YogiWrites

Ever felt like your soul needs a CTRL+ALT+DEL?
Not your gut, not your skin, not even your chakras. I’m talking about that deep, dusty corner of your being where all the “I’ll deal with it later” emotions, unprocessed WhatsApp trauma, and midnight Instagram doom scroll guilt hang out like stubborn tenants.

Modern life is a buffet of distractions, FOMO, burnout, and energy leaks. We’ve got digital footprints but lost our soulprints. And while juice cleanses might fix your bloating, what do you do about your existential constipation?

Welcome to the art of ancient soul detox. No fancy retreats. No influencer-approved green smoothies. Just good ol’ time-tested Indian practices, repackaged for the overthinking, emotionally tired urban soul.

Ancient Body, Modern Hustle: Timeless Fitness for Everyday Energy

The day I hit spiritual junk mode

A few years ago, I found myself lying on the floor of my flat in Pune, eating besan laddoos at 1 AM, watching a documentary about productivity hacks… while feeling like an underachieving banana. I had the crystals. The yoga mat. Even the overpriced copper water bottle. But inside, I felt like a tangled mess of emotional DMs left unread.

That’s when my 80-year-old neighbour, Kamala aunty, asked me why I looked like a tired pickle.

“You’re not sick, beta. You’re just spiritually bloated. Stop hoarding feelings. Do some ‘antar shuddhi’ instead of Netflix binging.”

She wasn’t wrong.

What followed was a month-long experiment with ancient detox rituals — some I’d heard as a kid and dismissed as ‘old people stuff,’ and some rediscovered from Vedic texts, Ayurvedic schools, and my own misadventures in yoga and pranic healing circles.

Turns out, these practices work like internal Drainex for the soul.

1. Oil Pulling – The Tongue Is A Gossip Queen

You brush your teeth, floss occasionally (good for you), but ever cleaned the emotional residue your tongue collects?

Oil pulling isn’t just about oral hygiene. Ayurveda teaches that the mouth is where digestion, emotions, and energy first mingle. That morning bitterness in your mouth? It’s not just bad breath; it’s yesterday’s resentment saying “sup?”

Here’s how I do it:

• Take 1 tbsp of cold-pressed sesame or coconut oil.
• Swish in the mouth for 15–20 minutes.
• Don’t swallow. Spit. Always.
• Rinse with warm water, and breathe.

Within days, I felt clearer—not just in my mouth, but mentally. Thoughts were less foggy. Emotions didn’t jump me like uninvited Twitter trolls.

Why it works:
Studies show oil pulling reduces oral bacteria that affect gut and brain health (yup, the gut-brain axis is real). It also builds presence—because you can’t check your phone while swishing oil unless you’re a masochist.

2. Abhyanga – Self-Massage Is Not Selfish

When was the last time you touched your body with love, not lotion?

Abhyanga, the ancient art of oil massage, isn’t some luxury Ayurveda spa therapy. It’s a daily soul-hug. Warm oil. Gentle strokes. Reconnecting with the vessel that carries your stress, joy, pain, and samosas.

I started doing it once a week on Sunday evenings. Lights dim, some ambient music (no Enya, thank you), and just me and my body catching up like old friends.

Benefits:

• Improves circulation and lymphatic drainage
• Calms the nervous system
• Reduces anxiety and that random mid-week dread at 4 PM

Modern stress hits the body before the mind catches it. Abhyanga? It’s the ancient reply to “I’m not okay but I don’t know why.”

3. Trataka – Staring Your Problems in the Eye (Literally)

Eyes are the windows to the soul, right? Then why do we spend all day using them like cheap torchlights pointed at reels, PDFs, and dating app profiles?

Trataka is a simple, fierce practice: candle gazing. You sit. You stare at a flame. Your thoughts throw a tantrum. And you keep staring until they give up.

What started as a 5-minute gimmick became my nightly sanity ritual.

Trataka does this magic:

• Improves concentration and eye health
• Burns mental clutter (and trust me, I had loads)
• Connects you to the stillness that lives beneath your buzzing thoughts

Bonus? You start seeing your inner drama queen for what she is — a temporary character, not the main plot.

4. Shanka Prakshalana – The Gut Reset You Didn’t Know You Needed

Warning: This one is not for the faint-hearted or first-date mornings.

Shanka Prakshalana is a yogic intestinal cleanse using warm salted water and a series of specific yoga postures. It’s like sending a SWAT team down your digestive tract.

First time I tried it, I cleared more than just toxins. I swear I released stress from 2009.

How it helps:

• Removes accumulated waste (emotional + literal)
• Resets metabolism and mental clarity
• Makes you feel lighter than an Instagram motivational quote

Just make sure you have the day free, a trusted teacher guiding you, and… a bathroom.

5. Mauna – The Detox That Costs No Time, No Money, Just Your Ego

Silence. Not the passive-aggressive “I’m fine” silence. But intentional, grounding, ego-softening mauna.

We speak over 7,000 words a day on average. Most of them unnecessary. Some of them downright toxic. Practising mauna once a week, even for a few hours, is like uninstalling apps that drain your battery.

When I started my mauna mornings (Sundays 6 AM to noon), it felt awkward. But then, something shifted. I began listening — to birds, to my breath, to my thoughts without reacting like a bad tweet.

Real detox isn’t just about release. It’s about realigning with your essence.
Mauna teaches that.

The Bottom Line? You Don’t Need To Escape to Heal

We think spiritual detox means Bali trips, juice diets, or deleting Instagram for a week (and announcing it with a dramatic story post).

But your soul doesn’t want drama. It wants honesty. Stillness. Simplicity.

These ancient Indian practices aren’t woo-woo gimmicks. They’re wisdom bombs. They strip away what you’ve absorbed but never asked for. They help you shed layers of survival and remember who you were before the noise, the hustle, the performance.

So the next time your soul feels like a storage room of unlabelled boxes—don’t just declutter your desktop. Clean your inner hard drive.

Wanna Try a Soul Detox Sunday?

Start small. Pick one practice. Try it for a week. Observe. Reflect. Maybe even write about it (or hey, send me your story — I read every message).

You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to begin.

Some stories aren’t written—they’re lived, cried through, and bled into words.
If you’re walking the same path of pain and healing… this one’s for you.
🕊️ Read “Letting Go” on Medium