Yoga for Digestive Health

Course Overview

This course will guide students through the various yoga modalities and practices to stimulate the digestion system, release toxins and increase energy throughout the body and mind. There are many ways that poor gut health manifests in the body, including mood disorders (anxiety and depression), autoimmune conditions, IBS, fatigue, allergies, weight gain/loss and hormonal imbalances. This programme will address this by reducing stress, increasing microbiome diversity and aiding proper digestion. The gut plays a direct role in regulating stress responses and an important role in the production of key neurotransmitters in the brain, e.g. dopamine and cortisol. Yogic breathwork and exercises have been shown to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms the stress response and lowers cortisol levels, in turn restoring the balance of the gut microbiome. Exercise is proven to lead to a higher level of good gut bacteria diversity, while Ayurvedic exercises focus on heating the centre of the body to increase the 'agni' (fire) in the belly, releasing and cleansing toxins from the body. All that is required for this course is access to a quiet room, a yoga mat, a blanket and cushions.