Yoga for Occasional Constipation

by Beth

Nervous People Eating By Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Fortunately for me, my digestive health takes after my mother’s, daily bowel movements first thing in the morning, every morning. This remained true for her until she passed at the age of 102. It is still true for me but occasionally it isn’t. When my son was a baby, the stress of being a wife, a new mom, and a “working girl” did throw things off balance from time to time. Missing a day or two raised the yellow flag of caution, but when one or two days became three or more the red flag of alarm and discomfort flew high and stayed there until the situation resolved itself or I resolved it by taking a laxative.

After I began practicing yoga and understood more about the interrelationship of digestion, stress, and overall health (see Why You Should Care About Your Digestive System), I began to pay closer attention to my occasional bouts of constipation and wanted to find a yogic way of dealing with them instead of taking laxatives. Today I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned.

But first let me distinguish between occasional and chronic constipation. According to the Mayo Clinic, constipation is generally defined as having fewer than three bowel movements a week. Occasional constipation is very common but chronic constipation is infrequent bowel movements or difficult passage of stools that persists for several weeks or longer and may require medical attention.

Now, in a nutshell, here is what I learned about the relationship between stress, overall health, and digestion: 

• Our emotional reactions and our digestive systems are linked. Our intestines are lined with smooth muscle coated in mucus, rich in neuropeptide receptors (protein-like molecules that influence the brain and the body in specific ways). When we are under stress these mucus secretions in the digestive system are reduced, reducing our capacity to eliminate. 
• Stress can cause a contraction of the smooth muscles of the digestive system and shunt needed blood from the digestive system to the extremities to prepare the body to fight, flee, or freeze. 
• The body will do this in light of good stress, bad stress, severe danger (“Lions, tigers and bears, oh, my!”) or everyday situations (work or relationship stress, holidays, or a stalled car). 
• Research is finding that the stress associated with unprocessed negative emotions can inhibit the natural digestive process. We have language that illustrates this relationship between digestion and stress, including “gut wrenching,” “nervous stomach,” and ‘gut reaction.” 
• Ayurveda, the sister science of yoga and the oldest known medical system in the world, teaches that health and well being depend upon our ability to digest everything we take in. This includes not only food and drink, but also our experiences, emotions, and the impressions we take in via our five senses. Agni is the Sanskrit term for the “digestive fire” that breaks down food and other things we ingest from the environment, assimilating what is useful, and eliminating the rest. 
• Yoga can play a major role in helping us promote and strengthen the health of our digestive system. The overall approach to choosing yoga tools for healthy digestion has two primary goals: 1) stress reduction through movement and meditation and 2) strengthening the ability to witness and digest (accept, adapt, or change) situations and habits that may contribute to our personal stress response patterns. 

In terms of my ability to witness and digest, now that I have no K.P.P.P. (Kids, Partners, Pets, or Plants) at home, I realized that my current bouts of constipation occur most often during the holidays. Given the major changes in my daily routine at this time, it not surprising. Social gatherings of family and friends (functional and dysfunctional), changes in diet (more sugar, alcohol, fat, and carbs), decrease in exercise (the gym is closed, I’m too tired, my to-do list is too long, etc.), shopping (crowded malls and loud music), and travel (driving in traffic or dealing crowded airports and long security lines). 

So I now practice yoga tools that help me prevent or shorten my occasional bouts of constipation, and I am happy to share them with you. Caution: If you suffer from chronic constipation, please consult your doctor or medical practitioner first.  

Seated Spinal Rotations 

This asana enhances digestive fire by increasing heat and compression, massages the internal organs, and increases peristaltic motion in the intestines. Contraindication: diarrhea. 

I’ve been teaching this technique to my students for year and after trying it on their own, they say things like:

• “Did you hear toilets flushing all over town after last night’s class?” (this one is my favorite) 
• “I’ve been blocked for days. Thank you!”
• “It really works.” 

Instructions: 

1. Sit in a comfortable position on the floor or in a chair with your spine comfortably aligned. 
2. With your hands on the knees or thighs, begin rotating your torso in circles. You can imagine that you are drawing circles on the ceiling with the top of your head. Your circles can small and tight or large and easy. Let your breath come and go naturally and pick a pace that feels comfortable for you: slow medium or fast. 
3. Continue for 3 minutes in one direction and 3 minutes in the opposite direction. 
4. Rest for a few rounds of breath before getting up. 
5. Repeat one or two times during the day if needed.

Hakini Mudra and Affirmation 

This technique helps you set a positive intention for a healthy lifestyle and witnessing; puts a focus on releasing negative emotions and managing stress. The mudra and affirmation can be practiced separately or together. The quality realized here is balance and integration, excellent goals to work toward when dealing with occasional constipation. Contraindications: none. 

Affirmation: “I take in and take on only what I can digest.” 

Hakini Mudra Instructions: 

1. Sit with your spine comfortably aligned, and soften your chest and shoulders. 
2. Hold your hands facing each other a few inches away from your solar plexus. 
3. Touch the tips of the fingers and thumb of your left hand to the corresponding fingers and thumb of your right hand, and create space between your hands as though you are holding a ball. Relax your hands in your lap, with the pinky sides of your hands, your wrists, and your forearms on your thighs or in your lap. 
4. Close your eyes, or keep them slightly open and gaze down at the floor.
5. Hold the mudra and sit quietly for 2 - 5 minutes as long as you are comfortable, focusing on your natural breathing process. 
6. If you are combining the mudra with the affirmation, repeat the affirmation silently or out loud for a long as you are comfortable. 
7. When you are ready, release the mudra and stretch your body in any way that your body needs to stretch.

 For more information about mudras, affirmations and their uses, I recommend Mudras for Healing and Transformation by Joseph & Lilian LePage.

General Awareness 

One key to managing occasional bouts of constipation is the ability to consciously: 

• Recognize when you are stressed. 
• Understand what the stressors are, for example, food choices, work, relationship, or environment.
• Choose the right response instead of the wrong habitual reaction.

That’s my yoga groove for a smooth move. Here’s hoping you find yours!

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