Your 5-minute gut-lung reset for better health

Do you want to feel more relaxed and refreshed? This quick gut-lung reset is a great way to support your digestive and respiratory systems, improving your overall health and wellbeing.

The gut-lung axis is the communication network between your gut and lungs – this is how your gut microbiome influences lung health. Your immune system heavily influences this connection, and any imbalances in your gut microbiome can affect airway immunity, leading to lung diseases like asthma.¹ So, maintaining a healthy gut-lung axis is essential for overall health and reducing the risk of disease.

It’s best to do your reset in the morning or evening, as it gives you a moment to relax and reflect before your day begins or ends. It involves a mixture of breathwork, movement, and stretching. Practising breathing exercises is a great way to increase your oxygen levels and clear out any old or stale air in your lungs, meaning you can breathe easier and feel lighter.

Another benefit of this reset is that it supports your vagus nerve, which will help improve your gut-brain connection. This is important for your body’s natural balance, wellbeing, and for regulating inflammation in your gut or lungs.²

The 5-minute gut-lung reset

Belly Breathing

Belly breathing is a great way to calm the nervous system and massage the digestive organs to help with bowel movements. You can do this for one minute, or longer if you have the time.

Sit or lie down comfortably.
Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest.
Inhale deeply through the nose for 6 seconds, letting your belly expand.
Hold for 3 seconds.
Exhale slowly through your mouth for 8 seconds while drawing your ribs together (like blowing through a straw).
Repeat this for 1 full minute (or longer if you have the time).

Seated Spinal Twist

This move helps to improve digestion, by stimulating intestinal movement and releasing tension around the lungs and back.

Sit cross-legged (or on a chair if easier).
Inhale to lengthen your spine.
Exhale and twist gently to the right, placing your left hand on your right knee.
Hold for 4 deep breaths.
Inhale back to centre, exhale then twist to the left.
Hold for 4 breaths.
You can repeat this just once, or more if you have the time to.

Gut Massage

This short massage improves motility and reduces bloating. This will also stimulate the vagus nerve, through the gut-brain axis.

Using your fingers, gently massage your abdomen in clockwise circles (this will follow your colon’s direction).
Start near your lower right abdomen (above your hip), move up, across, and down the left side.
You can add a gentle humming sound to vibrate your vagus nerve to deepen this massage.

You can include a warm drink alongside your reset for added gut-lung power. This helps to support digestion and reduce inflammation. We’d recommend…

Warm lemon water – simply squeeze a half of a lemon in warm water.
Tummy Tea – cover 1 TBSP herbs with 3 cups of freshly boiled water, lid and steep for 15 minutes.
Ginger tea – fresh grated ginger steeped in warm water for 3 minutes.
Vinegar of your choice – 1 tsp vinegar, warm water, and a little honey (optional).

To learn more about how your gut health is linked to other systems in the body, check out these articles –

Any questions? Contact one of our Nutritional Therapists via live chat, weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm.

Your 5-minute gut-lung reset for better health

The 5-minute gut-lung reset

Belly Breathing

Seated Spinal Twist

Gut Massage

References

Questions? Talk to a Nutritional Therapist on live chat!

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