7 simple yoga exercises to do every morning to keep things moving!

Yoga is a fantastic way to aid digestion and keep things moving smoothly. Think of it as a gentle massage for your digestive system. Poses that increase abdominal compression and stimulate your digestive organs can help enhance overall digestive health and prevent constipation.

How Does Yoga Relieve Constipation?

Yoga offers benefits beyond other physical workouts, including achieving ideal body weight, toned muscles, increased flexibility, relaxation, and maintaining a healthy gut. A 2016 study showed that yoga effectively cures constipation and significantly reduces the need for drug intake among elderly patients. Yoga's benefits for digestive disorders, including constipation, are well-documented.

Stimulating Peristalsis and Abdominal Organs

Yoga poses that improve digestion often include twisting and bending postures. These poses massage the abdomen, intestines, and excretory system, facilitating peristalsis—wave-like muscle contractions that push food through the digestive tract. This helps ensure smooth bowel movements and elimination, relieving constipation.

Incorporate these yoga poses into your daily routine to improve digestion and relieve constipation.

What type of yoga is good for constipation?

Stretches that involve twists and forward folds are the most effective. If you’re feeling sensitive in your stomach, try starting with a few gentle seated or reclining twists before working up to deeper, more intense twisting postures while standing. Gentle stomach rubbing is also a great way to stimulate the colon.

Three moves to start each day to “Get things Moving”

1. Try Stomach Massages

Massaging your abdomen can help relieve constipation by stimulating the colon.    

2. Do the Ardha Matsyendrasana Twist

This pose does wonders to relieve constipation by easing the movement of fecal matter, as the twist involved here is two times more beneficial than any other twisting  yoga posture.

In Ardha Matsyendrasana, the twist of the torso towards the right from the waist promotes the movement of faeces. It travels up the ascending colon along the transverse colon, then in the descending colon. 

The twist further enhances by using the left hand as a lever squeezing the intestines and activating the nerves that stimulates peristalsis. It comes in handy relieving constipation.

Instructions

• Sit on the floor extending the legs in front.

• Bend the left knee to place the left foot near the right hip.

• Lift the right leg bending the right knee to place the right foot outside the left knee.

• Press the right knee towards the abdomen and then raise the left arm to bring the left elbow outside the right knee.

• Grab the right ankle with the left hand and place the right hand behind you.

• Exhale and twist the torso and neck to look behind the right shoulder.

• Stay in the pose for 30-60 seconds taking deep breaths.

• Repeat the same on the opposite side.

3. Seated Forward Bend

Seated Forward Bend acts as an effective  yoga pose for constipation as it works on a squeeze-and-release effect. The abdominal muscles undergo contraction and relaxation that increases peristalsis movement (movement of food in the oesophagus and the food pipe). Hence, paschimottanasana is beneficial in combating constipation easily and naturally.

Instructions

• Begin sitting in staff pose extending the legs and flexing the feet.

• Inhale to raise the arms overhead.

• Exhale to hinge forward at the hips keeping the spine straight, extending the arms forward, and gently drawing the belly inwards.

• Pressing the belly against the thighs grasp the base of the heels bringing the head to the shins.

• Hold this pose for one to three minutes breathing deeply.

4. Bound Angle or Butterfly Pose

Bound angle or butterfly pose is a simple sitting posture performed for constipation because it leaves soothing effects on intestinal walls along with improving blood flow to abdominal organs. 

The improved blood flow to the abdominal region ensures better functioning of the digestive as well as excretory system. Hence, this pose aids in improving digestion and promoting easy excretion of fecal matter, thereby relieving constipation.

Instructions

• Sit on the floor extending the legs in front.

• Bend the knees outstretching them to the respective sides to join the soles of the feet.

• Hold your feet with the hands drawing the heels closer to the groin.

• Exhale grounding the knees to the floor and press the sitting bones to the floor to lengthen the spine towards the crown of the head.

• Flap the knees up and down like the wings of the butterfly.

• Assume the pose for up to two minutes.

5. Garland Pose

The squat position in garland pose is great for general constipation relief and the best suitable for constipation in pregnancy too. It brings the body into a position that stimulates the lower abdomen by putting pressure on the anus region. Practicing this pose brings increased blood towards the pelvic region and excretory system. 

It also stimulates the colon that aids in enhanced bowel movement promoting easy elimination of waste matter after proper digestion of foodstuff. Thus, regular practice of squat pose regulates bowel movement that helps in getting rid of constipation. 

6. Supine Spinal Twist – Supta Matsyendrasana 

Lying down on your back, bring the knee close to your chest and then let them open towards the right, creating a twist in your upper body. Open the arms in cross and look towards the left.

Do 10 to 20 belly breathing. Repeat on the second size.

7. Sideways Easy Pose Variation – Parivitta Sukhasana

Sitting crossed legged or any other comfortable position, extend your arm above your head. Interlace your fingers and push the palm towards the ceiling. Inhale in the centre, exhale and bend towards the right, inhale back to centre, exhale towards the left.  

8. Inversion Pose

This pose is an inversion pose. This means that part of the person’s body will be upside down.

To do this pose:

• Sit on the floor close to a wall.

• Lower the back to the floor and with the hips as close to the wall as possible, walk the legs up against the wall.

• Use a folded towel or blanket under the hips to relieve discomfort, if necessary.

• Let the head rest on the floor.

• Place the arms wherever it feels comfortable.

• Stay in this position for as long as it feels comfortable.

• Release and gently roll to one side to get up.

It’s Important to Note

Before beginning any new exercise routine, including yoga poses aimed at alleviating constipation, it's essential to consult with your healthcare provider, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions or specific concerns. While these exercises can support digestive health, they are not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. Your doctor can help you determine if these movements are safe and suitable for your unique needs.