for Chronic Bloating and Emotional Release
By Didi Ananda Sainjana
Yoga Testimonials
Tracy, 35, is single and a general manager at a marketing services company. She worked her way up in the corporate world from a personal secretarial position. She is a diligent, trusted worker and has always been well liked by her colleagues. Tracy also has many friends across a wide range of industries whom she spends time with.
A few years back, she decided to try yoga for health and wellness. She had stopped working out at the gym for some time and was looking for alternative forms of exercise. For an entire year, Tracy tried different styles of yoga—from rhythmic hatha yoga to ashtanga hatha yoga to rajadhiraj yoga, etc.
That summer, Tracy decided to attend a summer conference held in her region. I had met her earlier that year, and she already knew our basic asana practices.
I led a couple of asana sessions. As usual, I included twisting movements in my sequence—either as full asanas or as simple movements without doing the complete posture.
The second time I led a session, later that evening after dinner, a very cheerful lady came to me and enthusiastically shared how pleased she was with the class. She pulled me to one side and quietly confided that she had experienced chronic bloating for years: every day at 4 p.m., her stomach would bloat. However, that day was different—it didn’t happen. She asked what she could do to experience this every day and whether I could suggest a daily practice.
I gave her a supine twist: lying on her back, dropping the knees to one side with the arms open.
Exhale, bend your knees, and drop them to the right side. Stay for 30 seconds to a minute. Then inhale back to centre. Exhale and drop the knees to the left side, staying for 30 seconds to a minute. Inhale back to centre. Repeat for a few rounds. Simple.
I also gave her something to do as an immediate “rescuer”: utkata vajrasana in a supine position, or simply lifting the sacrum into an extension-type pose.
Later, I learned that it helped her release a lot of the emotional stress she had been carrying for years. The stress was related to fears and insecurities that developed after her father passed away during her teens, leaving her financially unstable and uncertain about the future. Although she had always performed well, she developed persistent worry about accomplishing her day-to-day work, developing projects, and meeting business profit targets.
She told me that one day, while holding the twist for a longer duration, she had a sudden outburst of tears. It was so relieving that she realised she didn’t have to be so worried and fearful. Somehow, everything she needed was taken care of. All would be fine—fear no more.
Over time, it helped her release a great deal of stored emotional trauma—both emotionally and physically. She also had a lower-back condition, and the twisting movements and the supine extension in vajrasana were very helpful.
Why it works
Twists mechanically compress and release the abdominal organs while also releasing the psoas muscle—which shares fascial connections with the gut. This encourages peristaltic movement and nutrient absorption. Likewise, the psoas muscle is also released in utkata vajrasana.
Gut neurons store emotional memory.
Bloating and emotional connections are rooted in the “gut-brain axis,” a two-way biochemical and nerve pathway linking your mind and intestines. Emotional stress, anxiety, and deeply felt emotions can disrupt gut bacteria, slow digestion, and increase abdominal muscle tension, resulting in physical swelling and discomfort.