Good bowel movements

 Constipation is problem that needs to be addressed for our own comfort and also our long term health. Vaidya Mishra told a story about asking his father for help in understanding the complexities of health and disease. His father's answer was, "Oh, don't worry, just address the colon and everything else will fall into place."

The colon is the seat of Vata dosha.  So anything that balances Vata will help the colon like: regular routine, going to bed before 10 PM, never skipping or delaying meals, never rushing, eating meals that are warm and cooked and moist. Here is a link to a video about Vata pacifying diets.  https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/ayurvedic-living/living-ayurveda/diet/vata-pacifying-diet/

When you think about how food moves down the alimentary canal and finally to the colon and out through the rectum, its quite an amazing journey.  All the nutrients need to be extracted and toxins removed and finally the colon picks up things back into the body and leaves those in the colon to be eliminated.  Water is one of the things that is essential to have good bowel movements.  If you are dehydrated for what ever reason then it could contribute to constipation. Please check out my entry on hydration in my previous posts. This is most important - lack of good hydration can contribute to either constipation of diarrhea.

Next we need fiber and peristalsis. Most of us know how to get fiber - fruit, veggies, beans.  Also you can add psyllium seed or husks.  However peristalsis is the gentle undulation or squeezing of the intestinal walls that pushes things downward.  There is a specific Vata Dosha that does this called Apana Vata. It is the energy that moves things down from the belly bottom down.   SOmetimes sweeping the body with the palms of our hands from the hips down the legs 7 times or multiples of seven helps to get the energy moving down and out.

One fo my favourite little tricks that sometimes helps constipation if a smoothy of prunes and pineapple. Take 5 prunes and soak until soft and then blend with 1 cup of chopped pineapple. Delicious and helpful to get things moving. 

The liver and bile flow is also very important for peristalsis.  We need about 1 liter of bile to properly digest our food.  Supporting our liver with bitter food and herbs and gentle detox helps a lot. This is a subject onto itself.

In summary: water, fiber, regular routine, exercise help. If you feel the urge to go never wait.  Once you start listening to your body you will find that you will get the urge to evacuate your bowels first thing in the morning when you wake up. Listen to this urge. It might be subtle at first.