We all love to eat! However, we don’t all digest what we eat so well. But – yoga can help us with our digestion problems. Everyone knows that yoga can give you great abs and flexible legs. What is less known is how yoga can help your organs. Yoga poses can help any of your internal organs just as well as your muscles. So here are five yoga poses to help your digestion:

1.Child’s pose – Balasana

Child’s pose is one the most restorative poses in yoga. One of the reasons it is so therapeutic is because it resets our nervous system. There are so many nerves going to our digestive system that some call it the second brain. Our body only digests well if are in a relaxed state of mind. If we are in a state of fight or flight digestion is nearly impossible. Child’s pose calms our mind and calms our belly.

2.Standing forward fold – Uttānāsana

Uttanasana is the most basic forward fold. While we are in a forward fold hanging with gravity, our bodies become very relaxed. Our nervous system releases, and our minds calm down. When we fold our internal organs get compressed. This is like squeezing your finger until it turns white; once you let go the blood rushes back in. When we unfold from the pose our organs flood with fresh blood. This helps bring in fresh oxygen and nutrients while flushing out the old, restoring our digestive system.

3.Shoulder stand – Sarvāṅgāsana

Shoulder stand is one of the best poses for our all around health. Shoulder stand is called Sarvangasana in Sanskrit. Sarvanga means all limbs; having a dual meaning that all our limbs go in the air, and that it helps every part of our body. The action of flipping upside down for a long time helps to reset our whole body. This helps all the negative effects gravity has on us. In shoulder stand we are healed because all of our organs get a break from having to be hoisted up constantly, and the digestion system gets to relax and refresh.

4.Camel pose – Ushtrasana

Camel pose opens our whole belly. Our insides not only have organs but also the connective tissue that hold the organs in their place. This connective tissue can get tight and the organs can get all twisted up. Our digestion system is like a conveyor belt for food. If there are kinks in the lines, then nothing gets through. This results in digesting poorly – or not at all. Ustrasana and other back-bends help to untie the knots in our bellies and make digestion easy again.

5.Corpse pose – Shavasana

Shavasana is often called the most important poses in yoga. Why? It helps the effect of all the other poses take place. If we relax under gravity and remain still, our bodies will open up in a deep way. This deep opening helps to clear the blocks in our body and mind that stop us from being the best version of ourselves. By remaining still at the end of yoga class we allow nature to work its magic on our overworked bodies and minds. The digestive system is central in this action. Allow it to work on you and see the magic unfold!

Give your digestion attention!

We’re all a little guilty of either eating on the run, or not eating the rights things from time to time. And this can have such a big effect on our digestive system, which can manifest into an array of different ailments. By paying a bit more attention to our digestive systems and giving them a big yogic hug, we are able to right any wrongs in both the short term – and the long. That is the healing power of yoga that we all love.