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How Deep-Seated Twists Help Your Digestion
Detoxes, cleanses, you name it: everyone loves to feel their best on a day to day basis. If you are looking to lead a healthy, fresh, and positive life, try yoga. In your yoga practice, each breath is a fresh moment: You can begin at any moment, all the time. Yoga allows you to be present, moving onward, never looking to the past. A true yoga practice can also support your ability to detox your body and mind. Read on for more explanation and poses that will help you twist the toxins right out of your body.
Supports Spinal Alignment
Let’s explore the components of deep-seated twists; the myths, the alignment tips, health benefits and more. Deep-seated twists, what are they useful for? Twists turn the spine and elongate the muscles of your back. This aids to repair and maintain the spine’s usual range of motion. If we don’t work our physical range of motion we run the possibility of our joints toughening and merging. The adjacent supportive soft tissue can also become diminutive and dysfunctional. By elongating the muscles to their full span regularly with deep-seated twists a few times per day, we can help to prevent this.
Prayer Twist Pose (Parsvokonasana)
To move into prayer twist, start in a forward fold position. Inhale to elevate and lengthen your torso, then come back to a forward fold as you exhale. On your next inhale, stand up to chair pose or Utkatasana. Sink down into your hips and extend your arms tall, and press your body weight into your heels in- while engaging your abs. Take another inhale, and on an exhale, bring your hands to your heart and move your torso forward to a 45-degree angle. Take another inhale, and on your next exhale, rotate to the right and move your left elbow to the outer part of your right knee. Beginners, it may be hard to press your elbow alongside your thigh says yoga practitioner Susan from Rooted Mama Health. You can always push your elbow in the middle of your knees. Stay here and breathe for 5 ““ 10 breaths before revisiting to chair pose, and change sides.
Seated Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
Intersect your right leg over top of your left leg and sit upright as straight as you are able. Place your left arm near your right leg and your right hand on the yoga mat below you. Peak over your right shoulder. Inhale and expand the stomach full of breath, sitting as upright as you can. On your exhale slowly turn to the right, turning near the right leg. Breathe in 5-10 deep breaths and then change sides.
So, how do deep-seated twists aid in digestion? Think of your digestive system and central organs as a washcloth, when we are turning the body we are literally wringing out unwanted toxins, making it an awesome pose to keep the digestive system healthy. When we unravel the body, we send renewed oxygen and blood back into the area, therefore helping to level out any unwanted toxins. This practice is great to help minimize puffiness due to a bloated midsection.
Visit our Yoga Classes and Descriptions Page to find the right class for you and to learn proper form for deep-seated twists.
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