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A 4-Minute Yoga Sequence To Jumpstart Digestion

Amy Shah, M.D.
Author:
March 06, 2016
Amy Shah, M.D.
Integrative Medicine Doctor
By Amy Shah, M.D.
Integrative Medicine Doctor
Dr. Amy Shah is a double board certified MD with training from Cornell, Columbia and Harvard Universities. She was named one of mindbodygreen's Top 100 Women In Wellness to Watch in 2015 and has been a guest on many national and local media shows.
Photo by Stocksy
March 06, 2016

Amy Shah, MD, an Ivy League-trained, double board certified physician, is one of the few doctors who masterfully integrates mainstream medicine with Eastern thought and a mind-body approach. This week, we're thrilled to share Dr. Shah's expertise in a new series on total gut health. To learn more, head to her new mindbodygreen course: The 7-Day Gut Reset: How To Get Your Digestion Back On Track In Just One Week.

Yoga didn't come easy for me. I was never naturally flexible, and as a busy doctor and mother of two, I thought it was a waste of precious workout time. But that was before I dove deep into learning about hormones and the gut.

I realized that excessive cortisol—our main stress hormone—was ravaging my gut and hormones at the same time. I was bloated, tired, moody, and gaining weight despite exercising hard and eating very few calories.

I started to reset my gut through diet, but soon realized that I needed to change my lifestyle, too. I needed a routine to help calm my stress hormones and activate my parasympathetic system (the "rest and digest" part of the nervous system). That's when I found yoga.

I'm no yoga expert, but through trial and error I found some yoga sequences that really helped my digestion. I simply start my morning with this 4-minute sequence, or sometimes couple it with a full 90-minute class.

Use this routine along with a gut-friendly diet, and you'll be surprised at the power of a healthy gut!

Amy Shah, M.D.
Amy Shah, M.D.

Dr. Amy Shah is a double board certified MD with training from Cornell, Columbia and Harvard Universities. She was named one of mindbodygreen's Top 100 Women In Wellness to Watch in 2015 and has been a guest on many national and local media shows. She helps busy people transform their health by reducing inflammation and eating more plants, utalizing the power of the microbiome to help digestion, natural hormone balance and food sensitivities. She is an expert on intermittent fasting for women and has a 2 week guided group program.

Read More About Amy Shah, M.D.

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Functional Nutrition Training

Check out Functional Nutrition Coaching

A cutting-edge nutrition deep dive taught by 20+ top health & wellness experts

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More from the author:

Functional Nutrition Training

Check out Functional Nutrition Coaching

A cutting-edge nutrition deep dive taught by 20+ top health & wellness experts

Learn more
Amy Shah, M.D.
Amy Shah, M.D.

Dr. Amy Shah is a double board certified MD with training from Cornell, Columbia and Harvard Universities. She was named one of mindbodygreen's Top 100 Women In Wellness to Watch in 2015 and has been a guest on many national and local media shows. She helps busy people transform their health by reducing inflammation and eating more plants, utalizing the power of the microbiome to help digestion, natural hormone balance and food sensitivities. She is an expert on intermittent fasting for women and has a 2 week guided group program.

Read More About Amy Shah, M.D.

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