Does yoga make you juicy? Absolutely. When you practice yoga in a balanced way with healthy lifestyle habits, you have the juice to stay young, laugh a lot, get things done, and (dare I say it?), feel sexy.

In yoga, the word "Rasa" can be literally translated as juice, and it refers to all the juices in our bodies and existence: lymph, blood plasma, saliva, semen, vaginal secretions, mother's milk, and all tissue juices are rasas. Likewise, the juice of all our foodstuffs, fruits, vegetables, broths, are also rasas and are what allow for our sense of taste, and ultimately our emotional well-being.

The yogis also developed a therapeutic approach to the use of actual juices in the diet itself and it is a great way to drink yourself into health and well-being.

Of course the yogis of long ago did not have access to the high-powered juicers and blenders we use today. If the truth be known, the local and organic original foods of hundreds of years ago were packed with "rasas" or juices. A freshly-picked mango, just made raw yogurt, or a cup of herbal-infused tea from the neighborhood spring were brimming with "prana" or vital life force and juices.

While our food sources and quality are less today in this regard, we have the ability to extract large quantities of concentrated fruit and vegetable juices with our 21st century appliances to give us a "rasas" boast.

All fruit and vegetable juices, when extracted and consumed fresh, have healing effects on the body. Some juice blends, however, can prove to be even more therapeutic for yoga practitioners.

An easy way to boast the yogic effects of any fresh juice is to add the juice of ginger, one of our major ingredients in Yogi Tea, to your juice blend. If you cannot juice ginger (and a little goes a long way!), you can add a peeled piece to your blender for your drinks. (And while certainly not yogic, folks who drink alcoholic cocktails can minimize the hangover effect caused by these naughty juices with a splash of added ginger juice.)

And speaking of alcohol, there is a yogic juice cure given by my teacher Yogi Bhajan for those detoxifying from alcohol use and trying to break the addiction:

Drink lots of freshly squeezed (not canned) grapefruit juice and every two hours drink a mixture of carrot and celery juice, alternating with a ratio of 1 part celery to 3 parts carrot and then 1 part carrot to 3 parts celery. This is a superb juicy rebuilder for the nervous system and can be used for other addictive detoxes as well.

Another great juice fasting for cleansing and fasting was used in Kundalini Yoga ashrams of the 1970s. You can use these juices in conjunction with any cleansing diet or modified fast according to this schedule:

Breakfast time - 8 ounces of equal parts of fresh apple, carrot and grapefruit juice.

Between breakfast and lunch - 8 ounces of equal parts of fresh apple, carrot and grapefruit juice.

Lunch time - 8 ounces of celery juice.

Between lunch and dinner - 8 ounces of equal parts of fresh apple, carrot and grapefruit juice.
Dinner time - 8 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice.

Before bed - 8 ounces of equal parts of fresh apple, carrot and grapefruit juice.

Another amazing juice regimen that was practiced by the Kundalini Yogis for 15 days was to have a 12 ounce glass of this fresh juice once a day, starting on the day of the New Moon and finishing on the day of the Full Moon:

Yogi Nectar - 6 ounces carrot juice, 4 ounces celery juice, 2 ounces beet juice.

Yogi Bhajan indicated that this was great drink when you are out of tune, going through difficult times, or just need to create a healing buffer for yourself.

(A word about beet juice: this is one juice that should always be mixed with other juices because it is so cleansing. Never drink more than a 50/50 mix of beet juice with other juices and never more than 4 ounces at a time. And at that level, you need to work up to it slowly, starting with only 2 ounces.)

Other juicy suggestions from Yogi Bhajan included drinking 32 ounces of celery juice over a weekly period if you were prone to irritability and being argumentative, mixing equal parts of apple juice with milk for a mineral rich drink for children, and drinking a quart of spinach-carrot juice a day for cleansing the urinary tract (2 parts spinach to 1 part carrot).

As you practice yoga and add fresh juices to your diet, you will be pleased with your new level of energy. Juice - it's not just for breakfast anymore!

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