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Practicing yoga is also a great way to improve your digestion and ease any discomfort you might feel during the process.
If you often experience bloating, gas, constipation, or diarrhea, you should add some yoga poses to your routine to help restore normal digestion and make it easier for your body to eliminate waste.
There are several poses that can improve digestion, so we have chosen five that belong to different categories. These include easy beginner postures, simple twist poses, helpful hip opening poses, stimulating digestive organ poses, and finally advanced yoga postures that open up the hips and hamstrings.
Seated forward bend and 4 other easy yoga exercises to help ease digestion
1) Boat Pose
Boat pose is a seated yoga pose that strengthens the abdominal muscles, aiding in digestion. As you hold the pose, it increases the release of digestive enzymes.
In its full expression, the boat pose elevates your diaphragm, relieving pressure on your stomach and liver.
How to do it:
- Sit with a straight back, feet on the floor, and lift your chest as you inhale, engage your back muscles and pull in your lower belly.
- Straighten your legs and bring them parallel to the floor, toes spread out.
- Tip back on the back of your sitting bones while lifting your feet up to knee height.
- Bring your arms parallel to the floor and stay for two to five breaths. Work up to 10 breaths.
2) Seated Forward Bend
The seated forward bend pose tones the liver, kidneys, and other organs needed for digestion. It also relieves tension in the muscles of the back and spine, thereby promoting overall relaxation of the body.
How to do it:
- Sit on your sitting bones, raise your arms up over your head, then extend them straight out in front of you.
- Keeping your knees strong but flexible.
- Suck in your tummy as you breathe in deeply and push the hips into the ground so that the chest can bend down toward the knees, but don’t round your back.
- Keep breathing deeply and slowly while staying in this pose.
3) Camel Pose
Even if it's a challenge, the camel pose is worth the effort. It increases blood flow throughout your entire body, including your digestive system. It also stimulates the system by elongating your torso, which wakes up your digestion. This helps relieve heartburn symptoms.
How to do it:
- Step onto your yoga mat, kneel with your knees hip-width apart and place your hands on your buttocks.
- Place a cushion under your knees for comfort.
- Keep your knees in line with each other and facing the ceiling. Stretch your arms out over your feet and arch your back, keeping your neck neutral.
- Take deep breaths for five minutes.
- As you return to the starting position, take a deep breath in and exhale slowly.
4) Triangle Pose
The triangle pose can help with digestion, improve your appetite, and relieve constipation. The abdominal massage is an exercise that promotes blood flow to the kidneys and other abdominal organs. It also stimulates these organs to work more effectively.
How to do it:
- Put your feet three to four feet apart and turn your left foot out.
- Bend your left leg slightly, raise your arms out on the sides of your body and form a “T” with them.
- Extend your left leg straight behind you, then hinge forward and reach toward the ceiling as your hips jut back.
- Let your left arm rotate so that your palm is facing up. Gaze out over your left arm.
- Using your left hand, reach toward the mat in front of your left foot.
- If you feel wobbly, bring in your back leg a little closer to the center of your body.
- Gaze toward your right arm, which should be extended overhead.
- Hold and repeat on the other side.
5) Child's Pose
The child's pose is a restorative posture that compresses the stomach and intestines and relieves stress by calming the mind. It can also help ease irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and stomach ulcers by reducing stress.
How to do it:
- Lie on the floor with your knees bent and feet firmly planted, and rest your arms at your sides, palms down.
- Slowly bend at the waist, bringing your torso toward your thighs as far as possible.
- Rest your forehead on the floor and hold this position for five minutes.
- Inhale and slowly roll up to a sitting position, keeping your back straight and chest lifted.
Takeaway
These exercises or poses are great for everyone, especially those who are experiencing abdominal discomfort or other digestive issues. If practicing yoga can help promote a healthy gut, it may be worth the effort.
Yoga is a potentially beneficial therapy that can be promoted to individuals with IBS and other gastrointestinal disorders as an adjunct treatment along with traditional medical management.
