Yoga is well known for improving flexibility, building strength and reducing stress. Better gut health rarely makes the list of expected benefits.
Yet a growing body of research suggests that yoga may help some people manage irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition that affects millions of people and can cause abdominal pain and bloating, along with diarrhea, constipation or both.
At first glance, yoga and gastrointestinal health might seem unrelated. But physiology tells a different story that involves the gut-brain connection and even the poses you’ll move through in a typical practice.
Your digestive system and your brain are constantly communicating through a network known as the gut-brain axis. This connection helps explain why stress can trigger an upset stomach before a big presentation or why anxiety can worsen digestive symptoms. For people with IBS, this communication system may become especially sensitive.
Yoga may help calm that conversation. Many practices combine movement, controlled breathing and mindfulness, which can activate the parasympathetic nervous system—the body’s “rest and digest” mode. When this system turns on, stress levels decrease and digestion may function more smoothly.
Some of the poses themselves may play a role in calming your gut. Seated forward folds may help quiet a busy mind. Seated spinal twists work the oblique muscles that wrap around the abdomen, creating a gentle massage for the digestive organs. Together, these movements could help explain why some people with IBS report feeling better after a regular yoga practice.
In addition, deep breathing exercises used in yoga can engage the diaphragm, the large muscle beneath the lungs. As the diaphragm moves during slow, controlled breathing, it creates small pressure changes in the abdomen that may support digestive function.
A review published in Comprehensive Physiology found that people with IBS who practiced yoga had fewer uncomfortable digestive symptoms and less anxiety and depression. More research will help scientists figure out which yoga practices work best for IBS and how much yoga is needed to achieve lasting benefits.
Researchers are realizing increasingly that the body works as an interconnected system. The next time you roll out your yoga mat, your muscles may not be the only body parts benefiting from the practice—your gut could be getting a workout too.
Erica Roth, MS, is the American Physiological Society’s communications manager. She is a former reference librarian and medical writer.