Oh no, did I miss your birthday or anniversary?! No? Then, why the cake? Oh, you just felt like it?
Most of us don’t need an occasion to gorge on delectable goodies! The dollops of saturated fat and trans-fat entering the body is alarming. There is also the danger of nutritious food being laced with fertilizers. Not to mention the polluted air we breathe. We are probably ingesting a month’s supply of toxins on a daily basis. It’s time to detox every day!
How can yoga help detox your body?
Our body already has cleansing organs like the liver, kidneys and lungs. So you might wonder why you need to do anything to detoxify your system. The truth is that your body is working overtime to handle invasive toxins. They attack your system multiple times in multiple ways. Explore yoga to detox – it’s simple, effective and also free from side effects.
- Yoga asanas improve blood circulation. This ensures a fresh supply of oxygen to different parts of the body.
- Lung capacity increases. This enables full and complete inhalation and exhalation.
- Digestion is regulated. The nutrients in food get properly absorbed and waste is regularly and efficiently disposed.
Yoga to detox the liver
Next to the skin, the liver is the largest organ in the body. It is considered as part of the digestive system and it performs over five hundred vital functions!
- Produces bile which removes waste and breaks down fats in the small intestine during digestion.
- Metabolizes protein, lipids and carbohydrates.
- Stores vitamins A, D, K, B12, iron, folate and copper.
- Releases glucose when energy is needed.
- Makes blood clotting factors.
- Helps resist infections.
- Produces cholesterol and proteins which carry fat through the body.
- Primarily responsible for detoxification.
The liver breaks down and flushes out harmful substances from our body. It acts as a filter. If the filter itself gets clogged, how will efficient detoxification happen? That is why liver detoxification is extremely important. Yoga stimulates and strengthens the liver, improving its functioning. It is a non-invasive way to detox the liver and keep it healthy.
Yoga asanas to detox
Trikonasana
Click here for how to do Trikonasana
- Relieves gastritis, indigestion, acidity and flatulence.
- Improves flexibility of the spine.
- Helps strengthen the abdominal muscles.
Paschimottanasana
Benefits of Paschimottanasana
- Helps release gas by compressing the abdominal and intestinal organs.
- Stretches the lower back, hamstrings and hips.
Ustrasana
- Stretches the stomach and intestinal organs, releasing trapped toxic gas.
- Improves digestion.
- Stimulates the endocrine glands.
- Strengthens the back and improves flexibility of the spine.
- To know more about Ustrasana
Setu Bandhanasana
Benefits of Setu Bandhanasana
- Opens up the lungs, improving the respiratory process.
- Stretches the neck, chest and spine.
- Helps improve digestion, and facilitates elimination of waste.
Pavanmuktasana
- Strengthens the back and abdominal muscles.
- Helps release abdominal gases and improves digestion.
- Massages the intestines and other abdominal organs.
- Enhances blood circulation in the hip joints.
- Learn more about Pavanmuktasana
Ardha Matsyendrasana
- Helps massage the abdominal organs.
- Opens up and widens the upper chest region.
- Stretches the intestines.
- Increases elasticity of the spine.
Pranayamas to detox the body
Kapalbhati
Benefits of Kapalbhati
- Stimulates the abdominal organs.
- Improves functioning of the digestive tract and assimilation of nutrients.
- Improves blood circulation which increases the supply of oxygen to all the cells in the body.
Bhastrika Pranayama (Bellow breath)
- Infuses cells of the body with fresh oxygen, thereby invigorating the lungs.
- Energizes the body.
Sudarshan Kriya the flagship breathing technique of the Art of Living is another powerful rhythmic breathing exercise for detoxification.
We need to do a cleansing process within ourselves. In sleep, we get rid of fatigue, but the deeper stresses remain in our body. Sudarshan Kriya cleanses the system from the inside. The breath has a great secret to offer.
~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Along with yoga, pranayama and meditation for detoxifying your body, regulating your diet can also reduce toxins.
An easy detox diet
- Include fresh fruits like grapes. Grapes are rich in phytochemicals which are natural antioxidants. Do clean the grapes thoroughly.
- Eat more green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli, peas, asparagus and celery. They are rich in chlorophyll which is responsible for turning toxins and free radicals into neutral materials.
- Partake of sulfur-rich vegetables such as garlic, onions, parsley, avocados, tomatoes and cruciferous vegetables. They help the body make glutathione which is an ace anti-oxidant.
- Green tea is also an excellent body cleanser.
- Substitute white rice with its brown variant.
- Restrict consumption of tea and coffee.
- Avoid alcohol and tobacco.
- You may try Ayurvedic recipes to detox your body.
- A steam bath is an excellent way of eliminating toxins through sweat.
Yoga helps you stay clean on the inside and energetic on the outside. By supporting detoxification, it enables your body to quickly assimilate nutrients from your diet. This is the power of the detox process that yoga brings into your life!
Please note that these are simple guidelines for detoxification. You may want to consult an Ayurvedic specialist for professional, tailor made advice on diet and other related issues.
