Yoga is a great way to tone, strengthen and stretch your muscles, but it has also been used for centuries to detoxify the body. Detoxification is the process of eliminating toxins and waste from the blood, digestive system, and lymphatic system. Although the body is made to do this naturally every day, you can encourage efficiency and effectiveness of this process by doing certain twisting poses. They are effective for detoxification because they stimulate the digestive, circulatory and lymphatic system by stretching and compressing the intestines and lymphatic glands and by increasing the heart rate.
Marichiyasana III (Seated Twist)
Step 1
Sit on your mat with your legs extended out in front of you and your spine elongated from your tailbone to the crown of your head.
Step 2
Bend your right leg and bring your foot in towards you, placing it flat on the floor just in front of your right buttock.
Step 3
Place your right hand on the floor behind you for support, and reach your left arm up beside your ear.
Step 4
Bend your left elbow and bring it down across your body and hook it outside of your right knee. Keep the hand open and facing towards the right side.
Step 5
Use the tension between your left elbow and right knee to rotate your torso open to the right. Continue to extend upward through the crown of the head as you twist deeper. Bring your gaze to the right or behind you, but be careful not to strain your neck. Hold here for five rounds of breath and then release. Switch sides.
Twisted Chair Pose
Step 1
Begin standing at the top of your mat with your feet together and your hands by your side.
Step 2
Bend your knees and sink your hips back and down, as if you are sitting into a low chair. Your hips should come way back and your shins and knees should be behind your toes, so that when you look down, your toes are visible. Bring your thighs as close to parallel with the ground as you can.
Step 3
Bring your palms together in prayer in the center of your chest, and turn your torso to the right, bending down slightly. Keeping your hips low, hook your left elbow outside of your right knee and using the tension between elbow and knee, twist deeper to the right. Hold for five breaths and return to center with your hands at prayer pose.
Step 4
Repeat on the other side.
Easy Supine Twist
Step 1
Lie with your back on your mat and your legs straight and your hands resting at your side. Gather your knees into your chest and let them fall over to the right side, stacking your knees on top of one another.
Step 2
Bring your arms out 90 degrees from your shoulder sockets and let them rest on the floor, palms facing down. Turn your head to the left--the opposite direction of your knees--so that you are twisting through the midsection of your body.
Step 3
Keep both shoulder blades on the floor. If both knees can't touch the floor, that's okay--just allow them to hover.
Step 4
Repeat on the other side by bringing your knees through center and dropping them over to the left side and turning your head to the right.
Things You'll Need
- Yoga mat
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