Good digestion extracts nutrients from the food we eat, takes in energy, information from our environment and eliminates waste. According to Ayurveda a strong digestion, or agni digestive fire, is one of the most important factors for good health.
(1) Strengthen Digestive Fire
When we have strong digestion our bodies become more resilient to the changes in the environment and will remove unhealthy pollen and other substances in healthy and beneficial ways which would otherwise cause harm.
Taking the time to create a space of quite and calm enables the food we are eating to be digested fully. It enhances mindful eating and nutrients are extracted from the food to nourish the body.
Another important way to strengthen digestion or digestive agni fire is to eliminate ama, which means undigested matter. This includes both physical and emotional ama that accumulates in our physiology and can interfere with our natural healing processes. Triphala, an Ayurveda herb, taken at bedtime, is helpful in treating allergies by cleansing ama.
(2) Mindfulness Practice of Yoga
As well as ensuring we eat the right food, at the right time, for our body type, another way to keep digestion strong is to develop a regular mindfulness practice such as yoga which helps strengthen digestion, the digestive fire agni and eliminate impurities.
Yoga has a beneficial effect on the mind and body consequently we are less likely to react to harmful invaders in our bodies. It has the ability to aid body processes take in nourishment from the environment, fresh water and fresh air. Mindfulness enhances our digestive fires by creating the space for the food to be digested in a state of calm.
(3) Conscious Breath
One mindful conscious breathing technique is Ujjayi breath. According to ancient yogic breathing techniques this breath calms the mind. Ujjayi has a calming influence on the cardio respiratory and nervous systems, releasing frustrating feelings. If you are doing this breath correctly the sound made by constricting your throat muscles sounds like the rush of ocean waves.
Ujjayi breath:
- Sit in a comfortable cross legged position, or in a chair if you prefer.
- Keep your back straight.
- Relax
- Close your mouth and inhale through the nose while gently constricting your throat muscles.
- Hold for a moment
- Exhale through the nose gently constricting your throat muscles.
- Hold for a moment, release and repeat the cycle.
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