a different take on digestion

this might be a lengthy post, but trust me-worth reading.

like most people, i have Struggled (with a capital S) with digestive issues. maybe not as severe as most, but through a lot of trial and error, pill popping and enema taking (natural, herbal pills guys), i have come to realize my problem: i have never fully trusted my digestion. i have never relaxed enough at meals for it to do its work. i have never fully been embodied when it comes to dealing with my DS, I've just always assumed it was something i was eating that my body couldn't handle, food allergies, my hormones were off balance, i was low in magnesium etc... which were all very true, but they weren't the bulk of it. 
while those things (and many more) definitely play a role in a lot of us, may i suggest that for most of us, it is far beyond that? that it may be more stress, emotional and every day life problems that are negatively effecting the way we digest and assimilate our food? 
well, here are just a few fun graci facts that will maybe inspire you to try something different for a while:

there are a few things we often assault digestion with. they are: poor quality food, too much food, challenging food combinations, poor meal timing, stress, medications, toxic dietary beliefs (i.e. "food makes me fat"), lack of knowledge-especially around food allergies/sensitivities, and poor immunity. 

in over 75% of digestive cases, nothing is wrong with digestion per-se. digestion is simply telling us what’s up with our life, it’s giving us feedback about how and what we eat, and it’s asking us to consciously participate in the nutritive process... 

digestion is the challenge to embody.

the digestion of food = the digestion of life.

in other words, digestive disturbance is often the result of unassimilated events, emotions, experiences, lessons...the more we learn to digest/absorb all of our life, the more empowered and efficient our digestive metabolism can be. 
the phrase "all health or disease begins in the gut" is so true. the GI immune system is the largest collection of immune tissue in the body; 60-80%. the gut is an immune organ, big time. these are a few things that deplete gastrointestinal immunity: alcohol, sugar, smoking, caffeine, anti-biotic use, over-eating, poor food combining, poor quality food, allergenic foods, vaccinations, stress, heavy metal toxicity and excessive "cleanliness". here are things that will enhance gastrointestinal immunity: relaxation, pleasure, breathing, pro-biotic supplements and foods, alkaline forming diet, exposure to nature & organic soil, sleep, exercise and yoga/pilates.

so, your key tools to use for optimal digestion? 

• relaxation

• breathing

• slow

• time

• awareness

• body wisdom

• rhythm 

there is no such thing as perfect digestion. it isn't designed for perfection. digestive power and efficiency will come and go. it alerts us to what works, and what doesn't. digestion asks us to become conscious participants and teaches us and informs us, meal to meal. it asks to be noticed, for us to respond to it. it is inviting us into gut wisdom, the enteric nervous system. our DS is highly attuned to the stress response and our emotions. stress is a killer, especially when it comes to our digestion. it diminishes digestive blood flow, gut bacteria, gut enzymes, gut peristalsis, gut oxygen, gut immunity, stomach acid regulation, muscle tone of gut organs, bowl movement regulation, and nutrient absorption. 

it really is a simple science: stress response = sympathetic activation = digestive shutdown. 

relaxation response = parasympathetic activation = digestive activation. 

the  physiologic stress response is caused by anxious thoughts, difficult life experience, negative emotions – sadness, grief, shame, etc., moving too fast, eating too fast, “multi-tasking”, living too fast, survival based mentality and more. 

be calm.

especially when you eat. 

there is another phrase i love that says "we eat ourselves sick and digest ourselves back to health". in this world, the obsession for hard abs is a distorted attempt for true core strength, centeredness, and “solar power”. good digestion means good rhythm which = embodiment. 
good digestion grounds us, centers us and balances us. 

have you ever heard someone say "i just had this gut feeling!" that is gut wisdom-the brain in the belly. if your food issue or health challenge was a divine message, what would that message be? if the universe, your body, was asking you to learn something deeper, what might that be?