Gout episode

[Questioner]

I have a student who sometimes has an episode of gout the day after our yoga class. This has happened three times over the past six months. It is very painful. He mostly experiences this around the big toe of each foot. Here is part of his latest email to me:

Of course I got my first attack when I had been a strict vegan for a year and a half and was a teetotaler for years. My doctor says it doesn’t make sense, but I seem to be able to manage it by drinking lots of water to keep my system flushed. Occasionally I do have to resort to medication. It can also be brought on by exercise as purines can also result from the breakdown of your own muscle tissue. I’ve wondered if I work too hard on Sunday, and then do yoga on Monday, the stretching allows the purines to escape the muscles in bulk and race to my joints… I’m no doctor, but it kind of makes sense to me. I’ll make sure to ask my doctor about it next time I see her.

Any ideas on what he should watch for ---- are there some things in class he should not be doing?

Thanks, Joe

[Mukunda]

Sounds to me like the student is having a healthy Kriya – discharge of toxins from his system and it is getting lodged in great toe. This comes to me from the fact that he manages it by drinking lots of water sounds clearly as a discharge. The big toe is a reflex for neck (at base of toe) and head area. I would encourage him to take plenty of water and do Ayurvedic cleanse or better yet the yogic water cleanses of Vamana dhouti and shankhaprakshalana. He can ask me about guidance for these methods. They must be taught directly and not learned from a book. There is nothing you are doing wrong as a teacher. In fact this is good sign that he is discharging what is harmful.