Yoga can aid digestion in a number of ways, including:
- Making room inside the body to encourage the passage of food through the digestive system.
- Applying light abdominal pressure on the stomach to stimulate the digestive system.
- The body’s ability to relax may assist us most crucially transition from the body’s stress reaction to the parasympathetic “rest and digest” state. When under stress, the body slows digestion to focus energy on the perceived threat that is directly in front of us.
The yoga poses in the sequence that follows flow together and aids in digestion.
Feel free to work through each form individually or as a whole practice.
CHILD’S POSE
How: Place your feet and knees together while sitting on your shins. Your forehead should be pointed towards the ground or a block as you cross your upper body over your legs. Put your arms down so they are back at your feet.
10 breaths should be held.
Why: Gently squeeze your abs.
CAT/COW
How: Start on all fours with your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees. By lowering your tummy while lifting your tailbone, chest, and chin as you inhale, you may arch your spine.
Round your spine as you exhale, forcing the ground away from you, and bury your chin into your chest.
Finish ten rounds.
Why: To gently stretch and squeeze the abdominal organs.
PUPPY POSE
How: From the tabletop posture, walk the hands forward while keeping the hips over the knees to lower the chest and head towards the ground (or rest the head on a block or rolled-up blanket).
10 breaths should be held.
Why: To stretch the stomach.
SPHINX POSE
How: Lie on your stomach and raise yourself up using your forearms, keeping them parallel and your elbows tucked under your shoulders.
To give the legs energy, press down with the tops of both feet. To stretch the neck away from the shoulders, repeat the motion with the forearms.
10 breaths should be held.
Why: To extend and compress the abdominal organs at the same time.
WIND RELIEF POSE
How: Carefully flip over onto your back, hugging one leg to your chest. With both hands, grab either the shin or the area behind the knee. Encourage the knee to enter the body more fully, avoiding the ribs and moving towards the same armpit.
Do 10 breaths on each side.
Why: To help passage through the colon, and stimulate the nerves.
RECLINED TWIST
How: While lying on your back, hug your knees together towards your chest. Spread the arms out wide and lean to one side while doing so.
You may bring the twist up the length of the spine by lowering the chin towards the opposite shoulder (if knees go right, head goes left).) or you can keep the head facing up towards the ceiling.
Ten breaths are held on each side.
Why: Decompress the abdomen while gently pressing.
CONSTRUCTIVE REST
How: While lying on your back, flex your knees and spread your feet wider than hip-width apart. Take your left hand to your chest and your right hand to your belly, allowing the knees to converge towards one another.
Hold for at least ten breaths.
Why: This form is incredibly soothing and promotes bodily relaxation and surrender. The body may relax even further into a condition of digestion and relaxation with a gentle focus on soft, complete breaths.
