Yoga for Better Digestion: Poses to Aid Digestion and Detoxification
CONNECTING YOUR GUT AND YOUR BRAIN
While medical experts stop short of suggesting that yoga “wrings out” the digestive organs—something we often hear in yoga classes—there is some evidence that yoga poses tone the vagus nerve (VN) which communicates information between the gut and the brain. Low vagal tone has been connected with GI disorders.
“Stress inhibits the VN and has deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal tract,” according to research published in Frontiers in Neuroscience. Researchers think stimulating the anti-inflammatory properties of the vagus nerve could help restore balance along the gut/brain axis. This could be beneficial to people diagnosed with digestive conditions.
6 YOGA POSES FOR BETTER DIGESTION
1.Marjaryasana-Bitilasana (Cat-Cow)
Bring your hands beneath your shoulders and knees beneath your hips. Inhale as you drop your belly button toward the earth and lift your heart and hips to the sky into Bitilasana (Cow Pose). Spread your shoulders apart and away from your ears. On an exhalation, round your upper back toward the sky, dropping your gaze to your navel and pressing your hands and feet into the earth in Marjaryasana (Cat Pose). Continue for 10 rounds.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose)
Come into Plank Pose to set up your hands and feet. Place your hands shoulder-distance apart and feet outer-hip-distance apart. Then, using your core, press your hips up and back. To broaden your back, bend your knees slightly to lengthen your spine and spread your shoulders wide.
Use Down Dog to take deep breaths into your belly, pulling the navel up and in toward the back of your heart each time you exhale. Breathe for 5 to 10 rounds.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
3. Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose)
From Down Dog, step your left foot forward into a High Lunge and then straighten your left leg. Walk your right foot forward 6 inches and angle it so that your toes face the front-right corner of the mat. Keep your heel flat on the ground. Rotate your torso, opening your body to the right. Reach your right hand to the sky with your palm facing outward, and rest your left hand lightly on your left shin, on a block or on the floor. Stretch the crown of your head forward as you reach your tailbone toward your right heel. Breathe in Utthita Trikonasana for 5-10 breaths and then move to Parivrtta Trikonasana (below) before switching sides.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
4. Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose)
Release your right hand to the earth and level your hips—keeping the right hip in line with your left. Keep your legs stable and strong by engaging your quads and keeping a micro-bend in both knees. Twist to the left and reach your left arm up toward the sky with your palm facing away from your body. Breathe in this pose for 5 breaths, then repeat Utthita Trikonasana and Parivrtta Trikonasana on the other side.
By compressing and releasing the colon in this pose, you will stimulate the organs. For those with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Jean Koerner, yoga teacher and former co-owner of Be Yoga Studios, advises proceeding with caution in this pose, as it may cause unwanted pressure on the organs.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
5. Uttana Shishosana (Extended Puppy Pose)
Come onto your hands and knees in Tabletop. Then, keeping your hips where they are, walk your hands forward and lower your body until you are able to release your head onto the floor or a block. Open your shoulders by moving your shoulder blades away from each other. Allow gravity to open your heart.
Uttana Shishosana pose is especially useful for stretching the belly to relieve cramps after a large meal.
Make it stand out
6. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)
Bridge Pose is a great backbend for compressing the digestive organs, while simultaneously delivering fresh blood to the heart and relieving any fatigue that may be caused by poor digestion.
To enter this pose, lie on your mat and place your feet flat on the floor as close to your sitting bones as possible. Exhale and press your inner feet and arms into the floor as you lift your hips toward the sky, stretching your knees forward. Place a block beneath your sacrum for a more passive backbend. Take 10 deep breaths here, then slowly roll your spine down to release.
Incorporating these yoga poses into your daily routine can help support healthy digestion and detoxification. Remember to breathe deeply and mindfully while practicing each pose, allowing the breath to guide movement and create space within the body.
In addition to the physical postures, conscious breathing techniques such as "dirga pranayama" (three-part breath) can further enhance digestive function by calming the nervous system and reducing stress levels.
As with any exercise regimen, it's essential to listen to your body and modify poses as needed to suit your individual needs and limitations. With regular practice, yoga can be a powerful tool for promoting digestive health, leaving you feeling lighter, more energized, and in harmony with your body's natural rhythms.