Yoga for those who want to help their stomach

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

To get rid of the effects of overeating, it is not at all necessary to swallow pills by handfuls. Yoga Medicine founder Tiffany Crookshank offers some simple ways to help your stomach do its job.

Do pranayama before sitting down at the table

Set aside 5-10 minutes before meals for breathing exercises. This will allow your nervous system to switch to eating mode. This practice is especially helpful if you are experiencing unpleasant emotions.

Find a quiet place and make yourself comfortable. Close your eyes. Start breathing deeply and slowly: inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 4 counts. As soon as this breathing rhythm becomes comfortable for you, gradually slow down your exhalation to 8 counts. Perform 3-5 breathing cycles in this rhythm. Then switch to your normal breathing pattern and sit for just a couple of seconds.

For beginners, it may take a few minutes for a beginner to get to the correct breathing rhythm. But the more you practice, the faster your nervous system will adapt to the practice.

Don't eat mindlessly

The digestion process begins even before the food enters the mouth. Smells and thoughts stimulate the salivary glands to produce enzymes, the stomach and pancreas trigger the production of acid and digestive enzymes.

If we eat too fast, some of the links in this chain may fall out, the process will be disrupted. The result is a loss of beneficial nutrients, a heaviness in the stomach and overeating.

A conscious, sensual approach to eating food will help you get the most out of it. This is a very simple practice, but very easy to forget about. Take a look at what you are going to eat. Smell. Put small portions into your mouth. Chew them slowly, enjoying the taste, feeling all its shades. You will enjoy yourself and eat just as much as you need, as satiety signals will have time to travel their way from the digestive system to the brain.

Stimulate digestion

Pose 1

This pose improves digestion. It is best done between meals. Use a small blanket or towel, rolled into a roll, 8–13 cm thick, as an optional extra.

Place the roller across the rug and lie on your stomach. Place a pillow under your head, relax your body and begin to breathe in your belly. While inhaling, gently press on the roller with a press, and as you exhale, try to relax. Do the exercise for 2-5 minutes, then remove the blanket and rest.

If you experience severe discomfort while breathing, reduce the diameter of the roller.

Pose 2

This exercise should also be performed on an empty stomach. You will need a blanket folded in a rectangle.

Sit on the floor with your right thigh next to the blanket and bring your knees together. Wrap your arms around the blanket and lie down. Your head should be on the blanket (it looks in the same direction as your knees) and your chest. Take a few deep breaths to relax completely, and lie down for another 3-5 minutes. Then repeat on the other side.