Spring. Clean. Detox.

Published: Wed, 04/11/18

Hey ,

Most people who attend our FREE! Pain Care Yoga for the first time say,

"For some reason I expected more stretching..."

Totally fair! Oftentimes our yoga expectations are shaped by the multitude of veeeeery streeeeetchy videos on Facebook {amongst other things}.

A similar thing happens with spring detox...

Come April, and our Inbox and Instagram feed is inundated with images of all things green {I just got a recipe for green muffins.... WHAAAAT?}.

So off we go - juicing, fasting, greening.

, I'll be honest with you: a few years back, armed with my Ayurvedic training, I'd be jumping on the same green - drink - clean - diet - detox bandwagon.

Thank Heavens times change!

Over the years I've stopped trying to be the jack of all trades, and started to focus on what I am really passionate about - more + better movement.

This is when the light bulbs such as:

~ if the musculature is tight, nutrients cannot get to where they need to go, no matter what type of greenery one consumes,

and

~ muscle tension can be just as responsible for the standstill in the intestines as inappropriate diet,

and

~ digestive organs need movement to function well; tension throughout the abdomen and pelvic girdle can and will contribute to digestive congestion {read bloating, nausea, gas, indigestion, pain}

started to go off.

With that thought in mind, here are the 2 DIGESTIVE STRETCHES I often recommend to my clients to get rid of digestive system funk

{they work like a charm, I promise}. They were quite the hit last week when many of my clients started to recover from Easter celebrations.

You may want to start with a few gentle movements:

We really like knees to side (lie on your back with knees bent and move your knees side to side) and knees to chest type of movements.

Experiment with your own variations to find what feels right for you.

Start with a DIGESTIVE STRETCH #1:

Place your mat with its short side to the wall.

Lie down with your head away from the wall (remember to support / pad any parts that need more TLC), take your legs forward in front of you so that your feet are flat on the wall.

Press your right foot into the wall, and then, keeping your lower body still, walk your upper body to the left (picture yourself as a banana!) Keep pressing your right foot into the wall throughout the whole duration of the pose.

Find a position where you feel a mild stretch, but don't feel overstretched or edgy.

If this feels comfortable, you can take your right arm up and over the head. Make sure your arm isn't dangling in the air - go only as far as you can before your arm starts to float off the floor.

Your left hand can come onto the belly, or up overhead as well - as it is shown on the image.

Stay for up to 2 minutes, then slowly return to center.

Pause. Breathe. Absorb. Notice.

Then try the other side.

Finish with a digestive stretch #2:

We usually use a small bolster or a rolled up blanket for this pose. Feel free to smoosh a pillow instead, and set it under the bottom ribs.

Start on your side, with your head well supported by a blanket (or several).

Place a small bolster (or rolled up blanket, or a smooshed pillow) under your bottom ribs. Check to see that it is actually under the bottom ribs as oppose to your side waist.

Take a few slow, long breaths here; allow your bottom rib cage drape over the support of your props.

Experiment with taking your top arm up and overhead; again, make sure the arm isn't dangling in the air. Your bottom arm can be extended forward in front of you or in any other position that feels good.

This pose can be safely held for up to 10 minutes; generally, we start with 3 - 5 minutes, and build from there.

Once finished on one side, roll onto your back for a few moments and breathe. Notice the difference in breathing between two sides before moving to side #2.

Enjoy - and happy detoxing!

P.S. On a side note here - both of these stretches work exceptionally well to lessen the congestion in the liver and gall bladder area. Those of my clients who tend toward congestion in these areas prefer to stretch only the right side as that creates more side to side balance.

un-wreck your neck | un-glue your shoulders | un-bound your hips

Join us on the mat!

Julia + SATORI YOGA TEAM