Bloating can be truly uncomfortable and surprisingly hard to treat. When you're feeling like an overstuffed teddy bear, at first you may think all you need to do is release some of the gas that's built up in your stomach. But you may not know how to make yourself fart to release trapped gas — it's not as easy as it sounds, and sometimes it's just not happening on its own. If your stomach is bloated after eating a rich dinner, snacking on something that didn't agree with you, or overdoing it on fiber all day, it may be too late for you to head to the store for some Beano or Gas-X — or maybe you just want to try to relieve gas yourself before resorting to medication.
If you've ever found yourself Googling "how to relieve gas fast," you may already know: there are several yoga-inspired positions to relieve gas. The right yoga moves can absolutely relax your body and get things moving, allowing you to expel the gas that's making you feel so bloated and uncomfortable, and letting you breathe a sigh of relief — sometimes within just a few short minutes. Is there anything yoga can't do?
When you're considering how to release gas from the stomach, manual manipulation can help. But it's not necessarily that the contortions you put yourself through physically push trapped gas from your gut out of your body. Rather, yoga poses help relax your entire body (including your intestines), and that can allow your gut to release gas.
You can try just one or two of the following 12 positions to relieve gas, or work your way through the entire sequence. To increase the chances of it working, take your time and really relax and breathe into your belly. Sipping on some water and listening to calming music can also help. As a friendly warning, though, you might want to get into these gas-relief positions alone, because they're very effective (if you know what I mean).
This yoga pose and gas relief position helps stretch out the hips and release pressure on the abdomen while opening up your lower back. You'll instantly feel some relief from your discomfort, even if you don't necessarily release the trapped gas immediately.
This standing twist will help massage your belly, making it a great position to relieve gas. Go slow here, as you might feel more resistance than normal if you're uncomfortably bloated. Give yourself grace and only twist as far as you can. The movement should feel good, not strenuous.
This wide-legged forward bend puts pressure on the belly to help get gas bubbles moving. If you've already worked through the other two poses, you might feel some movement or even experience a big release here.
This relaxing twist will help massage your intestines to move things along in your digestive tract. Again, don't worry if you can't move as deeply into this pose as you normally do. The goal is to keep your body moving and to allow the muscles to relax, so the gas trapped in your stomach can release.
You may not think of a seated pose as a surefire bloat remedy, but this intense seated twist often produces results. FYI, just like the other poses here, you don't need to twist deep into this gas-relief position to feel the benefits.
This basic pose may not be the first on your mind as a position to relieve gas, but moving the spine in this way can help move things digestively. It also is incredibly relaxing to your core, which may help encourage your intestines to let go and allow the trapped gas to escape.
This deep belly stretch should feel really good, even if it's a bit uncomfortable at first. We don't always realize how tense and hunched we get when we're bloated — we may find ourselves curving over our stomachs like a C shape. This yoga pose for gas lets us correct and stretch, and that's a huge relief.
This is another relaxing, gas-relief pose that targets the stress that may be keeping your intestines tight. Take your time in this pose, and try to let all your tension go.
You might be looking at the picture and thinking "no way," but sometimes your belly needs a little pressing to relieve gas. (Of course, if this gas-relief pose is painful, feel free to skip it!)
Alternately stretching one knee into your chest at a time is great for relieving gas pressure. The movement and the gentle pressure both help your body let go of gas.
This relaxing twist is also known as "wind-relieving pose" for a reason! It will help massage your intestines to move things along in your digestive tract. Again, don't be discouraged if you feel like your bloat is inhibiting your ability to move deeply into the stretch — just work with what you've got right now.
Watch out, because this gas-relief position may be the most effective of all — especially if you've already worked through the previous 11.