Ah, the myths around yoga and its supposedly magic detox effects. Search for “detox yoga” or “detox yoga classes” and you’ll find millions of results, which can make it seem like there must be something to it.
So is “detox yoga” a myth? In large part, yes. Your liver, kidneys, lungs, and skin already do the work of clearing waste, and there is no good evidence that a yoga pose makes them work faster. Yoga can still be a pleasant, supportive practice for your overall health, so the picture has some nuance.
There are many misunderstandings concerning body detoxification and what yogic techniques have to do with it. Let’s sort out myths from reality about body purification and cleansing with yoga. This article is general information, not medical advice.
Top 3 Misconceptions about Body Detox with Yoga
There are some things that knock you for six when you hear them, and this is typically the case when you discover yoga and meditation-related myths. Some of them are so ingrained in the yoga culture that they have taken a life of their own, and many instructors and coaches swear that they are true.
If you have ever taken a detox yoga class, you’ve probably heard phrases like “Let’s rinse out your toxins!” or “You’re cleansing the liver completely at this moment”.
The myths below likely appeared through a lack of knowledge or faulty phrasing. Shall we debunk the most widespread ones?
Myth #1. Yoga purifies your liver.
You’ve probably heard it thousands of times. This is one of the most common misconceptions about yoga and body detox.
Your liver converts toxins into waste material that the body can remove. It does this work efficiently without yoga, as long as it is healthy. A science writer at The Guardian looked into the claim that twisting poses “cleanse” the liver and concluded that exercise supports general health but cannot make the liver work faster or better.
Founder & CEO of Uplifted Yoga, Brett Larkin, shares her view, which she also discusses regularly during Uplifted Online Yoga Teacher Trainings, “Yoga itself does not detoxify your liver. Yoga only supports the detox process. But to a great extent. It also helps keep your liver healthy in the long run.”
So, in brief, yoga cannot directly cleanse your liver. Teachers like Larkin describe it as a supportive practice for overall health, but whether it improves the liver’s own function has not been established.
Myth #2. You have to be bendy for yoga and practice every day.
Yoga is open to you no matter when you decide to start or how flexible your body is. You can begin with easy yoga for beginners, which is a gentle way to get moving.
Fitness coaches often describe the benefits in detox terms. For example, “You don’t have to be super-bendy or super-active to promote faster detox of your body with yoga. No gimmicks here. Moderation is the key to a well-balanced life,” says Kyle Risley, Founder & CEO of Lift Vault. “You should maintain moderation in doing exercises and practice asana systematically to achieve greater results of cleansing your body,” he adds.
Can yoga literally help your body “push out” all toxins? With heavy sweat, for example? Let’s debunk this myth as well in the next paragraphs.
Myth #3. You sweat toxins out of your body with yoga.
Perspiration during hot yoga practice is how the body cools itself. But sweating out toxins is a typical myth, even though it’s often called one of the best detox tools even by yoga teachers.
The sweating-out idea has been used to promote sweat therapy and detox spa treatments, and overheating in those settings can be dangerous. CBC reported on a Quebec spa where a woman died from extreme sweating after being wrapped in mud and plastic.
In fact, sweat is mostly water and salt, and it is mainly the liver and kidneys that clear drugs, alcohol, and other toxins. Tiny traces of some substances do turn up in sweat, such as bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used to make polycarbonate plastics, and small amounts of heavy metals. That does not make sweating an effective way to remove them.
Here are some facts about yoga and your body’s own detoxification.
Demystify Detox with these 3 Facts about Yoga
The truth is that your body already has its own natural detoxification system, made up of the liver, kidneys, lungs, skin, and digestive tract. Yoga is not a replacement for it, but some parts of a yoga practice may support your general wellbeing alongside it. Read on for the details.
Fact #1. Sweat from yoga contains traces of heavy metals.
As mentioned above, a 2012 systematic review of sweat studies found that small amounts of lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic have been detected in sweat. That does not make sweating a heavy metal detox, and sweating also costs the body water, so dehydration is the more practical concern.
John Gardner, Co-Founder & CEO of Kickoff, suggests that to avoid the risks of dehydration during hot yoga, for example, you need to measure your sweat rate and create a personal fluid intake plan. That’s one of the first things the certified professional trainers do when working with people on their remote personal training platform.
Fact #2. Physical movements with diaphragmatic breathing may support your lymphatic system.
So what does that have to do with detox?
The lymphatic system helps collect fluid and cellular waste from your tissues and return it to the bloodstream, where the liver and kidneys can process it. Unlike blood, lymph has no pump of its own, so it relies on muscle movement and breathing to keep flowing.
Because lymph flow is helped along by the movement of the diaphragm and abdomen during breathing, it is reasonable to think that yoga and deep breathing support lymphatic flow, although research specific to yoga is limited.
Gentle mindful yoga may be a good method to combine postures, movements, and breathing. Abdominal breathing exercises are thought to support lymphatic flow, though they are no guarantee of a healthy lymphatic system.
Fact #3. Yoga twists feel good, but they do not directly stimulate detoxification.
Yoga teachers often say that twisting poses squeeze and stimulate organs such as the liver, kidneys, and intestines. The Guardian science writer cited above found no evidence for this. A spinal twist mainly works and releases the muscles around the spine, and the liver’s own biochemistry is not directly affected.
Twists, morning yoga stretches, and twist variations can still be enjoyable ways to move, as long as you practice in moderation.
How Yoga Can Support Your Body’s Own Cleansing
Before you proceed to body cleansing & balancing, it helps to know what yoga can and cannot do for your body and for difficult emotions.
How to Cope with Emotional “Toxins”
Have you ever felt stressed physically? No wonder. Traumatic experiences and stressful situations can take a toll on our bodies too.
But how do you deal with those? When it comes to yoga, introspection and mindfulness come into play. One option is to try mindfulness meditation practice. As a part of yoga, it may help you work with difficult emotions, support people working with trauma alongside professional care, and may help with sleep.
“Working with seniors, our nurses and care managers have noticed that yoga exercises help them stay active and purify their body and mind,” says Stephan Baldwin, Founder of Assisted Living. “Chair yoga is one of the variations of traditional yoga that we practice at our centers. It helps achieve better mental clarity and enhances concentration, among other benefits.”
For yoga teachers, there are some guided meditation scripts that can help teach mindfulness in yoga classes. Combining mindful yoga poses with moment-to-moment awareness can be a helpful way to practice.
Traditional Yogic Cleansing Practices for Toxins and Wastes
Classical hatha yoga texts describe Shatkarma, a set of six purification techniques traditionally practiced to cleanse the body. They are:
- Neti kriya – for nasal cavities
- Basti kriya – for the large intestine
- Dhauti kriya – for the digestive tract
- Kapalbhati kriya – traditionally described as cleansing the frontal lobes
- Trataka kriya – for eyes
- Nauli kriya – for abdominal organs
These yoga cleansing techniques are traditional purification practices, not medical treatments, and research has not established that they remove toxins from the body. Some, such as basti and dhauti, are advanced and carry risks, so learn them only from an experienced teacher, and check with your doctor first.
Conclusion
Purity and cleanliness (saucha) are traditional principles in yoga. In this article, we’ve looked at the most prevalent myths about the role of yoga in whole-body detox and discussed what yoga can and cannot do.
As we have explained, yoga does not detox the body directly. Your liver, kidneys, lungs, and skin already do that work. Yoga is a gentle way to move, breathe, and look after yourself, and that can support your general health.
When we talk about body detoxification, we should also understand our capacity to meet difficult emotions and stress. Mindfulness can help us build that capacity.
If you would like to try yoga, begin with a gentle practice today, go at your own pace, and bring mindfulness along. If you have a health condition or are concerned about toxin exposure, talk with your doctor.
