The aim of yoga during a bout of diarrhoea is to strengthen the intestinal muscles which usually weaken after the attack of Diarrhoea. Diarrhoea is primarily a condition in which a person passes loose, watery and frequent stools. The stools can be coupled with lack of appetite, nausea and even vomiting. Diarrhoea is usually caused by a bacterial or a viral infection that infects the intestinal tract.
Occasionally diarrhoea can be a recurrent condition due to chronic issues like Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS. Most yoga practitioners advise against doing yoga during diarrhoea because the body is already weak. Diarrhoea, especially acute diarrhoea, tends to dehydrate the body.
Doing yoga in such a condition can be risky because your body is not up to speed. But gentle yoga and gradually done stretches can be very good for the body.
The practice of yoga will also depend on whether you have chronic digestive issues that leads to diarrhoea or is it a one off thing. If the condition is chronic, then you need to check with your doctor before practicing yoga. Often most poses in yoga come with contraindications. Contraindications are conditions in which the pose or the asana might not do its job as effectively. If the diarrhoea is a one off thing, yoga or the practice of the poses will not affect it but if it is chronic, you should get your doctor’s approval.
In some instances, the type of yoga also acts as a deterrent. Bikram Yoga, for instance, is very rigorous and people with diarrhoea shouldn’t practice it. This form of yoga tends to be exacting on the body and even under normal circumstances, sometimes the person could even develop diarrhoea as a result of doing yoga. In such cases, therefore, it becomes important that people suffering from diarrhoea do not try the newer forms of yoga.
If you choose to do yoga with diarrhoea, you need to start slow as a precaution. As you feel stronger you can increase the intensity of the workout. There are some of the poses that can be done to help cure diarrhoea: