Can yoga or stretching aid in cleansing organs? I go to yoga class every Monday and Wednesday and my instructor says we are doing this stretch to cleans the "X" which can be either blood, kidneys, liver, etc. This website says yoga has "cleansing" effects on kidneys: * Livestrong site > Yoga instructor Tias Little recommends forward bending postures to stretch the low back region and ease the compression of your kidneys caused by too much sitting. Allowing space into the low back through forward bends **allows your kidneys to work optimally** and flush themselves. Is there any evidence of "cleansing" effects on body parts from yoga or stretching?

While "cleansing an organ" is hogwash, there is minor evidence that yoga may be better than no exercise for patients in dialysis. This study is really small, not replicated but at least a blind study. It does not compare yoga and conventional exercise, so I would be very careful and wait until further confirmation and better studies, but:

> Improvement of the variables in the yoga-based exercise program was found to be superior to that in the control group for all the variables except calcium, phosphorus, HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

--A modified yoga-based exercise program in hemodialysis patients: A randomized controlled study00073-2/abstract)

Most of the other variables are nervous system related, which is not surprising since Yoga has well known positive effects on it.

This full PDF article gives a good overview of the benefits of yoga.