Those days when we feel tired, depressed or stressed, when we need to mentally and physically detoxify, what choices do we tend to make? Do we practice a healthy exercise that does not balance or remain sedentary? Because it will depend on recovering our balance.
Detoxify through yoga
A detoxification should not always be based on a rigorous diet or the ingestion of certain herbs and juices. While correct nutrition will always help and will be an important factor, we can base our detoxification on a physical and mental level through the practice of yoga, so that we feel an inner cleanliness and greater energy.
Although most yoga positions will help us in this task, we will highlight five, explaining the function of each of them in terms of detoxification.
1. Parivrtta Utkatasana (posture of the chair in torsion): with the feet together, we will flex our legs as if we were sitting in a chair, making sure that the knees are aligned with the center of our feet. Let’s join hands to the area of the heart and bring an elbow on the opposite knee, pressing the palms firmly. Let’s bring the shoulders and expand the chest. The process will be repeated for both sides.
Benefits detox : in addition to improving the condition of our spine, this position stimulates the liver, spleen and digestive system, while toning the abdominal area and helps the elimination processes.
2. Garudasana (eagle posture): we start with our feet together and our arms at the sides, in the position of Tadasana or the mountain. Next we will lift the left foot, flexing the knee. With the foot that we have raised we will surround the right leg, so that the thighs are left against each other. We will cross the arms at the height of the elbows, leaving the left over the right. We join the palms with the fingers pointing upwards. We will maintain this balance while comfortable looking at a fixed point and feeling the inhalation and exhalation through the nose. We will undo and invert the position of the legs and arms to do the exercise again.
Detox Benefits : Apart from strengthening the ankles and twins, this exercise works the thighs, hips, shoulders and upper back. If we press the thighs well between them, we generate better circulation in the legs, which helps the lymphatic system.
3. Marichyasana (twisting posture): we start in a sitting position on the floor with our legs stretched forward. We bend the left leg against the chest and rotate the torso towards the left knee. With the right arm we will try to surround the left knee. We will keep a few breaths for the posture to generate its effects and then repeat the process with the other side.
Benefits detox : this classic yoga twist helps us stimulate digestion and elimination of impurities from the body. As we press and in some way squeeze the internal organs, the functions of the kidneys and the liver are stimulated. By releasing the torsion, a new blood flow goes through these organs again.
4. Urdva Danurasana (posture of the bow): from a position stretched on the back, we began to press little by little with our hands to gently place the crown on the mat. We can keep the palms on the ground or the forearms and climb slowly towards this backward bending or bowing.
Detox benefits : the chest opening exercises are fantastic to release congestion and stagnation of the body. They are a way also to activate our metabolism.
5. Sarvangasana (inverted on the shoulders): we start stretched out on the ground, we lift our legs to ninety degrees and then we carry them back towards the ground. Place your hands on your back, keeping your elbows on the floor as close together as possible. We will bring the legs together upwards, aligning them with the back, we will activate the thighs and the abdomen. We look towards the toes and avoid moving the head to the sides. To return we return to carry legs back and then the back back to the ground.
Detox benefits : all inverted postures, such as sarvangasana, help drain the accumulated lymphatic fluid from the legs and upper body parts. It is a great posture to do at the end of a yoga practice, since all the toxins released during the session are sent to the heart to be oxygenated and cleansed.
It is good to remember that all asanas or yoga postures help the detoxification processes. So you can follow your intuition and experiment choosing those postures that the body asks of you. That is why we must always keep our attention during our practice and take note of our sensations.
