Indigestion? Vajrasana, Chewing, Meditation

Many of us have indigestion, at some point or other. It can affect the quality of our life. Let’s see three remedies, which are relatively easy to follow and can give an immediate and lasting solution.

1. Chewing – Not just to improve digestion but also to solve breathing problems (sleep apnea and snoring)
According to Ayurveda, 95% of diseases in the human body originate from the stomach, and most of these could be avoided by chewing food well. Saliva contains an enzyme called amylase, which aids in digestion. By chewing well, we can also reduce the intake of water 💧 during consumption of food 🥘. Avoiding water intake while eating aids digestion, as water could dilute our digestive enzymes.

To know more about the benefits of chewing, besides relieving indigestion, you can look at this blog by Swamiji.

Today, crooked teeth is a common problem in modern humans. If you look at animals, they never have crooked teeth. In fact, even humans of the
pre-modern era always had straight teeth.

The problem is not in the genetics 🧬 but in the modern diet. In fact, this is fast becoming a genetic trait. If we draw one line from ear to the nose and another line perpendicular to it, we will realise that the jaw of ancient human was above that line; however, in 90% of the modern skull, the jaw is below it.

Because of the modern diet, we never had to use our jaws fully. This has resulted in us losing the strength of our jaws, and our jaws becoming smaller and smaller. This has led to breathing problems, too, as our airways are also becoming smaller due to smaller jaws.

Not just chewing food well is important, but eating food that needs chewing well is also important. Children from a young age should be offered foods like raw carrot 🥕, raw coconut 🥥 . Chewing such food items stimulates stem cells and aids in the growth of bone and a bigger jaw, mouth and airways.

By chewing well you not only aid digestion but also solve lots of breathing problems and you also will get straight teeth.

2. Vajrasana (the thunderbolt or diamond pose): Vajrasana pose is a simple sitting pose that helps in reliving indigestion. Its name comes from the Sanskrit word ‘vajra’, which means thunderbolt or diamond 💎 .
For this pose, you should kneel and then sit back on your legs to take the weight off your knees. You can even perform Pranayama and meditation for a short duration in this pose.
This asana helps 1) your body become as strong as a diamond; 2) in digestion; 3) relieve or prevent constipation

Vajrasana is one asana that can be performed directly after taking a meal. Sitting in this pose for at least 5 minutes will enhance your digestion.

However, it is not that easy to sit in this pose. Your ankles and knees need to be flexible to perform this asana and it is not advisable to practice this if you are suffering from osteoarthritis. With perseverance, you can start sitting in this pose.

Here are a few things that can make it easier: For ankle pain, consider putting a folded blanket or another uniform padding under your shins. Position the blanket so your toes hang off the back.

*If you have a knee problem or have recently undergone knee surgery, please refrain from doing this or consult a Yoga 🧘‍♂️ teacher.*

3. Meditation: Here, my emphasis is on doing meditation while sitting in Vajrasana for better digestion. After assuming Vajrasana, concentrate on your breathing. The automatic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that gets the stomach churning, when we are nervous and it also gets the digestive enzymes flowing when we feel relaxed, safe, and ready to eat. So it is very important that we are very relaxed to have full digestive power. By meditating, we can achieve this.

Indigestion results in bloating, gas, heartburn and constipation. It is the most energy-consuming activity. Chewing mindfully + observing vajrasana + practicing meditation can solve this problem, that too immediately!

I also would like to suggest other good articles about Food in this platform. One blog is mine and other two are of other members. Very informative articles.

When not to eat

With what attitude you should eat

One food that you should never include in your food.