16 Oct Yoga For Digestion | 8 Easy Poses

Yoga Can Help With Digestion?!

Did you know that there are yoga poses that help with digestion? There is actually yoga for digestion? Yes, really, it’s a thing! I know we’ve all had that icky feeling when we ate something a bit too rich, our stomach is rumbling and we know that we are going to feel bloated all day. Yep, we have all been there.

Digestion is so important to our entire well-being. There are more studies coming out linking gut health to anxiety and preventing serious diseases. While most of this has to do with what exactly we are putting into our body, taking care of our body no matter what we eat is also important. A strong digestive system helps our body regulate the microbiomes in a positive way.

When Should I Do These Yoga Poses?

If you are feeling a bit off after you’ve eaten something or just want to focus on some poses that support a strong digestive system, look no further. Do these yoga poses after your food has settled, you no longer feel full and feel like you can take some easy movements.

As we move through these yoga poses, we are expanding and contracting our torsos, helping to move our internal organs in new ways. When we are twisting, we are helping to increase blood flow to our organs, which helps their ability to function. We are simply getting everything in there moving!

What Do I Need To Remember?

What’s also important is to move with your breath. During these poses, I want you to focus on taking deep belly breaths. As we are twisting our bodies, our deep breathing will help to massage our internal organs in different ways than they are used to. And lets be honest, everyone, including our organs, could use a nice massage!

For the poses we do one side at a time, do your right side first. Our intestines start from the right side of our bodies moving to the left, so we want to keep this pattern going with our yoga poses.

8 Great Yoga For Digestion Poses

Here are 8 great poses to bring into your practice that will help get all the juices moving!

1. Cow Pose or Bitilasana

The beloved cow pose! It is a favorite of almost everyone. A great gentle stretch, perfect to do when you wake up or want to relax the body.

Get on to all fours making sure your wrists are under your shoulder and knees are under the hips. On an inhale, drop your stomach, creating a U-curve in your back and look straight ahead of you keeping your neck long.

Now Pair this with our next pose

 

2. Cat Pose or Marjaiasana

On your exhale you will curl everything in, raising your back like a cat and taking your gaze to your navel.

Go between these two poses, making sure to keep your arms straight as you transition.

Repeat Cow and Cat pose, going between both for 10 breaths.

 

3. One Legged Knee to Chest Pose or Supta Ardha Apanasana

Lie on your back with your legs out in front of you.

On your inhale, bring your right knee in towards your chest, and wrap both hands around the knee, slightly pulling it in.

Breathe deeply for 5 breaths, really letting your belly expand outwards, maybe even touching the leg.

Switch to the left leg and do the same.

 

4. Two Legged Knee Chest Pose or Apanasana

Now, bring both legs out straight.

On your inhale, bring both knees towards the chest and wrap your hands around each knee and pull in slightly.

The same as before, you will take deep breaths, this time for 10 rounds of breath. Feel your belly expanding outwards on inhales and contracting in on exhales.

 

5. Easy One Legged Twist or Marichyasana 3

Come into a sitting position with your legs out in front of you and your sit bones firmly on the ground.

Bring your right leg in, placing your foot flat on your mat and as close to your sitting bone as is comfortable.

On your inhale Bring your right arm over your head and twist your upper body toward the right leg.

On your exhale, let the right arm slowly swing behind you, landing with your hand on the floor behind your hip.

Inhale, and hug your left arm around your right knee.

Take 10 full breaths here, trying to lengthen your spine on the inhales and letting your body twist a bit deeper on the exhales.

Repeat on the left side.

 

6. Standing Forward bend with bent legs, or Uttanasana

Stand on your mat with your feet about hips width distance apart.

Inhale your hands over your head and on your exhale, start to hinge at your hips, folding over your legs.

Have a generous bend in your knees, so that when you bend over, you’re almost resting your chest on your thighs.

Keep most of your weights on the balls of your feet.

If it feels good, you can grab opposite elbows and rest here, remembering to breath deeply. Stay here for 10 breaths.

 

7. Extended Triangle Pose or Utthita Trikonasana

Stand on your mat with your legs wide apart, feet facing the long edge of your mat.

Turn your right foot towards the front of your mat and your left foot in about 45 degrees.

Inhale your arms up to make a T shape. On your exhale, you will move your upper body forward, almost like you are trying to reach something out in front of you.

When you can move no further, let your right arm come down towards the mat and your right arm go straight up towards the sky. You can place your hand on your calf, a block or on the floor. Your gaze can be at your foot or your upper arm.

In this pose, you want to make sure your butt isn’t sticking out behind you. Try to pretend there is a wall behind you and you are trying to be flat against it. Take 5- 10 breaths here. Repeat on the left side.

 

8. Revolved Triangle Pose or Parivritta Trikonasana

Stand on your mat with your legs wide apart, but closer than in the previous pose, with feet facing towards the long edge of your mat.

Turn your right foot towards the front of your mat and your left foot in about 45 degrees.

Place both hands on your hips and turn trying to square your hips to the front of the mat as much as possible.

Inhale your left arm up over your head and, on your exhale, hinging at the hips, let your torso descend over your right leg, keeping the thigh engaged. Bring your left hand to a block or on the outside of your right foot on the floor.

You can keep your right hand on your hip or extend it towards the sky.Your gaze can be at your foot or towards your extended left hand.

On inhales you are trying to extend your spine so its nice and long and on exhales you are trying to rotate your heart towards the sky. Take 5-10 breaths here and repeat on the left side.

 

Bring These Yoga Poses Into Your Daily Practice For Better Digestion

There we go, 8 yoga poses to help with digestion. Feeling any better yet? Bringing these into your daily practice will not only help your digestion, but also strengthen and stretch the body. Also, the focus on deep breaths helps to massage your internal organs, helping them to work more effectively.

 

 

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