Want To Banish Bloat? Give This 15-Minute Yoga Sequence A Try

Did you know that there is a direct correlation between thyroid imbalances, bloating, and constipation and our emotions?

Many of my Thyroid Yoga clients, especially women, have a lot of shame surrounding their stomachs and often hold tons of tension there as a result. Abdominal distention occurs when substances, such as air (gas) or fluid, accumulate in the abdomen causing its outward expansion beyond the normal girth of the stomach and waist. Oftentimes this symptom persists chronically as a result of emotional stress and trapped energy in the solar plexus chakra.

Our gastrointestinal tract is very sensitive to our emotions since it is connected to our brain's hypothalamus, which controls the feelings of satiety, hunger, and our emotional state of mind. Since the mind and gut are interconnected, emotions such as happiness, joy, and pleasure, as well as anger, anxiety, guilt, resentment, and shame, trigger a physical reaction in our digestive system.

Brain-gut interactions have been associated with eating disorders, IBS, thyroid conditions chronic gut pain and inflammation disorders. It makes sense how intricately interwoven our emotions and our physical manifestations are—being "sick to your stomach," having a "gut-feeling" or feeling "butterflies in your stomach."

A recent NIH article in Cerebrum features the gut-brain axis1—an imaginary line between the brain and the gut—as one of the new frontiers of neuroscience. Microbiota in our gut, sometimes referred to as the "second genome" or the "second brain," may influence our mood in ways that scientists are just now beginning to understand. As research evolves from mice to people, further understanding of the microbiome relationship to the human brain could have significant mental health implications.

My Thyroid Yoga protocol for encouraging a healthy gut includes a combination of modalities—yoga, breath exercises, dietary recommendations, and holistic lifestyle practices—including letting go of shame surrounding the belly and encouraging a healthy gut.

Self-massage is one of my favorite rituals to do for myself every day and has gotten me comfortable with touching my own body and loving every curve. If you find yourself feeling prone to stomach tension, bloating, gas, or constipation, pick up some peppermint essential oil and give yourself a belly massage—or ask your best friend or partner to help you out.

Turning facedown on your belly is the perfect way to start the journey of looking deeper, past the thoughts and sensations, into the depth of your breath and your body. Slowing down and going internal is where the deep healing begins. In addition to relieving tension in the digestive organs, this pose and corresponding pranayama (breathwork) is also excellent for easing back pain and is especially helpful if you imagine your breath moving all the way down into your hips and expanding them out and away from one another.

Take five deep breaths in chair pose, knees bent and seat back, then wrap your left arm under right and lift your elbows up and out, reaching your chin over your right upper arm, and breathe deeply into the back of your throat. Take three deep breaths here, then press into your feet to straighten your legs as you keep the arm position and lift your elbows and sternum up, then exhale and release the arms alongside your body. Repeat with the other arm on top.

Repeat five times.

If this information has been helpful to you, I encourage you to share it with all those who may be feeling shame around their weight or physical appearance. I would love to inspire and empower you with potent tools and rituals for your own healing in my upcoming Thyroid Yoga Practitioner Trainings in Costa Rica, Los Angeles, New York, and Australia this year, or join me for a personal retreat in jungle paradise! Share your story and tell me how this sequence helped you; connect with me @fernolivia!