The Tale of Acidity

The slight hunger pangs and headache was pushed aside as I got involved in evening yoga sessions. This was the final trigger that led to me having one of my most excruciating bouts of acidity. It took me two and half hours to finally appease my hunger. The slight hunger and headache had now escalated into a severe migraine and gaping hole in my stomach that needed to be fed. I ran into kitchen, gorged on milk cake, a cup of sugary tea, a slice of bread and finally a vegetable and paneer salad. This did take care of the hunger but the migraine had flared up to another level by now.  The abdomen too felt uneasy. I tried everything from clearing my bowel, applying oil on my head, getting a head massage, in fact, pulled my hair in all the directions to get some relief from nonstop headache but to no avail.

Suddenly, I thought of ‘Vaman’ – a yogic kriya and ran into the kitchen again – this time to prepare saline water for performing Vaman. Vaman played the role of life saver. It helped me get rid of all the food that I had gulped in. There was an immediate sense of relaxation; the headache was almost gone; discomfort in the abdomen had disappeared; I was calm, comfortable and went off to sleep. In retrospection, I was able to identify the sources leading to my excruciating discomfort.

• Previous night’s sleep was disturbed
• There was a long gap between meals
• Insufficient intake of water
• Gulping down the food without chewing and
• The combination of foods consumed– four cups of sweeten tea (4 times), milk, curd, milk cake, paneer, rajma, cabbage (requires prolonged digestion process)

Today, Acidity and Migraine are a lifestyle problem.  Majority of times, migraine is aggravated by acidity. The source of these problems could be one of the above. Next time, you have a bout of either acidity or migraine; do take an analytical look at the points mentioned. At least, you will be able to identify the cause and may be, you can work on avoiding such a horrifying experience in the future.

Vaman cleanses the acid of the stomach. Regular practice of this kriya can help in case of asthma, diabetes and many other problems.  In fact, it does the job of a lifesaver during food poisoning episode.  Make sure to perform under specific guidelines.

For any query, write to “Ask Shammi” on www.shammisyogalaya.com For other blogs on related subject, check www.shammisyogalayablog.com

Shammi Gupta, founder of Shammi’s Yogalaya holds an MA in Yoga Shastra, is a certified Yogic Therapist and Naturopath, has completed an Advanced Yoga Course and holds a Diploma in Yoga Education from Mumbai University. She is a certified trainer from American College of Sports Medicine and holds an MBA in HR & MBA in Finance from The University of Akron, Ohio, USA. She conducts Health Awareness Workshops for Corporate, Yogasana Workshops for Athletes and Yoga Therapy Workshops on different medical issues for patients. Among the celebrities Shammi trains are eminent personalities from the film and television industry and corporate world.