Bowel Movement Before Yoga Practice

by Sanjeev Kumar

Hello Sir. Namaskar.. I am beginner of yoga. I am attracted towards yoga because of constipation problem which I am facing from past one year. Daily I wake up at 5 AM and wash my mouth, but wont brush. I will drink 2 glasses of water with lime to ease the morning call. Immediately after my morning call forces me to head to toilet.

It takes around one hour to finish my morning call. After that I take bath around 6:30 AM and get ready by 7 AM to catch my bus around 7:05 AM. I will reach office and have breakfast at 8:30 AM. After this again my morning call forces to head to bathroom which will take half an hour and I feel relaxed. During working hours I feel gastric trouble due to which frequently I get burps(gases coming from mouth). Because of this I am unable to concentrate on my work and not able to mingle with others.

I have time of one hour in morning to spare on yoga, but because of above said problem I am unable to spend time on yoga. I am able to spend only 20 min because of above said problem. I started with rhythmic breathing and anulom-vilom pranayama according to user guide(user guide for beginners) sent by you. And I started yogic diet according to yogic diet principles posted on your website. I do not have coffee and tea regularly. Weekly once I have lime tea.

Kindly suggest me asanas and pranayams to kick start yoga at home. And also suggest effective yoga for good sleep and constipation which is killing me daily.

Waiting for your reply.

Thanks,
Sanjeev Kumar


Answer

Thanks for submitting your problem in detail. This is one of the common problem for beginners and our site visitors are likely to benefit in some way.

As you are able to pass stools on a daily basis, it is not exactly a problem of constipation but of forming the habit to pass stools in the morning before doing yoga. If you are able to clear off your bowels once in 24 hours it is not a issue of concern. I guess you are having a sedentary lifestyle with very less physical movements or exercise. Your digestive system needs to be toned up.

The real solution to this problem will vary from case to case and each one of us will have a different story to tell. You have to keep trying out various remedies and options till you find the most suitable remedy for you.

With practice you will be able to reach an ideal solution for your problem.

Suggestions For You

You will find the answer to your problems if you ask yourself these questions and try to find satisfactory answers for the following questions:

What type of food you eat?
How much rest and relaxation do you get?
What are your stress levels?
What are your meal timings?

When you wake up, drink lime juice using lukewarm water. Also you can try to increase the amount of water you drink.

After you drink water go for half an hour walk from 05:00 to 05:30 AM. It may help you to clear your bowels. After that if you still do not feel the urge to pass stools, I suggest you take bath and go ahead with your yoga practice from say 05:45 to 06:30. Unless a person is suffering from chronic constipation, it is better to continue with yoga practice in case bowels are not clear first thing in the morning. Do not get anxious about the issue, be relaxed and free from all sort of tensions. Even for experienced yoga practitioners, it may happen some day that they are not able to clear their bowels before yoga practice. What to do now? Just carry on with yoga practice without making this as a issue, as if nothing is wrong. And most likely the problem will not occur next day.

You can drink green tea or herbal tea in case feeling gastric trouble. You can prepare your own herbal tea by boiling holy basil (Tulsi) leaves, bit of shredded ginger and cinnamon powder. Or add ginger to your lime juice which you drink after waking up.

In your yoga practice, include both asanas and pranayama in a simple yoga sequence. Your yoga practice must include asanas such as bhujangasana, pawanmuktasana, vajrasana, yoga mudra, yoga nidra and shavasana. Practice rhythmic breathing, alom vilom pranayama. After a few weeks of regular yoga practice, you will be able to clear bowels first thing in the morning without much effort.

In order to get sound sleep, after dinner sit in vajrasana for 5 to 10 minutes and before going to sleep sit in sukhasana and practice deep breathing and relaxation for 5 minutes. Whenever you have free time, practice yoga nidra for complete relaxation.

Tips for Healthy Lifestyle

~ Adopt an active lifestyle in case your lifestyle is sedentary.
~ Avoid all types of stress and anxiety. Regular yoga practice can take care of this.
~ Avoid overeating.
~ Eat early dinner and avoid late nights.
~ Take proper rest and relaxation, ensure you get a sound sleep of 7 to 8 hours.

Tips for Better Digestive System

~ Eat healthy vegetarian sattvik diet which may include more of seasonal fruits, salads, green leafy vegetables and sprouts.
~ Avoid foods that are known to cause gas formation in the stomach.
~ Include more of fiber in your diet.
~ Avoid spicy, processed food, unhealthy snacks, soft drinks and other junk food.
~ Aloe Vera juice taken prior to meals is also good for digestive system.
~ Take 3-4 triphala tablets prior to going to sleep.
~ Do not skip meals and eat at proper meal timings.
~ Take care that you eat healthy during your working hours at office. Be careful to avoid any high calorie snacks. Instead try to eat a fruit, dry fruits or roasted whole grains.


Eat sattvik yogic diet, follow active lifestyle, avoid stress and do regular yoga practice to achieve the desired results. Getting sufficient dietary fiber in your diet is essential. You can learn more about importance of dietary fiber.

Hope it helps. Suggestions/ comments on the subject are welcome.

Namaste
Daljit