What is our digestive and gut health?
To understand what is digestive or gut health, we need to understand the anatomy of the gut first. Our gut is our gastrointestinal system, also known as the digestive system or digestive tract that comprises the mouth, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, small intestine, colon, and rectum. The gut is responsible for the process that starts from the ingestion of food till its expulsion from the body.
A lot of us understand digestion to be the process of simply eating food and expelling the waste and wonder how to digest food faster? However, besides knowing how to digest food faster, it is important to know how to digest it better. However, our digestive system is quite a complex and interconnected mesh of organs and processes that processes food by breaking it into smaller molecules and converting it into energy and nutrients that help us function, fight diseases, and survive.
Therefore, it becomes extremely critical to maintain our digestion at optimum health. One of the best ways to do this is to practice yoga, the ancient 6th-century art of mental, physical, and spiritual practises that continues to keep us healthy in the 21st-century too. There are tremendous proven benefits of yoga for digestion by not only having a direct impact on the ability of our digestive organs to function properly but also indirectly by reducing stress and anxiety that cause digestive issues.
What is yoga for digestion?
There are several
Online Yoga Classes poses or asanas that help our digestion. Yoga for digestive system is a natural way to improve our digestive processes and gut health. Yoga poses for digestion require your body and organs to bend backward, sideways, & forward, twist, etc. while sitting or standing. These yoga asanas for digestion coupled with conscious breathing help in massaging the organs in the digestive tract. Poses of yoga for digestion especially target the stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and the liver meridians to improve our gut health.
What causes digestive issues?
There are several reasons that cause digestive problems. These include:
Improper chewing of food.
Genetic issues like ulcer colitis, celiac disease, etc.
Harmful microbes in the digestive tract.
Prolonged consumption of refined, sugary, and processed foods.
Not exercising.
Smoking and alcohol consumption.
Crash diets.
Long-term dependence on certain medications like anti-inflammatory drugs, etc.
Surgical processes involving the lower GI tract.
These may cause problems of the digestive tract like:
Liver problems like Hepatitis B & C, alcoholic hepatitis, etc.
Gallstones
Anal fissures
Haemorrhoids
Rectal prolapse
What are the symptoms of digestive issues?
The indicators of digestive issues include:
Bloating
Constipation
Diarrhea
Heartburn
Abdominal cramps and pain
Nausea and vomiting
Sudden weight gain or loss
Who can do yoga for digestion and gut health?
Yoga for better digestion can be done by anybody who wants to enjoy good physiological and mental health. Yoga for gut health involves gentle exercises that can easily be done by:
Children as young as 5 years can do yoga for digestion.
Pregnant women can do simple poses of yoga for better digestion.
People who have undergone surgeries and are recuperating can easily do yoga poses for digestion.
People who have been rendered immobile due to injuries can better their digestive processes by practicing yoga asanas for digestion.
Seniors can easily do gentle
yoga asanas for digestion.
Who should avoid yoga for digestion and gut health?
There are some conditions that render yoga for digestion to be ineffective and even risky. People who should avoid yoga for digestive system include:
Those who have suffered a recent injury must avoid yoga for digestion.
People who have had a major surgery should let their condition stabilize before practicing yoga for digestive system.
Yoga for digestion must be avoided if you are experiencing a fever or cold.
When you are fasting or undergoing a detox regime, you should avoid asanas for digestion.
People who are experiencing stress or anxiety should let their heart stabilize before beginning yoga for digestion.
If a woman is newly pregnant, she must avoid doing yoga poses for digestion.
Asanas for digestion are not recommended when you have recently suffered heart problems, spine injury, etc.
Best yoga for digestion can be done when you are not under the influence of alcohol.
What is the list of best yoga asanas for digestion and gut health exercises?
Here is a list of some of the most effective poses of yoga for digestion including yoga poses for gas:
Naukasana (Boat pose of yoga for digestion)
Ustrasana (Camel pose of yoga for digestion)
Paschimottasana (Seated-forward bend pose of yoga to improve digestion)
Pavanamuktasana (Wind-relieving pose of yoga for indigestion)
Trikonasana (Triangle pose of yoga for digestion)
Which yoga asanas help the most in improving our digestion and gut health?
Here is a detailed step-by-step explanation of some of the most effective poses of yoga for digestion:
Naukasana (Boat pose yoga for digestion):
This is one of the most effective asanas for digestion and for those who suffer from hernia pains and is also one of the best yoga poses for bloating.
Lie with your back with your feet together and your arms beside your body.
Take a deep breath and lift your chest as you exhale along with your feet. Stretch your arms towards your feet.
Contract your abdominal muscles and keep breathing deeply.
Exhale and come back to the ground.
Total sets: 4 sets of 3-4 reps
Hold: 10-15 seconds
Ustrasana (Camel pose yoga for digestion)
This is one of the best asanas of yoga for intestines and helps in improving digestion. It is also known as one of the most effective
yoga poses for flexibility.
Kneel on the floor and place your hands on your hips keeping your knees in line with the shoulders and your soles facing the sky.
Inhale and draw your tailbone towards the pubis.
Arch your back and slide your palms over your feet.
Breathe out and come back to the initial pose.
Total sets: 4 sets of 3-4 reps
Hold: 10-30 seconds
Paschimottasana (Seated-forward bend pose yoga for digestion)
This yoga pose for digestion massages and stretches the abdominal muscles and helping in improved gut health. It is also one of the best yoga postures to relieve gas.
Sit up straight with your legs stretched in front and toes flexed towards you.
Inhale and raise your arms towards your head.
Breathe out and bend forward from the hip joints moving your chin towards the toes.
Place your hands on your legs or hold your toes, if you can.
Breathe in and lift your head slightly.
Breathe out and move the navel towards the knees.
Come back to the seating position as you breathe in and lower your arms as you breathe out.
Total sets: 5 sets of 4-5 reps
Hold: 10-15 seconds
Pavanamuktasana (Wind-relieving pose yoga for digestion)
This is not only one of the best poses of
yoga for weight loss but is also a great yoga pose for bloating. This is also one of the most effective yoga postures to relieve gas.
Lie on your back with legs and arms extended.
Exhale and draw both your knees to your chest and clasp your hands around them.
While holding your right knee, release your left leg and extend it along the floor. Hold the pose.
Repeat on the other side.
Total sets: 5 sets of 4-5 reps
Hold: 10-15 seconds
Trikonasana (Triangle pose yoga for digestion)
One of the simplest and most effective poses of yoga for good digestion, this is beneficial for stimulating the abdominal organs. Not only this but Trikonasana is also one of the best yoga poses for gas.
Stand straight with your legs apart.
Inhale and raise your right hand straight above your head.
Exhale and bend your torso at the waist to your left side.
Slide your left arm down your left leg till your fingers reach your ankle.
Repeat this pose of yoga for digestion on the other side.
Total sets: 4 sets of 4-5 reps
Hold: 15-20 seconds
What are the health benefits of doing yoga for digestion and gut health?
There are powerful benefits of yoga to improve digestion and in reducing digestive disorders. Some of the most important benefits of yoga for food digestion include:
Poses of yoga for digestion help in compressing the organs and expelling stale and waste products that are harmful and toxic for the body.
Poses of yoga for indigestion help in stretching our organs that helps in better blood circulation and transportation of nutrients in the body.
Yoga poses for digestion help in soothing our nervous system and reducing our stress and anxiety levels that help us in digesting better.
Poses of yoga for digestion help in increasing our appetite.
Poses of yoga for intestines help in a better movement of food relieving us of abdominal cramps.
Regularly practicing yoga for digestion helps you understand how to digest food faster and your digestive health better.
Yoga poses for gas help in regulating bowel movement and relieving us of constipation.
Practicing yoga for good digestion helps in doing away with the need of taking expensive medications.
Yoga poses for digestion help in cleansing the digestive system and infusing digestive organs with fresh blood.
Yoga poses for gas help in curing the painful symptoms of gas and bloating.
Practicing comprehensive yoga exercises like the
Surya Namaskar, a very potent
morning yoga routine, helps in toning our abdominal muscles and releasing trapped gases and toxins.