Better Digestion This Christmas Season: Simple Yoga Poses To Do At Home

Festive feasts making you feel heavy and guilty afterwards?

The Christmas season means many friends and family meet ups and gatherings usually including tasty food and sweet treats.

That’s great and all, but let’s be honest here, indulging in all of those festive feasts can get too much for anyone, after a while.

So, if they leave you feeling heavy and guilty, and you always look for a way to get some relief then you’re in the right place!

Read on, and find simple yoga poses for better digestion that anyone can include in their daily practice and give their digestive system a boost!

4 Yoga Poses to boost digestion

Spend this festive season guilt-free just by including a few simple yoga poses into your daily routine. (of course, don’t practice them right after eating, give your tummy a bit of time to do it’s thing. 🙂 )

The following 4 asanas can be modified to any practitioner’s level, therefore feel free to take any variation that suits you.

The first two are core strengthening, while the rest are more relaxing.

Why core strengthening Well, strong abdominals actually contribute to efficient peristals, which is the involuntary contraction and relaxation of the muscles along the digestive tract. In simpler words, a strong core helps the food move along the digestive system.

On the other hand, stress is also closely related to our digestion. Feeling stressed out can often lead to muscle tension, affecting the muscles of the digestive tract and contributing to abdominal pain, cramping, and even changes in bowel habits. Even more, chronic stress may influence the microbiota in the gut, causing imbalances and leading to digestive disorders, bloating and inflammation.

1. Revolved Chair Pose (Parivrtta Utkatasana)

How to

start in Mountain pose (Tadasana) – feet hip distance apart and parallel to each other, straight back, pulling up from the top of your head.
inhale lift the arms overhead, making sure to keep the shoulders away from the ears.
as you exhale, bend in the knees bringing the hips a bit lower as if you’re sitting in a chair.
VARIATION 1
with an exhale, spread the arms to the side, then twist from the belly button to the left.
VARIATION 2
on the next exhale, bring the palms in Namaste, twist to the left and bring the right bicep against the left thigh, opening the chest to the left. Make sure to twist from the belly button and keep the hips square.
VARIATION 3
as you exhale straighten the arms, so the right arm goes along the left leg and the palm is on the mat, while the left one pulls up to the sky.
hold for a few breaths, then untwist, come back to Tadasana and repeat on the other side.

2. Twisted Boat Pose (Parivrtta Navasana)

How to

start seated in Staff pose (Dandasana).
engage the core, lift up your legs, and stretch the arms in front of you, coming to full Boat Pose (Navasana).
as you exhale, twist from the belly button to the left, opening up the chest, and spreading the arms sideways – right arm to the outer side of the left leg, left arm puling to the back.
Make sure you’re not rounding your upper back!

Variations: keep the legs bent to make it easier, or grab the left ankle with the front arm to give yourself a bit of support.

3. Reclined Spinal Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)

How to

start by lying on your back.
with an exhale bring the right knee into your chest.
hug it in, or grab under the knee, and hold for a breath.
as you exhale, with the left hand, guide the right knee over to the left side, twisting from the belly button.
spread out the right arm to the side and turn the head the same way.
gently press the right thigh with the left palm, bringing the knee closer to the ground.
hold for at least 1 minute, then switch sides.

Variations: if your knee is too high from the floor, feel free to place a block or blanket under it for support.

4. Wind Relieving Pose (Pavanamuktasana)

How to

start by lying on your back.
as you exhale, bring the knees into your chest and hug them in.
if accessible, lift up a little to bring the nose to your knees, curling a bit like a ball.
for extra back TLC, add a little rock side-to side.

Variations: if you’re unable to hug in the legs, then simply grab hold behind the knees and gradually work towards brining the knees closer.

Why these yoga poses help digestion?

The main 3 benefits of these yoga asanas:

1. as you engage your abdominal muscles and compress them, you massage the stomach and intestines.

2. the pressure from the twisting stimulates organs such as the liver, spleen, and pancreas encouraging the release of digestive enzymes responsible for food breakdown.

3. adding twists, also creates a wringing effect on the organs, which helps reduce bloating and constipation.

Summary

Adding any kind of yoga practice to your daily routine will bring you many benefits (if you want to start practicing at home, but need some help, this is the guide for you). However, if you only want something simple, fast and specific to better digestion, then these 4 asanas are perfect.

Always practice them with mindfulness, listen to your own body and don’t forget to align your breath to the movement.

Oh, and if you prefer to watch instead of read, then follow me on Instagram – I’ve posed this info as part of a series called “Gut Bliss Chronicles”.

Wishing you a happy and healthy Christmas season!

Yours,