6 Basic Yoga Exercises to Detoxify Your Body

If you feel like your body requires a complete reset, a sequence of detoxifying yoga exercises can be the best option.

Yoga is one of the most result-worthy ways to detoxify the body and clear the mind. Different poses or asanas in yoga, particularly bends and twists, help stimulate the organs responsible for extracting waste from the body.

A regular yoga routine can help the body remove impurities, such as lymphatic fluid, carbon dioxide, and lactic acid, and allow fresh blood to flow to the organs. Typically, any pose with forward bends, twists, and inversions is beneficial to everyday detoxifcation.

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Yoga Exercises to Detoxify the Body

Here's a look at six basic poses to cleanse the body:

1) Seated Spinal Twist

To do this pose:

• Sit on a mat with your back straight and legs extended in the front.
• Bring your right knee towards your chest with your foot on the floor.
• Hook the elbow of your left arm on your knee. Maintaining this position, twist your body while looking behind you.
• Take a few easy breaths in this posture, and release.
• Repeat the movement on the other side.

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2) Locust Pose

To do this yoga pose:

• Lie on your stomach with your arms alongside your torso and palms facing up.
• As you inhale, lift your upper torso, legs, and head away from the floor. Simultaneously, raise your arms to make them parallel to the floor.
• Stretch through your fingers, and keep your gaze forward.
• Hold for a few seconds before relaxing your limbs to the floor.

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3) Wide-legged Forward Bend

To do this pose:

• Stand tall and straight with your spine neutral. Position your feet wide apart, and relax your hands on your hips.
• As you exhale, lean your torso to the front using your hip joints, and make sure to keep your spine straight.
• Once your torso reaches the floor, move your fingertips to the ground, and keep your palms flat on the floor. If you can’t do so, bring your arms behind, and clasp your hands together while in a forward fold.
• Hold this posture for as long as you can, and come out of the pose by slowly unfolding yourself. Allow your arms to fall, and bring yourself back to the starting position.

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4) Plow Pose

To do this yoga exercise:

• Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and arms by your sides. Keep your palms facing down towards the floor.
• Using your abdominal muscles, lift your hips and legs, and bring your legs over your head. Move your torso up so that it gets perpendicular to the ground.
• If you can’t touch the floor with your toes, support your lower back with your hands, and go deep down. Once your toes touch the floor, extend your arms, and lock your fingers together.
• Stay in the position for a few seconds, and slowly roll back to return to the starting position.

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5) Three-legged Downward Dog

To do this pose:

• Take a tabletop position, and move your hands under your shoulders.
• Curl your toes, and move your hips up towards the ceiling to come into a downward dog position. Make sure you are not falling forward, and your neck is stable and relaxed.
• Maintaining a stable shoulder position, press your right foot firmly into the floor.
• Lift your left leg into the air, and make sure to distribute your weight evenly on both shoulders.
• Hold for a few seconds, and lower your raised leg.
• Repeat the movement on the other side.

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6) Bow Pose

To do this pose:

• Lie down on your belly with your hands on your sides and palms facing up.
• Bending both knees, bring your heels close to your butt, and reach back to hold your ankles.
• Lift your heels away from your hips, and raise your thighs off the floor.
• Move your shoulder blades together, and make sure your shoulders are away from your ears.
• Stay in this posture for a few seconds, and slowly release.

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Bottom Line

The aforementioned detoxifying yoga exercises can help cleanse, tone, and strengthen the body from the inside. While these poses are beneficial and safe, it's still best to work under a trained practitioner to ensure you're performing the movements correctly.