Gut Health – 10 minutes to Strong Immunity with Yoga

Palak Dengla, Chief Physiotherapist, Aster RV Hospital

Pune, 23 June 2020:  How many of you face gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), acidity or heartburn? Most of us might have faced it at some point of time in our lives or especially now because of the restricted lifestyle due to social distancing, work from home and long continuous hours of sitting in a single place. It can be caused due to lack of physical movements, or an imbalance of stomach ph. levels by eating foods which are excessively oily, salty, spicy or sweet. High intake of caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol can further worsen the condition. Another possible cause of spike in acidity can be sleeping immediately after having food. All these habits, with added stress of daily life, and current fear of acquiring Covid, can worsen one’s acidity.

Symptoms of acidity generally vary from restlessness, heartburn, nausea, vomiting and constipation. While these symptoms can be painful and uncomfortable, there are many simple remedies to curb the effects of acidity and avoid it.

If you’re holding off on using medicine, there’s a natural remedy you can try: Exercise/Yoga! Research shows that even “mild physical activity” may actually help “clear” intestinal gas, and relieve the symptoms of bloating.

Postures To relieve GERD

Since ancient times,Yoga is one of the most efficient and natural cures for acidity. It is an easy and quick way to not only overcome the effects of acid reflux but also strengthen our digestive system. Many of the exercises help put pressure on the internal organs, which in turn aid to relieve symptoms, as well as reduce stress. While yoga is a great way to relieve GERD symptoms, when combined with simple lifestyle changes and healthy eating habits, one can see great results in their overall gut health.

Mindful eating (being watchful) is a key to overcome many diseases, even something like cancer. Some easy aasans which can be performed regularly if there’s no underlying pathology are: Vajrasan (Thunderbolt pose), Ustrasan (camel pose), Pawanmuktasan (wind relieving Pose), Kapalbhati pranayama, Nadi shodhan pranayam(alternate nostril breathing),etc. Each pose should be held for 10 secs and can berepeated 5 times in a go or as comfortable. Daily practice of yoga will prove to be an excellent technique to deal with GERD and its effects.