Digestive health is such a hot topic right now - we are living in a time when record numbers of people are experiencing stress and anxiety, which of course can all have implications on our health as a whole. The cost of living, pressures at work, juggling the demands of working and parenting, long commutes, sleep deprivation, caring for elderly parents, the list goes on…
There are so many factors that contribute to stress, and all of these have a direct impact on our gut health. The mind, stomach connection has been well documented. When we get stressed, it affects our digestion, causing it to slow down or even stop. If the process of digestion slows down, food effectively sits and ferments in our gut, which can result in indigestion and trapped wind. It’s one of the reasons why people who report high levels of stress also tend to suffer with IBS, and now there’s scientific evidence to support the theory that IBS is a physical outcome of stress and anxiety.
Yoga offers a practical and enjoyable way to self-manage the interconnected problems of stress and anxiety, resulting in digestive problems and IBS. By developing a regular practice, someone wanting to improve their digestive health can see a rapid improvement to symptoms in a short space of time. Here are three reasons why yoga is useful for improving digestive health:
Calming effects
Yoga breathwork and relaxation practices offer some very accessible ways to control the symptoms of IBS including bloating, indigestion and pain. These practices help to balance the vagus nerve, making people less susceptible to stressors and therefore less likely to experience further episodes. Over time, they learn to self-manage and beat the vicious cycle of stress leading to IBS leading to stress.
Benefits of movement
Movement is always a very effective way improve digestive health and research studies all stress the importance of physical activity to ease the symptoms of IBS. Practicing yoga postures (asana) as a form of exercise is very versatile and can be both gentle and vigorous, so there is plenty of scope. Many asanas can be practiced in different ways to suit an individual, with the potential to be lying down (supine) so that the benefits can reach many more people, including those with serious and chronic health conditions e.g. asthma, inflammatory problems like lupus or musculoskeletal problems.
Yoga philosophy supports positive eating
Controlling the diet is essential for improving digestive health because of food intolerances and the problem of eating when you are not hungry. There are lots of teachings from yoga philosophy’s ‘yamas’ and ‘niyamas’ – practices to nurture and those to avoid. In particular, the concept of ‘ahimsa’, roughly translated as ‘do no harm’ which can be interpreted as essential self care by staying away from foods that are ‘harmful’. ‘Tapas’, which means purity and self-discipline, can be practiced by eating wholefoods, avoiding heavily processed foods and leaving plenty of time in between means. Also ‘aparigraha’, which literally translates as non stealing, but in the context of food, means only taking what you need. In other words not over-eating, or knowingly over-indulging in foods that will cause you ill-health.
In practice
Easy yoga postures and practices for digestive health
Here are three postures that I find are particularly beneficial for improving digestive function as a whole. They can be done by anyone, they provide fast results to soothe pain, ease bloating and make you feel better and they all have other benefits too.
Apanasana - fantastic practice to relieve bloating and trapped wind
1. Apanasana – wind relieving pose
This posture really does take after its name and if you’ve felt some ‘movement’ during a class when this was in the practice, that’s why. It is brilliant for alternately creating space in the abdominal area followed by a gentle contraction to get the digestion going. Moving with the breath in apanasana is also very soothing and relaxing, which is important for improving digestion and the gut-brain connection. If you are stressed, your digestion effectively slows down or stops, because resources are diverted elsewhere to deal with what the brain perceives as a threat. In addition to all the benefits to digestion, apanasana is good for warming up the lower back and hips, stretching the hamstrings and improving shoulder mobility.
2. Parvritti trikonasana – revolved triangle
Both triangle postures are beneficial for digestion, but the revolved version is especially good because it is a twist. Twists are known to help improve digestive function because they have a stimulating, massaging effect on the digestive organs. This wide legged variation is particularly good because it’s a more accessible version that everyone can practice and then build up their ability to rotate more deeply. Rotating the torso can also help to stimulate bowel movements and relieve digestive discomfort.
3. Balasana - child’s pose
This is a go-to posture for when you want to quickly feel calm and re-set the nervous system, which is very important for digestive health. By helping to reduce the feeling of stress, Balasana can directly support digestive health, because stress negatively impacts digestion. When in this pose you can create a gentle massaging effect on the intestines and alleviate discomfort by making small fists with your hands and giving your abdomen a gentle massage to relieve pain and bloating.
About Lesley
Lesley Muir is a Yoga Therapist and Teacher specialising in offering yoga practices that emphasise the full health and wellbeing benefits of yoga. She offers courses of yoga therapy in her Surbiton studio, designed to target physical and mental health problems. She runs small group yoga classes - energising Vinyasa flow yoga, calming Hatha yoga and relaxing Restorative yoga classes. Every class is different and always tailored to be accessible to the students attending.
Lesley runs regular workshops on all sorts of topics, alongside her regular sessions - check out her website here
