Yoga for IBS & Gut Health

Yoga can help alleviate constipation by stimulating the digestive system, improving gut mobility, reducing stress, and enhancing bowel movements. Here are a few asanas and poses for constipation.

The Matsyendrasana: extend both your legs out, now bend the right leg and cross the right foot over the left leg. You can also practice the asana in this position — this is a modified position. If you want to practice the full thing, bend the left knee as well and bring the heel, the left heel, right under your right foot. Now the first version is going to be with your left hand hugging your right knee like this.

Take your right hand behind you, lengthen your spine — don't sink the weight onto the right hand like this, use the right hand just to find length and lengthen your spine. Inhale to find that length, and as you exhale, twist and look over your right shoulder. Stay here: five, four, three, two, and one. Look forward, release your hands, release both your legs.

And practice this — if it was comfortable, we will practice the other version of Ardha Matsyendrasana on the other side. So continue to practice this if this was a lot; if this was comfortable you can practice the version I am going to show you now. Bend the left leg now, cross the left leg over the right, bend the right knee bringing the heel under your left foot. Keep the knee and the chest as close together as possible, so make sure that this doesn't happen — okay, keep the knee and the chest close.

You can continue hugging the knee and practice like you did on the first side. If not, take your left hand behind you, inhale and lift up through the right side, and as you exhale, try to bring the upper arm outside of your left knee. As you turn and look over your left shoulder, breathe: five, four, three, two, one. Look forward and release your hands, release your legs.

From here slowly walk your hands to the front of the mat, shifting your weight, and just allow your hips to rest onto the mat. Allow your toes to relax and allow your hips also to relax down into the floor. If this is a bit hard and it's straining your back, gently just bend your elbows so that your hip is comfortable on the floor.

From here gently look up to the ceiling, roll the shoulders back, going into your cobra pose. You'll almost feel the stretch right from your chin all the way down to the pelvic region, especially on the belly, stretching it out and staying here for another three. Remember, into the breath, four, two, last little breath here, and four, one.

Slowly bring your head back and gently bend your elbows. From here slowly look towards your right heel, almost like you want to spot your toes, and then you'll feel this nice stretch on the left side of the body. Stay here for a few counts. Good.

And slowly come back to center and move into the opposite side. Bending your left elbow, look to the left heel, and if that's easy you can even look towards the left thigh, stretching the entire right side of the body, staying here for two, last for one, and slowly coming back to center, straightening the elbows, looking up to the ceiling and then gently bringing your chest down to the earth.

You can adjust so that you're at the center of the mat. Take a minute here to just lie down, catch your breath if you've lost it.

Then, both knees — keeping your pelvis tilted, belly drawn in — exhale, hug your right knee into the chest. Inhale, leg down. Your belly stays in throughout — exhale, left knee; inhale, down; exhale, right; inhale, down; exhale, left; inhale, down. One more time: exhale, right, stay here, keeping the belly drawn in. Next exhalation, lift your forehead up towards the knee.

Keep breathing but belly stays in. Now stretch your arms forward and try to stay up in this crunched position. Hold the knee again — inhale, head down; exhale, hug the knee, draw your lower belly in more; inhale, relax. Take a breather here, neutral pelvis — we're going to repeat this on the left side. Exhale, tilting the pelvis, draw your lower belly in. Inhale, exhale, hug the left knee, bring your forehead up towards the knee, stretch the arms forward, stay in the crunch. Hug the knee once again — inhale, head down, drawing your belly in, hug a little tighter; inhale, bring your foot down.

Let's move on to the next posture, which is known as Malasana, or a deep squat. For this, make sure your feet are slightly wider than hip width. Now place your palms in a namaste in front of your chest, take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, lower your hips down as far as you can without lifting your heels off the mat. Once you are down here, press into your thighs with your elbows, keeping the back straight, and hold this posture for five, four, three, two, and one. Slowly come back up and bring your hands down, shake your legs, shake your hands, relax — you can repeat this posture a few times as far as your comfort goes.

You want to bend your right leg into Triangles, so this is like a half-hero's pose — you'll bend the leg like so. If you have any knee issues, you can avoid this and just stick with the previous one. The toes are pointing back, remember — you're not pointing the toes outside, okay? And then from here, you're going to take your left leg and bring it into the Padmasana position.

Again, only do this if you have healthy knees — do not attempt this if your knee is hurting, okay? So you'll bring that left heel towards your right lower belly, okay? Now, from here, you'll take your left hand behind you and your right hand to the outside of your left knee, and then you're going to twist and turn over your left shoulder. Stay here and breathe: five, four, three, two, one — inhale, look forward; exhale, release your hands, release your legs.

Let's do the same on the other side: bend the left leg into your Triangles position, toes pointing back, and bring the right leg into Padmasana, half-Padmasana position, the right heel against the left lower belly. Now take your left hand to the outside of your right knee, right hand behind you, lengthen your spine as you inhale, and as you exhale, twist over your right shoulder. Five, four, three, two, one — inhale, look forward; exhale, release your hands, release your legs, and slowly lie down in Shavasana. Relax in Shavasana for as long as you'd like to.