Last week we focused on tuning up our core. This week, I want to apply some of what we have learned there to focus specifically on our digestion. A well-functioning core has tremendous benefits for your digestion. A properly functioning digestive system, in turn, is extremely beneficial for your overall wellbeing.

There are a large variety of asanas that promote better digestion, including twists, arm balances, inversions, backbends, and forward bends. We’ll be working with all of them this week, helping you improve your digestive health. And when you combine two or more of these categories in one asana, you amplify the digestive benefits even more. One example of such a pose is Halasana (Plow Pose). It’s a forward bend in Shoulderstand, and thus combines forward bending and inversion.

Another powerful combination for digestive health is combining forward bending and twisting. However, this combination brings with it a significant risk of disk herniations, so if you have suffered back pain from twisting or forward bending in the past, I caution you to stay away from this combination, especially in poses where one end of your body is not supported on the floor and thus there is a lot of force applied to your spine. Years ago I managed to herniate a disk going from Headstand into Side Crow, a move that cannot be done without simultaneously twisting and flexing the spine. And as you transition, your legs are not supported at all. Needless to say, I have retired that transition from my practice. Coming into Side Crow from the ground up is much safer, as your legs are supported on your arm before your feet leave the ground, dramatically reducing the forces acting on your spine.

One key to ensuring maximum digestive benefit from this week’s practice is to learn to engage your core effectively. One way to emphasize core engagement is through ujjayi breathing, which we will also practice this week. However, for maximum benefit it is also important to learn how to fully relax the core periodically throughout your practice. Being chronically stressed can cause you to tense your core and keep it immobilized, which is also not good for your digestion. In addition, whenever you are in stress mode, your digestion — and your immune system — get shoved to last place on your body’s priority list. So we’ll focus on relaxation techniques as well this week, including breathing techniques that help you relax your belly muscles and help you disrupt the stress mode.

Lastly, if you don’t ever have digestive issues, the poses we’ll be focussing on this week have many other benefits besides their digestive ones.