Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is defined as a gastrointestinal disorder that involves abnormal contractions of the intestines and increased intestinal hypersensitivity.It is common to feel abdominal pain, bloating, have mucus in feces, experience gas and irregular bowel movements (constipation or diarrhea). The symptoms can be intermittent and can last years. Although chronic IBS causes serious abdominal and psychological discomfort, it is not thought to lead to any serious abdominal organ problems over time. Stress is the largest contributing factor to IBS The International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD) statistics state that the prevalence rates are 9-23% of the population worldwide. In the United States the range is 10-15% of the population. Of the people who experience IBS, 70% consider their symptoms to be “mild” and therefore do not go to a doctor. About 30% do go to a doctor and consider their symptoms to be “moderate” or “severe”. Forty percent of individuals who report having IBS are male and sixty percent are female. The cost estimate of medical expenses and indirect costs associated with lost work is at least $21 billion per year.

These statistics present an extraordinary opportunity for yoga therapy and therapist to help in healing many people throughout the world. Yoga and ayurveda have a number of tools and technology that provide relief from the physical symptoms, as well as the psychological pain of IBS. This article will give a brief understanding of how Yoga, and the sister school of Ayurveda, can assist in the process. But it should be kept in mind that one set or tools or techniques can not possibly heal every individual. In yoga therapy, we treat the individual and not the disease. For example, one person might have IBS caused by stress. Another might experience symptoms of IBS after a surgery that did not properly heal. And a third might be eating the wrong foods at incorrect times of the day. It is easy to see how decreasing stress levels of the first person through yoga would help. The second person might need to have medical care to see exactly what is happening in the lower abdomen. And the person, who is eating incorrectly, may actually need nutritional help from an ayurvedic or western nutritionist. Hence, first and foremost, treat the person and not the disease.

One size does not fit all people. It is highly recommended that each person see a qualified Yoga Therapist and Ayurvedic Practitioner or Doctor. How Yoga Therapy Can Help What we do know is that stress is the largest contributing factor to IBS. Yoga can help immensely with managing stress levels, giving a sense of control and promoting stability emotionally. Yoga can help to increase self-care and mental-emotional awareness. These are all key concepts for assisting a student who has IBS to heal. First, it is essential that the yoga practice targeted at IBS stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). This part of the nervous system creates the relaxation response (a term coined by Herbert Benson in the 1970’s).

The PNS is often quoted as creating a response in the body that allows one to “rest and digest.” This translates to gentle yoga that makes us feel very relaxed and at peace. For example, lying on the floor with legs propped on a chair and doing long exhale breathing. Or lying in savasana (corpse pose) with a bolster under the knees and chanting softly “Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.” Practicing poses and breathing patterns several times a day for a few minutes can have a dramatic positive change on the student’s nervous system and promote stress reduction. You will see in the practices that accompany this article that even very simple breathing techniques and gentle yoga poses have a profound effect. They can help to reduce stress, promote emotional stability and increase body awareness. Types of IBS and Practices That Heal Experiencing gas and bloating can be very disturbing. It can be painful, embarrassing and distracting. A simple technique that can help with gas and bloating is to drink warm water often during the day. This will reduce the amount of gas and decrease bloating. It needs to be warm water, not cold or ice-filled water. Some students may say that they cannot take the time and energy to go to the bathroom so often, as a result of increased water intake. But please note that living in a state of dehydration is not the answer. It is common that after a few weeks the student’s body will adjust to the new amount of water intake. The cells will hold more water and the student will not have to go to the restroom so often. It is just a period of adjustment.

A second practice for IBS is for those who feel that they never really completely empty their bowels and there is a sensation that lingers throughout the day, making the student feel as if you might need a restroom at any time. The yoga and ayurveda solution for this is to have a special morning routine. It many mean that you need to get up 15 minutes earlier, but a stitch in time saves nine! Get up early (ideally with the sunrise) and have a warm glass of water immediately after brushing your teeth. First, time of day matters. The early morning hours when the sun is coming up is a time when you body naturally wants to fully release the waste that is inside. The warm water will get the bowel movement flowing. And then find a small stool to place your feet upon while sitting on the toilet. This will put the body in the proper position to release with gravity. They key is to sit and relax for as long as you need to, allowing the body to release the waste. It may take 30 seconds. It may take 15 minutes. But do not go on to another activity until you have gone to the bathroom. Another yoga hint is to do a special type of pranayama called “brahmari”. This is the yoga equivalent of “humming”. So find a happy tune and sit in the bathroom and hum to yourself. Have fun with it! Be joyful in the morning! The humming promotes a special vibration in your body that helps you to relax and release properly. Try it, you will see! And once a full evacuation has happened early in the morning, the rest of the day will go much better. Your body will figure out the new system within a few weeks and it will get easier and easier to evacuate first thing in the morning. Be patient. Your body may be use to “holding” onto your waste, as you have not given attention and responded properly to the call of nature for many years. It takes time to build a new habit.

A third practice for IBS has to do with healing constipation. Constipation happens when peristalsis does not properly function in the intestines. In short, there is not enough muscular (smooth muscles) contraction that moves the waste down and out of your body. Everything gets stuck and the abdomen feels heavy. If this is the case, go back to hydrating your body properly by drinking warm water all day long. Create flow by adding moisture to dry feces. Also, get advice from an ayurvedic doctor or nutritionist to find out which foods can move through the body with ease. Usually this includes cooked vegetables and less cold, raw food. It can also include soups, warm and moist foods and even some healthy oils in the diet to promote a slippery quality inside of the bowels. Then do a yoga practice that has gentle breath-based movement. Poses such as apanasana (knees to chest) done very slowly with coordinated breathing are excellent. Gentle lying down twists regulated with breath and intentional focus will do the trick. Think of these poses as an internal massage for your intestines, to get things moving along. See the practices that accompany this article for ideas.

A fourth practice for IBS is to heal symptoms including diarrhea. Diarrhea is just the opposite of constipation. Things are moving too quickly through the intestines, often with a watery quality. It may be that the person experiencing this type of IBS is afraid they will not have control over their bowels and have an accident before they make it to the bathroom. This can create extreme emotional upset. To always feel “held hostage” to being close to the bathroom is not a good way to live. They may feel that they cannot go and do fun things in nature, or take long car drives, or go to new and unfamiliar places for fear of having an accident. This creates a lot of emotional distress, as well as feeling angry that the body cannot be trusted to do a natural and normal thing like go to the bathroom in a routine way. So the focus for the yoga practice, in this case, would be quite different. It is important to create stillness, calmness, and stability in the system. Try more static poses instead of poses that include dynamic movement. For example, legs on a chair for 15 minutes of stillness. The student could also practice nyasam (finger gestures similar to mudra) while laying down with legs on a chair. See the attached practices for more ideas. Additionally, with diarrhea, there must also be an emotional component of learning body-awareness and teaching the body to trust again. Teach that body that you understand the language and messages given and you will respond accordingly. You can have a conversation with your body about this inherent lack of trust in you (physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually).

You can find ways to build more trust within your system, such as chanting certain mantras pertaining to trust and faith. You can talk to your body about boundaries and the times your boundaries were crossed. You can talk to your body, mind and spirit about how it will be safe and protected. You are an adult who makes good choices now. You know better. You will be kind and take better care of yourself, now that you know how and have the self-confidence to take care of your precious body, mind and spirit. This is where a yoga therapist might help you to build better boundaries, learn self-care and awareness, change dysfunctional relationships to be more positive and find faith spiritually in the process of life. Yoga Therapy as Complementary Medicine Although yoga and yoga therapy are 100% complementary to the western medical model of treatment, yoga therapy does differ in treatment methods from the western medical model. In yoga therapy we respond to the physical, energetic, mental, personality and emotional layers of the human system. We look at the body, mind and spirit and find ways to help the client heal on a deeper level. We treat not only the symptoms, but also the deeper causes of IBS. We help the client to change relationship patterns and ways of being in the world. We help clients to understand themselves better and self-connect again. Western medical has not had much success in treating IBS. But medical doctors are beginning to see how even a gentle yoga class and especially individualized yoga therapy are of great use. Yoga and yoga therapy assists in managing stress levels, giving a sense of control and stability emotionally, and increasing self-care and mental-emotional awareness.

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