It happens to the best of us... bloating, constipation, digestion problems, even when you are doing your best and eating healthy, doing the best you can, digestion issues still can occur.
What is my number one way to relieve digestion discomfort? Stretching!
Whether you suffer from the occasional tummy troubles from eating a big meal or chronic issues like Irritable Bowel Syndrom (IBS), digestion issues are no fun. Yoga combinations that combine deep breathing, stretch you out and open up space in your middle can help relieve discomfort. When done regularly, it is possible to make a significant positive impact on your digestion. Here is why:
Stretching can aid digestion and help decrease bloating because it helps to create space and increase circulation in your abdomen. By opening up and creating space, you can help alleviate the congestion happening in your complex digestive system.
The more space you make in your body, the more room there is for your body to do the work it needs to!
Side body stretches and cobra pose elongate and create space while poses that twist your middle act like a mini-massage for your body helping to encourage space and movement.
Your small intensives are approximately 20 feet long with a surface area about ten times greater than your skin's surface! That is a lot of area for your food to cover! Think about it, that is a long way for your food to travel where a lot can happen!
Tummy troubles are not a modern-day affliction. "According to Ayurveda, an ancient Indian medical science developed around 3,500 BC, a disorder called “Grahani” can be correlated to IBS....... Yoga is a prescribed remedy to treat Grahani as a part of Ayurveda treatment."
In our hectic modern day world, it seems that everyone is affected by tummy troubles.
There have been plenty of studies that show yoga can help with IBS. For example, a trial done* in 2006 with teens ages 11 to 18 with IBS who practiced yoga at home for four weeks saw a significant decrease in gastrointestinal symptoms.
No one is immune to stress these days.
When you are stressed, it can trigger the fight-or-flight response in our body which can slow digestion or even stop it so your body can divert all its internal energy to facing what is stressing you. Chronic worrying about finances, family, work is another form of stress that over time can add up to health problems... tummy troubles being one of them.
Our brain and gut are forever connected. When we are stressed out, it can cause a decrease in blood and oxygen flow to the stomach which can interfere with our gut bacteria and trigger inflammation.
Yoga is a mind-body practice that impacts what is going on in your head as much as your body. Regular practice of yoga can help reduce the impact of stress on your body.
Practicing Yog regularly event just twice a week can help relieve stress. Stretching every day.... even better! The more regular you are with your routine, the more regular your digestion will be! 10-minutes a day, 20-minutes a day, whatever you can do to create space, allowing oxygen to flow and keep your tummy healthy is worth it!
On YogiNora.com there are an abundance of classes from 10 minutes to an hour that get you stretching and twisting, creating space and elongating your torso. Here are just a few of the classes that I recommend to help reduce bloat and improve digestion:
Whole Body Stretch (15-Minutes)
Bring on the Twists (13-Minutes)
Self Care Stretch (30-Minutes)
Need more information? Visit www.yoginora.com for more information and start your FREE 7-Day Trial!
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673138/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4438173/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/stress-and-the-sensitive-gut
