Vayusaar - A cleasing exercise to cure gastric problems

Vayusaar ( Sanskrit : वायुसार , वायु = Gas/Air, सार=extract/expel, Vayusaar = Force out gas from stomach) is a cleansing technique to force out the gas (that cause gastric troubles) accumulated in the stomach.

Before learning this technique, lets discuss what causes gas in the stomach.

What causes Gas ?^[1]

There are two sources for gas.
1) Undigested food in the large intestine
2) Swallowed Air.

Source 1: Undigested Food :^[1]

Main source of gas in human body is carbohydrates. Fats and Protein cause little gas.Human body does not digest some types of carbohydrates - like fiber,starch,sugar (raffinose, lactose, fructose, and sorbitol) due to lack/shortage of enzymes in the small intestine. The undigested food passes to the large intestine where harmless bacteria breaks them into hydrogen,carbon-dioxide and methane (in some people). This is main source of all gastric problems.

Source 2: Swallowed Air:^[1]

Swallowed air or aerophagia is a common source of gas in the stomach. Some amount of gas gets swallowed when we drink or eat. More air is drawn into the stomach during rapid drinking/eating, smoking and chewing gum. Belching or burping is a common way by which the swallowed air - containing nitrogen,oxygen,carbon-dioxide leaves the stomach. Remaining air gets absorbed in the small intestine and the residue passes to the large intestine and gets expelled through the rectum. The swallowed air will not cause any gastric problems.

Problems caused by gas:^[1]

1) Belching (sometimes with bad odour)
2) Too much flatulence
3) Bloated stomach
4) Abdominal pain/discomfort.

Vayusaar:

Vayusaar is a cleansing technique that utilizes the technique of swallowing the air (source 2) to expel the excess gas out of stomach. In vayusaar , the air is swallowed intentionally. The swallowed air gets mixed with the gas in the stomach (caused by undigested food) and gets expelled through belching/burping.

How to do Vayusaar:

1) Sit in Padmasan (with eyes closed)
2) Swallow air in small portions till your stomach is full.
3) Gently press your abdomen with your palm and you will belch/burp.
4) Continue belching till you fell comfortable/till it stops.
5) Do not worry about the remaining gas in the stomach as the swallowed air will not cause any harm and it will exit through the other way.

Benefits:

Clears all types of gastric problems in due course of time.

Reference:

[1] National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - USA - "Gas in the digestive Tract"

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