Detox Time With Yoga – Get Deep
If you want to detoxify, you can’t avoid exercise. Detoxing with Yoga is particularly suitable because it supports the body on all levels in detoxifying – through rotations, breathing exercises, and stress reduction. I explain why yoga is so detoxifying.
According to the wise yogi Patanjali, inner and outer purity, called “Saucha” in the sacred language of Sanskrit, is an essential part of the yogic path. But not only from a yogic point of view does a “clean” body have many advantages: more energy, a better immune system, better skin, less cellulite and and and…
Nowadays, however, we are exposed to some toxic influences – from environmental toxins to industrially produced food to the permanent stress of modern existence.
Even if you live a healthy life, your body may need help detoxifying. In any case, the faster and more effectively the body can trigger and eliminate toxins, the less damage they cause on their way through the body. And this is where yoga comes in. Detox Yoga helps your body in many ways to detoxify.
How yoga helps you detox on all levels
Twists
For one thing, some types of asana promote detoxification. Rotating postures such as the rotating seat and the rotating chair (also called the prayer posture) etc. invigorate the digestion as they stimulate the abdominal organs: liver, kidneys, spleen, stomach, and intestines are first “squeezed out” and then supplied with new, nutrient-rich blood.
And if the digestion becomes more active, it not only means that the nutrients can be extracted from your food and provided to the body more quickly. The body can thus carry out its (detoxification) tasks better, but also that the toxic substances cannot develop associated with sluggish digestion.
Attention: You should turn first to the right and then to the left so that the intestines (and their contents) are activated in the right direction.
Asanas that massage the abdomen
All asanas that massage the abdomen are also helpful, as they also stimulate digestion and thus help the body prevent the formation of new waste products and detoxify. This includes some twisting poses like the rotated side angle (Parivritta Parsvakonasana), but also prone exercises like the Arch ( Dhanurasana ) and Child (where the thighs massage the abdomen).
Yoga detoxification through breathing
Unfortunately, our hectic times lead to gasping for many. Deep, relaxed breathing is essential for detoxifying the body. Yoga helps here on different levels. On the one hand, it has a relaxing effect (see below) and thus automatically ensures deeper breathing.
In addition, all yoga classes have a clear focus on harmonious, relaxed breathing, with many Vinyasa Flow classes breathing in Ujjayi throughout. And, of course, breathing exercises are taught in almost every yoga class, all of which have a detoxifying effect in their own way.
Kapalabhati is particularly effective. If you want to know more about the detoxifying effects of pranayama, read our article “Breathing Detoxification.”
Relieve stress
An overly acidic body is often associated with poor nutrition, alcohol, nicotine, and too little exercise. However, the toxic effects of stress are often forgotten. Therefore, an essential aspect of detoxification is reducing stress, or rather: relaxing, relaxing, and chilling.
Detox Yoga can support you optimally: The movement during yoga lowers stress hormones, the slow, relaxed breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, a part of the nervous system that is responsible for relaxation, the meditative elements of yoga calm your mind – and then there are explicit ones Relaxation phases in yoga, for example in Balasana, the child, or in the final relaxation, Shavasana, in which you can completely let go.
Metabolism stimulating
Of course, it is also great that every physical yoga practice stimulates blood circulation and metabolism and thus activates all the body’s own processes. Above all, detoxifying processes that the body does not consider vital are sometimes neglected in stressed city dwellers.
As soon as the body signals that all systems are running at full power, all detoxification processes start up again.
By the way, a particularly great asana to get the whole body going is the Eagle Garudasana, in which large parts of the body are twisted and squeezed, and then all vessels and joints are filled with fresh fluids.
The 6 Shat Kriyas – Detox Yoga
And then there are the so-called Shat Kriyas. These are special purification methods from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, an ancient yogic scripture. Some are actively used by modern yogis, while others are a bit, well, special.
The pranayama exercise Kapalabhati (see above), for example, is part of every decent yoga class, nasal rinsing with a neti pot is very popular, and the eye-cleansing candle meditation Trataka is perfect for the dark season. Nauli, on the other hand, an abdominal digestive exercise, is not mastered by many yogis.
The yogic enema Basti is not to everyone’s taste either. Anyone who has swallowed a moistened gauze bandage piece by piece and then vomited it to clean the stomach knows that the dhauti technology only inspires hardcore yogis.
Deep Yoga Detox
However – and fortunately – oil pulling and tongue scraping are also considered dhauti.
These methods support the body’s cleansing processes and ensure that toxins are drained from the body more quickly. Maybe you want to try one or the other? Most Shat Kriyas not only have a detoxifying effect but also have other positive effects.
Nasal rinses, for example, can now be bought in any decent drugstore. Since they can prevent and shorten colds and even make nasal sprays unnecessary, you should definitely try them when you have a cold.
You can find Ayurvedic tongue scrapers in large organic stores. They reduce bad breath, improve general oral hygiene and relieve sore throats.
And if you want whiter teeth, you should sniff a tablespoon of coconut oil through your mouth for a few minutes before brushing your teeth for a few weeks – this reduces bacteria and breaks down plaque and thus has a whitening effect.
If you need more advice on special Asanas for beginners and advanced yogis or if you like to see my preferred online yoga training all you need to do is to click those links 😉
For my readers, I prepared a special yoga starter kit and it’s completely free. Would it be a good motivation for you? I hope so! Wishing you all my love <3
