Want To Banish Bloat and Regulate your Metabolism? Try This.

I see this trend very often in my clients with Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, PCOS, and adrenal fatigue, as bloating and constipation are persistent symptoms. Have you ever thought about the correlation between this tension and the health of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract, also known as your gut? The mind and body are more than connected; they are one.

The gut-brain connection.

Our gastrointestinal tract is very sensitive to our emotions since it is connected to our brain's hypothalamus, which controls the feelings of satiety, hunger, and our emotional state of mind. Since the mind and gut are interconnected, emotions such as happiness, joy, and pleasure, as well as anger, anxiety, guilt, resentment, and shame, trigger a physical reaction in our digestive system.

Brain-gut interactions have been associated with eating disorders, IBS, thyroid conditions chronic gut pain and inflammation disorders. It makes sense how intricately interwoven our emotions and our physical manifestations are—being "sick to your stomach," having a "gut-feeling" or feeling "butterflies in your stomach."

A recent article in Cerebrum features the gut-brain axis —an imaginary line between the brain and the gut—as one of the new frontiers of neuroscience. Microbiota in our gut, sometimes referred to as the "second genome" or the "second brain," may influence our mood in ways that scientists are just now beginning to understand. As research evolves from mice to people, further understanding of the microbiome relationship to the human brain could have significant mental health implications.

The Thyroid Yoga® protocol for encouraging a healthy gut includes a combination of modalities—yoga, breath exercises, dietary recommendations, and holistic lifestyle practices—including letting go of shame surrounding the belly and encouraging a healthy gut.

Try This: 3-Minute Breathing Exercise To Beat Bloat & Stimulate Your Thyroid

In this powerful Kundalini breathing exercise, you will rinse your digestive organs to promote healthy elimination, nourish and flush your kidneys, and cleanse your blood—which will, in turn, support your thyroid. All our glandular systems work in synergy, so when we support our liver, spleen, kidneys, and lymphatic system, we support and stimulate an underactive thyroid.

Instructions:

At the level of your throat, place the right palm facing the left palm and clasp fingers together, creating a tension on the palms almost as if pulling them apart.

Every inhale, twist torso to the left. Each twist to the left sends circulation and blood flow to the heart, which is located on the left side of the body.

Every exhale, twist torso to the right. Each twist to the right promotes the detoxification of the liver, located on the right side of the body. As you move your torso, be sure to keep your sit bones grounded and your spine tall, so the space around your internal organs broadens and you have room to rinse and flush your glandular system.

Keep your palms at the height of your throat to send energy to your thyroid as you release stagnation in your lower organs with each twist.

After three minutes, sit silently with your eyes closed and breathe deeply, noticing the effect of this breathwork on your physical and energetic state.

This is a powerful breathing practice to do daily every morning to stimulate digestion, banish belly bloat, and activate an underactive thyroid.