Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS is a disorder of the gut characterised by stomach and abdominal pain and cramping with urgency. Often there will be accompanying loose bowel motions.
There are different ways to approach treatment of IBS but what many don’t realise is that the condition is directly affected by stress, tension and anger.
Changes can be made to the diet, medications taken and symptoms may ease, however, without addressing the emotional tension, the IBS will continue to come and go.
Along with Acupuncture treatment to ease digestion and calm the body systems, Meditation and Yoga are an excellent way to release the tension that is being stored in the body.
Below is a simple meditation that can be done anywhere, anytime and often and a simple Yoga sequence that can be done without equipment in your bedroom or living room each day.
Continued practice and mindfulness along with Acupuncture treatment and some dietary changes can help to ease symptoms of IBS, and stop then from returning in the future.
Happy Balancing!
Meditation
- Find a quiet spot, if you are at home you can lay down on your back, or anywhere else, sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
- If laying down rest your hands by your sides with your feet uncrossed. If sitting rest your hand on your knees. Always turn your palms up to the sky and make your body as soft possible.
- Close your eyes and listen to your body, feel where there is tension and let it go, consciously breathing it out of your body.
- When you feel relaxed and still, at least more so than when you started, then start to take deep conscious breaths through your nose right down into the bottom of your lungs, as far as you can comfortably go, trying to make the inhale and exhale as even as possible.
- In your mind on the inhalation, imagine a bright while light coming in through the top of your head and flowing down through all areas of your body.
- On the exhalation imagine the light has picked up all the areas of stress and tension in your body, turning the light to smoke and breathe all the smoke out of your nose and away from your body.
- Continue this visualisation with each breath for around 5 minutes. If you mind wanders, gently bring it back to the breath and the visualisation of the light on inhalation and the smoke on exhalation.
Yoga
‘Cat and Cow’ Pose:
- Get down on all fours, hands and knees, with arms straight and evenly spaced under the shoulders and knees under the hips with toes curled under the feet on the floor.
- With the inhale tilt your head to the ceiling and let your spine dip down to the floor so that your hips tilt back and your stomach is relaxed. This is the cow pose
- On the exhalation round your spine up to the ceiling and tuck your head under so that your chin comes towards your chest. This is the cat.
- Continue the movements for each inhalation and exhalation until each has been done 10 times.
- Go slowly with deep and even breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
‘Childs’ Pose:
- Kneel down on the floor then sit down on top of your heals
- Put your hands out in front of you and stretch them out while bringing your head down as close to the floor as you can.
- Rest your belly on your knees and try to let your entire body relax.
- Stay in this position of a few minutes while breathing evenly in and out through your nose.
- (Variation) If you like you can bring your folded knees out to either side of your body for more space.
‘Downward facing Dog’ Pose:
- Begin as in Cat and Cow on all fours with hands and knees on the ground.
- Push back onto the balls of your feet and lift your hips up to the sky so that your body makes a triangle with hand flat on the floor and feet pushing towards flat on the ground.
- As much as possible push your hips up towards the sky and try to flatten out your spine so your body forms a straight and even triangle shape. Let you head hang freely.
- Take 5 breaths in this position then come down onto your hands and knees again or one breath.
- Repeat 3 rounds.
Lauren is available for consultations at Mornington Chinese Medicine on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
To book an appointment simply call us on 5973 6886.