How Yoga Can Help Relieve IBS Symptoms
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a disorder characterized by abdominal pain, discomfort, and altered bowel habits (chronic or recurrent diarrhea, constipation, or both – either mixed or in alternation). People with IBS often report pain as the most frequent factor contributing to the severity of their IBS symptoms. Because IBS is a functional disorder, it cannot be easily detected and is due to changes in the functioning of the systems of the body. People can go to many doctors over the span of years without ever being diagnosed.
In this post, we will delve into the ways yoga can serve as a powerful tool for alleviating symptoms of IBS. By examining the interplay between the gut-brain axis and stress, we will highlight how yoga’s stress-reducing techniques and physical postures can help mitigate common IBS symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, and irregular bowel movements.
Understanding IBS
IBS is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder characterized by symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in bowel habits, including constipation and diarrhea. Symptoms may result from a disturbance in the way the gut, brain, and nervous system interact. This can cause changes in normal bowel movement and sensation, and symptoms can be unpredictable. Long-term and chronic symptoms can disrupt personal and professional activities, and social well-being.
IBS affects approximately 10-15% of the global population, making it one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders. It’s impact on daily life can be significant, as individuals with IBS often experience chronic pain, frequent and urgent trips to the bathroom, dietary restrictions, and increased stress and anxiety related to managing their symptoms. This can lead to decreased quality of life, affecting work productivity, social interactions, and overall well-being.
Ultimately, the reasons why IBS develop are unclear. It can occur after a bacterial infection or a parasitic infection (giardiasis) of the intestines. This is called post infectious IBS. Other possible considerations include:
Stressful or traumatic life events such as physical or sexual abuse
Certain mental health conditions such as axiety, depression, and somatic symptom disorder
Bacterial infections in your digestive system
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), an increase in the number or a change of the type of bacteria in your small intestine
Food intolerances or sensitivities, in which certain foods cause digestive symptoms.
IBS triggers can also include your diet, stress and anxiety, antibiotics, and menstruation.
The Connection Between Stress and IBS
The gut-brain connection, often referred to as the gut-brain axis, is a complex communication network that links the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) with the enteric nervous system (the gastrointestinal tract). This bidirectional pathway involves neural, hormonal, and immunological signals that continuously relay information between the gut and the brain, influencing digestive processes, immune function, and emotional states. Stress and anxiety can significalty exacerbate IBS symptoms by disrupting this communication. When the brain perceives tress, it can trigger the release of hormones that alter gut motility and sensitivity, leading to increased abdominal pain, bloating, and irregular bowel movements. Moreover, heightened stress can lead to changes in gut flora and increased intestinal permeability, further aggravating IBS symptoms. Understanding this connection highlights the importance of stress management techniques, such as yoga, in alleviating the severity and frequency of IBS flare-ups.
The gut-brain connection is complex and bidirectional. Signals pass both ways between your digestive system and central nervous system, and health and disease in one can affect the other.
How the body responds to stress can significantly impact the gastrointestinal system, manifesting in symptoms commonly associated with disorders like IBS. When the body encounters stress, the brain activates to release stress hormones such as cortisol. These hormones can increase gut motility, or the movement of food from the mouth, through your digestive system, and out of the body, causing food to move more quickly or slowly through the digestive tract, which can result in diarrhea or constipation. Additionally, stress can alter the composition and function of gut flora, the community of microorganisms living in the intestines. Changes in gut flora can disrupt the delicate balance needed for healthy digestion, potentially leading to increased inflammation and a heightened sensitivity to pain. These physiological responses underscore the need for effective stress management strategies to help maintain digestive health and mitigate the adverse effects of stress on the gut.
My personal journey with IBS began during a study abroad trip to Brazil. My diet drastically changed in the months I lived there, and I often felt sick to my stomach on and off during that time. Once I returned home, I continued to remedy my digestive discomfort but it morphed into a chronic condition. I also spent most of my college years grieving the death of my mother from my years in high school. I struggled to process the grief, isolation, and lack of self-worth I developed from losing my mother and suppressing my emotions in an effort to make a way for myself despite my loss. A travel bug and the stress from losing my mother exacerbated the pain I felt from my IBS symptoms and impacted my ability to enjoy food, social interactions, travel, and to feel good in my body.
How Yoga Helps Relieve IBS Symptoms
Yoga and stress reduction
Yoga reduces stress by combining physical postures (asanas), controlled breathing exercises (pranayama), and mindfulness or meditation practices, creating a holistic approach to calming the mind and relaxing the body. The physical postures help release tension held in the muscles, while the controlled breathing techniques enhance oxygen flow and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes a state of relaxation. Mindfulness and meditation practices in yoga encourage present-moment awareness and reduce the constant stream of stress-inducing thoughts. Numerous studies have demonstrated yoga’s effectiveness in stress management, showing that regular practice can lower levels of cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, and improve overall mood and emotional well-being. By reducing stress, yoga can help alleviate symptoms of stress-related conditions, including IBS, making it a valuable tool for improving both mental and physical health.
Yoga’s emphasis on controlled breathing, mindfulness, and physical postures helps to calm the nervous system, reduce muscle tension, and promote a sense of mental clarity and emotional stability. Additionally, yoga encourages a mindful approach to life, which can lead to better coping mechanisms and a more resilient mindset in the face of stress. These combined benefits make yoga a powerful and holistic approach to managing stress, enhancing both physical and mental health.
Physical Benefits of Yoga
Yoga poses play a vital role in improving digestion and relieving abdominal discomfort by targeting specific areas of the body and stimulating the digestive organs.
Poses such as twist gently massage the abdominal organs, promoting detoxification and improved digestion by increasing blood flow to these areas.
Forwardd bends can help alleviate bloating and gas by compression the abdomen and encouraging the release of trapped air.
Inversion like legs up the wall can aid in regulating bowel movement by reversing the flow of gravity and promoting peristalsis, the wave-like muscular contractions that move food through the digestive tract.
Mind-Body Connection
Because the relation to gut health and eating, yoga promotes a mindful approach to eating and body awareness by encouraging practitioners to cultivate a deeper connection between mind, body, and food. Practicing yoga individuals learn to distinguish between physical hunger and emotional triggers for eating, such as stress or boredom, leading to more balanced and intuitive eating habits. Furthermore, yoga encourages self-compassion and acceptance of bone’s body, promoting a positive body image and reducing the tendency to engage in restrictive or disordered eating patterns.
Yoga Poses for IBS Relief
Child’s pose
Benefits: Child’s pose provides gentle compression to the abdominal region, promoting relaxation and relieving tension in the gut.
How to do it: Start by kneeling on the floor with your knees hip-width distance apart. Sit back on your heels and slowly lower your torso, bending forward from the hips. Walk the finger tips towards the top of your mat or rest your arms at either side, whichever is more comfortable.
Relax your shoulders, and allow your body to sink into the pose. Take several deep breaths to experience the opening in the upper body
Cobra Pose
Benefits: Helps relieve stress and fatigue, improves blood circulation, and massages your abdominal organs
How to do it: From child’s pose, begin to lift your hips and slide your palmunderneath your shoulders as you roll onto your forearms, bringing the belly onto your mat. Keep your legs glued together behind you, with both of the feet touching, shoe-lace side facing downwards. Pushing the feet into the mat, begin to push the palms into the mat as you push your chest away from your mat. Roll the shoulders back, keep your elbows glued to your side, as you squeeze through your lower back.
Bow Pose
Benefits: Bow pose is a deep backbend that helps to relieve fatigue, anxiety, as well as constipation. You may not want to hold this pose for long if it makes your bowels feel overactive while you’re in it.
How to do it: Lie on your mat, belly flat, with arms at your side. Bend the knees and lift the calves until you can grab the outside of your feet with your hands, all five fingers touching. Exhale, kick back and up through the toes, lifting your chest and knees further away from the mat. As your shoulders pull away from your chest, allow yourself to rock forward onto the soft part of your belly.
Malasana Squat
Benefits: This pose is especially useful for individuals who are constipated or compalin of incomplete evacuation, flatulence, and bloating. This pose enables a smoother and complete bowel movement.
How to do it: Bring the soles of your feet to the center of your mat, placing them hip-width distance apart and turning them outwards at a 45 degree angle. Start to drop your hips towards your mat, bending at your knees. Bring your palm to heart center and use your elbows to push your knees outward.
Supine Twist
Benefits: The benefits of the pose include detoxification and improving digestive function. Supine twists specifically stretches your low back and middle torso. In addition to relieving IBS Symptoms, its also excellent for reducing lower back pain
How to do it: Lying on your back, extend the left leg straight onto your mat, and bend your right knee back towards your chest, grabbing it with your legs hand 2 inches below the knee. Inhale and tee your left arm out to the side, palm open, facing downwards. As you exhale, begin to let your right knee drape over the left leg, rolling over onto your left hip as you drape your right knee down towards your mat. Keep your left arm and shoulder glued to the mat to protect your lower spine. You can continue gazing towards the ceiling or send your gaze to the left, in the same direction of your left arm.
In Conclusion
Yoga offers a multifaceted approach to relieving the symptoms of IBS, combining stress reduction, improved digestion, and enhanced body awareness. By incorporating specific yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness practices, individuals with IBS can experience significant improvements in abdominal discomfort, bloating, and irregular bowel movements. The holistic nature of yoga addresses both the physical and emotional aspects of IBS, promoting overall well-being and a more balanced lifestyle. Embracing yoga as part of a comprehensive IBS management plan, which may also include dietary adjustments, medication, and other stress-relief techniques can lead to a more effective and sustained symptom relief. As you explore and integrate these practices, remember that patience and consistency are key, and that a holistic approach will provide the most benefits for managing IBS and improving your quality of life.
Even if it is just 5 minutes a day, making time for your practice matters and still counts. Commit to just 5 minutes a day for a week and notice how you feel. From there you can take it further to longer time, joining classes, or streaming videos from home to find which style of yoga you like.
I would love to hear from you! Do you, or anyone you know deal with IBS? I would love to hear from you in the comments! Thank you for reading and please subscribe to my blog and follow me on social media for more tips on managing IBS.