Are you feeling sluggish, bloated, or just generally blah? Your body may be in need of a little detox!
You don’t need a fancy or intense cleanse to detox the body. Yoga might be all you need. Twists, backbends and hip openers will work all areas to get your body working at its best.
Try these 7 poses on your mat for a full body detox.
These come from a full hour long Vinyasa to Yin Yoga practice on my YouTube channel.
1. Thread the Needle Variation – Start in table top, with hands under the shoulders and knees under the hips. Reach the right hand up to the sky. Exhale, to thread the arm through. Lowering on the right shoulder and right ear. Align hips over the knees. To challenge yourself, extend the left leg back behind you. Maybe float the foot up. Keep the inner hip rotating down. Return to table top, take a few rounds of cat/cow before repeating on the other side.
2. Chair Pose with Prayer Twist – Step up to stand at the front of your mat. Bring the big toes together and heels apart. Bend your knees, sinking the hips into chair. Bring the hands together at the heart. Inhale to find some length. Then exhale, taking the left elbow across to the outside of the right knee. Keep the knees in line here. Push the hands together and roll the shoulder back. After a few breaths, return to center, then repeat to the other side.
3. Low Lunge with Prayer Twist – Fold forward, placing the hands down on the mat. Step your left foot back, lowering the knee and untucking the toes. Press into the legs to lift the hands up and bring them to the heart. Stack the right knee over the right ankle, as you melt the hips down and forward. Initiate the twist, bringing the left elbow to the right knee. Stay active here, not allowing the upper body to sink down. Gaze down to the mat, place the hands down at the top of the mat. Step up and repeat on the other side.
4. Standing Pigeon with Twist – Standing at the front of your mat, lean on to the right leg and lift the left knee up. Cross the left ankle over the right knee. Bend the standing leg, sending the hips back and chest forward. Stay here with the hands together at the chest. Or initiate a twist here, crossing the left elbow to the left foot. Lift up, uncross, then repeat on other side.
5. Revolved Triangle – Step back to downward dog. Right leg rises, then steps through to the top of the mat. Spin the left heel down and toes out slightly. Push into feet to lift up. Straighten your right leg, you may want to shorten your stance by bringing the left foot in a few inches. Inhale to lift the torso and find length. Exhale, to fold forward in pyramid pose. Bring your left hand down to the shin, the mat, or a yoga block. Roll your right shoulder back. Maybe extending the right arm up to the sky. To come out bend the right knee, place the hands down, step back to down dog. Then repeat on the other side.
6. Shoelace – Sit down on the mat. Stack the left knee on top of the right one, reaching the feet in opposite directions. Stay lifted up here, or fold down. Let gravity take you in to the poses, making this one passive. Maybe propping the head up on a block, or any other props that feel good. Find some comfort here so that you can hold it for 3-5 minutes. If you feel any pinching or pain ease out. Repeat on the other side.
7. Cat Pulling Its Tail – Lay down on the back. Pull the right knee in, and extend the left leg out. Use the left hand to guide the right knee across the body in to a twist. Extend the right arm out to the side. Stay here, or take it further. Bending the left knee and seeing if you can grab the left foot with the right hand. Trying to move the knees away from one another. Relax into this and hold for a few minutes. Ease back to center, then repeat on the other side.
Want more of this detox flow? Practice along with me for a full hour in the video below.
Namaste,
Kassandra
