Yoga for digestive health

Introduction

When our digestive system works with full efficiency, our body becomes better able to absorb the nutrients from food. This increases the overall energy in our body as well as improves the overall health. Today, digestive issues have become very common. These issues are the results of our poor diet as well as poor dietary choices, sedentary lifestyles, mental stress due to work and irregular eating habits. Therefore, yoga for digestion is a perfect choice in order to overcome such health problems. In yoga, we perform asana, pranayama and meditation to support our digestive health. Some of the best yoga schools in Rishikesh will help you to get into the practice of Ashtanga Yoga which becomes a therapeutic practice and works on healing the digestive system. The Yoga teacher training course in India will incorporate all of the asanas and breathing practices which will be beneficial for your digestive system.

In this blog post, we have discussed how yoga can improve our digestion as well as remove common conditions related to digestion. Aldo we have provided you with yoga poses for constipation which enhance digestion and develop a balance to our gut health.

Relation Between Your Mind and Digestive Tract: Our mind has a bidirectional interaction with our digestive system (gut). Our brain and digestive tract are very closely connected through a complex network of nerves, chemicals as well as hormones that are necessary to create a constant communication between the brain and digestive system. Below are the crucial factors in this brain and gut interaction:

Neurotransmitters and Hormones: Both the brain and the gut produce neurotransmitters. For instance, serotonin, known as the “feel-good” neurotransmitter, is primarily produced in the gut. Hormones like cortisol, the stress hormone, can affect gut function, while gut hormones can influence mood and cognitive function.

Vagus Nerve: The biggest nerve in our body, connects the brain to various organs in our body as well as the digestive system. Hence, there is an important function of the vagus nerve  while moving information between our brain and gut.

Gut Microbiota: In our digestive tract (also known as gut), there resides a huge number of microorganisms. These microorganisms are called the gut microbiota collectively. This community of bacteria, viruses  and fungi interacts with our gut lining, our immune system as well as our nervous system. These gut microbiota influence our brain health, behaviour and emotions.

Emotions And Mental Stress: Our emotions as well as mental stress influence the mind-gut connection to a good extent. The brain impacts our gut function through the release of stress hormones like cortisol. The stress hormones affect digestion as well as bowel movements. Disturbances in our gut, such as inflammation can send signals to our brain, potentially leading to mood disorders or anxiety.

That means, the emotional state can directly impact the digestive function and vice versa. Mental Stress and anxiety badly impact the digestive process which leads to symptoms such as indigestion, bloating as well as constipation.

Hence, yoga is helpful with such problems, as it helps to reduce anxiety and  stress as well as calm the mind. Hence, it is always beneficial to use yoga for digestion.

Constipation and yoga: Constipation is a condition with difficult as well as irregular bowel movement. This is the result of a poor digestive system. When the gut (digestive system) is not able to work properly, it does not digest the food completely and properly and the person suffers from the problem of constipation. There are many yoga exercises for constipation. If any person performs them daily, he gets proper digestion as well as complete relief from constipation problems.

Benefits of Yoga for Digestion: There are huge benefits of yoga for digestive health. Below are some of the benefits:

Improved Digestion Fire (Agni): There are many yoga poses for digestion that stimulate the body organs in the abdominal area which improves blood flow in the digestive tract. This process increases the efficiency of the digestive system. There are a few twisting poses, such as Seated Twist (Bharadvajasana) or Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half-Lord-of-the-Fishes-Pose), which give a gentle massage to the digestive organs. These yoga poses improve the function and promote healthy digestion.

Decreases Anxiety and Mental Stress: When mental stress stays for a long period of time it almost impairs digestion. Hence, a person with digestive issues, can take the benefit of yoga breathing techniques, such as alternate nostril breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. It activates as well as boosts the parasympathetic nervous system which helps in improving the digestion response. Apart from that yoga gives relaxation which helps to remove the mental stress and anxiety, allowing the body to digest food more effectively.

Massages and Tones Abdominal Organs: Poses like Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) and Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) massage gently the abdominal organs like the liver, pancreas and intestines etc. This gentle massage increases the blood supply to them which  improves their function. So the organs in the abdominal area work properly which help in the proper breakdown of food as well as absorption of nutrients.

Improves Peristalsis: Peristalsis is a series of wave-like muscle contractions. These contractions move the food, liquids as well as waste throughout the digestive tract. It is a necessary part of the digestive process. Yoga poses such as Navasana (Boat Pose) or Paschimottanasana (Seated-Forward-Bend) activate the abdominal muscles as well as improve peristalsis. Hence, such yoga poses help remove constipation while maintaining regular bowel movements.

Yoga Poses for Digestion: There are a number of best yoga poses for digestion, simply called digestion yoga asana. We can also use these yoga poses for bloating. A few of these poses are as follows:

1. Apanasana (Knees-to-Chest Pose): It is a gentle digestion yoga asana in which the person draws both knees towards his chest while lying on his back. It is a calming and grounding pose that releases tension in the abdomen region, lower back as well as hips. It is one of the yoga asanas for constipation as it removes constipation.

A person can perform Apanasana any time. However, it is particularly beneficial for relieving digestive discomfort, promoting relaxation as well as soothing menstrual cramps .

1. Paschimottanasana (Seated-Forward-Bend): This is a seated yoga asana that stretches the entire backside of the body. It lengthens the spine, develops flexibility in the hamstrings as well as lower back. It is another calming pose that promotes a sense of relaxation.
2. Marjariasana-Bitilasana (Cat-Cow Pose): It is a dynamic yoga pose which combines two complementary poses. It warms up the spine, increases flexibility, as well as promotes breath and body movement awareness.
3. Ardha-Matsyendra asana (Half-Lord-of-the-Fishes Pose): This is another seated twist pose in yoga. It provides a stretch to the spine, shoulders and hips. It also  improves spinal mobility as well as stimulates the digestive system.
4. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose): This is a backbend yoga posture which strengthens the back muscles as well as opens up the chest. This pose improves flexibility in the spinal region, stimulating the digestive as well as reproductive systems.
5. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose): It is another backbend yoga pose that stretches the entire front body while strengthening the back muscles.This pose is also good for improving spinal flexibility, opening the chest and stimulating the digestive system.
6. Pavanamuktasana (Wind-Relieving Pose): This gentle posture is one of the yoga poses for bloating. It releases the gas and bloating in the digestive system. It also promotes digestion while relieving tension in the lower back.
7. Balasana (Child’s Pose): This is a grounding yoga posture that gives a gentle stretch to the back, hips as well as thighs. It is a calming pose that promotes relaxation and relieves stress and fatigue.
8. Vajrasana (Thunderbolt Pose): It is also known as Diamond Pose. This is a seated yoga posture that gives improved stability, concentration and digestion. It is commonly practised for meditation and pranayama (breathing exercises). However, it is good and safe to perform after dinner as it supports digestion.
9. Supta Matsyendrasana (Supine Spinal Twist): It is a reclining twist yoga pose that stretches as well as releases tension in the spine, hips and shoulders. It gives a gentle massage to the abdominal organs, while promoting spinal mobility and relaxation.

Conclusion

Yoga provides a holistic approach to maintain proper digestion by addressing the mind-gut connection and promoting overall well-being. A person should have yoga in his daily routine. By doing yoga daily, the practitioner gets proper and healthy digestion, stress relief as well as overall health. A person should start with a gentle yoga practice and then gradually increase the duration as well as intensity of the training as he becomes more comfortable. Yoga teacher training in Rishikesh at Vinyasa Yoga Ashram will provide more insights on such practices that will aid in healing the digestive issues. To know more please contact us.