So you say you are having six Three Minute Eggs for Thanksgiving dinner? Well, whatever you have for this yearly feasting day, no doubt your belly will end up full. Sometimes when our bellies get very full, we suffer from indigestion, or worse even, heartburn. As one might expect, yoga offers relief.Most intermediate yogis will be able to perform full Supta Virasana (Reclined Hero's Pose), the classic posture for moving food out of the belly. However, that pose is not accessible to many people due to the deep fold of the knee, combined with short quadracep muscles, which then often puts strain on a our lower back.Enter the Three Minute Egg®.My very favorite yoga pose to aid in digestion and restoration, I call Suspended Supta Baddha Konasana. This pose uses all six of my Eggs and is so lovely that every joint, the diaphragm, and every major blood vessel are relaxed, open and flowing freely.
How to perform Suspended Supta Baddha Konasana:
1. Begin by placing two Eggs side by side under you mid-chest. Place another egg flat under your head. Check to be certain that your shoulders can drop back easily and that there is no strain in the neck, the neck should be neutral. If this puts strain on your neck, you may turn the Egg so the curved side is up, and/or place a folded blanket under your head to achieve more height. You might try moving the Eggs under your chest up or down by an inch or more to get the proper alignment.
2. With your knees bent, lift your hips and place the 4th Egg flat and horizontal under the mid sacrum. Be certain to have the Egg low enough that your “tail” does not feel like it is dropping off the edge.
3. Bring the souls of your feet together in Baddha Konasana. Take the last two Eggs and place them curved side up, so the point is an inch or two away from your ankle fully supporting the side of your shinbone. (You may also try placing them under the thighs in a similar fashion. Both methods work equally well, and often a given individual may prefer one over the other. Try them both and use whichever is more comfortable for you.) The inner groins should be at ease, not straining -- soft, not hard. If you don't feel enough support or ease in the groin due to a more limited range of motion, prop up the Eggs to raise the legs, or place an additional blanket or towel on top of the Eggs to give you the support you need.
4. Remain in this position for 7 – 10 minutes. Breathe deeply and relax. Your body will take care of the rest!
Bon Appetite! Many Thanks for all our Blessings including our Three Minute Eggs!
Yours in Yoga, Lillah
Lillah Schwartz teaches yoga in Asheville, NC, at Lighten Up Yoga, which she founded in 1981. She now offers a comprehensive series of classes as well as 200 hr., 500 hr., and weekend workshops in Yoga Teacher Training.
Yoga for Good Digestion is rooted in the tradition of Yoga for our organs as offered in the Iyengar Method.