With yoga therapy, it is possible to relieve almost any possible symptom, including symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Yoga itself offers innumerable physical and mental healing techniques from which these choices are suitable for the person who specifically addresses them. The relationship between stress and anxiety, mental stress and regular gastrointestinal activity is known in medical studies. The combination of yoga and medication is very helpful in reducing symptoms, reducing stress and neutralizing the inhibitory factors.
Yoga Therapy operates on several levels:
The physical plane
Therapeutic Yoga is suitable for body positions according to the manner in which bowel activity is disturbed. In the over-movement of the intestines we will learn exercises that soothe and reduce stress. In contrast, constipation is used to encourage digestion and removal of waste. The practice of yoga generally shifts the weight from the sympathetic nervous system to the parasympathetic system that promotes relaxation and self-healing. We will also recommend walking or swimming, or any other aerobic activity that helps bowel activity.
On the mental level
Regular operation of the digestive system depends on the autonomic nervous system, especially the parasympathetic, which is associated with relaxation and self-healing. Stress and anxiety affect the sympathetic system that activates the fight or flight. This system directly affects the digestive system. Practicing yoga reduces anxiety and stress by different techniques of breathing and deep relaxation, and meditation is very helpful, although in situations where it is not possible to change the level of tension, it is possible to change the attitude towards it. Yoga is also manifested in self-inquiry into the appearance of symptoms against thoughts, feelings and food and various contexts that encourage the onset of seizures, keeping a diary in mind, and also allowing us to investigate why we consume poorly digested foods.
Diet
Yoga is a way of life and places special emphasis on food and eating – that is, what to eat and especially how to eat. Fast eating causes air to swallow and encourages swelling. “Taking the time” and chewing properly helps the digestive system and the enzymes in the saliva of the mouth to act on the food. Eating as meditation and observation supports the transformation of the eating action into a stress reliever. It should be noted that fast eating is a deep pattern that requires a lot of attention before it is resolved (animal behavior in its origin). Attention must be paid to this behavior in order to bring awareness to it and to learn to respect food and eating. Of course, the content of the food is also significant, and the goal is to make the digestive system as easy as possible and maintain this habit as a lifestyle that prevents disease. Most of the time we will start with a sweeping recommendation to try one month of total cessation of consumption of dairy products, as well as processed and processed foods that weigh on the digestive system as well as on the nervous system (which we want to calm).
Lifestyle
Psychological factors that encourage symptoms of IBS should also be examined. One must ask: “What are the issues that bother me in my life?” With the examination of these factors can be neutralized and bring the medicine of yoga to perfection. You must agree to make changes in your lifestyle to bring healing. When you feel the inner peace it is easier to give yourself relaxation, to practice breathing and body exercises and to respect the messages that come from your body. Within the body is knowledge about what will bring health to our lives and what will not.
In conclusion
In the eyes of yoga, almost every disease or physiological problem begins with the mind. Our natural state is a state of calm, and when something is wrong in the body, it means that we are in an abnormal state, which requires change and treatment. This is the most important place and the root of the formation of our lives, so we will start from there, and try to return to the initial state of mental equilibrium. They do not take anything casually, and from the moment of diagnosis they are precisely targeted to the specific goals of the patient. Usually, a person reaches therapeutic yoga for one particular reason (back pain, asthma, etc.) but “earns” much more – peace of mind, physical balance, good sleep, deep breathing and control over his life. Through yoga we can realize our highest potential as human beings.
