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Tryphena Chia

 

Can You Eat Clean & Practice Yoga Regularly For A Week? A Beginners’ Guide to Detoxing

Ahead of leading Flex’s Summer Detox Programme this month, Tryphena Chia talks about detoxing over the last 15 years and guides us on how to get started.

For the last 15 years, 500-hour certified Baptiste teacher Tryphena Chia has tried and tested almost every type of detox out there. From hardcore month-long cleanses and 10 day juice diets to quick, 3-day fruit programmes and various yogic cleanses – she left no stone unturned. In the past decade, Tryphena has been leading detox workshops, offering her expertise and learnings through personal experience over the years.


We talk to Tryphena about her findings through over a decade of experimenting and finding out what works for her and others.

What does detoxing mean to you?

Detoxing to me means to make a conscious choice to eat very clean for a few consistent days  so that my body gets a break from my regular diet.

When and why did you start detoxing?

I started detoxing probably in 2006 through a 40-day programme, which I was doing with Baron Baptiste. In that programme, we did six days of yoga practice and rested for a day. In the fourth week of the programme, we were asked to do a three-day fruit fast. So for three days, we ate fruit (anything that has seeds in them). I am glad that was my first detoxing experience, because I was still eating. Even though it was only three days, I felt the benefits of it and that really started my detoxing practice.
Also Read: What is detoxing and why should we do it?


How has your approach to detoxing changed or grown over the years since you first started?

I used to be very hardcore. I would wake up at 4 in the morning and would do yogic cleanses everyday. I would also do different types of long extended detoxes to test my mental abilities to deal with not eating. I no longer do all of that because I do not think it is necessary. I do them whenever I feel that I am heavy & lethargic or that I need to clear the cloudiness in my mind.


These days, my detoxes can be as simple as a full day of homemade vegetable broth or 3 days of juices with vegetable broth. I make my own vegetable broth at home & I drink that with some juices so it is not too sweet. Plus sometimes it is nice to drink something warm, especially in the evening.

 

Who do you think should detox? Do some people need it more than others?

I think everyone should do it every now and then. We all think that we eat healthy, but unless you are making all of your meals at home, you just do not know what is really in your food. Plus a small piece of chocolate here and there, or a glass or wine or two over the weekend, coffee in the morning... it all adds up. It is nice to give the body a break from digesting all the food that we eat and give it a reset, like how we reset our phones or computers... the body needs a reset every now and then as well.

What are the greatest benefits to detoxing?

For me, the greatest benefits are that the body feels lighter at the end of the detox. My eyes become clearer, they literally feel that they got bigger after the detox for me. My mind also becomes clear and sharp.
Don’t do detoxes to lose weight, however, because your weight will come right back when you start eating again. Do detoxes to clean the body & the mind.

What about the biggest challenges of detoxing?

The biggest challenge of detoxing is conquering the resistance in the MIND. Detoxing is more mental than anything else. I have always kept my regular schedule and continue to run and workout even while I am detoxing, and I have always felt fine. That is probably because I have been doing this for so many years, my body knows how to deal with this.

Some people on the other hand will not do anything at all because they feel that they need to conserve their energy.

What do you think of the detoxing environment in Hong Kong or Asia? Would you know if it’s different from other places?

I think in recent years, most people have done at least some kind of detox or juice cleanse. So many places offer juice detoxes of varying days, which makes it easy for people to give it a try, which I think is great!
Also Read: Q&A: Detoxing in Hong Kong with Flex Studio


What kind of detox will you facilitate at Flex Studio this summer?  Can you tell us about it?

This summer, I am leading a 7-Day Detox Programme. Participants can choose to either do 3 or 5 days of vegan diet or juice cleanse, coupled with daily Detox Flow Yoga classes led by different teachers at Flex. The meals or juices are prepared for you by one of our partners, and participants will do it with a group of people, making it easier to stay committed to the programme.

Why do you think people should join? And particularly, why now?

Especially right now in this what feels like a neverending pandemic, I think it is so important that we all stay healthy to keep our immune system up. It is important to be active & move our bodies, but it is also important to keep our internal bodies clean & healthy.

 

Who would you recommend to join?

Anyone! If you have never done it and are curious, definitely do it! It is not as difficult as you think it is.

How should people prepare for it?

Make sure that you keep your social calendar to a minimum so you are not doing more than you should. All our bodies react differently.. Especially if it is your first one, do not overcommit yourself socially. Give yourself time to rest and do less.
Go into a detox with positive thinking, and if it is your first time, do it with someone so you are accountable to each other. That will make it easy.


If you are one to be tempted easily, do not sit with your friends while they eat because either they will make you feel bad or you will make yourself feel bad.


Ease your way in and out of the detox. Start to eat lighter two or three days before the detox, start to cut down on your caffeine intake three or four days before the detox so that you have less to deal with when you start the detox. It is very normal to get a numbing headache when caffeine is cut off the system. Sometimes it takes people a few days to get over the caffeine withdrawal. It is best that the headache is gone when you start the detox, so you do not have to deal with a numbing headache & being hungry at the same time.

What advice can you give to people who are thinking of detoxing?

If you have any health concerns, definitely speak with your doctor first before starting. Other than that, do not overthink it. You do not know until you try!

Flex Studio in partnership with Sweaty Betty are holding the Summer Detox & Cleanse Programme from 17-27 June 2021 at Flex One Island South in Wong Chuk Hang. Reset your digestive system and reboot your body with daily detox yoga classes, a meditation workshop, individual nutrition consultations and more, plus get a Sweaty Betty goodie bag worth HK$650 when you sign up!

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