Welcome spring with soothing yoga poses

Spring is almost here! If you've been trudging through the dreary winter, now is the time to start breaking away from the drudgery of the past few months and put on your favorite Vikeep Womens Fitness Shirts to refresh your body, mind and spirit.

Our bodies have natural systems for regular detoxification, but the food we eat, lack of exercise, and other bad habits can hinder these natural processes and add to a sullen cold personality. To jump right into spring, here are seven detox spring yoga poses that will activate your circulatory, digestive, respiratory and lymphatic systems.

Be sure to consult a medical professional to make sure these poses are right for you, and seek any further guidance from a trusted teacher.

Three-legged dog

From Downward Dog, raise one of your legs into the air. This adds a little heat to the normally calm down dog pose and helps get your blood flowing. As part of a spring yoga sequence, you can bend the raised leg and pull the knee all the way forward to the nose. Straighten it out and repeat the compression/extension a few times before moving into the forward lunge position. This is a brand new sequence that awakens your core and energizes your entire body.

Wide leg forward bend

This simple pose keeps the head below heart level, promoting circulation while providing a great stretch through the hamstrings. Be sure to work your quads in this shape. Wide-legged standing straddles are also a gentle way to add handstands to your spring yoga practice.

Swivel chair

Adding a twist to your chair pose will help stimulate digestion as you work your quads and abs. This pose also helps promote better blood flow, breathing, and lymphatic function. If you're feeling sluggish, this fiery pose is for you.

Standing back bend

From Mountain Pose, raise your arms overhead in a wide V shape. While looking down your nose, begin to arch back as comfortably as possible. This pose promotes better posture while also opening up the heart and lungs, making it easier to take deep, clean breaths. Deep breathing alone can detoxify the body by expelling carbon dioxide, breaking down lactic acid, and promoting lymphatic function.

Plow

This favorite pose promotes proper digestion by exerting gentle pressure on the stomach, intestines, and bladder. It also helps to properly align the spine and relieve pressure on your back, helping you feel taller and more energetic. We recommend using a blanket for shoulder support.

Handstand

A full handstand, if you will, is the perfect way to get your blood flowing and strengthen your entire body in the process. Handstands boost metabolism, stimulate the nervous system, and help the body flush out toxins through profuse sweating.

Supine Spinal Twist

When you're ready to cool off, a deep spinal twist while lying on the mat helps relieve back pressure while applying gentle pressure on the stomach, liver and kidneys to promote natural detoxification. You can take five deep breaths or a few minutes on each side. Do what feels good.

Cheers to spring!