Health: Preventing & Curing Constipation

Here are some simple, daily tips that have proven to be effective measures…

Constipation is a fairly pervasive issue – most at some point in their lives have suffered from it. Yogis take this as a very serious condition as it adversely affects major glands like the kidneys, liver, spleen, and heart and has a detrimental effect on the mind, making one irritable, short-tempered, and distracted.

In the west, some medical professionals define constipation as having 3 or less bowel movements a week.

Yogis have an entirely different perspective. They recommend that for good health a person must clear the bowels every morning, either upon waking or within an hour of rising. If this is not done, then steps should immediately be taken to right he system as quickly as possible. Here are some of those measures.

A Few Remedies

If one is constipated here are some simple steps one can take:

(1) Drink half or a full liter of warm lemon/salt water in the morning. This is the immediate remedy. Squeeze 1/4 or 1/2 a lemon or lime in your empty container, add a pinch of salt, mix them, and then add warm water. Drink the solution within 10 -20 minutes, or more quickly so long as you feel comfortable. Then be sure to walk around the house and do standing side-bends.

(2) Some foods are a natural purgative. Spinach is one such food. If constipated then eat upwards of a 1/2 pound or even a full pound of fresh, raw, frozen or lightly steamed spinach with your meal. Beets are another food that stimulate digestions. These types of foods can be added to one’s general diet to promote regularity.

(3) Here are some further do’s and don’ts:
(a) Only eat when you feel strong hunger;
(b) Do not eat when you are not hungry;
(c) Try to minimize snacking;
(d) Refrain from eating packaged and processed foods;
(e) Drink plenty of lemon water (see #1) all morning long – wait some time – and then eat juicy fruit like pears, oranges, etc. Refrain from eating bananas until one is regular again;
(f) Avoid oily foods;
(g) Do not overeat;
(h) Drink plenty of water in-between meals (3 liters or more over the course of the day) and refrain from drinking with your meal as it dilutes your body’s natural digestive enzymes in the mouth (saliva) and stomach (acid);
(i) Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables with your meals and take a high-fibre diet;
(j) Avoid constipating foods like meat, dairy (yogurt & cheese), and be careful about overloading on “dry” carbohydrates and proteins like bread, nuts, crackers, etc.

(4) A regular yoga practice, walking and other low-impact exercises are extremely beneficial. Poses to relive constipation and stomach disorders include: Uddayana mudra, agnisara mudra, utksepa mudra, yoga asana, bhujaungasana (cobra pose), trikonasana (triangle pose) among others. For more information about this write me.

(5) For the long-term, switching to a plant based diet will bring a wonderful result. Some excellent medical and cookbooks have been published by Dr Neal Barnard and Dr John McDougall.

(6) The topic of proper digestion is a vast topic in the world of yoga and considered absolutely key to cultivating a healthy body and positive mind. There are many, many more aspects to this matter and anyone is welcome to write me for more information and source materials.

(7) The teachings of yoga and ayurveda have a lot to offer with respect to digestive health. Here is one website (Ayushveda) that I feel offers good information – no doubt there are others as well.

Health: Preventing & Curing Constipation