Yoga Poses for IBS

If you are searching for help in managing your irritable bowel syndrome, you may find that incorporating yoga into your exercise routine dramatically improves how you feel physically and emotionally. Learning which poses you should do can increase your sense of wellness. It might also leave you feeling calm and energized.

Definition

Symptoms of IBS include cramping pain in the lower part of your abdomen, bloating and gas. If you have IBS, you may struggle with bouts of diarrhea and/or constipation. You might also feel an urgent need to move your bowels when you get up in the morning or after you eat. Additionally, you may experience relief from pain after you have a bowel movement. If you suffer from IBS, you might have mucus in your stool. Many women experience more symptoms of IBS when they are menstruating.

Yoga Can Help

The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that nearly 60 percent of people with IBS have underlying psychological symptoms, including anxiety and depression. In fact, in the past, physicians might have dismissed IBS as being psychosomatic. Frequent stress reduction activities and exercise, such as yoga, can help reduce anxiety and depression. But the benefits of yoga are not only psychological, but physical, as well. Specific poses may actually help to alleviate the physical symptoms of IBS.

Soothing Postures

Forward bends and simple abdominal twists may both soothe a hyperactive bowel or stimulate sluggishness. Try performing a revolved twist, or jathara parivrtti. This pose massages the internal abdomen, stretches the lower part of the back and strengthens the hip abductor. Another pose to consider is standing forward bend, or uttanasana. This forward bending posture not only calms the brain, it also helps to relieve stress and mild depression and aids in digestion.

Postures for Managing Symptoms

If you are struggling with constipation, perform poses focusing on the abdominal area. Revolved triangle pose, or parivrtta trikonasana, aids in digestive problems and constipation. Locust pose, or salambhasana, is a pose that stimulates the abdominal organs while helping with constipation and indigestion. On the website for "Yoga Journal" magazine, Kathleen Nelson, recommends moving between the postures with the stomach held in after you release and exhale.

Caution

As with any medical condition, it is important to consult your doctor prior to beginning an exercise program. Seek the guidance of an experienced yoga instructor who can work with you to tailor a yoga practice to your needs.