Your jeans are tightening, your stomach is feeling painful, and you generally feel pretty uncomfortable! Bloating is not fun and can affect how we feel mentally and physically.
Bloating is a pretty common condition caused by lifestyle or dietary factors. Commonly it is caused by the build of gas created by things like a high fibre diet, drinking fizzy drinks, or eating too quickly. Or it could be caused by digestive issues or IBS, which affects the gut and causes gas and excessive bloating.
Some ways you might try to reduce bloating include:
- Going for a walk
- Abdominal massage
- Drinking peppermint tea
But next time you are feeling bloated, grab your yoga mat and try out some of these bloat relieving yoga poses.
Yoga works in two ways to help relieve gas and bloating.
Firstly, on a physical level, doing yoga poses that focus on your abdominal are helps to soothe your bloated stomach by giving you an internal massage as you bend and twist. This gently moves the gas through your digestive tract and reduces bloating.
Secondly, yoga is a great stress reliever and stress can be a cause of bloating. By focusing on gentle breathing and relaxing, your digestive system is less stressed and can help to reduce a bloated stomach.
As an added benefit, not only is yoga a great way to help you naturally debloat, there are other health benefits of yoga. Some benefits include improving your mental health, strengthening your muscles, helping with IBS, and reducing your blood pressure.
Yoga Poses for Bloating
Spend at least 10 minutes working your way through these yoga positions to help reduce gas and bloating.
Knees to Chest
- Lie flat on your back with legs extended to the floor
- Slowly pull one knee into your chest, keep your head on the floor
- Hold the leg around your shin or under your thighs
- Hold for up to 5 minutes before switching to the other leg
If you want to push a bit further, you can roll the knee that is pulled up over the opposite leg so you are in a spinal twist.
Spinal Twist
Or, if that is too much or uncomfortable for you, try a seated spinal twist.
- Start in a seated position with your legs in front of you
- Draw up your right knee and cross it over the left leg
- Cross your left leg & bring the sole of your foot up towards your bum
- Exhale and twist towards
- Reach your right arm behind you and gently twist towards your right
- Swap sides and repeat a few times on either side
Cat and Cow
- Start on your hands and knees
- Inhale and arch your back upwards and drop your head so you are in a rounded shape
- On the exhale raise up your head, and drop your back into an arch for the cat shape
This pose is also great for relieving back pain
Standing Fold
- Start standing on your yoga mat, feet hip width apart
- Bend forward at the waist, letting your head drop over your thighs, your arms relaxed in front of you or wrapped around your ankles
- Roll up to standing slowly
Childs Pose
- Start on your hands and knees in a table top position
- Bring your toes together, widening your knees
- Push your hips backwards and sink towards your toes
- Let your arms crawl forward in front of you
- Let your forehead rest on the ground
Bridge Pose
- Start flat on your back with your knees bent and flat on the floor
- Keep your arms beside you
- On an inhale, push up through your hips, keeping your feet flat on the floor
- Lower down slowly after a few breaths
If you prefer to follow along with a yoga class, try one of these YouTube Yoga workouts specifically designed to focus on digestion and the yoga positions to reduce bloating.
Youtube Yoga
Yoga with Adrienne – Yoga for Digestion
Sarah Beth Yoga – Yoga for Bloating
Yoga with Kassandra – Beginner Yoga for Digestion
Yoga with Bird – Yoga for Trapped Gas, Bloating, and Indigestion
Including yoga in your daily routine can be a great way to relieve bloating and manage your digestive health.
Don’t forget to always listen to your body and modify the poses as needed. If you are new to yoga or just want more guidance, sign up to your local yoga class.
If you don’t already, now is a good time to follow me on instagram. I post loads of top tips for living well with IBS!
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