Digestion is the centre of one’s energy regulation and can make or break one’s holistic wellness. It’s hard to operate well when feeling bloated, constipated or queasy. Optimal digestion means regular elimination, which is the body’s natural way of flushing out toxins and waste. Without it, we're left feeling heavy and sluggish.
Try these three simple yoga poses to help improve your digestion:
Apanasana: Also known as the “wind-relieving pose,” this requires lying on your back. Place your feet to the floor, directly beneath your knees. On an inhale, take your hands to your knees. On an exhale, hug the knees comfortably to the belly. Stay like this for 5-10 full breaths.
Optional: Follow with hugging one knee in at a time, first the right and then the left. Hugging the right knee into the belly massages the ascending colon, while hugging the left knee in massages the descending colon.
Lying twists: Move from apanasana into a simple spinal twist. Hug the knees in gently and inhale. On the exhale, drop the knees to the left while turning your head to the right with both shoulders pressed down to your mat. Stay in this position for 5-10 full breaths. On an inhale, return the knees to the centre and repeat on the other side.
Compressing the colon in detoxifying twists from right to left can stimulate the movement of accumulated toxins out of the body.
Balasana: Also known as “child’s pose,” this position compresses the abdomen and massages the internal organs. From lying on your back, hug the knees in once more. Roll to your right side, using the right arm as a pillow for your head. Inhale, then use the top arm to push and sit up on the exhale. Come to kneel on your knees and sit back onto your heels. Spread your knees comfortably wide, fold over the legs, and rest your forehead on the floor. Either place your hands back by your feet or rest them straight out. Deeply inflate the lower belly against your upper thighs with each breath, and remain in this position for 5-10 full breaths. On the last inhale, bring your hands to the floor beneath your shoulders, and press up on the exhale.
Your digestion can surely benefit and improve from these comforting yoga postures. Feel lighter!
