Breathing Practices: Yoga Practices to Support Digestion

Kat Heagberg suggests that before meals, students can engage in deep diaphragmatic breathing while in such simple postures as Makrarasana (Crocodile Pose), Virasana (Hero’s Pose), Sukhasana (Easy Posture) or Savasana (Corpse Pose).

Examples of Breathing Practices

1. Slow abdominal breathing can help students to soften and relax.
2. Kapalabhati is suggested to “push” stale air out of the body to help with digestion.
3. Kat Heagberg suggests Agni Sara before meals.
4. See more: Pranayama & The Breath Hub

Coordinating Breath with Movement

In the Yoga Journal article, 8 Poses for Better Digestion, Casey Coviello presents a sequence with a combination of deep breathing, stretches that target abdominal organs, and twists that “massage and wring out stuck intestinal toxins.” The practice includes these poses with the general reasoning that deep breathing in these postures “massages the organs” and “nourishes the intestines.”

1. Marjaryasana- Bitilasana (Cat Cow Flow)
2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)
3. Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) for 1 minute to Pavrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose)
4. Uttana Shishona (Extended Puppy Pose)
5. Setu Bandha Saravangasana (Bridge Pose)
6. Ardha Apanasana / Ardha Pavanmuktasana (Wind Relieving Pose)
7. Reclined Twist
8. Savasana (Corpse Pose)