If everything feels stuck, uncomfortable and full, here is how yoga can help to soothe and energise your digestion.
Digestion is a process of absorbing and letting go. Absorbing nourishment. Releasing the rest. In yoga, it’s not just about food. You also need to process and digest emotions and experiences. Sifting through and drawing in what will nourish you and letting go of the other stuff. Yoga tells us that your digestion is powered by the fire of agni in your solar plexus. You need to balance the flames of the fire so your digestion doesn't run too hot and move too quickly, and not too cool so that it's sluggish, stuck and blocked.
"Life is a balance of holding on and letting go" ~Rumi
Healthy digestion has a steady, rhythmic movement and flow. Your digestive tract is a long, pulsating (it’s called peristalsis) tube that’s technically outside your body. At certain points it allows some substances to pass through the walls of the tube into your body.
Rest
You need to rest to digest. Stress messes with your digestion. Your brain and your gut are in constant communication. But you know this instinctively - from ‘getting butterflies in your tummy’ to ‘having a gut reaction’.
Yoga can help soothe away stress with
Gentle, slow flowing yoga postures
Breathing practices where your exhale is longer than your inhale
Yoga relaxation – especially yoga nidra - with suggestions that your abdomen is cool and relaxed. Check the research on gut centred hypnotherapy for evidence of how effective this can be.
Space
The way you arrange your physical body affects your digestion. It could be something on the outside. Have you ever worn a tight belt or suck-you-in-pants under your party outfit – only to feel there’s just no room left for food? Ah but the joy of letting everything relax when the party is over.
The corset restricting your body might be on the inside. Do you ‘pull yourself together’? Or squeeze your tummy to do your best to be a size smaller? Or maybe a Pilates teacher told you to ‘zip up your abs’ to support your spine? Chronic muscle tension in your abdomen can have exactly the same effect as a tight belt, but could be more difficult to identify and release. Pick a practice from the Rest section and repeat regularly if you think this might be the root cause for your digestion going haywire.
Yoga practices to ease space back into your system:
Reclined cobbler posture – lie on your back with your knees sinking out each side. Add a pillow longways under your head to about the middle of your back to avoid reflux. Direct your breath softly towards to your abdomen and relax.
Passive bridge posture with arms overhead – prop your hips up on a small cushion or a block, lie back, relax and soften your abdomen. It’s useful if you’re sitting too much but not one for directly after you’ve eaten!
Liven up your digestion
After you’ve relaxed and created space, then it’s time to start to gently energise your digestion.
Walk at a steady pace swinging your arms. When your arms are free to move, walking becomes a spiral movement, alternately squeezing and releasing through the whole body.
Cat. Start on all fours and let your tummy relax and drop away from your spine as you breathe. Then tuck your tail underneath, draw your back up into an arch while you let your head drop down. Flow smoothly between a relaxed and an arched back.
Do the twist. Twists have the same squeeze and release effect on the body. The deeper the twist, the more powerful the effect. Start with easy twists lying down and let your legs rock slowly side to side.
Apanasana 1. Lie on your back with your feet on the floor. Draw your right knee in (pressing on your ascending colon), relax and breathe. Repeat with your left knee (pressure on your descending colon).
Apanasana 2. Draw both knees into your chest. Exhale and squeeze your knees closer towards you, inhale and release. Rock with your breathing.
In case you were wondering, ‘apanasana’ means downward moving life force or ‘wind relieving’!
Gravity
If you’re sitting a lot (boxset bonanza, games marathon, epic film day), especially on a soft, squishy sofa, then you’ll have your tailbone tucked underneath you with a rounded out lower back. That’s not just bad for your digestion – it's hard on your spine and also weakens your pelvic floor. You could add a rolled-up towel behind your waist to support the arch at the back of your waist and untuck your tail. But even with support, it’s tough to keep it up without sliding back into your slump. Move regularly - at least once in every half hour. Don’t always sit on the same seat – cycle between chairs and include a dining chair or even better, various positions on the floor.
Let it go
Okay, this one isn’t strictly about yoga. Don’t hold on too long to things that you be should letting go. It leads to chronic tension (see above.) Especially don’t hold on to farts. The gas dries out your poo, making it hard to pass. I’m going to leave you to work out how and where you can let go at a fancy cocktail party. Then again, you’re probably wearing the suck-you-in-pants anyway.
Keep the fluid flowing
Let’s end on another one that’s sort of, but not quite yoga. Drink plenty of water. It’s useful because it’ll keep you moving as you’ll need to wee. It’s easy to get dehydrated, particularly when you’re drinking alcohol. But, like holding on to farts, it’s going to make everything harder in every way for you later on!
Let me know in the comments what works best for you.
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