Good digestion is crucial for overall health and well-being. Unfortunately, many people experience digestive discomfort, such as bloating, constipation, or acid reflux, due to stress, poor diet, or a sedentary lifestyle. Yoga for digestion has emerged as an effective practice for promoting digestive health, improving metabolism, and easing digestive discomfort. Through a combination of mindful breathing, stretching, and strengthening poses, yoga poses for digestion can stimulate the digestive system and enhance its natural functions. In this post, we’ll explore 7 best yoga asanas that can aid digestion and support our digestive health.
Whether you're dealing with occasional bloating or looking for a way to support your gut health long-term, these yoga poses can offer valuable benefits for digestion. From increasing circulation to massaging the internal organs, these poses help promote yoga for better digestion. So roll out your yoga mat, breathe deeply, and prepare to feel the benefits of the best yoga asanas for digestion!
1. Yogendra Marjaryasana-Bitilasana (Cat-Cow Pose): A Gentle Warm-up for Digestion
The Yogendra Marjaryasana-Bitilasana is a dynamic sequence that gently stretches and strengthens the spine while promoting healthy digestion. By alternately arching and rounding the back, this pose stimulates the flow of blood and oxygen to the digestive organs, helping to relieve bloating, constipation, and discomfort.
How to do it:
- Sit in Vajrasana.
- Come forward, resting forearms on the floor in front, keeping elbows outside the knees and palms resting at shoulder-width level.
- Gently move the palms forward by one-palm distance and simultaneously, come on the knees and raise the torso.
- Spread knees and toes to align with respective palms (toes pointing out).
- Inhaling, raise the head to look up and simultaneously press the lower back down, maintaining gaze, in line of vision (without rolling the eyeball up). Hold the posture while retaining the breath, for double the count of inhalation.
- Exhaling, equal to inhalation, tuck the chin in and raise the
- torso upward to form an arch, while suspending the breath for double the exhalation.
- Inhaling, return to the starting position.
Follow the breathing rhythm of 3:6 or as per individual comfort.
Practice 3 rounds before returning to starting position (Vajrasana).
Individuals with severe osteoarthritis, neck, shoulder and spine injury, inflammation in knees or hips should avoid this asana.
The gentle movement of the Yogendra Marjaryasana-Bitilasana massages the intestines, which can help relieve trapped gas and promote healthy elimination. Practising this pose regularly is an excellent way to start your yoga routine, especially when using yoga to aid digestion .
2. Yogendra Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold): A Deep Stretch for the Abdomen
The Yogendra Paschimottanasana is one of the best yoga asanas for digestion because it directly stimulates the abdominal area. By folding forward over your legs, this pose compresses the digestive organs and helps release tension in the stomach, intestines, and lower back. This forward bend is not only calming for the mind but also encourages healthy digestion by stimulating the abdominal organs.
How to do it:
- Sit on a mat with legs fully stretched, feet together and toes facing upwards.
- Keep the spine erect, shoulders and neck firm in its place.
- Hands beside the body, palms facing down.
- Raise both the arms besides the chest, folded at the elbows, parallel to the ground, palms facing down. Inhale normally.
- Exhaling, bend forward, drawing in the abdomen, simultaneously arching the spine, stretch the hands to hold the big toe.
- Gently pull the elbows down, close to the body, to touch the floor and bend the head to bring the forehead to the knees.
- Rest the forehead (eventually the crown of the head) in the space between the knees and maintain this posture, breathing normally (final position).
- Raise the head and letting off the toes, gently straighten the back and bring the hands to the sides.
- Practice once–maintain the final position for 30 seconds, gradually taking it up to 1-2 minutes with regular practice. Breathing should be normal–slow and rhythmic.
- Individuals with hypertension, heart ailments, hernia, pregnancy, peptic ulcers, abdominal inflammations, serious spinal disorders , myopia, glaucoma and serious eye disorders should avoid this asana.
This pose can also help reduce symptoms of constipation by promoting a gentle massage to the stomach and intestines. Yoga for better digestion is a holistic practice, and the Seated Forward Fold helps activate the body's natural digestive processes.
3. Yogendra Pavanmuktasana (Anti-Flatus Pose): A Targeted Pose for Gas Relief
As the name suggests, Yogendra Pavanmuktasana is one of the best yoga poses for digestion when it comes to relieving bloating and gas. This pose directly targets the abdominal area and can stimulate the intestines, helping to release trapped gas and alleviate discomfort. It’s an excellent pose to incorporate into your routine if you're feeling bloated or gassy after meals.
How to do it:
- Lie supine at full length on a mat, feet together and hands resting beside the body.
- Mind is calm and body relaxed. Breathe normally.
- First inhale and then exhaling, bend the right leg at the knee and draw it towards the chest.
- Clasp below the knee (or the shin) by interlacing the fingers of both the hands and pull the knee up to the chest and keep it firmly pressed against the chest.
- Keep toes of the folded leg relaxed while the toes of straight leg are active.
- Exhaling, maintain this pose with breath suspended for double the exhalation period.
- Unclasp and inhaling, equal to exhalation above, gently release the finger hold, bring the hands to its respective sides and simultaneously straighten the leg to bring it back.
- Without pausing, repeat the above steps with the left leg to complete 1 round.
- Then repeat all the same steps with both legs together.
- Maintain the final position for 30 seconds, gradually taking it up to 1 or
- 2 minutes with regular practice. Breathing should be normal–slow and rhythmic. Practice once/session.
- Individuals with abdominal surgery, inflammation, pain, cardiac ailments, hernia, piles, and women during menstruation and pregnancy should avoid this asana.
This pose helps release trapped gas and promote the movement of food and waste through the intestines, making it a go-to pose in yoga to aid digestion. It’s especially beneficial after meals to relieve bloating and discomfort.
4. Yogendra Balasana (Child's Pose): A Relaxing Pose to Calm Digestion
Yogendra Balasana may seem like a simple resting pose, but it’s incredibly effective at calming the digestive system. By folding forward and relaxing your abdomen on your thighs, this pose helps to release tension in the digestive organs and allows your body to focus on digestion.
How to do it:
- Sit in Vajrasana, resting the palms on the respective knees.
- Exhaling, gently bent forward to rest your forehead on the floor in front of the knees.
- Simultaneously, take your hands back towards the respective feet, palms facing up.
- Remain in this position, breathing normally (final position).
- Return to starting position: Inhaling, raise the body and return to the starting position (Vajrasana)
- Practice for 1-2 minutes (as per individual comfort), breathing normally.
- Individuals with spinal injury/disorder and recent abdominal surgery, peptic ulcer, umbilical hernia, abdominal inflammation, paunchy abdomen, pregnancy, acute heart conditions and hyper tension, myopia, glaucoma and serious eye disorders, knee disorders, ankle injury, arthritis, women during menstrual cycle, and people suffering from hiatus hernia & inguinal hernia should avoid this asana.
As one of the most gentle and restorative poses, Yogendra Balasana helps reduce stress and anxiety , which are common contributors to digestive issues. It’s an excellent pose for promoting relaxation and helping the body enter a state conducive to yoga for better digestion.
5. Yogendra Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose): A Gentle Backbend for Digestive Health
Yogendra Bhujangasana is a backbend that stretches the chest, shoulders, and spine while gently compressing the abdomen. This compression stimulates the digestive organs and increases circulation to the intestines.
How to do it:
- Lie on the stomach, on a mat, legs drawn straight, feet together, heel touching and toes pointing outwards.
- Fold the arms at the elbows kept close to the body and palms down, resting beside the chest.
- Rest the forehead on the mat.
- Slowly, raise the head and the neck a few inches and then inhaling, gradually lift the shoulders, thorax and the upper part of the abdomen, slowly and rhythmically.
- The deep muscles of the back are to be used to give a gradual but a full backward curve to the spine, thus, slowly raising the vertebrae one-by-one, the pressure on the spinal column travelling down the curve step by step as each vertebra is made to rise and adjust, feeling a marked contraction first at the cervical, thoracic, lumbar and then at the sacral portions of the spine, culminating into a very deep pressure of the tail-bone.
- Maintain this pose, breathe retained.
- Exhaling, slowly and carefully lower the back, thorax and neck to return to starting position.
- Care needs to be exercised in relieving the spinal pressure by stages. Accordingly, the coccygeal and sacral curves are relieved first by simultaneous and slow lowering of the trunk until gradually the upper portions, i.e., the lumbar, thoracic and cervical curves are completely relieved by stages.
- Hold the final position for a maximum of 2 minutes (start with 30 seconds)–breathing should be normal, slow and rhythmic.
- Individuals with hernia, hypertension, heart ailments, pregnancy, peptic ulcers and hyper thyroid should avoid this asana.
- Individuals with a protruding belly will have difficulty in assuming a prone position.
This pose can help relieve abdominal discomfort, stimulate the digestive process, and promote better elimination.
6. Yogendra Ardhamatsyendrasana (Spinal Half Twist): A Detoxifying Spinal Twist
The Yogendra Ardhamatsyendrasana is a gentle, restorative pose that detoxifies the body by promoting the movement of waste and toxins out of the intestines. This twist also stretches the spine and relieves tension, which can contribute to digestive discomfort.
How to do it:
- Sit on a mat, legs fully stretched forward, feet and toes together–pointing upwards and hands besides the body, palms resting on mat.
- Keep the back straight–neck and head in line, chin tucked in and held parallel to the ground.
- Fold the left leg and press the heel towards the perineum (do not allow the knee to lift up). Pull the right leg up and interlock it against the left leg by placing the right heel to the left of the left knee.
- Twist the trunk a little to the right and let the left hand hold the right ankle (in such a way that the right knee comes under the left armpit). Inhale normally.
- Exhaling, twist further to the right and swing the right hand towards the left thigh, from behind the back, palm facing outward.
- Simultaneously, turn the neck towards the right shoulder. Complete the above steps while exhaling.
- Maintain this posture for a few seconds with the breath suspended (final position).
- Inhaling, gently un-twist the trunk and the neck to return to the starting position, bringing the right hand back to its respective side.
- Unfold the feet and stretch both the feet in front.
- Now fold the right leg and repeat the above steps for the left twist, to complete 1 round.
- Practice 4 rounds, with pause in-between rounds. Or you can maintain this pose, with slow rhythmic breathing, for 1 minute, alternately, on each side.
- Individuals with hernia , hypertension, heart ailments, pregnancy, peptic ulcers and spinal i njuries shall avoid this asana.
This twist gently massages the internal organs, promoting digestion and easing bloating or constipation.
7. Yogendra Viparitakarani (Inverted Pose): A Restorative Pose for Digestion
Yogendra Viparitakarani is a restorative inversion that helps reduce swelling in the legs and encourages circulation throughout the body. This pose also aids digestion by improving the flow of blood to the abdomen, calming the nervous system, and promoting relaxation.
How to do it:
- Lie supine on the mat, feet together and hands resting beside the body.
- Keep the mind calm, body relaxed and take in a full breath.
- Exhaling, slowly raise the legs high up, perpendicular to the ground.
- Raise the lower portion of the trunk by—pressing the hands under the hips and
- using the elbows as a fulcrum, keeping them inside (closer to the body).
- Keep the trunk in a slanting position, the legs upright, toes relaxed and in line with the forehead. The back and the neck are well-rested on the ground.
- When this position is firmly secured, by careful adjustment, make an attempt to shift the hands slowly towards the waist, with the fingers extended to the back of the hip-bones and the thumbs pressed lightly on both sides towards the navel. (final position).
- Complete all the above steps, while exhaling.
- Maintain this pose, as per individual comfort, but not longer than two minutes, breathing normally – slow and rhythmic.
- Slowly bend the knees, bring it closer to the head and then gently lower the hips towards the mat, supported by the hands, while inhaling and go back to the starting position.
- Let the back and legs slide down from the hands to cushion the descent.
- Take a few deep breaths and then rest a while, breathe normally.
- Practice once, for not more than 2 minutes.
- Until perfect balance is secured, one may take the aid of any object against which to fall back.
- In the beginning, improvise this pose by resting against a wall or any solid object while in the head-low position.
- Even the aid of a few pillows or personal assistance from another person may not be out of place during the initial practice.
Precautions:
- For all head-low postures, great care should be taken to avoid any possible strain or jerks.
- The period of exercise should be fixed at a minimum, i.e. 20 seconds in the beginning to 5 minutes at the most.
- Any head-low pose should never be attempted after any form of rigorous gymnastics because the abnormal rush of blood to the brain at this stage might do more harm than good.
- Unguided and hurried attempts to perform this asana may lead to undue pressure upon the heart, the respiratory organs and the brain, thus, causing giddiness or feeling of discomfort and enlargement of the calibre of the blood vessels in the head.
- Individuals with hypertension, heart ailments, pregnancy, respiratory disorders, spinal disorders, high myopia, glaucoma and retinal detachment, and stoutness or inflexibility of the body should avoid this asana.
This simple yet powerful pose helps reduce stress and promotes healthy digestion by encouraging the flow of energy downward toward the digestive organs.
Conclusion:
Incorporating yoga for digestion into your daily routine can bring significant benefits for your digestive health . The poses we’ve covered—from gentle stretches like Yogendra Marjaryasana-Bitilasana to more invigorating twists like Yogendra Ardhamatsyendrasana —can help improve the flow of energy, relieve bloating, and enhance the overall function of the digestive system. Regular practice of yoga poses for digestion provides a holistic way to support yoga for digestive health and promote better digestion in the long run.
By making these best yoga asanas for digestion a regular part of your routine, you can support your body’s natural digestive processes, reduce symptoms of discomfort, and feel more energised. Whether you choose to practise yoga to aid digestion in the morning, after meals, or at night, these poses can offer profound relief and lasting digestive benefits.