How often do you hear others or yourself saying, “I need to detox.” Detox is short for detoxification, which means unburdening your body, mind, and soul of unhealthy things. People often take vacations, start a new exercise regimen, or have a relaxing spa day in an attempt to detox. They are all constructive ways to rejuvenate your mind and body and return to your daily routine. But have you ever tried Yoga for detoxification?
Yoga is an ancient way of holistic living that offers a way to lead a healthier and more productive lifestyle. You will find several Yoga techniques that will help you to undergo some much-needed and healthy detoxification.
Why Is Yoga The Perfect Way To Detox?
Yoga was incepted nearly 5,000 years ago (as of 2023) in India. Hermits, sages, and spiritually knowledgeable people practiced Yoga regularly to develop a healthy physique and sharp mind. In the olden days, Yoga was more than just a one-hour exercise class where you stretch your body and relax your muscles. With Yoga, people of the ancient era enjoyed happier and healthier lives than we do today.
Nowadays, Yoga is utilized more to heal a tired body and mind. This blog discusses ways to use Yogic principles correctly to detox your mind and body.
Here is how Yoga helps you to detoxify.
- Yoga asanas stretch your body, releasing pent-up tension and stress from your muscles and detoxifying them.
- Specific Yoga techniques make you sweat more than usual to eliminate all toxins from your body.
- Pranayama, or breathing exercises, are an excellent way to detoxify your blood and enhance the oxygen uptake of your body organs. Yoga breathing techniques also rejuvenate your mind by reducing stress and anxiety.
- Specific yoga postures visibly reduce emotional negativity, depression, and mental unrest.
- Meditation is a great way to shape your spiritual well-being and detoxify your tired mind.
Practicing Yoga techniques like asanas, meditation, and Pranayama has an excellent detox effect and boosts your stamina, immunity, and mental strength.
Detoxify With These 5 Yoga Poses
Let us get acquainted with some easy Yoga postures to detox your mind and body.
1. Malasana
Malasana is known as the garland pose because your hands resemble a garland while performing the asana. Malasana is a seated Yoga posture that detoxifies your gut by eliminating digestive wastes from your body.
To practice Malasana
- Stand straight with your legs spread wide apart, your knees unbent, and your toes pointing outward.
- Gradually bend your knees and squat till the back of your thighs touches your calves, but do not sit on the floor.
- Avoid leaning forward or slouching by retracting your spine and shoulders backward.
- Join your palms in front of your chest and push your inner thighs by pressing your elbows against them.
- Suck in your tummy slightly to activate your core.
Continue to be in Malasana for up to ten breathing cycles before relaxing your body. Malasana is a great way to relax your sore hamstrings and leg muscles after a long day.
2. Tadasana
Tadasana is the palm tree pose since you resemble a tall palm tree while performing this asana. The palm tree pose is one of the foundational Yoga poses that is a part of several other postures.
To perform Tadasana
- Stand straight without slouching, and relax your limbs.
- Touch the tips of your toes while spreading your heels slightly apart.
- Take your arms slightly away from your body and rotate your palms, so they face forward.
- Alternatively, you may stretch your arms toward the ceiling by clasping your fingers.
- Expand your chest without throwing your ribcage out, and retract your shoulders.
- Fix your gaze in the front and continue regular breathing.
- Stretch your body gently to reduce any muscle soreness.
Tadasana is a great way to relax after a particularly exhausting Yoga session. Tadasana helps your mind and body to regain balance and thus helps you detoxify.
3. Vrikshasana
Vrikshasana is a standing Yoga pose that stretches your limbs and core. The tree pose, or Vrikshasana, has a relaxing effect on your mind and body. The tree poses effectively reduce any harmful consequences of depression and anxiety.
To perform Vrikshasana
- Continue to perform Vrikshasana with the final posture of Tadasana.
- Bend your right knee and shift your body weight entirely to the left knee.
- Rotate your right knee outward and rest your right foot on the inner side of your left thigh, just above the left knee.
- Simultaneously, bring your palms together before your chest and join them as if in prayer.
- Once your balance your body weight well, elevate your arms and stretch them toward the ceiling.
- You may keep your fingers interlocked with your palms facing upward or your arms parallel with your palms facing one another.
- Retain your body balance for up to ten breathing cycles before relaxing your body. You may repeat Vrikshasana with the other side of your body.
Vrikshasana is a great way to rejuvenate your body and soothe sore muscles and other symptoms of office syndrome. (CHECK our blog on the utility of Yoga to manage office syndrome)
Vrikshasana relaxes your mind and body and is suitable for relaxing after a long and tiring day.
4. Prasarita Padottanasana
Prasarita Padottanasana is a standing forward bend which stretches your hamstrings, calves, and spinal muscles. The Yoga posture enhances blood circulation to the brain and rejuvenates tired nerve cells. Prasarita Padottanasana has a detox effect by reducing headaches due to fatigue or mental stress.
To perform Prasarita Padottanasana
- Shift your body balance from Tadasana by spreading your legs up to three feet apart.
- Place your feet parallelly so that your toes point straight ahead.
- Elevate your arms and stretch them toward the ceiling while inhaling deeply.
- Gradually exhale and bend forward from your waist till your chest and abdomen are parallel to the floor.
- Bring your arms down, touch your hands to the floor next to your feet, or clasp your ankles.
- Lower your head till its crown touches the floor. Bend forward only as much as you can without causing any physical discomfort.
Please remember to perform Prasarita Padottanasana slowly without any jerking motion. Prasarita Padottanasana detoxifies your gut by improving its digestion capacity. People with disorders of the brain or blood pressure should strictly avoid Prasarita Padottanasana.
5. Salamba Bhujangasana
Salamba Bhujangasana is a Yoga back-bend that soothes sore and exhausted spine, neck, and shoulder muscles. Salamba Bhujangasana is also known as the sphinx pose because of your body posture while performing the asana.
To perform Salamba Bhujangasana
- Lie down on a flat, firm surface with your belly, chest, and forehead touching the floor.
- Extend your ankles, so their top is also touching the floor.
- Keep your arms in a relaxed position at the side of your trunk.
- Bend your elbows to touch your palms and upper arms to the floor and gradually hoist your head, neck, and chest off the floor.
- Tilt your neck as back as you can without experiencing any physical discomfort.
- Keep your straight, touching one another without bending your knees.
- Continue regular breathing throughout Salamba Bhujangasana, and relax your body after 5-10 breathing cycles.
Salamba Bhujangasana is a variation of the cobra pose (Bhujangasana). The sphinx pose enhances your blood circulation and releases the physical tension and knots from your sore muscles.
Other Yoga Techniques For Detox
Yoga has gained a massive fan following for its immense health benefits on your mind, soul, and body. For a long time, people only focused on the physical health benefits of Yoga asanas. The knowledge of meditation, Pranayama, mudras, chakras, and other Yoga techniques spread among the masses later.
Meditation is vital in reducing anxiety, negative thoughts, and emotional burdens to detoxify your tired mind (READ more on the benefits of meditation). Yoga trainers recommend that you practice meditation daily to rid your mind of all stress. People who seek spiritual cleansing combine their meditation routine with chanting to aid their journey. (READ how chanting is a great way to detox your mind and spirit)
Pranayama, or Yogic breathing, is another Yoga technique that is profoundly helpful in detoxifying your mind and body. (READ our blogs on the methods and types of Pranayama)
Medical doctors often recommend Yoga to their patients as an alternative therapy to supplement ongoing medical or surgical treatment. Yoga is an inclusive way of leading a healthier and better lifestyle and can be practiced by everyone. However, every Yoga technique has certain restrictions that may make them unsuitable for specific health conditions. It is advisable to consult with a certified Yoga trainer to discuss any ongoing or past health issues before you learn Yoga.
