Try These Poses For Better Digestion

insider yoga staff | February 1, 2016 | detox, Energy, Well Being | No Comments

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This Sequence Will Support Digestion And Overall Health

Digestion is a key factor in your overall health. If you have slow or imbalanced digestion, your body is more sucseptable to disease, gas, bloating, and constipation. Energy imbalances in the digestive tract have also been linked to many colds and illnesses.

Kundalini Yoga is known to support ideal digestion while keeping your digestive system strong and in balance, making it easier for your body to process nutrients properly.

The following poses will help keep your digestive system on track.

Check out the exercises below and start improving your health today!

Breath of Fire

This pillar of Kundalini Yoga plays a key role in many kriyas that aid digestion. The quick breathing exercise strengthens the diaphragm, brings balance to all digestive organs, and stimulates elimination. “Working the diaphragm with Breath of Fire benefits the esophagus, stomach, and intestines,” Sat Jivan Kaur says. “All of these organs are close together and intimately involved in the digestive process.”

Sit cross-legged in Easy Pose with both hands in Gyan Mudra (index fingers and thumbs touching with other fingers straight). Close your eyes. Focus at your third eye at the root of your nose. Begin to breathe rapidly and rhythmically through your nose with your mouth closed, approximately 2–3 cycles per second.

To exhale, expel air powerfully through your nose by pressing your navel point back toward your spine. To inhale, relax your upper abdomen and allow the breath to come easily. Your inhale should be equal in length and strength to your exhale. Keep your chest relaxed and slightly lifted throughout the cycle.

CONTINUE FOR 1–3 minutes. As you familiarize yourself with the exercise, you can work up to 10 minutes.

Stretch Pose

“In many healing modalities, including Ayurveda, centering the pulse at the naval point is really important because it affects all of the energy systems in the body,” Sat Jivan Kaur says. “It speaks to how well you were fed and your ability to breathe in utero, at the beginning of life.” Stretch pose strengthens the navel point and abdomen, purifies the blood, and resets the entire nervous system.

Lying on your back, place your heels together, point your toes forward, and lift your heels six inches off the ground. Raise your head to the same height, eyes focused on your toes. Point your fingertips toward your toes. Begin Breathe of Fire.

CONTINUE FOR 1–3 minutes

TO END Inhale, hold, exhale, and relax.

Sat Kriya

Sat kriya stimulates your navel point, or third chakra, while balancing your first and second chakras. This act stabilizes your lower triangle. “All three of the lower chakras need to be in harmony so one doesn’t dominate another,” Sat Jivan Kaur says. “When the navel point is balanced and stimulated, the sense of self can resurrect. It grounds you, allowing for better digestion and elimination.”

Sit on your heels with your knees together. Stretch your arms over your head with elbows straight, until your arms hug the sides of your head. Interlace all of your fingers except your index fingers. Men cross the right thumb over the left. Women cross the left thumb over the right. Stay firmly seated on your heels and keep your spine straight throughout the kriya.

Begin to chant “Sat Naam” with a constant rhythm of about eight times per 10 seconds. As you pull your navel in and up toward your spine, chant “Sat” from your navel point. As you relax your belly, chant “Naam.” Keep your eyes closed and focus at the third eye point at the root of your nose.

CONTINUE FOR 3 minutes with a steady rhythm. Let your breath regulate itself.

TO END Inhale and gently squeeze your muscles from your buttocks all the way up along your spine. Hold it briefly as you concentrate on the area just above the top of your head. Exhale completely. Inhale. Exhale totally and hold your breath out as you apply a firm Mahabandh (contract your anus and sex organs drawing them up while drawing the navel point in toward the spine, lift your diaphragm, lift your chest to lock in your chin, and squeeze all the muscles from your buttocks up to your neck). Hold your breath out for 5–20 seconds. Inhale and relax.