Grand Master Akshar
Philanthropist || Spiritual Master || Lifestyle Coach || Yoga-preneur || Author
Yoga asanas or postures along with pranayama and certain meditation practices help to cleanse, stimulate and aid in the smooth functioning of your digestive system. Add physical activity in the form of asanas to your lifestyle to notice the positive benefits that you will experience. Apart from unhealthy eating habits, indigestion is also caused by factors such as stress, anxiety etc. Yoga promotes a peaceful and calmer state of mind. And, when you benefit from mental well-being, you tend to enjoy a healthier appetite, and avoid negative behaviour like emotional eating; irregular meal times, and unhealthy fad diets.
Yoga Therapy
Vajrasana is the only asana that can be performed immediately after consuming food. Try to hold each asana for up to 30 seconds and repeat for 5 sets.
Malasana
Formation of the posture
• Begin by standing straight with your arms by the sides of your body
• Bend your knees, lower your pelvis and place it over your heels
• Ensure that your feet remain flat on the floor
• You may either place your palms on the floor beside your feet or join them in front of your chest in a gesture of prayer
• Spine remains erect
Breathing Methodology Exhale as you squat down
Vajrasana – Thunderbolt pose
Formation of the Posture
• Begin by standing straight with your arms by the sides of your body
• Lean forward and slowly drop your knees on your mat
• Place your pelvis on your heels and point your toes outward
• Here, your thighs should press your calf muscles
• Keep your heels slightly apart from each other
• Place your palms on your knees facing upward
• Straighten your back and look forward
• Hold this asana for a while
Breathing Methodology
Softly inhale and exhale
Word of Advice
A person suffering from knee joint pain, Arthritis or any knee injury should avoid this asana
Kapal Bhati
In Sanskrit, ‘Kapal’ means skull and ‘bhati’ means ‘shining/illuminating’. Therefore, this Kapalbhati Pranayam is also known as Skull Shining Breathing Technique.
Method
• Sit in any comfortable pose (such as Sukhasan, Ardhapadmasan or Padmasana)
• Straighten your back and close your eyes
• Place your palms on your knees facing up (in Prapthi Mudra)
• Inhale normally and focus on exhaling with a short, rhythmic and forceful breath
• You can use your stomach to forcefully expel all the air from the diaphragm and lungs by compressing it
• Inhalation should happen automatically while you decompress your stomach
By making a few positive changes to your lifestyle you should be able to improve your digestion. Ensure that you are eating home cooked food that is fresh and hot. Do not eat out too much; avoid very spicy foods, processed food, or foods that are loaded with fat or sugar content like cakes, pastries, burgers, pizzas and oily food. Along with drinking lots of water, chew your food properly. By adding plenty of fibre you can aid healthy digestion.