What are your New Year resolutions? Do they involve detoxing your way to a fabbulous new year? Yoga detox is a simple detox that can be done in a couple of days. It can be done by doing yoga for 2 days consecutively.
Did you know that in the UK, January is the month of detox? Many people decide to detox their body in order to lose weight, especially in the New Year, but it’s also something that is recommended during the whole year, for different reasons.
This time of year is filled with self-deception as we enjoy the good times of Christmas and New Year! Without guilt, we celebrate every moment with our loved ones, family and friends. As the New Year approaches, let’s not forget the parties and alcohol that often accompany these events!
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New Year, New Beginning
But very soon your body will tell you it needs a little attention. You may start to feel listless and bloated, you may develop a rash, and you may lose the will to live. Add to that a post-New Year’s Eve hangover, and it slows you down even more.
Our bodies are designed to detox daily, but from time to time we all need a nudge in the right direction. That’s why we like to start each new year with a fresh start. Detox, cleanse, etc., it’s the perfect time to get as healthy and authentic as possible.
Enter Yoga
You don’t have to drink only green juices for weeks on end to start a detox. Just put down your yoga mat and the poses below will stimulate your circulation, digestion and lymphatic system and help you rid your body of toxins and waste!
Besides the physical benefits, yoga can also bring mental clarity. The calming and centering aspects of yoga are essential for complete detoxification of the mind and body, helping to release physical, mental and emotional toxins.
In our yoga practice, each new breath is a new moment: You can start over at any time, all the time. Pranayama literally means expansion of the life force or vital energy (breath). Yoga helps you stay in the present and move forward without looking back.
Benefits of New Year’s Yoga Detoxification
- More energy and passion for life
- Improved sleep behavior
- Balanced Hormones
- Improved digestion
- Weight loss and increased libido
- Radiant skin and shiny hair
- Feeling fabulously beautiful every day
These poses make you feel spacious and ready to face 2022 with renewed vigor and passion for life. You can choose a few yoga poses for a light detox or practice them in succession when you need a cleanse.
1. Leaning forward on spread legs
An ideal posture to expose tense thigh muscles and lower the head below the heart. This pose also eliminates gravity by promoting blood circulation throughout the body. The folding motion compresses the stomach, which also facilitates digestion.
Modification : From a hunched position, grasp your right ankle or shin with your left hand, reach up toward the ceiling with your right hand and lean back, opening your torso toward the mat. Take five deep breaths, then repeat the process on the other side.
2. Installation of swivel chair
This pose strengthens your shins and makes your quads and glutes feel like they’re on fire! This deep twist is also ideal for improving digestion, as you feel a slight pressure on the kidneys, liver and spleen, which stimulates the elimination of toxins while tightening the abdominal wall.
It stimulates the heart by improving circulation in the circulatory, respiratory and lymphatic systems, and relieves mental and physical lethargy!
Modification : Begin the chair pose by bringing your hands to the center of your heart. Inhale deeply to lengthen the spine and twist to the right as you exhale, bringing the left elbow to the right hip. Inhale in the middle and exhale to turn to the left. Repeat this sequence five times on each side.
3. Three-legged downward dog pose
Holding the head under the heart and lifting the leg in the air in this variation of the downward facing dog promotes blood flow throughout the body, as well as the movement of fluids to the lymph nodes. This pose can also be very relaxing, which can help with mental detoxification and relieve stress, anxiety and sadness.
4. Open triangle installation
This pose stretches and opens the chest, lungs, shoulders and spine and increases lung capacity. Rotational movements stimulate the abdominal organs, aid digestion and circulation, relieve stress and anxiety, and energize the body and mind.
5. Grasshopper pipe
This posture strengthens the entire back of the body, opens the heart and promotes good posture. The pressure on the stomach also promotes digestion and encourages you to throw away things you no longer need.
Modification : If this posture is uncomfortable, an excellent alternative is the semi-saranacha.
6. Team position
Plow Pose strengthens and stretches the back muscles, aligns the spine and improves posture, stimulates the abdominal organs, ovaries, bladder and kidneys and relieves digestive problems. It also increases metabolism and strengthens the abdominal wall.
7. Bound Pear Tree
Another pose where the heart is above the head. The pear tree strengthens the entire musculoskeletal system and at the same time improves blood circulation, as blood flows to the heart.
It stimulates the thyroid gland, increasing metabolism, stimulating the nervous system, digestion and breathing, effectively removing toxins from the body, not to mention that it changes your outlook on life and literally turns you upside down!
This pose is usually held for 10 or more breaths. When you focus on deep breathing, carbon dioxide is removed from the lungs.
8. Spine rotation
Not only does twisting give you energy and focus, but it also brings mental clarity, relieves stress and deep tension, and detoxifies your entire system by massaging your internal organs in particular to help flush out toxins.
As you release the twist, fresh blood and nutrients return to your digestive organs, nourishing and supporting them. While lying on your back, hold the roll-up position for at least five deep breaths, and repeat on the other side. Even better: Bring yin into your world and hold it for two to three minutes on each side!
I hope this series helps you feel inspired and motivated to become the happiest, healthiest and most amazing version of yourself in 2015. Have fun!