These days, detox is everywhere. Hip juice bars are popping up out of nowhere, advertising the ultimate cleanse smoothie, beauty products promising us deep cleansed skin and even complexion and fitness workouts claim to help us to just “sweat the toxins“ out. Detox is definitely in the limelight!
We always strive to find ways that allow us living happier and healthier lives. Cleansing our bodies through radical juice fasts, intense exercises and the latest Korean skincare sounds promising. But detox does not have to be limited to our physical bodies only. Maybe what we really have to detox are not the few extra pounds on the scale, but our negative thoughts, limiting beliefs and outdated behavioral patterns?
A regular yoga practice could potentially be a longer-lasting holistic alternative to a juice cleanse, encompassing body, mind and spirit alike. Yoga, together with meditation and pranayama (breath work), is known to bring us back to our true selves. But how can yoga potentially be beneficial as a means to purify our bodies, mind and spirit?
Yoga as a physical detox
If you type in google the words “yoga" and “detox“, you will find an abundance of different postures that promise detoxification of the liver and help in flushing out unnecessary waste products. And it is true that yoga asanas can be beneficial in stimulating internal organs like the liver, the kidney or the intestines to eliminate waste products from our system. Spinal twists are especially helpful in improving our digestion and removing waste products. But there are of course more detoxing benefits to yoga than just bending our backs.
Sweating in general is one of the greatest natural ways to rid our system from unwanted toxins. Our bodies produce sweat in our eccrine and apocrine glands to regulate our body temperature. In the process of perspiration, our bodies also transport toxins out of the body together with the sweat.
Any moderate yoga class like a vinyasa flow or a kundalini class that gets your transpiration going is adequate for detox purposes. Make sure to drink enough water before and afterwards to rebalance your water levels that sweating might have disturbed.
However, yoga has many more detoxing elements than just through the physicality of the practice. The real detox we get from yoga is also transferred beyond the mat.
Pranayama for optimal health
Prana means “life force“ in Sanskrit. Pranayama encompasses all the breathing exercises in a yoga classes, with the goal to control our breath for an optimal flow of vital life energy through our bodies. Pranayama also promotes more clarity, focus and relaxation. and can be extremely beneficial for detoxifying purposes.
Have you ever heard your yoga teacher saying phrases like “Breathe in love - exhale negativity“? Yes? Well, even if this sounds a little bit woo-woo to you, guiding our breath to visualize everything that doesn’t serve us anymore leaving our bodies can have a psychological impact on cleansing our bodies. However, there is also a science behind why pranayama is beneficial for your system.
Deep breathing techniques practiced during yoga class increase oxygen levels and stimulate our lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is our bodies natural cleansing and detoxification system. It is composed of a large network of lymphatic vessels. Through deep breathing, we stimulate our bodies to get the lymph flowing properly, which results in a faster and better removal of toxins from our bodies.
Two yogic breathing techniques that have been proven to be detoxifying are Kapalabhati (the skull shining breath) and Nadi Shodana (alternate nostril breathing). If you have no experience with these breathing techniques, try out a class to experience the detoxifying benefits of pranayama yourself.
Meditation to get rid of toxicity in our lives
The third component of a dedicated yoga practice is meditation. Traditionally, the asanas (postures) and the breathing exercises are meant to prepare the body to sit still in meditation. And it is in meditation where the real magic happens, also in terms of detox. Here we detoxify not merely our bodies, but more so our minds and spirits. The results are removal of ‘brain fog‘ and increased clarity, focus and purpose in life.
In an overabundant and overstimulating world, we are continuously bombarded with products, beliefs and thoughts from the outside. This makes it increasingly difficult to navigate our insides. It is now easier than ever to feel lost and out of focus due to the over-arousal of our senses. Sometimes it can be helpful to take a moment to pause, look inside and ask yourself: Am I on the right path? Is this really what I want or am I being influenced from other people, the media or society that tells me this is how I should live my life?
Oftentimes, we realize that the beliefs we hold are not merely a reflection of our inner selves, but have been adopted from the pressure of a constantly changing outside. Meditation is a wonderful tool to bring us back to our center, our essence, our core and true selves. Through a regular practice, we become increasingly self-aware, thus shedding all that does not resonate with our Inner light. Whether is is detoxifying and releasing relationships or long-held patterns, beliefs and thoughts that do not belong in our lives, meditation helps us to rid us from unwanted energies. The consequence: more happiness, less negativity, a better connection to yourself to focus on the important things in life.
There are many different meditation techniques, which can help us detoxifying our systems. Common techniques include a mindfulness meditation practice to become aware of our thoughts or a focused meditation practice, blending out all the distractions from everyday life by bringing your attention to one task or object. Here’s more information on different meditation techniques and their benefits for your mental and physical health.
Want to experience all the advantages of a detox yoga practice?
Through detoxing your system with the practice of yoga, you will make long-lasting changes and will not only have the short term benefits of a five day juice fast. Yoga helps you to reconnect to your true self and what you really want in life to be truly happy.
We offer specific yoga classes and workshops dedicated to detoxifying our bodies, minds and spirits, restoring us back to optimal health. Interested in joining?
Written by Clara Malzer