The discomfort, pain, and embarrassment that bloating can cause can make it difficult to go through your day with ease. It’s worse when the bloating is brought on by something you ate, forcing you to go through a grueling day with an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach. But, if you can find relief quickly and easily– like with yoga poses designed specifically for bloating – life can be much more pleasant. The benefits of yoga are widely-known and include improved flexibility, strength training, focus, and stress relief. But you can also use yoga to reduce bloating. The poses below are specifically tailored to help relieve bloating quickly and provide you more comfort throughout your day. But first, what might be causing your bloating?
Bloating is that uncomfortable feeling of fullness, pressure, and/or tightness in your abdomen that is often accompanied by visible swelling. It may be accompanied by gas, flatulence, burping, and belching.
There are many potential causes of bloating, such as:
Constipation is the most common cause of bloating. If you’re not having regular bowel movements, food can become trapped in your digestive system and cause your stomach to appear enlarged (10). Most people don’t realize they are constipated, missing these signs:
If your bloating is accompanied by other symptoms, such as diarrhea or abdominal pain, it could be due to digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or lactose intolerance (10).
If certain foods seem to cause you more bloating than others, it could be due to a food sensitivity or even an allergy. If you’re not sure what the culprit is, consider eliminating potential trigger foods one-by-one and seeing if there’s a change in your bloating.
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Certain foods can cause bloating in some people, such as dairy products and certain vegetables like beans and cabbage. Processed foods may also be a culprit because they often contain high amounts of sodium, which can cause water retention and bloating (3).
When you eat too quickly, your stomach doesn’t have time to properly digest food, which can lead to bloating. Eating slowly and taking the time to chew your food thoroughly is one of the best ways to prevent this type of bloating
Consuming large portions of food at once can put a strain on your digestive system, leading to bloating. This is especially true if you’re eating heavy, high-fat and spicy meals.
Drinks containing carbon dioxide, such as soda and some beers, can cause you to bloat. The carbon dioxide gets trapped in your digestive tract and causes bloating (12).
Smoking can cause bloating by weakening the muscles of your digestive system and decreasing their ability to process food properly (4).
Some research also suggests that smokers have an increased risk of developing IBS, a chronic condition that can cause bloating among other discomforts (11).
If you’ve identified one or more of the potential causes of your bloating and want to find relief, you have several options:
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Yes, yoga can help reduce bloating. Certain poses are designed to massage the digestive organs, stretch and relax the abdominal muscles, improve circulation in the abdomen and stimulate digestion – all of which can help relieve uncomfortable bloating (1).
Furthermore, yoga poses can help relieve stress, which is linked to bloating. Stress not only aggravates the digestive system but also affects digestion, leading to symptoms like gas, bloating, and indigestion (8).
And, yoga is a form of exercise. And research shows that regular exercise is a key preventative measure for digestive issues and can reduce bloating (6).
Below are 14 yoga poses that can help reduce bloating and improve your overall digestion:
Breathwork is a seemingly simple but powerful yoga practice that involves awareness of breath and controlled breathing exercises. Pranayama can help reduce stress and relax the body, both of which can help reduce bloating (9).
If you’re, say, seated at your desk, and can’t do full yoga postures, this particular pose will be helpful. You can also use breathwork to finish your routine after performing several yoga poses.
How to do it:
This is a simple forward-bending pose that helps relax the abdominal muscles, stretch the back and shoulders, and improve digestion. It also helps reduce bloating and constipation (9).
How to do it:
Read More: The Top 4 Yoga Positions To Release Gas
This is a passive pose that calms the mind and opens the hips and inner thighs, allowing the abdominal area to relax. It helps reduce gas and bloating by stimulating digestion and circulation in the abdomen (9).
How to do it:
The cat cow pose is a gentle movement that helps massage the intestines and stimulate digestion. It also helps reduce bloating by massaging the abdominal organs, which helps move gas through the digestive tract (5).
How to do it:
This pose is great for relieving abdominal tension and helping reduce bloating. It’s commonly referred to as the “wind-relieving pose” because of how effective it is at relieving gas and bloating (9).
How to do it:
This pose is great for relieving tension and stretching the abdominal muscles, which helps reduce bloating. It also helps massage the digestive organs, which improves circulation and digestion (9).
How to do it:
This is an inversion yoga pose that helps massage the abdominal organs, which can help reduce bloating. It also stretches and strengthens the spine, which helps improve posture and digestion (2).
How to do it:
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Bow pose is a great abdominal stretch that can help reduce stretching your abdominal muscles, which can help reduce bloating. It also helps to stimulate blood flow to the digestive organs, which can help improve digestion (7).
How to do it:
This pose is great for stretching and massaging the digestive organs, which can help reduce bloating. It also helps to open and stretch the spine, which can help improve posture and digestion (13).
How to do it:
This is a restorative pose that helps relax the body and mind, which can help reduce stress that may be contributing to bloating. It also helps improve circulation, which can aid in digestion (9).
How to do it:
Finding the right yoga poses for bloating relief can make a world of difference to your digestive health and overall wellbeing. From twists that help massage the internal organs to restorative poses that help reduce stress, there are plen-ty of poses to try.
Remember to always listen to your body, going gently and only as deep into the poses as you are able.
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