Yoga for Natural Detoxification: Twist, Sweat, Release

Our bodies are equipped with a remarkable detoxification system—powered by the liver, kidneys, lungs, skin, and lymphatic system—that works around the clock to eliminate toxins and keep us healthy. Yet, stress, processed foods, and sedentary lifestyles can slow down these natural processes, leaving us feeling sluggish and imbalanced.

Yoga Poses to Boost Detoxification

Breath of Fire

• Sit up tall with a straight spine, hands placed palm up on the knees, and eyes closed.
• On an inhalation, the belly relaxes and expands; on an exhalation, the diaphragm rapidly pulls the belly in. The inhalation/exhalation pace is quick yet even.
• When learning breath of fire, it helps to open your mouth and pant like a dog. Once the quick pattern is set, close your mouth and continue breath of fire.

Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose)

• Begin in a cross-legged position, using a blanket under the buttocks to alleviate hip discomfort and to ensure that your spine can be upright.
• Cross the left leg over the right, placing the left foot on the floor and the knee facing the ceiling.
• Inhale and lengthen the spine, and exhale toward your left leg.
• The left hand is placed behind the body for support, while the right elbow hooks outside the leg.
• Hold for three to five breaths. Repeat on the other side.

Parivrtta Utkatasana (Revolved Chair Pose)

Revolved Utkatasana or Fierce Pose is a heat-building yoga pose that may assist yoga and detoxification.

• Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) on a nonskid yoga mat with your feet together or hip-width apart.
• Place your hands on your hips.
• Tilt your pelvis forward, pointing your tailbone back, and let your knees bend.
• Allow your torso to bend forward.
• Rotate to the right so that your left elbow presses against the right thigh.
• Place your hands in Anjali Mudra (Prayer Position).
• To increase the intensity, place a block between the thighs.
• Hold for three to five breaths before lifting back up to Tadasana.
• Repeat on the other side.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

Adding some abdominal work to the Downward Facing Dog Pose increases intensity, creates internal heat, and activates the core muscles.

• Beginning in Downward-Facing Dog Pose, raise the right leg into a Down-dog split.
• Exhale forward into Phalakasana (Plank Pose), pulling the right knee into the belly.
• Inhale back to the Down-Dog split.
• Exhale into Plank Pose, pulling the right knee toward the right elbow.
• Inhale back to the Down-Dog split.
• Exhale into Plank Pose, pulling the right knee to the left elbow.
• Inhale back to Down-Dog split.
• Repeat on both sides.

Parivrtta Anjaneyasana (Revolved Lunge Pose):

• Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) on a nonskid yoga mat.
• Fold forward into Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold).
• Bend your knees and place your hands on your mat on the outsides of your feet.
• Step your left foot back to a distance that allows your right knee to bend and the right shin to be vertical.
• Let your left knee come to the floor.
• Raise your torso to an upright position, extending your arms up toward the sky. Be careful not to let your left hip joint collapse toward the floor. Lift slightly through the hip joint—toward the sky—to protect the cartilage and labrum of your hip joint.
• Bring the hands together to Anjali Mudra at chest level and slowly twist to the right.
• Hook the left elbow outside the knee.
• Hold for three to five breaths. Switch sides.

Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II):

• Stand with your feet approximately a leg-length apart (two to three feet) on a nonskid yoga mat.
• Turn your right leg outward 90 degrees and your left leg inward about 30 degrees, allowing the left side of your pelvis to turn along with the rest of the leg.
• Extend your arms outward at shoulder level, turning your palms downward.
• Ground your left foot and bend your right knee to about a 90-degree angle, keeping your ribcage facing forward.
• To increase intensity, turn the palms and elbow creases to face the ceiling while drawing the shoulders down the back.
• Hold for three to five breaths, practicing on both sides.

Viparita Karani (Legs Up the Wall)

After an intense yoga practice, Legs Up The Wall is the perfect way to prepare your body for Savasana. Legs Up the Wall relaxes the mind, lowers heart rate and blood pressure, and slows down breathing.

• Gather up three firm blankets (wool or cotton are best) or a yoga bolster and one firm blanket. It’s possible to practice with just one firm blanket if that’s what you have on hand.
• It is also okay to practice with no bolster and/or blankets. You can make it simple by lying on your back on the floor with your legs stretched up the wall.
• If you’re going to practice with blankets, fold two of your blankets into a bolster size (eight to ten inches wide), and stack one on top of the other. Alternatively, use a standard-sized (flat) yoga bolster.
• Place your stack of blankets or your bolster parallel to, and four to eight inches from, the wall.
• Fold your other blanket to the same size and place it perpendicular to the other two blankets or bolster, forming a “T” shape.
• Sit on the right end of your stacked blankets so that your left side is touching the wall.
• Tuck your knees in toward your torso and carefully roll to the left toward the center of your stack so that you end up on your back with your legs extending up the wall and the tops of your shoulders and the back of your head resting on the third blanket. Your lower buttocks will hang slightly off the blanket, toward the wall. Adjust your position so that the perpendicular blanket is centered under your shoulders and head.
• Make sure that your entire abdomen is horizontal so that your torso is not slanting down into your shoulders. Move your blankets away from the wall if necessary.
• You might enjoy placing a strap around your thighs to prevent your legs from splaying apart. Use an eye bag if you have one.
• You can stay in the pose as little or as long as you like—5 to 20 minutes or more.
• When you are ready to leave the pose, bend your knees and slide your feet down the wall.
• Roll onto either side and pause there before gently pushing up to a sitting position.

More than just physical exercise, yoga combines movement, breathwork, and mindfulness to stimulate circulation, support digestion, and enhance the body’s detoxification system. From twists that massage the digestive organs to deep breathing practices that oxygenate the blood, yoga offers a holistic way to power up your natural detox pathways while boosting energy and clarity.