If you want to move your body and clear your mind, yoga is always a good bet — all you really need is a soft surface and some time. But depending on the flow, yoga can also be a great detox method as well.

Detox yoga is a flow that uses different positions — particularly twists and bends — to stimulate our organs, especially the ones that extract waste from our bodies. If you feel like your body needs a reset, a detoxing yoga flow may be the move for you. Here are some poses to get the job done.

9 Yoga Poses That Will Help You Detox

1 – Seated Spinal Twist

  1. Start seated with your legs out in front of you.
  2. Bring the knee of one leg to your chest, keeping your foot on the ground.
  3. Hook the elbow of your opposite arm on your knee and twist, looking behind you.
  4. As a variation, you can bend your extended leg on the ground while maintaining the twist.
  5. Take a few slow, deep breaths before releasing. Then repeat on the other side.

2 – Head-to-Knee Forward Bend

  1. Sit with one leg extended in front of you and the other leg bent, with your knee pointing to the side and foot turned inward.
  2. Inhale while extending your arms over your head.
  3. Exhale while bending forward, hinging from the waist with a long spine.
  4. Take hold of your ankle or your foot if possible. Release the head and neck forward if that feels good, and hold the pose for 20 to 30 seconds.
  5. Slowly come back up to release the pose, then repeat on the other side.

3 – Locust Pose

  1. Lie on your belly, with your arms placed along your torso, palms up.
  2. On an inhale, lift your head, upper torso, arms, and legs away from the floor.
  3. Raise your arms so they’re parallel with the floor and stretch through your fingertips. Your gaze should be relaxed and forward.
  4. Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute before slowly relaxing your limbs to the ground.

4 – Three-Legged Downward Dog

  1. Start in a tabletop position, with your hands underneath your shoulders.
  2. Curl your toes under and send your hips high into the sky to come into Downward Dog.
  3. Making sure your shoulders are stable, press one foot firmly into the mat.
  4. Slowly lift the other leg into the air, making sure to evenly distribute your weight and keeping your hips square.
  5. Hold for a few breaths, then lower the raised leg and repeat on the other side.

5 – Wide-Legged Forward Bend

  1. Start by standing up straight and tall. Step or shift your feet out wide and rest your hands on your hips.
  2. On an exhale, lean your torso forward using your hip joints, keeping your back straight.
  3. As your torso approaches the floor, press your fingertips into the floor. If possible, try to rest your palms flat on the ground.
  4. You can also bring your arms behind you while in a forward fold, clasping your hands together.
  5. When coming out of this pose, slowly unfold yourself, one step at a time.

6 – Revolved Triangle

  1. Start in a standing position and spread your legs about 3 feet apart.
  2. Bring your arms in line with your shoulders.
  3. Turn your left foot inward and your right foot outward.
  4. Maintaining stability, rotate to the right so your left arm extends over your right leg.
  5. Put your left fingers down on the floor (or a block) as you extend your right arm up.
  6. Stay in this pose for 10 to 20 seconds, then repeat on the other side.

7 – Plow Pose

  1. Begin by lying flat on your back with your legs fully extended and arms at your sides.
  2. Use your abdominal strength to lift your legs and hips, bringing your legs over your head.
  3. If your toes don’t touch the floor, support your lower back with your hands. If they do, extend your arms along the floor and lock your fingers together.
  4. Make sure to keep a space between your chin and your chest.

8 – Bow Pose

  1. Lie on your stomach with your hands along your sides, palms up.
  2. Bend your knees, bringing your heels as close as you can to your butt.
  3. Reach back and grab your ankles.
  4. On an inhale, lift your heels away from your butt, while at the same time lifting your thighs off the ground.
  5. Bring your shoulder blades together and make sure the tops of your shoulders are away from your ears.

9 – Shoulder Stand

  1. Lie on your back, on something comfy like a pillow or a folded blanket.
  2. On an inhale, lift your legs into the air, pressing your arms into the ground.
  3. Sweep your legs over your head, using that momentum to curl your hips off the floor.
  4. With bent elbows, bring your hands to your lower back for support.
  5. Draw your elbows together and walk your hands up your back.
  6. To come out, release your hands, slowly bend your knees, and lower your legs toward the floor.

How Does Detox Yoga Help?

Keep in mind, when we say “detox,” we’re not talking about pseudo-scientific remedies. Detoxing your body simply means that your organs (like your liver, kidneys, and digestive system) are doing their natural thing and ridding themselves of pollutants and processed foods.

Regular exercise can help you detox by reducing inflammation, which helps your body operate in tip-top shape. Detox yoga is meant to improve circulation and movement. You’re essentially helping out your body’s natural detoxification system, which operates on a cellular level (meaning you can’t literally twist your organs into removing toxins).