Constipation? Here's What to Do!
Have you experienced the discomfort that not emptying your bowels regularly brings?
Not going for a #2 every day is often seen as normal. But is it?
Coming back to my question. And as you read this article, you probably know this heavy, uncomfortable feeling when you are not able to poop. If this happens regularly, your skin reflects the situation by looking dull and spots appearing. The appetite goes, yet you eat because you need to eat. And so the vicious circle starts.
So, what can you do?
Let's have a look at the ayurvedic approach.
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What's Ayurveda's View on Constipation?
For that to understand, first explore why we get constipated.
What causes constipation?
Ayurveda sees constipation as a change in the Vata dosha. Remember, Vata's qualities relevant here are dry and hard.
The main reason behind all issues is your Agni's quality, digestive fire and capacity. Vata naturally has a weaker Agni. Hence, constipation is one sign of an imbalance.
Another reason is a Pitta change. Pitta is hot, so it can dry out the stool in the colon, leading this way to constipation.
On a day-to-day level:
Constipation is a result of your eating habits and what you eat. If your food does not have enough fibre, it will lead to constipation. Fibre, as you know, helps the stool to move along and out.
Not enough fruits in your diet is another reason. Fruits provide both fibre and hydration.
Insufficient exercise, a sedentary lifestyle, and excessive sitting, which are, unfortunately, the curse of our century, are not helping either.
You might remember from previous posts that our system needs to digest everything that enters through the senses: everything seen, heard, tasted, smelled, and touched. This means that you could end up eating all the right food, exercising, and getting sufficient sleep, but there might be an information overload due to work, training, reading, and scrolling a lot. Years back, I did my teacher training tutor training. It was a stressful couple of years with heaps of assignments. Then, I decided to do my restorative teacher training simultaneously because my favourite teacher was in town. I taught up to 18 Yoga classes per week and prepared my first teacher training course. I noticed that I couldn't eat any longer due to a lack of appetite. It dawned on me that I had just too much going on; my system was completely overloaded. Nothing moved in or out. This aspect is often overlooked.
And last but not least, another significant contributor to constipation is stress. By default, your body shuts the digestive system down when you experience stress. What our body qualifies as stress and what we describe as stress might not be the same. If you are unaware of an inflammation in your body, your body moves into stress mode without you even noticing. Ongoing low-level stress due to work, illness, relationships/family issues, grief, and change of life circumstances, the reasons why we experience stress are manifold. Although we seem to cope, the body shifts gears.
What can we do to help with constipation?
There are gazillions of products out there, but the best is to look at the cause and remove that. In case of severe constipation, something to alleviate it fast is needed, but then its cause needs to be addressed.
Here are some tips from Ayurveda
Circling back to Vata dosha, this must be balanced with warm food and warm drinks, soups, juicy vegetables, and fruits; soaked dried fruits like raisins and figs are great.
First thing in the morning, take ½ tsp Ghee or olive oil followed by a glass of hot water; make it so you can drink it without burning your mouth, but more than just tepid. The hot water will hydrate the tissues, and the Ghee will moisturise them. The hot water also initiates the process of elimination.
Put an extra teaspoon of Ghee or oil into your soup, rice, or chapatis.
Drink a glass of hot water with a teaspoon of Ghee or olive oil at bedtime.
Eat food that is rich in fibre, such as oats, barley, mung dal, mung beans, lentils, green beans, peas, broccoli, carrots, sweetcorn, avocado, apples (apples are excellent in both occasions for constipation and diarrhoea), bulgur wheat, brown rice (although this is more difficult to digest), rye, whole-wheat pasta, chai seeds, lin/flax seeds, sunflower seeds. These are some examples of high-fibre food items. There are, of course, more, but the ones above don't have additional drying qualities.
A cup of hot milk with a teaspoon or two of Ghee at bedtime.
Regular exercises and/or a brisk walk in nature daily.
As Vata is involved, which stands for irregularity, maintaining regular meal times is essential to balance Vata.
A teaspoon of castor oil in ginger tea at bedtime on the weekend for maintenance. Castor oil is one of the most effective laxatives, unsuitable for daily use, but occasionally extremely helpful.
Herbs such as Triphala (3 berries), 1 tsp mixed with Ghee at about 9 pm help regulate digestion.
Spices, such as fennel, cumin, coriander, black pepper, chillies, ginger, cardamom and cinnamon, help ease digestion. The well-known CCF (cumin, coriander, fennel) tea helps relieve the digestive system.
AVOID everything cold, salads, dry food (snacks like crisps and dried fruits, which are often advised to eat, but not in their dry form as they will absorb fluids from already dry tissues) and fibre-arm food, such as potatoes, dairy and cheese, products from white flour, eggs, meat and fish.
How Yoga Can Help with Constipation
Yoga asanas (postures) are very much concerned with improving your overall and digestive health. Here are a few practices to integrate daily.
Pattabhi Jois’ Yoga Mala suggests:
Salute to the Sun - Surya Namaskar,
wide-legged forward bend – Prasarita Padottanasana,
hand to toe pose - Utthita Hasta Padangushtasana,
Marichi's pose – Marichyasana,
Butterfly or cobbler pose - Baddha Konasana.
Furthermore, backbends such as
locust pose – Shalabhasana,
bow pose – Dhanurasana,
all twists, supine from lying or sitting,
cat and cow pose,
deep squat – Malasana.
Pashimottanasana and Navasana - the boat pose (as they are said to kindle the digestive fire).
Breathing techniques such as deep belly breathing, Kapalabhati and Bhastrika have a strong effect on moving the abdomen and its organs.
Besides their effect on digestion, these yoga poses can help increase flexibility, reduce stress and anxiety, and promote relaxation. Incorporating these poses into your daily routine can help you feel more energised and balanced. Give them a try and experience the benefits for yourself!
Final Thoughts
We delved into the discomfort of constipation, a common issue that many dismiss as normal.
However, regular bowel movements are crucial for our overall well-being, impacting everything from our skin's health to our appetite.
We explored the Ayurvedic perspective, emphasising the imbalance in Vata dosha as a primary cause alongside factors such as diet, lifestyle, and stress.
Ayurveda offers a holistic approach to addressing constipation, suggesting warm, fibrous foods, hydration, and specific practices like the use of Ghee and castor oil, as well as regular exercise and yoga asanas tailored to enhancing digestive health.
The post serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding and mitigating constipation through natural and mindful practices, urging you to consider the underlying causes and adopt a more balanced lifestyle for lasting relief.
Have you learned something new? Can you relate to it? Let me know. You can leave a message below, on Instagram, Facebook or even good old email.
I love hearing from you!
Katja x
P.S. Remember the importance of healthy eating habits to avoid constipation.
