Yoga Poses for Better Digestion
Feeling bloated? Yoga can help you to find relief and improve your digestion.
Every single one of us has overindulged in a meal at one time or another. Afterward, you feel bloated and puffy and plagued with not-so-pleasant symptoms like gas, heartburn, and acid reflux. Rather than slipping into a food coma on the couch and waiting for the Pepto Bismol to kick in, try doing some yoga! It’s a natural cure for all your stomach troubles.
Just fifteen minutes of yoga will help to improve your digestion, beat the bloat, and flatten your mid-section. Try the sequence below, progressing from seated to standing positions, which stretches and stimulates your abdominal organs.
By Min-Ja Lee
Apasana
Image credit: Getty ImagesLie down, relax and inhale, placing your hands on your knees. Exhale, and hug your knees to your chest. Rock your knees from side to side to maximize the stretch. Stay for five to ten breaths, and release your knees. Repeat this move a few more times.
Spinal Twist
Image credit: Getty ImagesLie down, hug your knees and inhale. As you exhale, drop your knees to the left, using your left hand to push them down gently. Then, turn your head and stretch your arm out to the right. Stay for five to ten breaths. Inhale, and return your hands and knees to center. Repeat on the other side.
Bridge Pose
Image credit: Getty ImagesLie on the floor and bend your knees. Keep your arms beside your body and your feet flat on the floor. Move your hips up to give your chest a good stretch. To better aid your digestion, try this variation: Press one hip up and hold the pose. Take five breaths, then switch to the other side.
One-Legged Seated Spinal Twist
Image credit: Getty ImagesSit with your legs extended. Bend your right knee and place your heel close to your body. Reach your right arm behind you and place your palm on the floor. Your left elbow goes on the outside of the right knee to help you twist. Stay for five or more breaths, deepening the stretch every time you exhale. Then release the twist and repeat on the other side.
Seated Forward Bend
Image credit: Getty ImagesSit on the floor with your legs in front of you. Keeping your back straight, slowly hinge forward at the hips and lower your torso. Stay there for five to ten deep breaths.
Standing Forward Bend
Image credit: Getty ImagesStand with your legs apart, and bend forward from the waist. Keeping your back straight, place your hands on the floor.
Open Triangle Pose
Image credit: Getty ImagesStand and take a big step back with your right foot, turning it towards the side of the mat. Spread out your arms. Keep your spine long as you hinge forward at the hip. Float your left hand down to the floor. Raise your right arm, keeping your arms spread out. Look up to your right hand. To exit the pose, look down to your left foot before you straighten up. Repeat on the other side.
