Improving Gut Health with Yoga
As a yogi and foodie, I immediately knew I wanted to enroll in this course when browsing through Yoga Alliance’s course offerings. “The Enteric Nervous System & Yoga Therapy,” taught by holistic life coach Christelle Chopard, profoundly altered my daily decisions with food. Most significantly, it reformed my attitude and perspective toward stress and its impact on our gastrointestinal tract (gut) and taught me how following a yogi lifestyle ultimately promotes gut health.
Learning about the connection between the central nervous system (in our actual brain) and the enteric nervous system (in our digestive tract) explains how stressful emotions damage our intestinal functions. The phrase “feeling butterflies in our stomach” comes from the scientific fact that emotions such as anxiety, nervousness, and stress are literally reflected in our digestive system and negatively impact it.
Unraveling the Impact of Emotions and Nutrition on Gut Health
Our emotions, along with our nutrition, are the two most important factors affecting our gut. The gut-mind communication expresses what is happening with us internally and externally. Internally, we feel emotions. Externally, we seek ways to feed those emotions. Nature gave us the resources to get our energy, but as we have evolved, we have eaten way too much of it. We have created an almost socially unmanageable dependency on food. We socially gather through food, and sharing over the table is a beautiful tradition. However, the issue is that we do not tend to separate ourselves from our emotions to be present and let them go.
We tend to live under constant modern pressure, and high levels of stress and anxiety negatively impact gut health. When we experience stress or anxiety, our body releases stress hormones like cortisol, which disrupts the balance of bacteria in the gut and affects digestion.
It is not only about choosing what’s healthiest to eat, but the importance lies in understanding why we are eating. Are we eating due to stress? Are we binge-eating while watching a movie? Are we eating to calm our nerves at social events? Are we overeating because we are bored? Emotions affect our food choices, leading to unhealthy eating habits. Emotional eating, or the “hungry ghost,” involves using food as a coping mechanism for emotional distress. It often involves the consumption of comfort foods high in fat, sugar, and processed ingredients (all high in glucose, which leads to the secretion of happy hormones) and tricks our minds into thinking we are hungry.
The Gut-Healing Power of Stress Reduction and Conscious Breathing
Prioritizing how to destress ourselves leads to a healthy gut. The short answer to enhancing our gut health is to practice mindfulness. When we learn how to separate ourselves from our emotions, we let our minds know that we are in a transitory state (all emotions are transitory). By practicing breathing exercises, yoga, or going for a walk, we make time to pinpoint our emotions and come back to a clear state where calmness and acceptance are predominant. This tranquility calms our nervous system and therefore sends signals to our enteric nervous system in our digestive tract to maintain a balanced gut microbiota.
Incorporating Moments of Presence into Your Daily Routine
Below are some simple practices to cultivate mindfulness throughout the day.
1. Morning Intention
Becoming a morning person has been quite challenging for me as a night owl. I’ve been trying my best this year to exercise first thing in the morning while fasting. Although I’m proud of myself for developing this habit, my mornings have always been more about speediness and getting things done quickly rather than easing into the day. Starting your day with ease sets a mindful tone for the rest of the day. The simplest way to do this is by setting a morning intention or engaging in morning meditation. Personally, I like reading a morning intention from a meditation book or pulling an intention card from my affirmation deck. Then, you can gradually add more steps to your morning routine, such as tongue scraping, but it’s best to start with a short and simple approach.
2. Nutrition-Emotion Journal
When you write down what, how, and when you ate during the day, you associate moments with nutrition. Even better, you can link the emotions you were feeling throughout and understand why you ate what you ate.
Learn about your emotions, what triggers you, why you felt a certain way, and write it down. Take notes, keep track, and you’ll be better prepared to let emotions flow, transition to another mental state, and identify the “hungry ghost.”
3. Yoga Twists
Practicing yoga twists stimulates the organs of the abdominal region, allowing fresh blood to circulate for digestion and boosting your metabolism. It’s important not to over-twist, as it can be uncomfortable for the abdominal organs, especially after a large meal. Instead, gently twist from right to left with a long pause in between.
Here are two great YouTube channels to get you started with twists:
4. Breathing Exercises
Instead of focusing on meditation, which can be confusing and daunting for many, start with straightforward breathing exercises. Here are my favorites:
Box breathing or 4x4: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold the air in your lungs for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and pause for 4 seconds before breathing again.
Lion’s Breath: Inhale deeply through your nose for a few counts. As you exhale through your mouth, stick out your tongue and make a dramatic “haaaa” sound. Your gaze should move gently upward. This completes one round of lion’s breath. Just imagine you are a lion; no one is watching.
5. Five Elements of Nature
As a yogi, I’m inspired by the five elements of Dharma Yoga or the five elements of nature: water (emotions), earth (resources), fire (movement), air (breath), and ether (intentional pause). Focusing on each element daily helps balance our digestion and mind.
In the past two weeks, after completing the ENS & Yoga Therapy course, I’ve been checking off the five elements in my journal each day. For instance, I note when I connect my breath to my movement (fire & air), create space to relax (ether), write down my emotions (water), and eat nourishing food (earth). I recommend guiding yourself with these elements to balance your energy throughout the day.
Be Gentle
Incorporating mindfulness into our daily lives can have a profound impact on our overall well-being, particularly when it comes to our gut health. By setting a morning intention, maintaining a nutrition-emotion journal, practicing yoga twists, engaging in breathing exercises, and aligning with the five elements of nature, we nurture our mind and body. Remember to take one step at a time, finding a rhythm in your everyday schedule through these mindful moments. With gentleness and self-care, we can cultivate a balanced gut and enhance our overall health and vitality.
