Constipation Relief with Standing Forward Folds


Physical activity is one of the most basic natural remedies for constipation relief. Yoga is a form of physical activity that not only gets the body in shape and flexible, but can help with a variety of digestive issues due to the yoga postures ability to stimulate digestive organs. Standing Forward Folds are particularly effective in this area because both classes of poses involve the mid-body where most of the digestive organs reside.


Forward Folding and Constipation Relief


Before attempting any major forward folds, it is good to warm the body up first. You can either go for a light jog for 10 minutes, or start out with a few Sun Salutations and integrate a few standing poses like Warrior I or II in between sequences. This will get your blood moving and your muscles warm for a more effective and safer practice.


When you forward fold, a compression of the mid-body occurs which squeezes the organs there including the colon, the stomach, liver, and gallbladder. This process is like squeezing a sponge filled with the spilled coffee from the counter. Once the old coffee is squeezed out, there is space for more liquid to be absorbed. In the case of you vital organs, you are squeezing out accumulated toxins and helping the organs to receive freshly oxygenated blood. When your digestive system is maintained in this way, constipation relief will not be hard to achieve.


A simple standing forward fold you can start practicing is Uttanasana (literally “standing forward fold”):

  1. Stand rooted through your heels and pull your belly tight.
  2. Inhale your arms overhead and exhale while folding your body forward.
  3. Fold forward from the pelvis and push your sit bones in the air, while keeping the back relatively straight. You can also focus on expanding your sit bones east and west to give more room for the fold.

If your hamstrings or back are very tight, bend your knees a little until you stop feeling discomfort in your hamstrings and to give length to your back. It is important to spill yourself out of your hips to protect your back. Only go as far as you can keep a straight spine.


You can practice this forward fold after being warmed up to provide healthy movement to your intestines and to find constipation relief.