Are you suffering from constipation? Probably the answer is YES! Why I am assuming as you are reading this blog and saying that you may suffer from constipation is because almost 80% of the world population fall in this as per definition of constipation from Ayurveda.
Let’s understand constipation first!
Oh! Now you are saying it is necessary to understand what constipation is! And my answer is yes you must understand what is the constipation
Ok, What ancient knowledge says about constipation?
What does Ayurveda say about constipation?
So, according to ayurveda the main cause of constipation is vata vikara which makes the stool very dry, the condition mainly occurs due to the insufficient fiber and water intake into the body.
Apana vayu is responsible for free exit of stool from the body, according to ayurveda Apana vayu’s one the function is ‘Shakrut Nishakraman Kriya’ which means responsible for proper and timely defection, hence if apana vayu is not functioning properly then constipation happens.
Apana vayu ebables absorbing of water and nutrients from the digested food content in the intenstile and helps in formation of feces
Ask yourself below questions:
- Do you feel pain in defecation and bloating?
- Is your stool solidified and hard to pass?
- Do you feel abdominal discomfort?
- Do you sit for more than 3 minutes in the toilet every day?
- Passing less than three stools in a week? OR not going to the toilet everyday?
- Do you feel bad mouth odor ?
- Do you have a thick coating on your tongue apart from the usual very thin white coating?
If the answer to most of the questions is YES then you are suffering from constipation!
Observe you stool
See at the chart which is developed by british stool of scale (By Cabot Health, Bristol Stool Chart) to classify human faeces in to seven categories, if you fall into type 1 and type 2 then you are experiencing severe constipation. Type 3 and type 4 are normal condition
Source: Cabot health / Wikipedia
What are the causes of constipation?
- Imbalance of Apana vayu in body
- Imbalance in Muladhara chakra
- Poor diet (low fiber intake) , intake of dry and rough food.
- Overeating of food of taste of pungent, astringent and salty food
- Overeating
- High intake of fast food
- Insufficient sleep
- Low intake of fluid e.g. water
- Low consumption of vegetables and lentils
- Aging, stress, tension and frequent travel
- Bowel obstruction
- Resisting to urge of bowel movement
- No exercise or walking of very comfortable lifestyle
- Eating food without sufficient appetite.
- Medication like anti inflammatory drugs e.g. brufen
- Health condition like Hypothyroidism, diabetes, fistula, piles, irritable bowel syndrome etc
What happens when you are constipated daily?
- Frequent constipation condition develops health conditon like piles, anal fisssures
- Very chronic and severe constipation for a long time lead to colon, rectum and intestine cancer.
- According to ayurveda constipation is the mother of several diseases in the body.
- Due to constipation blood gets impurities.
- Constipation badly affects function of intestine, colon and rectum
- Constipation reduces microbial flora in gut area and it is called dysbiosis. Dysbiosis of intestinal flora can result in weight gain in your body
- Constipation forces the toxins and waste material to re-absorbed into the bloodstream and causes blood impurities and its first victim is skin – acne!
- Constipation is one of the reasons for low energy and fatigue in the body.
- Our body’s intestinal flora is responsible for the immune response. Constipation damages the intestinal flora and hence it has great impact on your immune system.
So, enough to know the bad impact of constipation on your body, list is not completed but I require to my self stop here because list can be very long.
It is time to take action on this evil called constipation!
First, you have to take rich fiber foods like green leafy vegetables, lot of citrus fruits, whole wheat and lentils, in short you have to take a very balanced diet.
Second, change the lifestyle e.g. do not go for late night sleep.
Third , take some help from ancient yogic science. It means yoga!
Top 5 yogasana you can do at your home to cure constipation
Vajrasana
Vajrasana is a very easy and seated yoga pose. Vajrasana should be done for 10-15 minutes daily. Vajarsana increases blood flow in the intestine, gut and colon area. It improves intenstinal flora balance.
Watch: How to do varajsan and benefits (Hindi)
Pavan mukta asana
Pavanmuktasan balances the apan vayu and imbalance in apan vayu causes the constipation. Pavan mukta asana as name suggest is reliever of the gases from the stomach and other areas.
Halasana
Halasan is know as plow pose, like plow or plough shape. It balances the samana and Apana vayus. It puts stress on abdominal region and activating the gastric juices. Halasan improves digestion of the stomach.
Malasana
Malasana activates the Apana vayu and muladhara chakra. It increases digestive power of your stomach. Malasana improves the blood circulation in area of abdominal & stomach. It improves the rectum area’s flexibility.
Ardh Matsyendrasana
Ardh matsyendrasana improves spinal health. Body’s internal organs like pancreas, intestine, liver, spleen, kidney etc are get massaged properly, their health shall be improved. It improves bowel movement and hence ardh matsyendarasan is very beneficial in constipation
