10 Detoxifying Postures

Sometimes a celebration is in order! Take the time to unplug from your health regime, relax, enjoy a margarita or two, and practice a few detox poses the morning after to leave you feeling cleansed and renewed. Below is my detox plan — 10 poses that will help realign your body and mind after a well-deserved evening out.

Any form of exercise, be it a brisk walk or a hot yoga class, encourages your body to heat up and sweat, which is a highly effective way to eliminate toxins that collect within our bodies.  Specific detoxifying yoga poses are the poses that twist and compress your internal organs or poses that change the direction of the circulatory system.  We can use breath work (pranayama) to bring cleansing warmth and depth to poses and detoxify our bodies from the inside out.  Below are 10 different detoxifying poses to add into your practice to help aid in your recovery from a night a celebration!

Child’s Pose with Knees Together

For this variation, keep your knees together and sit your hips onto your heels. Rest your abdomen on your thighs, your forehead on the mat, and your arms by your sides face-up. Allow your shoulders to slope toward the mat and soften your body on each exhale.

Benefits: Child’s Pose is a restorative posture. It helps to calm your mind as well as relieve stress and fatigue. Pair this pose with an inhale and exhale through your nose while constricting the back of your throat (Ujjayi Breath) for added internal detoxification.  Breathing into the backside of your body helps to bring fresh oxygenated blood to your kidneys. Pulling your knees in compresses your liver and abdomen to help promote digestion.

Down Dog Twist

From Downward Facing Dog, reach your hand to your opposite ankle or shin. Lengthen your torso and generate a twist through your ribcage area (thoracic spine). Root firmly into your grounded hand and take your gaze up and under your arm.

Benefits: Downward Dog is an inversion because your heart is above your head.  Inversions encourage blood to circulate it a different direction, and rinse out lymph nodes. Adding a gentle twist to this variation helps to stimulate your digestive organs. The pose also aids in mental detox with increased circulation and oxygen to the brain. A regular inversion practice can help relieve stress, fear, sadness, and stave off depression.

Quad Stretch with Twist

Come into a low lunge with your right leg forward and release your left knee to the floor.  Place your left hand on the ground and revolve your torso open toward your right thigh.  Stack your right shoulder on top of your left and extend your right arm to the ceiling. This could be where you stay to receive all the benefits of a twist. If you would like to add a quad stretch, kick your left heel toward your glute and capture the pinky side of your foot with your hand. Hold this position for three to five breaths, release with care, and repeat on the other side.

Benefits: The quadriceps are a difficult area of the body to stretch, this pose is an intense quad stretch so take it slow. Even if you do not capture your back foot, you will still gain the benefits of this pose by rinsing your internal organs with the twist.

Prayer Twist 

Come into Chair Pose and transfer most of your weight in your heels. Maintain Chair Pose in your lower body and shift your torso forward, lengthen the crown of your head forward. Rotate from your rib cage and hook your elbow to your opposite thigh, option to bring your elbow between your knees. Bring your knees back into alignment and use your breath to deepen the pose by twisting deeper on your exhales.

Benefits: Aids in digestion and toning your internal organs. There is gentle pressure on your kidneys, liver, and spleen, which stimulates the removal of waste.

Eagle Pose

From Chair Pose, sweep your right arm under your left arm, cross your forearms, and bring your palms to touch. Option to grab your shoulders if this creates any pain in your joints. Bring your elbows in line with your shoulders and move your forearms away from your face. Place your right thigh on top of your left and wrap your foot behind your ankle.  Option to kickstand your foot. Point your standing knee straight ahead. Unwind and repeat on the other side.

Benefits: When you release this pose, fresh blood floods into the joints that were compressed to flush out toxins. Creates focus for your mind and encourages balance between both hemispheres of your body.

Supported Headstand

Lace your fingers together and set your forearms on the floor with your elbows shoulder distance apart. Place the crown of your head on the floor. Lift your hips in the air and walk your feet toward your face until your hips are over your shoulders. Fire up your abdominal muscles and lift your legs off the floor using only your core strength. It is very important NOT to kick in this position as you could injure your neck. Squeeze your legs together and align your feet, hips, and shoulders.

Benefits: Removes toxins from your circulatory and lymphatic systems by reversing your blood flow. Calms your brain and helps to relieve stress and mood symptoms.  Improves digestion. Stimulates your pituitary (hormonal center) and pineal glands (melatonin and serotonin center).

Bow Pose

Lie on your stomach. Kick your heels toward your glutes and reach back to capture the pinky edge of your feet. Lift your chest, roll your shoulders back and gaze straight ahead.  Kick your feet away from your head and use the resistance of your legs to lift your chest a little higher. Steady your breath and rock slightly on the soft part of your belly.

Benefits: The pressure of your stomach against the floor helps to relieve constipation and stimulate digestion. 

Seated Spinal Twist

Sit with your legs extended forward and pull one knee in to your chest. Place your foot on the floor close to your sitting bone. Sit tall and stack your shoulders above your hips.  Reach the arm opposite your bent leg high and wrap it around your bent leg to give it a hug. Maintain length in your spine and generate the twist from your ribcage area. 

Benefits: Encourages digestion and the elimination of waste from the body. When the twist is released, fresh oxygenated blood enters your organs sending needed nutrients to your cells.

Seated Forward Fold

Come to a seat on the floor and extend your legs long in front of you. Point your toes toward the ceiling to engage your legs. Sit tall with your shoulders over your hips and extend your arms overhead. Maintain the length in your spine and hinge out of your hip and extend your arms toward your feet. For this variation, tuck your chin so your forehead meets your knees. If needed, place a gentle bend in your knees to release your hamstrings and connect your forehead to your legs.

Benefits: Improves digestion, stimulates your internal organs and helps to calm your nervous system. 

Legs Up the Wall Pose 

Come to a seated position with one hip against the wall. Lie on your back and swing both legs up the wall. You may need to scooch your sitting bones closer to the wall, but they do not necessarily need to touch the wall. Rest your arms at your sides with your palms facing the ceiling to help broaden your chest. Stay in this pose as long as your day allows, 5 minutes is a great place to start. Allow your breath to be easy and relaxed in this pose and surrender with each exhale.

Benefits: The effects of gravity are reversed and the blood from your legs is pushed into your torso, increasing circulation in your abdomen as well as your head. The reversal of circulation helps to flush out your lymph nodes, stimulate digestion, and release toxins. If you suffer from swollen ankles or headaches, this pose is one to add to your daily routine.