Simple Yoga Poses to Ease Nausea and Sleeplessness
May 5, 2010
Here’s a short tip written by fabulous yogi TeriLeigh. She travels the country teaching yoga and doing chakra work! If you are unsure about the poses, I’ve inserted some parenthetical guides and pictures from Yoga Journal and from TeriLeigh to help you out. Check it out and of course, check with your Doctor first if you have any concerns about exercise. Enjoy!
TeriLeigh on Stress Induced Nausea : Too Much Fire!
Fire is our passion, and holds our desire and our drive to get things done. When we get stressed by our ‘to do’ lists, too much fire builds up in our system and can often manifest in digestive discomfort coupled with difficulty sleeping.
A wide stance simple chair twist is a detoxifying pose that clears the excess fire in the system.
TeriLeigh demonstrates Chair Twist
(This pose is also called Parvrtta Utkatasana…aka prayer twist) After a few breaths on each side, drink a few sips of lukewarm water and sink into child’s pose, a slight inversion. The hinging at your hips will stimulate the second chakra of water. Coupled with the water you just drank, your firey insides will start to settle.
Child's Pose, courtesy Yoga Journal
Forward Fold, courtesy Yoga Journal
Then, as you are ready, come to a deeper inversion in ragdoll pose.
(Use this picture as a guide, but you don’t need to fold so deeply – in fact, in rag doll, you cross your arms instead of touching the ground.) The grounding of your feet in ragdoll secures the root chakra and provides earth to your system, providing the nurturing you need to feel safe.
Ultimately, these three poses activate the para-sympathetic nervous system, slow the heart rate and lower the blood pressure. The whole session lasts about 5 minutes, and the stomach grumblies will subside and allow you to sleep.
You might just wake up right as rain, more balanced with earth, water, and fire.
Thanks to TeriLeigh for her helpful tip! Check her schedule page to see if she is coming to your town.
If you are new to yoga and have more questions in general, another good resource is http://yoga.about.com/od/typesofyoga/u/yogastyles.htm
Namaste!
