partake in a cleanse or detox to help counterbalance holiday indulging.

In Ayurvedic Medicine,”āma” is the term used to describe the build-up of toxins that can result from overindulgence of food or substances, or from the consumption of anything through any of the five senses that interferes with the flow of life force energy. Naturally, this includes chemical toxins such as those present in ultra-processed or congesting foods, alcohol, nicotine and other drugs; but it can also refer to heavy, undigested emotions, psychological distress, and negative thoughts and feelings, particularly in regards to the self.

The holidays can be an especially stressful time, one in which we’re primed for over-extension, both physically and emotionally. Besides attending more parties and eating and drinking more than we perhaps normally would, many of us are also sleeping less, stressing about holiday shopping or finances, and playing Tetris with our already hectic schedules. And all of this before the drama that commonly ensues when you force family members together (particularly those who wouldn’t normally spend time together) for a “special” dinner.

Anything we consume, be it through diet, media, relationships, etc. has the potential to increase “āma” – to manifest as the accumulation of toxicity in our system – if it is not utilized as energy or eliminated as waste. This includes stressors such as suppressed emotions, resentments, anger, traumatic experiences and disappointments.

Āma, whether it’s mental, emotional, or physical, begins its accumulation in the gastrointestinal tract, hence the axiom, “listen to your gut”. It’s the reason many of us experience stomach aches or disturbed appetite when we’re under stress, and also why Ayurveda puts such a strong emphasis on diet and digestion.

In more modern or Western healing models, this idea is exemplified by the Vagus Nerve, the longest of the cranial nerves which runs from the root of the brain stem to our digestive tract. Also known as the “Gut-Brain Axis”, the Vagus Nerve represents the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system, and governs crucial bodily functions like mood regulation, immune and heart health, nutrient assimilation, cellular repair, and much more. We also know that up to 95% of serotonin (the primary “feel-good” hormone that helps to fight depression and anxiety) is produced in the gut.

Since the central G.I. tract houses the doshic “home sites” in Ayurveda (the stomach, small intestine, and colon), when āma is left to linger there for a long time, it can spread to the deep tissues and plant the seeds for disease formation. By blocking nutrient and energy supply to vital channels, āma can eventually lead to the damage of healthy tissue and the poisoning of the entire system, including all three (physical, mental, and emotional) bodies.

In each dosha, the accumulation of āma may manifest in different ways. In Vata, for example, it may present as exhaustion or joint pain or stiffness, while in Kapha it can manifest as congestion or lack of appetite. Some general signs and symptoms for everyone, though, are feelings of weakness or heaviness, lethargy or even depression, indigestion or constipation.

So, as we begin detoxing our physical bodies this New Year, let’s not forget about our mental and emotional bodies, too. A digestive cleanse is a great time to clear out space in your home or environment as well as your body, or to evaluate and maybe even purge some toxic relationships.

Besides cleansing or eliminating mental and emotional āma through practices such as journalling or talk therapy, we can also “metabolize”, or “put to use” that accumulated energy. Just as we can put excess food to use by working out, so too can we make mental/emotional āma work to our advantage. By reflecting on the lessons and growth that challenging experiences may have brought us, or by channeling our thoughts and feelings into a new creative pursuit, or a meaningful project that serves others going through something similar, we can give our pain purpose.

And by channeling otherwise stagnant and destructive energy into something positive, we may finally begin to heal, clearing our path to flourish in the year to come.