8 Postures For Detox And Mindfulness

Stretching in the infrared sauna is an amazing way to help increase flexibility, loosen stiff joints, improve muscle tone, reduce stress, detox the body, generate mindfulness, and much more. We've collaborated with Tama Wellness to bring you a 9-minute routine for your next sauna session.

You're only as young as your spine is flexible.

Coined by Joseph Pilates, the founder of Pilates, it's a phrase that should be taken to heart by everyone hoping to extract more value from life. Moving the spine in all directions is vitally important for ensuring the proper function of every aspect of daily movement. But a mobile spine means more than simply having less stiffness and discomfort.

It helps prevent imbalances and ensures a healthy connection with the rest of the musculoskeletal system. It promotes postural improvements, a leading cause of back and neck pain. It helps distribute nutrients and remove waste, detoxifying the body. And it prepares us to take on those daily activities that so often require a combination of spinal movements. Think of how often you reach, bend and twist every day!

In our "8 Postures For Detox And Mindfulness" practice we gently take the spine through its natural movements, including flexion (forward bending), extension (backward bending), lateral flexion (side bending), and rotation (twisting).

1. Side Bends move the spine in lateral flexion. This involves simultaneously lengthening the spine, rib cage, neck and side body on one side, while compressing and squeezing the other. A great mix of flexibility extension and detoxifying compression in one movement.
2. Cat/Cow movements provide dynamic flexion and extension of the spine. Flossing through dynamic movement helps to bring energy and blood flow into the length of the spine in preparation for twisting. It also helps us to tune into parts of the body experiencing more sensation.
3. Twists have an incredible impact on spine mobility and detoxification. Applying pressure to the internal organs stimulates blood flow, aiding in the body's natural detoxification processes. Promoting lymphatic circulation supports the removal of waste products from the body and potentially helps transport toxins to organs like the liver and kidneys, which play a crucial role in detoxification.
4. Forward folding offers a wonderful release for the lower back and hips. This deeper spinal flexion hits right where so many feel the daily tension, releasing the fascial backline from the crown of the head to the back of the knees.
5. Hip Opening, who doesn't love it! Modern life is so often spent sitting in chairs and because of that our hips suffer. The hips are a common area for people to hold tension and stress. These stretches can help to release that tension.
6. And lastly, seated meditation. It's said that the purpose of modern Yoga is to take the body through a range of postures that will ultimately allow us to sit comfortably in a seated position, withdrawing the senses and achieving a higher state of being, or as we call it in Yoga, samadhi, enlightened bliss.

Feel free to take this sequence everywhere! Sure it's great for the sauna, but it's also great for whenever life keeps you seated for long periods of time. That might be in the office, or driving the car, or working in a cafe, or anywhere really. Take a 10-minute break, play "8 Postures For Detox And Mindfulness" here (or find it on Youtube) and enjoy some releasing movement throughout your body.

♡