Detox Yoga for the body and mind

Yoga provides a wide array of benefits to detox the body on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. Many postures increase blood circulation, stimulate the lymphatic system and help the liver work optimally to cleanse the organism.

The best detoxing postures are those that involve twists and inversions. Twists help dislodge particles trapped in the colon, improve digestion and promote toxin elimination whilst inversions transport new blood to the liver and kidneys and as a result, detoxify the organism.

During a detox period, practicing yoga once a day is highly recommended, even if the practice is short. One of the most important aspects of yoga is focusing on your breathing during your practice, as it helps release toxins from the body.

Detox yoga routine:

Step 1:

Sit on a yoga mat with your legs crossed, a straight back and your head looking straight ahead. Close your eyes and rest one hand on your chest and your other one on your abdomen. Breath in and out profoundly 5 times, feeling how your abdomen expands when you inhale and how it contracts when you exhale. Focus all your attention on your breathing.

Step 2:

Stay in the same posture, however, move your right hand behind your back and place it on the floor, and place your left hand on your right knee. Before twisting your body, inhale deeply with your back upright and exhale as you twist backwards. Repeat this posture on each side 3 times.

Step 3:

Sit up straight once again with your head facing forward and slowly bend your upper body towards your knees and spread your arms in the floor in front of you, like you would do in child’s pose. Make sure to synchronise your breath with the posture. Maintain this posture between 30-60 seconds whilst inhaling and exhaling deeply.

Step 4:

Slowly come out of this position, uncross your legs and lay down slowly in a horizontal position. Lift your legs up slowly to do an inversion by supporting your lower back with your hands to protect the back. Try to maintain your legs in a vertical position and bring your chin to your chest to protect your neck. Stay in this position a minimum of 30 seconds. Once you’re done, slowly come out of the inversion until you’re in a laying down position.

This practice is simple yet effective. Anyone can do it, no matter what yoga background they have. Ideally, do it first thing in the morning to energize and detox the body, however, if your schedule doesn’t allow you to, you can fit it in at any other time of the day.

Yoga is the perfect addition to a spring detox, as you will deepen your body’s capacity to cleanse itself and the results will be far more visible on a physical, mental and emotional level.