You get sleepy. Your brain is spinning around like crazy just before you even get out of bed! You are feeling stressed, hyper, and physically drained all at once. Sound like something that you have experienced before? Likely due to high levels of cortisol, the major stress hormone produced in our body, being excessively stimulated each day.
The good news? Yoga for cortisol detox is one of the most scientifically supported, affordable, and requires no prescriptions or complex treatment plans, and focuses only on using your breath, body movements, and stillness.
The purpose of this Blog Post is to describe what cortisol does to your body, how yoga can assist in getting rid of it naturally through various yoga postures (asanas), and what are the best asanas to help start the detoxification process today.
What Is Cortisol and Why Does It Need Detoxing?
Your adrenal glands produce and release cortisol as a result of stress. That means that in both large amounts for short amounts of time, it can actually be helpful in terms of increasing your ability to focus, improve your energy for action and get you ready to react to danger. This is known as the fight-or-flight response.
Many areas in today’s fast-paced world keep this response going all the time. Examples of this could include deadlines, notifications, traffic or money problems, etc. As a result, the nervous system doesn’t know if it has a deadline looming or a lion coming toward it, so it continues to release cortisol, often after you don’t need it anymore.
If levels of cortisol in your body remain elevated for long periods of time, they can lead to weight gain (especially in your stomach area), poor sleep quality, anxiety, digestive problems, weakened immune systems and memory issues. A large analysis that was published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology concluded that continual psychological stress resulted in increased levels of cortisol in saliva samples taken from many various types of people.
This is where yoga for detox steps in as a measurable way of physiologically intervening on the problem.
How Yoga Lowers Cortisol: The Science
There has been a growing number of studies to prove what professional yoga practitioners have long understood. For example, a research study published in 2017 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine showed that participants who did yoga at least 3 times/week for 8 weeks had significantly lower levels of cortisol (stress hormone) in the morning compared to those who did not practice yoga. Another study published by the National Institutes of Health found that yoga increases the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system (the opposite of the sympathetic nervous system - the fight or flight side) which decreases cortisol and inflammation.
Yoga offers several different benefits simultaneously:
- Breath Control – Will lower heart rate and also send messages to the nervous system indicating it is safe.
- Movement – Will use up any excess adrenaline and cortisol that may be stored in the muscles.
- Stillness and Meditation – Will cause decreased activity in the amygdala (the brain's alarm center).
- Certain Poses - Will activate the vagus nerve through "vagal stimulation" which will counteract the stress response.
Together, these make yoga one of the most complete yoga for detox and reset practices available.
10 Warning Signs Your Cortisol Is Too High
Before we examine these poses, it is useful to understand the indicators of excess cortisol. Some common symptoms of high levels of cortisol are:
- Keeping difficulty sleeping or falling asleep
- Weight gain that seems to originate from your stomach area without an identifiable cause
- Tiredness or exhaustion even if you have had adequate amounts of good quality sleep
- Feelings of anxiousness or irritable with feelings of low mood
- Increased amounts of forgetfulness or lack of ability to concentrate
- Cravings for sweet as well as salty foods
- Frequent colds or other illnesses due to impaired immune function
- Raised blood pressure
- Digestive problems such as bloating and/or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Thinning hair and/or change in skin texture
If you identified with more than one or two of the above, then your body needs to be reset.
The Best Yoga Poses for Cortisol Detox
1. Child's Pose (Balasana) - The Instant Calm Signal
This is probably the most effective, easiest way that your body signals to your nervous system that you are safe. When you sit on your legs, with your forehead resting on the mat, and lay the rest of your body onto your thighs you engage the parasympathetic nervous system, giving your body the signal that it is safe. In addition, Child's Pose is a supporting yoga for detox and digestion. Hold this pose for no less than 1-3 minutes while taking deep, slow breaths.
2. Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani) - The Cortisol Drainer
The Cortisol Drainer This pose is one of the most powerful detox yoga poses for stress. It achieves this by reversing blood flow from the legs to promote lymphatic drainage, reduce inflammation, and stimulate the vagus nerve. According to research, passive inversions reduce heart rates and cortisol levels in minutes.
To do Legs Up the Wall, simply lie on your back and put your legs up against a wall for 5 - 15 minutes. This is foundational yin yoga for detox practice.
3. Supported Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana) - Opening the Chest
Opening the Chest Chronic stress can lead to inward collapse (round shoulders, tight chest and shallow breathing). Supported Bridge Pose opens the thoracic spine and chest; therefore, allowing greater space to breathe deeper and have improved vagal tone. For an entirely passive, restorative version of Supported Bridge, place either a yoga block or a folded blanket under the sacrum.
Supported Bridge Pose is an excellent chair yoga for cortisol detox — you can achieve a similar spinal extension while seated simply by gently arching back over a supportive chair (with no-intentional exertion).
4. Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana) - Nervous System Reset
The act of folding forward is an automatic response of your body to calm down. By lowering your head below your heart, and stretching your spine forwards, your body interprets this position as being surrendering, which is the opposite of the stiffened, contracted position used when you’re in a threatening situation.
For detox yoga for beginners, a gentle seated fold with bent legs (without forcing) held for 2 to 3 minutes is an extremely effective way to reduce stress in your body. Focus solely on your exhalation; long, slow and fully out.
5. Supine Spinal Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana) - Wringing Out Tension
Twisting your body has been described as ‘wringing out’ your organs and spine like you would a wet rag. While this description may be more poetic than literal, there is truth to the way our bodies twist because twisting contracts your abdominal organs, by placing your body in the position of twisting towards one side, and then decompressing when you’re twisted towards the other side, helps with circulation, aids with digestion, and can also release a significant amount of tension held in your thoracic spine (where most of us hold their stress).
These are two examples of Detox Yoga poses that can be found in the majority of yoga practices from yoga for detoxification.
6. Cat-Cow (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana) - Breath and Spine in Dialogue
The Cat-Cow stretch allows for a simple flowing movement that coordinates the breath with the movement of the spine. The rhythmic quality of this practice serves well as a meditative practice; it provides for an inward focus, abnormal routines of tension in the back, and vagal nerve stimulation through movement and breath.
Cat-Cow serves as a foundational pose in yoga for detox adriene. Because of this, it also serves well as a morning practice to create a calm space for the rest of the day.
7. Corpse Pose (Savasana) - The Most Important Pose
Savasana is the pose. Research has shown that relaxing consciously in Savasana (for 10-20 minutes) has proven to lower cortisol, decrease heart rate and blood pressure, and allow for alpha brain wave state - or a calm, alert state.
Challenges with Savasana can include being present and not mentally creating your to-do list. Use a body scan - consciously relaxing each part of your body starting at the toes and ending at the crown - to help you remain focused.
This is the crown jewel of any detox yoga for beginners..
Pranayama: The Hidden Cortisol Detox Tool
Your body's breath (pranayama) can change your way of breathing and the rest of your cardiovascular system (circulatory) even more than physical poses (asana). Pranayama is also much more powerful than physical poses.
According to numerous studies, the yogic practice of "alternate nostril breathing" (nadi shodhana) will stabilize autonomic nervous system, lower anxiety levels, and furthermore, will reduce cortisol. Five minutes a day of this breathing will create significant changes in your stress hormones.
Extended exhale breathing (4 counts in 8–10 counts out) will activate the parasympathetic nervous system in just a few short breaths (within a few minutes). This type of breathing is one of the fastest ways to quickly cleanse the body of excess cortisol.
In addition, the use of Kundalini yoga for detoxification in combination with various breathing methods such as "breath of fire" (khumbaka) and more vigorous forms of movement allow you to detoxify your body when you are too invigorated to sit still.
How to Detox Your Body Through a Complete Yoga
A full approach to yoga detoxification includes the following:
- In the morning: Do a few minutes of gentle Cat-Cow stretches, seated twisting and forward bending positions to calm your nervous system.
- During the day: Use Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) for five minutes after every block of work to help you re-center yourself.
- Before bed: Spend twenty to thirty minutes doing restorative or yin-style yoga postures such as Legs Up the Wall, Supported Bridge Pose, Supine Twist, and Savasana.
It is important to practice yoga consistently rather than intensely. Research has shown that practicing three to four times per week allows for measurable reduction in cortisol levels within six to eight weeks.
The Yoga Journal's evidence-based resources offer further guidance on choosing the right style for your stress level and starting point.
Deepening Your Practice: Study in Rishikesh
Should this blog have opened your heart up to wanting more than just learning how to keep your stress level down, but how and why it has been around forever and how to truly learn about the science behind it — then Rishikesh is where you want to be!
The Rishikesh Yoga Ashram is a very reputable Yoga School in Rishikesh, India, which provides well-structured Teacher Training courses (for any level of yogi), including 100 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh, which are a perfect starting point for learning yogic philosophy, Pranayam, and fundamentals of practice; also the 200 Hour Yoga Teacher training in Rishikesh which provides an extremely comprehensive immersion into traditional yoga through a whole year of study; finally, if you're more advanced and have taken the first two courses — Rishikesh Yoga Ashram also offers a 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh to study anatomy, yoga’s healing properties, and advanced philosophy on a more integrated basis.
With your individual needs as either a student or teacher, wherever you want to be in your yoga experience — Rishikesh Yoga Ashram affiliation with Rishikesh, and the entire Himalayan tradition, of where yoga actually started and has been developed and perfected over countless years, creates a direct link to all that is “yoga”!
Bottom Line
Cortisol is not something you should consider as an enemy; however, chronic/high levels of unmanaged cortisol can certainly be dangerous to your health. Yoga is a well-researched practice that has been shown to help restore hormonal balance, calm the nervous system, and help you create resilient systems internally.
- You don’t need to be flexible.
- You don’t need any spiritual connection.
- You just need to start.
- Get started tonight by doing Legs Up the Wall.
- Tomorrow morning add a 5-minute extended exhale breathing practice.
- Build from there.
- Your nervous system has been waiting for you to allow it to rest.
FAQs
Q1. Which yoga reduces cortisol levels?
The most effective types of yoga to lower cortisol levels are restorative yoga, yin yoga, and yoga nidra because they specifically shut down sympathetic nervous system activity (rest and digest) through direct stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system. However, any style of yoga involving long, slow, deep breaths will help regulate cortisol levels over time (i.e., hatha and gentle vinyasa also support the regulation of cortisol based on research).
Q2. How to quickly detox cortisol?
The fastest methods will be breath-based: Extended Exhale Breathing (4-count inhale/6-8 count exhale) or Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) can help transition your nervous system into the parasympathetic nervous system after 3 to 5 minutes. For a rapid reset of your nervous system, simply hold Legs Up the Wall for 10 minutes. However, if you are looking for sustained reduction of cortisol, practicing yoga regularly over the course of 6 to 8 weeks will help achieve that.
Q3. Is yoga good for lymph nodes?
Definitely. There are specific postures - particularly those that involve inverting (such as "Legs Up the Wall"), twisting movements, and/or doing deep diaphragmatic breathing -- that will enhance the circulation of lymphatic fluid within your body. The lymphatic fluid does not have a pump as blood does, and therefore it relies on body movement and gravitational forces as well as muscle contractions to help it circulate. For this reason, practicing yoga provides all three of these elements, allowing your lymphatic system to promote the elimination of waste material from your body, decrease inflammation, and increase immune function.
Q4. What are 10 warning signs of high cortisol?
Some of the major warning signs include: long-term fatigue regardless of getting enough sleep; belly fat gain; mood swings (either elevated or depressed); lack of focus or concentration; hunger for sweets or salty foods; increased likelihood of illnesses; disrupted sleeping patterns; high blood pressure; issues related to digestion; skin and/or hair changes. If you are experiencing a combination of multiple signs mentioned above, you need to put significant effort into managing your stress and decreasing your cortisol levels.
Q5. Can beginners do yoga for cortisol detox?
YES! In fact, restorative and yin yoga -- which are the two most effective types of postures for regulating cortisol levels and decreasing cortisol levels -- are both among the easiest for beginning yogis to learn. You do not need to have any flexibility or previous experience practicing yoga. Simple postures such as Child's Pose, Legs Up the Wall, and Savasana are all very beginner-friendly, gentle, and will have an immediate positive impact on your body.
Q6. How often should I practise yoga to lower cortisol?
Multiple studies indicate that 3-4 sessions per week, lasting 20-45 minutes each, will yield a measurable reduction in cortisol levels within 6-8 weeks. Yoga performed 10 minutes a day, in restorative poses while practicing deep breathing will have an impact on cortisol levels. The most important factor is practicing consistently rather than how long or hard you practice.
Q7. Does yoga help with stress-related digestive problems?
Yes, elevated cortisol disrupts digestive function by decreasing the rate of digestion, altering the balance of your gut microbiome, and increasing the likelihood of developing conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Yoga assists with digestive function through the abdominal compression and release that occurs when you twist and rotate; through diaphragmatic breathing which massages your gut; through lowering cortisol production; and by stimulating the relaxation response of the parasympathetic nervous system and enabling restful digestion to occur.
