Top 5 Yoga Asanas for A Strong Digestive System | Benefits and How to do?
Indigestion can lead to many health issues like bloating, stomach ache, acidity, constipation and loose motion. Digestion of food starts in your mouth and then proceeds to the stomach and then intestines. The food is broken down and absorbed by the body. Waste products from the digestion process are eliminated through the anus and it is called defecation. Proper digestion of food is essential for healthy body. Your eating habits and activities directly affect the digestion process. You can keep your digestive system healthy and strong by changing your lifestyle or eating habits. Here are some yoga asanas to improve digestion and make your gut stronger.
1. Paschimottasana (Seated forward bend pose):
Paschimottasana or the seated forward bend asana helps relieve gas and constipation. It also reduces abdominal fat and gently massages the organs.
HOW TO PERFORM:
Step 1-
Sit straight with the legs stretched out. Keep the toes flexed towards yourself.
Step 2-
Take a deep breath and raise your arms upward.
Step 3-
Now bend forward while exhaling and fold from the hip joints.
Step 4-
Stretch the arms out as much as you can.
Step 5-
Take a deep breath, slightly lift the head and elongate the spine.
Step 6-
Release your breath and try to bring the navel towards the knees.
Step 7-
Keep repeating the same a few times.
Step 8-
Then, keep the head on the legs and remain in the pose for a few breaths.
Step 9-
Take a deep breath and shift to the sitting position.
Step 10-
Release your breath and drop arms.
BENEFITS:
•Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
•Stretches the spine, shoulders, hamstrings
•Stimulates the liver, kidneys, ovaries, and uterus
•Improves digestion
•Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause and menstrual discomfort
•Soothes headache and anxiety and reduces fatigue
•Therapeutic for high blood pressure, infertility, insomnia, and sinusitis
•Traditional texts say that Paschimottanasana increases appetite, reduces obesity, and cures diseases.
2. Balasana (Childs pose):
Balasana or the child s pose releases stress and calms your mind. The yoga pose is also beneficial for your thighs, hips and lymphatic system.
How to perform:
Step 1-
Sit on your heels on a yoga mat or on the floor.
Step 2-
Either keep your knees together or apart.
Step 3-
Slowly, bend forward by lowering your forehead to touch the floor, exhaling as you do so.
Step 4-
Keep your arms alongside your body. Make sure that your palms are facing up.
Step 5-
Alternatively, you can reach out your arms towards the front of the yoga mat, palms placed facing down on the mat.
Step 6-
Now that you are in this pose, gently press your chest on the thighs (or between the thighs if the latter are apart).
Step 7-
Hold for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Regulate your breath.
Step 8-
As you inhale, imagine your breath is being driven through your navel, and pull your navel towards your spine.
Step 9-
As you exhale, soften your body and the arms. Repeat for 4-12 breaths.
Step 10-
Place your palms under the shoulders and gradually raise your upper body to return to the sitting position on the heels while inhaling. Do this very slowly as if uncurling the spine.
Step 11-
Relax.
BENEFITS:
•Gently stretches the hips, thighs, and ankles
•Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and fatigue
•Relieves back and neck pain when done with head and torso supported
3. Pavanamuktasana (Wind relieving pose):
Pavanamuktasana or the wind relieving pose removes the gas and stomach ailments. It will improve your digestion and expel gas from your stomach. It also strengthens the muscles in your abdomen.
How To Do :
Step 1-
Lie flat on your back on a smooth surface, ensuring that your feet are together, and your arms are placed beside your body.
Step 2-
Take a deep breath. As you exhale, bring your knees towards your chest, and press your thighs on your abdomen. Clasp your hands around your legs as if you are hugging your knees.
Step 3-
Hold the asana while you breathe normally. Every time you exhale, make sure you tighten the grip of the hands on the upper shins , and increase the pressure on your chest. Every time you inhale, ensure that you loosen the grip.
Step 4-
Exhale and release the pose after you rock and roll from side to side about three to five times. Relax.
BENEFITS :
•It strengthens the abdominal muscles and massages the intestines and internal organs of the digestive system, therefore releasing trapped gases and improving digestion.
•It strengthens the back muscles and tones the muscles of the arms and the legs.
•It improves the circulation of blood in the hip area.
•It eases the tension in the lower back.
•It stimulates the reproductive organs and massages the pelvic muscles.
•It helps burn fat in the thighs, buttocks, and abdominal area.
•It helps to stretch the back and neck.
4. Trikonasana (Triangle pose):
Trikonasana or the triangle pose improves digestion, stimulates appetite and relieves constipation. It is also beneficial for your kidney and other abdominal organs.
How to do triangle pose is important? Here, the step by step practicing techniques is being mentioned.
HOW TO PERFORM :
Step 1-
Stand erect. Now, keep distance between your legs about 3 to 4 feet
Step 2-
Extend your arms at the shoulder level.
Step 3-
Inhale and raises your right arm by the side of your head.
Step 4-
Now, bend your right arms with exhaling towards the left side by keeping your bodyweight equally on both the feet. You should ensure that the right arm becomes parallel to the ground.
Step 5-
Maintain the position as per your comfort with normal breathing and come to the original position by inhaling.
Step 6-
Do the same procedure with the left arm.
Step 7-
Perform three to five rounds of trikonasana.
BENEFITS:
•It helps our body to relieves gastritis, indigestion, acidity and flatulence. The pose refreshes our body as well as stimulates our digestive system, thereby keeping as healthy and productive all day long.
•The triangle pose done by bending your body to either sides simultaneously, improves the flexibility of the spine and alleviates backache to a very extend.Practising this regularly can gift you a life devoid of back pain.
•When done in a proper manner it corrects the alignment of shoulders and makes it the perfect shape.
•Trikonasana involves the whole body. The neck also gets the benefit when it helps to treat the neck sprain.
•The continues movements and stretches gives strength to your ankles and palms leaving it strong and powerful.
•Apart from physical benefits, this yoga pose also reduces discomfort during menstruation. It gives a relieving touch to your menstrual cramps, when done regularly.
•Practicing the asana continuously helps one to reduce the piled up stress and anxiety inside you. It relaxes your hormones, and produces the happy hormones leaving a healthy smile on your face.
•Stimulate and transports blood flow throughout the veins and body thereby reducing any risks of a block or stroke.
5. Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half lord of the fishes pose):
Ardha Matsyendrasana is another great pose to improve digestion. It massages abdominal organs and improves the health of the pancreas and liver.
HOW TO PERFORM :
Step 1-
Sit with your legs stretched out. Bend the right leg and place the right foot on the floor out side of left knee with toes facing forward.
Step 2-
Bend the left leg and bring the foot to the right buttock. The left heel should touch the right buttock and the outside of the left leg should be on the floor.
Step 3-
Hold the right foot or ankle with your left hand placing the arm outside of your right knee so that left armpit should be closer to your right knee. Sit straight.
Step 4-
Raise your right hand to shoulder level horizontally and fix the eye-sight on your fingers. Slowly twist the torso to the right with arm, trunk, and head. Eye sight should move with your fingers.
Step 5-
Now bend the right elbow and place the right arm around the back of the waist. The back of the right hand should go around left side of the waist.
Step 6-
Reverse the steps to release the posture and repeat with other side.
BENEFITS:
•According to Hatha Yoga Pradipika, this posture increases the appetite by proliferating the gastric fire. It destroys terrible diseases. It awakens the Kundalini and regulates the moon. (The moon is said to be located at the place above the root of the palate. This moon is dropping the ambrosial nectar which is being destroyed by the gastric fire. This posture prevents the ambrosial nectar being wasted.)
•This posture decreases diastolic blood pressure and perceived stress, and increased upper body and trunk dynamic muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and health perception. (Ref1)
•It makes the spine more flexible. Spinal nerves are toned. It improves the the functions of the Spine.
•The flexibility of shoulder will increase.
•It helps the conditions of Sciatica pain and degenerative disc.
•The organs in abdomen are toned. It improves the functions of Pancreas, adrenal gland, and liver.
•It helps open the joints of the hip.
•This posture prevents urinary tract disorders.
•It helps the conditions of diabetes and stimulates the functions of Kidneys.
•It removes the stress and stiffness of the back
•This pose improves respiratory breathing capacity by increasing chest wall expansion and forced expiratory lung volumes.
Yoga offers several health benefits for the body and its organ systems. A healthy digestive system can be achieved with simple Yoga asanas, and simple exercise can go a long way in achieving a healthy system.
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