Yoga Digestion:-

In order to improve circulation and encourage the effective passage of food through the digestive tract, several yoga positions apply pressure or stretch to the digestive organs. In instance, twisting poses help ease constipation by promoting the flow of food this is called Yoga Digestion.

Oral Cavity

Teeth mechanically break down food into small pieces. Tongue mixes food with saliva (contains amylase, which helps break down starch).

Epiglottis is a flap-like structure at the back of the throat that closes over the trachea preventing food from entering it. It is located in the Pharynx.

You might want quick relief while you’re experiencing intestinal problems.

Yoga and gentle exercise are becoming more and more popular as natural remedies for digestive problems. You might be thinking if you should try yoga because so many people talk about how it helps with digestion.

This article explores the potential benefits of yoga for digestion and provides a list of poses you can attempt.

What is yoga?

For thousands of years, people have utilized yoga as a traditional way to promote health by fostering a connection between the mind and body. It also has a spiritual component for many people (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).

The technique incorporates the following to enhance mind-body awareness:

mild motion (asanas)
strategies for breathing (pranayama)
Dyana, or meditation

It activates the rest-and-digest system, which is a parasympathetic nerve system (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).

How yoga may help digestion

Generally speaking, “digestion” refers to the process by which food is broken down to release waste and supply your body with nutrients.

Nonetheless, the phrase is also frequently used to describe any digestive symptoms, including gas, bloating, discomfort, and the kind and frequency of stools (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).

The digestive system and the brain are connected by the gut-brain axis, a network of nerves and biochemical impulses that pass via the blood (7Trusted Source).

This system allows your gut to directly respond to physical and mental stress by producing symptoms including nausea, constipation, diarrhea, stomachaches, and changes in appetite and digestion (7Trusted Source).

General gut health

Yoga is thought to improve digestive health by lowering stress, boosting circulation, and encouraging the gastrointestinal (GI) tract’s motility, or physical movement.

Irritable bowel syndrome

Yoga may be very helpful for those with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Researchers believe that IBS is caused by an overactive sympathetic nervous system, which is your body’s stress mechanism.

Gas, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation are just a few of the symptoms of the illness (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).

For 12 weeks, 208 IBS participants in a 2018 study either practiced yoga or followed a low-FODMAP diet. Both groups’ IBS symptoms improved at the end, indicating that yoga might be used in addition to other treatments for IBS (10Trusted Source).

Following 16 biweekly yoga sessions, participants in a 2016 pilot study reported improvements in their IBS symptoms (11Trusted Source).

But the study also discovered that walking had comparable advantages for participants. This implies that the primary elements in symptom treatment may be increasing frequent activity and lowering stress (11Trusted Source).

Yoga has also been demonstrated to help with IBS in other studies (12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source).

Inflammatory bowel diseases

Yoga may also help manage the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disorders including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. It should not, however, be used in place of prescription drugs or other therapies (14Verified Source, 15Verified Source, 16Verified Source, 17Verified Source).

There isn’t much research specifically examining which yoga positions are most useful for relieving gastrointestinal problems. Anecdotal reports form the basis of the majority of current assertions. Thus, more investigation on this subject is required by scientists.

9 yoga poses for digestion

These nine yoga positions may help with specific digestive problems or with digestion in general.

1. Seated Side Bend

For beginners who want to stretch their shoulders, lower and upper back, belly muscles, and obliques, this is a terrific routine.

The mild stretch may promote overall digestion and reduce gas and bloating.

How to accomplish it:

With your hands at your sides touching the floor, take a cross-legged seat on the floor.
Lean carefully to your right side after raising your left arm straight into the air.
Hold your right forearm outstretched on the floor.
Inhale and exhale slowly four to five times. Repeat after switching sides.

2. Seated Twist

This move’s twisting motion is believed to help the small and large intestines with peristalsis, which in turn promotes bowel regularity. Food and trash are propelled through the GI tract by this action.

Bloating may also be lessened with this yoga pose.