Gut Recovery

Re-energizing after vacation eating.

Getting back to work after vacation or a long weekend is tough, but add an overindulged belly into the mix and it can be down-right fatiguing!  An overindulged belly feels bloated and uncomfortable, but it also steals our energy.  Fortunately, yoga can help!  Scientific studies on yoga and digestion (see below) suggest that yoga can ease digestion-related issues.  

Want some suggestions?  Try Child’s Pose or Cat/Cow Pose to stretch the belly and release abdominal tension.  Seated Twists create space in the low back and stimulate the digestive organs.  Forward Folding massages the digestive organs and encourages blood circulation to the belly.  And anyone who has ever been with a baby knows what Knees to Chest (or Wind Relief Pose) can do! 

Do these symptoms seem familiar to you even when you haven’t been on a vaca? Harvard and UCLA are two of the many institutions currently studying the connection between gut health and mental health.  Some studies are focussed on the stress hormone Cortisol and its impact on digestion.  Others are studying the nervous system connection between our emotions and our gut, specifically through the Vagus nerve.  

Clearly our gut plays a role in our well-being, both temporary and long-term.  It is worth doing something about it!  

Until next time,

Laura

https://www.livescience.com/yoga-for-digestion