Post Meal Yoga Exercises - Benefits, Poses, and Precautions

Introduction

Yoga is a practice that helps bring peace of mind and flexibility to the body but also helps digestion. Food, once consumed, undergoes various processes before digestion. Asanas that are slow and have gentle movements can help make digestion easier and faster, especially in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. This article describes the various asanas that people can perform to aid digestion.

What Are the Benefits of Performing Yoga Postures or Asanas After Having a Meal?

The gut, otherwise known as the body's second brain, benefits greatly when people practice certain yoga postures after meals. A few advantages of practicing yoga after meals are as follows:

• Helps reduce bloating.

• Helps in the process of digestion.

• It can help ease abdominal cramps, especially after heavy meals.

• Helps decrease stress which usually compromises and damages the gut barrier, allowing the bad stomach bugs to make their way into the body.

• Encourages optimal excretion and elimination of wastes from the body.

What Happens if Yoga Is Practiced Yoga Immediately After Eating?

Ideally, yoga should not be practiced immediately after consuming meals. As a rule of thumb, people should have an hour's gap or an hour and a half following light to medium meals and a break of two to three hours following a heavy-wholesome meal. As with any exercise, when yoga is performed immediately post meals, it can make people nauseous and, in the worst cases, can lead to vomiting due to reflux of the food and severe abdominal pain and soreness of the muscles.

Which Yoga Poses or Asanas Should People Practice After Having Meals?

People can incorporate several yoga postures and asanas into their daily lifestyle, which can be practiced after meals. A few of them are explained as follows:

Cat-Cow Pose: The cat pose is considered one of the most efficient asanas that helps stimulate the gastrointestinal organs while strengthening the spine.

• For this asana, begin on all fours - knees below the hip level and hands below the shoulder level. Once positioned well, gently raise the tailbone while drawing the shoulders back and lifting the eyes into the cow pose.

• Then, slowly tuck the tailbone, allowing the head to drop, and curve the spine - allowing the navel to compress the organs. People can repeat this asana as many times as desired.

Extended Puppy Pose: Also known as Uttana Shishosana, puppy pose is a simple asana that beginners can practice. This asana helps strengthen the abdominal muscles and helps reduce tightness and bloating by releasing all types of gas bubbles within the small intestine.

• For this asana, people should be on all fours - shoulders should be placed above the wrists, and hips above the knees. Once positioned, people should slowly stretch their arms forward by a few inches and then curl their toes simultaneously.

• With every exhaled breath, move the buttocks halfway back towards the heels while keeping the arms active, ensuring that the elbows do not touch the ground.

• Following this, the forehead should gently be placed on the floor or a cushion while maintaining the curvature of the spine, allowing the neck to relax.

• Once the spine is stretched well, gently inhale deeply and let the spine strengthen in both directions. Hold for half a minute, then slowly revert to the initial position.

Bow Pose: Also known as Dhanurasana, the bow pose is challenging but helps stimulate the organs of the gastrointestinal tract. It also helps in easing constipation and decreasing blood pressure.

• For this asana, lie down flat on the stomach, with the chin on the mat and hands on either side, with palms facing upwards. Then with every exhaled breath, slowly bend the knees, bringing the heels as close as possible to the buttocks, placing both knees hip-width apart.

• Once in position, elevate the arms and hold the ankles. With the next inhaled breath and tightly grip the feet, lift the heels away from the buttocks. Simultaneously lift the chest, thighs, and head away from the mat, and while doing so, shoulders should also rotate gently, resulting in the core touching the mat, whereas the rest of the body faces the ceiling.

• While the tailbone is drawn into the mat, it is natural to feel a stretch in the back, especially when the weight shifts to the core, allowing the chest and shoulders to open up. People can release this pose while exhaling air and rest for a few seconds before repeating the same pose or practicing another pose.

Twists: Twists primarily help digestion through their wringing action, which helps eliminate stuck intestinal toxins, thereby relieving discomfort from constipation and bloating.

• For this asana, be seated comfortably, with the legs placed in any comfortable variation. Then inhale a deep breath, straighten the back, gently twist to the other side, and then exhale.

• This simple yoga form or asana can be repeated as many times as wanted, but measures should be taken to avoid making twists that are too far from the body's natural range of motion.

• This asana can also be performed by lying down instead of doing them while seated.

What Are the Precautionary Measures Observed While Practicing Yoga After Having Meals?

Although there are several benefits of performing yoga after having meals, the following measures help maximize the benefits of such asanas:

• One should wait to practice yoga after having their meals. Instead, wait an hour before performing the asanas mentioned above.

• Always move slowly and avoid all kinds of sudden jerks, twists, and turns.

• Practice asanas under the supervision of a well-trained professional.

• Refrain from overdoing any yoga posture or asana. Overdoing asanas will not help digest food faster but will cause more discomfort in the form of muscle soreness and pain.

Conclusion

Yoga is an ancient practice that benefits the human body numerously. It helps calm the mind, improves the strength of the body, helps tone muscles, and increases the body's flexibility. It also helps regulate the second brain of the body, the gut. Furthermore, the small gentle movements of the above-mentioned asanas help relieve bloating, constipation, and abdominal uneasiness, aiding digestion. Care should be taken to practice yoga after an hour or so after the meals for optimal benefit.