It is crucial to include yoga asanas into your fitness regimen in order to have a beneficial influence on digestion and gut health. Mindful eating and identifying the food items that trigger digestive troubles are two of the most important things you can do to improve your digestive health. This is due to the fact that some yoga positions assist in the stretching of muscles, the massaging of internal organs, and the stimulation of the digestive system.
The mouth, the oesophagus, the stomach, the pancreas, the liver, the gallbladder, the small intestine, the colon, and the rectum are all components of the digestive system or digestive tract. The gut, also known as the gastrointestinal system, is formed by the intricate network of organs that are related to one another.
It is essential to practise yoga for digestion because it protects the health of the digestive tract by focusing on the meridians of the stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and liver. The following are five yoga postures, or asanas, that are excellent for relieving stress, soothing the mind, and keeping the stomach active in order to improve digestion.
Chakravakrasana or Cat-Cow stretch Yoga Pose
Moving the spine from a rounded posture (flexion) to an arched position (extension) is the focus of this particular yoga asana, which also works the abdominal muscles (extension).
Method: While on all fours, create the top of a table with your back, and support yourself with your hands and feet from the table’s legs. Maintain a position in which your arms are perpendicular to the floor and rest your hands flat on the floor just behind your shoulders. Keep your legs hip-width apart while you do this exercise.
Make sure that your toes are curled under and that your pelvis is tilted back so that your tailbone is protruding. Allow this movement to ripple from your tailbone up your spine while simultaneously allowing your tummy to descend down. Do this without moving your neck.
Keep your abdominal muscles tight and your navel drawn in, and make sure they are hugging your spine. Now, without craning your neck, look up towards the ceiling in a relaxed manner.
All of this bending forward was part of the cow posture, which was done while the student was inhaling. To complete the cat pose, the student should now exhale and relax their toes from the curled position. As you tuck your tailbone, tip forward on your pelvis, and allow this movement flow up your spine again to round it out naturally.
Reduce the distance between your navel and your spine, lowering your head while you direct your focus on the area around your navel. Repeat the Cat-Cow Stretch on each inhale and exhale for anywhere between five and ten breaths, synchronising the movement with your own breathing.
Benefits: This exercise helps keep a healthy spine during those long work durations in front of a computer screen by aiding in enhancing circulation in the discs in your back. In addition to supporting the back and alleviating discomfort, this exercise also helps maintain a healthy spine. In addition to assisting individuals in improving their posture and balance, the soothing pose is an effective method for alleviating stress.
Uttanasana or Yoga’s Standing Forward Bend
Method: While standing on a yoga mat, bring your hands to your hips and go into Tadasana (Mountain Pose). You should now fold your body over your legs by slightly bending your knees and hingeing from your hips, rather than your lower back.
It’s possible that your hands will land on the ground in front of you, or perhaps next to your feet. First, take a deep breath in and stretch your chest and spine as you exhale, and then take a deep breath out and push both legs lightly without hyperextending.
Raise the kneecaps and rotate the upper and inner thighs backwards gently as you exhale. At the same time, stretch your torso down without rounding your back. This completes the movement. Draw your shoulders down your back toward your hips while simultaneously elongating your neck and reaching the crown of your head toward the ground.
Benefits: The benefits include a strengthening effect on the thighs and knees, as well as a stretching effect on the hamstrings, calves, and hips. It improves digestion, decreases tiredness and anxiety, and helps relieve the symptoms of menopause. It does this by relaxing the brain, which in turn helps relieve headaches and sleeplessness. It also helps relieve stress and moderate depression.
Ustrasana or camel position
Method: Kneel down on your yoga mat and bring your knees and feet together while maintaining this position. You may achieve a lean in the direction of the rear by pressing your hips in the direction of the front.
You should try to flex your head and spine as far back as you comfortably can without putting too much strain on yourself. Put your hands on your feet, loosen up your entire body as well as the muscles in your back, and maintain this posture for a few seconds before letting go.
Benefits: Ustrasana not only improves respiration by opening up the chest but also improves digestion and elimination by expanding the abdominal region.
Benefits: From stretching and strengthening the shoulders and back to opening up the hips and stretching deep hip flexors, Ustrasana offers a wide range of health benefits. It improves posture, loosens up the vertebrae, and alleviates lower back discomfort. Additionally, it decreases fat on the thighs.
Trikonasana, also known as the Triangle Pose Method: Stand tall on a surface that is both level and even with your feet placed a comfortable distance apart. You should turn your right foot such that it is pointing outside while maintaining the heel facing inward. Both of your heels need to be aligned in a straight line.
Take a deep breath in, then bend your body to the right at the hip, while simultaneously bringing your left arm to a vertical position. In the meantime, you can rest your right hand on either your ankle or your shin, or even on the mat if that’s more comfortable for you.
If it feels natural to you, keep your head in line with the rest of your body and look up at the palm of your left hand. Allow the body to relax just a little bit more with each breath.
Benefits: This asana is a fantastic stretching practise that helps to develop flexibility in your spine and pelvic area. It also helps to open up your chest and shoulders. You will improve both your strength and your balance by holding this stance.
As a result of the fact that Trikonasana engages the entirety of the body, its benefits are extensive and include the following:
The treatment of a neck sprain; the stimulation and transport of blood flow throughout the veins and the body; the reduction of any risks associated with a blockage or stroke; the stimulation of the digestive system; the improvement of the spine’s flexibility; and the realignment of the shoulders. In addition to these benefits, it alleviates gastritis, indigestion, acidity, and flatulence, strengthens the ankles and palms, decreases built-up tension and anxiety, and eases soreness.
It is especially helpful for pregnant women since it not only moves their centre of gravity but also extends and opens the hips, both of which may be of great assistance when it comes time to birth the baby.
Vajrasana, also known as the Thunderbolt Pose or the Diamond Pose Method: Begin by kneeling on the ground and placing your pelvis on top of your heels. Maintain a tight proximity between your heels by bringing your knees and ankles closer together, and point your toes so that they are in line with your legs.
Put your palms on your knees or thighs and make little adjustments to the position of your pelvis by moving it gently backward and forward until you find a position that is comfortable for you. As you lean back on your legs and exhale, sit up straight.
Benefits: Benefits include curing intestinal acidity and gas development, relieving knee pain, strengthening thigh muscles, and relieving back pain. Vajrasana not only assists in maintaining a steady and tranquil state of mind, but it also has a calming and stabilising effect on the mind. The exercise is beneficial for treating urinary issues and helping to strengthen sexual organs. It is also helpful in treating sexual dysfunction.
