July 26, 2024
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Some yoga poses help compress and stimulate the digestive organs, making yoga an effective tool to help relieve bloating that can occur with inflammatory bowel disease.
If you have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), you may have tried numerous strategies to relieve bloating. If they haven’t been as successful as you’d like, it may be time to give yoga a try.
While yoga is surging in popularity in the United States today, it’s by no means a new practice; it’s been used in India for thousands of years to improve physical and mental well-being.
While many people love it for its fitness and mindfulness benefits, yoga may also be an effective, gentle way to alleviate bloating and cramping and promote general digestive health.
So, if you’re ready to get down with Downward Dog and other poses, read on to learn more about how yoga can help reduce IBD bloating and improve your well-being.
A recent literature review suggested that mind-body interventions can reduce symptoms in many chronic illnesses and that yoga might be particularly helpful for folks living with IBD.
A handful of small studies included in the review showed that it may decrease clinical activity and reduce stress.
The authors of the review suggest several possible reasons for this: Some of the included studies found changes in brain volume and density among yoga practitioners (which correlate with reduced levels of perceived stress), and increases in certain neurotransmitters, which in turn can benefit IBD. Some also found lower levels of inflammatory markers.
Longtime yogis also find that getting on the mat helps reduce bloating and other IBD symptoms. Here’s how:
Almost any physical activity, including walking, can help relieve bloating and improve digestion. However, yoga, in particular, involves twists and forward bends, which can stimulate the digestive organs and help food move through your system more easily.
Yoga isn’t just about twisting yourself into a pretzel; it’s also about finding a little calm. Stress can exacerbate IBD symptoms, but a mindful, relaxing activity like yoga can reduce stress and indirectly benefit your digestive health.
Unlike some medications, yoga has virtually no side effects.
The worst that could happen is that you could injure a muscle, but in a 2021 study, only 0.25% of participants experienced that, another 1% experienced soreness, and a miniscule 0.13% reported fatigue.
Incorporating yoga poses that target the digestive organs into your next yoga practice can help flatten a bloated stomach.
Regular use of poses like Cat-Cow and Forward Fold can make a significant difference to your digestive comfort. In addition, yoga strengthens your core, which will also help create a flatter appearance.
While any yoga practice is beneficial for overall health, learning specific poses will be particularly helpful if you want to use yoga for bloating and other IBD symptoms. The following are great poses to start with.
According to Yoga Journal, this pose compresses the colon to aid in releasing gas.
How to do it:
Gentle twists are particularly great for massaging the abdominal organs. This is an easy seated twist.
How to do it:
Bending backward can help stretch your abdomen and chest to relieve bloating. While even beginners can do this pose, it can be challenging, so don’t hesitate to make modifications if necessary.
How to do it:
This yoga pose is great for IBD: It stretches the abdomen and relieves cramps, according to Yoga Journal.
How to do it:
Yoga has benefits for almost everybody, but for people living with IBD, it’s particularly helpful.
Yoga can help reduce bloating and increase digestive comfort, thanks to the stimulation of compression, twisting, and bending poses. If you need to release trapped gas or relieve your bloated stomach, try yoga for bloating before you reach for an antacid.
Medically reviewed on July 26, 2024
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