Sample Sequences: Yoga Practices to Support Digestion

Since the third chakra governs both digestion and metabolism, you can easily awaken both with breathing exercises. — Michelle Fondin

Techniques that stimulate, balance and connect students to their manipura chakra may be suggested. One such technique could be strengthening of the abdominal muscles as needed to balance the third chakra. For example:

Lie on your back with your legs stretched on the floor and glued together. To protect your lower back, you can place your hands, palms (down) under the buttocks. While inhaling, engage the abdominals and press the lower back into the ground and lift both legs up to an angle (30, 60 or 90 degrees). Upon exhaling, slowly lower legs toward the ground and continue for 1 to 3 minutes. — Annie Langlois

The digestive fire, called Agni, is also present in the third chakra. To help the Manipura chakra remain open and aligned, keep your digestive fire healthy. Follow these guidelines for more powerful Agni:

• Drink beverages at room temperature or slightly warmed; avoid adding ice.
• Eat about two cupped handfuls of food at every meal to avoid overeating.
• Stay away from spicy foods if you are a Pitta type.
• Take small sips of water while eating, and avoid soda, alcohol, and fruit juice. Drinking a lot while eating tends to dilute the digestive acids, while drinking alcohol tends to give you excess acid.
• Let your stomach rest between meals. Grazing and frequent snacking don’t give your body time to replenish Agni, which happens when the stomach is resting.

— Michelle Fondin, The Chopra Center, Find Power and Warrior Energy in Your Third Chakra