Yoga poses for indigestion

How Yoga Benefits Digestion

One of the digestive benefits of yoga is that it restricts the blood flow to certain parts of the body while holding some poses. Once these poses are released, this area of the body is then flooded with blood and thus, oxygen. Oxygen has healing properties and is necessary for proper organ function.

Another major benefit of yoga is practicing breathing, known in yoga as pranayama. Prana (breath) stands for 'life force.' Breath alone has healing properties and we forget all too often to breath with regularity and mindfulness. Simply forcing ourselves to breath into our bellies during certain yoga poses, sends breath and healing to the digestive area. Regular focused breathing can also open up blocked areas of energy in the body- blocked energy, or chi, in the stomach/intestines, is often the cause of digestive problems.

Recommended Postures for Digestive Health

Standing Poses:

All standing poses are recommended for digestive problems. This includes the basic standing postures such as:

• Trikonasana and Parvritta Trikonasana (Triangle and Revolve Triangle)
• Parsvakonasana- Extended Side Angle pose; You can practice this pose in the full version (shown here) or you can place your hand on a block or rest the forearm on the thigh
  

  

  Parsvakonasana

• Warrior 1, 2 + 3
• Half Moon Pose- Balancing Half Moon as well as Crescent Moon, done in lunge position
• Ustrasana- Camel pose (this pose is done standing on the knees, knees hip distance apart; tuck tail bone and lift heart to the sky, this stretches the abdomen slightly and strengthens the back muscles.)

• Most other standing and balancing leg postures are beneficial and not harmful for digestive ailments.

Inverted Poses:

Yoga becomes more complicated when getting into inversions, arm balances and back-bends. However, these postures are essential for inner well being, overall health and healthy digestion. While it may seem counter intuitive to stand on your head when suffering from a stomach ache or gas, these poses in yoga are very helpful.

Inversions are a helpful way to ease up the stress of digestion by reversing the impact of gravity on the intestines. Inversions are also very helpful for contstipation. Inversions are defined as any pose where the legs are above the heart. It is best if inversions are held for a length of time- at least for a few minutes and up to 15 minutes. The inversions that are recommened for indigesetion:

• Sirsasana- Head stand
• Sarvangasana + all its variations- Shoulder stand
  
  

Other postures that are good:
All forward folds and all bends such as:

• Uttanasana(Standing forward fold)
  
• Paschimottansana (Seated forward fold)
  
• Marichyasana (Seated forward fold with bent leg)
  
• Janu Sirsasana (Seated forward fold with leg in tree)
  

Recommended breathing excercises:

• Alternate Nostril Breathing.

To practice Alternate Nostril Breathing: Fold the index and middle fingers down on your right hand. Inhale in your left nostril. Place your thumb on your right nostril and your ring and pink finger on your left nostril, so that you are holding your nose closed. Hold your breath for 2-5 counts and then remove your thumb from the right nostril and exhale out the right nostril. Then inhale up right nostril, close with thumb for 3-5 counts and then exhale out left nostril. The inhale up inhale up left nostril and repeat the cycle for 20 breaths.

• Bashtrika Pranayama- this is a powerful and clearing breathing technique, where you inhale through your nose with arms lifted, the exhale strongly and powerfully bring arm bent and tucked by your side. There are many variations of this technique.
• Ujjaii Pranayama. Traditional yogic breath known as 'Ocean Sounding breath'.

Constipation versus Diarrhea with Yoga Poses

It is important to note that there are different poses that are good for constipation versus diarrhea.

Constipation All these poses listed here are beneficial for constipation as they will help to get the stagnation of energy moving down. Master yogis suggest that if you suffer from constipation and do a daily forward folding practice for a week, you will see an immediate and marked increase in bowel activity.

Diarrhea If you are in an active state of diarrhea, it is best not to practice intense forward folds (such as seated forward folds.) These poses will increase the downward flow of energy which might increase the flow of bowel activity. This is especially true for those who suffer chronic pain and diarrhea from inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and Ulcerative colitis.

Extreme twisting poses should also be practiced with some caution in those who suffer acute IBD or a history of bowel obstruction.

Some believe that twisting to the left first and then to right will slow the movement of bowels out the intestine whereas twisting to the right first and then the left will increase the movement of the bowels. (This can be charted by the squeezing motion of the colon and correlating it with the movement of materials through the bowel.)

Overall though, note that the benefits of ANY yoga practice on someone who suffers from IBD would far outweigh the risks. In fact, yoga is known to calm an over-active sympathetic nervous system and activate the parasympathetic nervous system which can have resounding beneficial affects on auto-immune and inflammatory diseases.

When to Practice

If you suffer from regular but not serious indigestion, picking up a regular yoga practice will be highly helpful. It is not necessary to wait until the stomach ache or irregular bowel patterns have dissapated to begin your practice; start as soon as you can!

If you are new to yoga and suffer from Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis or other serious digestive problems. Check with your doctor before starting a practice. Yoga is highly beneficial for people who suffer from these chronic ailments, but if you are recovering from an obstruction or from surgery, you should make sure your body is ready to practice. If you suffer from Irritable bowel syndrome you will find yoga, no matter what stage of digestive flare up, to be very beneficial.

Yoga can be practiced every day. However, to notice any benefits, you should practice at least 2-3 times a week. You will experience endless benefits from yoga- as well as longer lasting digestive health!

References

• Note: for details on how to do these postures, consult your yoga teacher or read any number of yoga books, such as B.K.S. Iyengar's Light of Yoga. This book has a comprehensive break down of each posture and step by step descriptions of how to get into them.
  
• Images provides by Chakra Productions

Relevant Links

• See article on Yoga poses for sciatica
• See article on Yoga poses for PMS
• See article on History of yoga