I think we can all agree that one of the best parts of Chinese New Year celebrations are the food we get to eat! Steamboats, bak kwa, pineapple tarts, the list goes on!
Incorporating yoga into your daily routine can offer numerous benefits, including improved digestion. Digestive issues are common, but with the right yoga poses, you can alleviate discomfort and promote better digestion.
Here are six yoga poses specifically designed to aid digestion, soothe your stomach and maybe make some room for more CNY goodies!
- Cow / Cat (Bitilasana / Marjaryasana)
This dynamic movement between Cat and Cow pose is frequently found in contemporary yoga classes and often used as part of warmups. It is a great and simple way to warm up the body.
Benefits
- Warms up the body and encourages flexibility in the spine,
- Stretches neck and back,
- Massages the organs in the abdomen, improving circulation in the digestive organs,
- Encourages elimination,
- Stimulates kidneys and adrenal glands.
How To Get Into Posture
- Coming into table top (hands and knees)
- Shoulders are stacked directly above the wrists, knees directly below the hips
- Index fingers parallel to each other, eye of the elbows pointing forward.
- Start moving into Cow pose. Inhale. Drop your belly towards the floor, arching your back,
- Shine your chest forward, broaden the collarbones, pull your shoulders down and away from your ears. Chin pointing forwards
- Moving into Cat pose. Exhale, rounding your back, pull your belly button in towards your spine.
- Tuck your chin in towards your chest, send the crown of the head towards the mat
- Inhale, coming back to Cow pose and exhale as you move into Cat pose.
- Repeat this movement as many times as you’d like.
- Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
This posture is the paragon of yoga poses. Almost anyone who has attended a yoga class has been in this pose. It is used in most practices and is also a pose that can be found in the Sun Salutation sequence.
Benefits
- Stretches hamstrings and calves,
- Strengthens arms and legs,
- Practicing regularly can relieve constipation and abdominal discomfort
- Lengthens spine
- Stimulate blood circulation
- Calms the mind and relieves stress
- Deep breathing in this posture massages the organs by contracting and expanding, stretching the intestines, pump blood to the epithelial cells (responsible for a healthy digestive system) and stimulates the elimination on toxins.
How To Get Into Posture
- Come into table top (hands and knees), hands at shoulder distance apart and stacked under shoulders, knees directly under hips and are hip width distance apart.
- Spread your fingers and externally rotate your palms so that your index fingers are parallel to each other
- Tuck your toes and lift your hips up and back (creating an upside down “V” shape), engage your core by drawing the navel towards the spine.
- Pushing the floor away from you, rotate your elbows to face the eyes of your elbows forward, squeeze your elbows towards each other.
- Keep your knees as bent as you need while you adjust to find length in your spine.
- Slide your shoulder blades down your spine, pull shoulder blades apart.
- Relax your neck and gaze towards your ankles or navel
- Stay in this pose and breath deeply for 5 – 10 breaths.
- Revolved Downward Facing Dog (Parivrtta Adho Mukha Svanasana)
A challenging progression to a Downward Facing Dog that add a deeper stretch to the hamstrings and side body.
Benefits
- Stretches hamstrings, calves and side body,
- Strengthens arms and legs,
- Stimulate blood circulation,
- Improve lymphatic circulation,
- Soothe digestive system,
- Promotes the elimination of toxins,
- Relieves stress, headaches, fatigue, poor digestion and back pain,
How To Get Into Posture
- Start in Downward Facing Dog
- Lift your right hand and reach it under your torso towards the outside of your left thigh,
- Twisting from the lower back, mid back and upper back
- Place your right hand on the outside of your left shin/foot/outside of foot (choose variation applicable to you)
- Shift your gaze to look under your left arm. If possible, shift your gaze up to the sky but only if there is no pain in the neck.
- Stay in this pose and breath deeply for 5 – 10 breaths.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Cobra (Bhujangasana)
Another posture that is used in most practices and can be found in the Sun Salutation sequence.
Benefits
- Tones abdomen and boosts digestion and metabolism,
- Strengthens lower back and relieves lower back pain,
- Strengthens arms (shoulders, biceps and triceps)
- Increases flexibility
- Relieves sciatic pain
- Improves blood circulation
- Relieves cramps during moon cycle,
- Strengthens reproductive system,
- Reduces symptoms of asthma,
How To Get Into Posture
- Lay down flat on your belly,
- Place your hands on the mat on either side of your chest,
- Your feet can be at hip width distance or slightly wider,
- Squeeze your elbows in towards you,
- Activate your glutes to protect your lower back,
- Inhale, slowly raise your body off the mat, using your hands for support
- Hold here, as you exhale, gently lower your body back down.
- Repeat this exercise 3 – 5 times. (Or really, as many times as you’d like)
- Revolved Low Lunge (Parivrtta Anjaneyasana)
This posture is traditionally a hip opener, but adding a twist makes it a great pose for digestion!
Benefits
- Strengthens quadriceps and gluteus muscles,
- Massages organs and stimulates disgetion,
- Promotes elimination of toxins,
- Stretches psoas muscles which can help with back pain, leg pain, hip pain, bladder pain, pelvic pain and digestive issues cause by a tight psoas,
- Improves balance and coordination.
How To Get Into Posture
- Begin in a downward facing dog,
- Exhale and step your right foot forward between your hands. Lower your left knee to the ground, untuck your toes.
- Bring hands into prayer position at heart centre.
- Inhale
- As you exhale, twist to the right. Bring you left elbow to the outside of the right knee.
- Gaze over the right shoulder.
- Breathe for 5 – 7 breaths.
- Inhale as you release and repeat on the other side.
- Revolved Chair Pose (Parivrtta Utkatasana)
This is a slightly more advanced posture. Twisting helps the digestion and the benefits of this pose goes beyond just supporting digestion, it also builds heat in the body. You will definitely feel the thigh burn!
Benefits
- Strengthens and tones back,
- Warms the body,
- Improves balance, coordination, and range of motion,
- Strengthens legs; ankles, thighs, glutes, hip flexors,
- Massages abdominal organs,
- Improves digestion.
How To Get Into Posture
- Start by standing with your toes touching and heels slightly apart OR
- Feel free to stand with feet at hip width distance.
- Sit back onto your heels.
- Imagine you’re about to sit onto a chair.
- Bring your hands into the prayer position at heart centre,
- Twist to the right, bring your left elbow to the outside of the right knee.
- Hold for 5-7 breaths
- Repeat on the other side.
🧘🏻♀️ Regular practice of these postures can help alleviate digestive discomfort and promote overall digestive health and physical health. Please remember to breathe deeply and always listen to your body as you move through each pose. As with all practices, consistency is key, incorporating these poses into your daily routine can optimise digestive benefits.
We hope that this helps you and your journey in your personal practice!
With Love & Light!
🌻 The Sister Collective Team 🌻