The 7 Best Yoga Poses to Relieve Gas and Bloating

Have you noticed an increase in flatulence after ditching animal products from your diet? You’re not the only one. Many people experience an uptick in bloating when they switch to a whole-food, plant-based diet because their plate consists of more high-fiber foods—which are great for your health, but not so great at reducing gas.

A 2017 study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology assigned 412 participants to either a high-fiber diet or low-fiber diet over the course of several months, and found that people eating high-fiber diets were 41% more likely to experience bloating than those on the low-fiber diets.

The biochemistry behind your increased need to pass gas is pretty simple: As you digest, bacteria in your gut ferments food that isn’t fully digestible (i.e., fiber) and produces gas as a byproduct. The more fiber you eat, the more flatulence you might experience. The good news? Over time your digestive system will adjust to the diversity of your new diet and become more adept at processing high-fiber foods, reducing the frequency of post-meal gassiness. 

While you may notice an uptick in flatulence when you go vegan, the average person already farts between 10-20 times a day. Sound like a lot of passed gas? You probably don't notice the frequency of your own flatulence because the vast majority of gas doesn't smell. Only compounds that contain sulfur, such as hydrogen sulfide, give your farts any sort of noticeable stink. Lots of veggies, legumes, and nuts contain small amounts of sulfur, but it likely won't change the odor of your gas very much because a healthy diet promotes a balanced gut microbiome. The main thing to remember is that flatulence is normal and is an essential part of a healthy digestive system—so keep the gas coming!

Until your gut microbiome has adjusted to your new plant-based lifestyle, you can manage this uncomfortable—and sometimes loud—side effect of eating healthier with a few simple yoga poses. All of these postures move your body into shapes that help gas travel through the digestive system and decrease that tight, pressurized feeling in your belly. The next time you experience bloating after a meal try one of these yoga poses to relieve gas before you reach for the bottle of Tums. 

Quite literally translated into English as “wind-relieving pose,” this posture is great for helping trapped gas move through your intestines.

While you might feel a little silly in this shape, Happy Baby is an excellent pose for releasing gas and relieving a bloated stomach.

In this pose, think of your body like a washcloth that’s being wrung out to dry. Deep twists support the digestive system by compressing the organs to help move gas through the body.

A great hip-opening stretch that’s ideal for anyone who works at a computer all day, low lunges also help you pass gas by stretching out the pelvic muscles.

Forward folds use the power of gravity to create length in your spine and settle your stomach.

A great way to make this flatulence-fighting shape more accessible is to tuck a yoga block or footstool underneath your hips so you can relax into the squat instead of muscling your way through it.

A calming posture for both your gut and your mind, this classic yoga pose relieves tension in the pelvic area and low back.

Feel free to combine all these postures into a full gas-relieving sequence or simply try one pose at a time when the need arises.

This article was originally published on May 13, 2022, and has been updated. 

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.