HEALTH Yoga for indigestion relief

Free your guts from indigestion’s grip


Yoga
Lee Kennedy

It’s a miracle we don’t suffer from indigestion continuously. Just think of the amount of processing involved in turning food into energy. Everything we eat has to travel an average distance of almost 11 metres (that’s 35 feet!) through the body.
When we take in food, it passes through the mouth, the gullet, the small intestine and the large intestine, all the way interacting variously with saliva and the secretions of the pancreas, gall bladder, and liver. It’s eventually broken down by digestive enzymes and acids. During this process, the nourishment it provides is absorbed by the body. Unsurprisingly, all sorts of hiccups can happen along the way, disrupting the flow of food and causing indigestion.
Indigestion can cause upper abdominal pain, discomfort or distension (ballooning), which can be either irregular or chronic. Other signs to indicate you have indigestion can include nausea, vomiting, belching, acidity, flatulence and a constant feeling of being full.
Acidity, another digestive disorder, is commonly indicated by a sharp, burning sensation in the lower chest, just below the sternum. It can be caused by overeating, eating spicy or rich foods, excessive alcohol or certain drugs.
The good news is that by practicing of yoga poses regularly, the discomfort of digestive disorders can be greatly alleviated. Prasarita Padottanasana is an intense leg stretch where the torso is inverted, and the head rests on a block on the floor. It is a restful and recuperative pose which is usually practiced towards the end of a standing sequence. It tones the abdominal organs and relieves stomach ache by neutralizing acidity.

Prasarita Padottanasana

• Place your hands on hips, thumbs on your back, fingers on front of hips
• Inhale, spread your feet about four feet apart, with the outside of your feet parallel and toes pointing forward
• Bend forward, keeping spine extended. Bring your torso down towards the floor.
• Take both hands off your hips, place palms hands under shoulders, fingers spread out on floor
• Keep your back concave and pull in the tailbone
• Flex your elbows, keeping palms flat on floor
• Place crown head on the floor between your palms (or on a block if you can’t reach)
• Ensure that your hands and head are in line, and keep your head and neck relaxed
• Push your sternum forward and draw the abdomen in
• Shift your weight back onto your heels
• Feel the hamstring muscles extend
• Hold the pose for one minute, coming out gradually

Lee Kennedy rqualified with The BKS Iyengar Yoga Association UK, the YTTC and Ana Forrest of Forrest Yoga. She specialises in pregnancy-related yoga and also studied with Janet Balaskas, founder of the Active Birth Foundation, UK. Visit Yogadara.com or call 0863906343 for more information.