How to Relieve Trapped Gas With Simple Movements (2024)

Trapped gas can cause abdominal pain, bloating, and distention that can make you uncomfortable and potentially interfere with your day. Thankfully, yoga poses such as child's pose and spinal twists can help relieve trapped gas and bloating. Yoga poses help because movements that include forward bends, squats, knees to chest, twists, and bridges can help relieve trapped gas.

Eating certain foods can also help, as can making small lifestyle changes such as exercising and lying down on your side.

This article looks at ways you can use your own body to help relieve gas, and when you might need medical help instead. It also offers ideas on how to reduce gas in the first place.

How Yoga Helps Relieve Gas

Certain yoga poses can help relieve gas by moving your core. Twisting and bending your midsection with yoga poses can encourage gas to pass through your digestive tract. These moves can also lower stress levels, making it easier to relax and pass gas.

Knees to Chest Pose

1. Start by laying on your back with the legs extended out in front of you and the arms alongside the body.
2. On an exhale, hug the knees into the chest and clasp your hands around the front of them.
3. Tuck your chin slightly to lengthen the neck. Keep your head, back, and sacrum flat on the ground.
4. If you are comfortable you can rock gently back and forth or from side to side.
5. To release, take an exhale, extend the legs out, and bring the arms to rest alongside the body.
6. Repeat as many times as desired.

Child's Pose

1. Start on your hands and knees on the floor.
2. Release the tops of your feet to the floor and bring your knees wider than your hips, big toes touching.
3. Slowly lower your hips towards your heels.
4. Rest your head on the floor or a prop and move your arms so they're next to your legs, palms facing up.
5. Take several slow breaths into your belly and chest.
6. Gently release back to hands and knees.

Spinal Twist

1. Lying on your back, bring your arms out to the sides with the palms facing down in a T position.
2. Bend the right knee and place the right foot on the left knee.
3. Exhale and drop the right knee over to the left side of your body, twisting the spine and lower back. Turn your head to look at the right fingertips.
4. Keep the shoulders flat on the floor, close the eyes, and relax into the posture. Let gravity pull the knee down, so you do not have to use any effort in this posture.
5. Breathe and hold for several breaths.
6. To release: inhale and roll the hips back to the floor, and exhale the leg back down to the floor.

Seated Forward Bend

1. Begin by sitting on the floorwith your legs out straight in front of you.
2. Bring your arms straight out to the sides and up over your head, reaching toward the ceiling.
3. Inhale and draw your spine straight up long.
4. As you exhale, bend forward, hinging at your hips.
5. On each inhale, lengthen your spine. You may come a bit out of your forward bend to do this.
6. On each exhale, deepen into your forward bend. Imagine your belly coming to rest on your thighs, rather than your nose coming to your knees to help you keep your spine long.
7. Keep the neck as the natural extension of your spine, neither cranking it to look up nor letting it relax completely.
8. When you have come to your full extension with the spine long, decide whether you want to stay here or let your spine round forward.
9. Take hold of your ankles or shins, whichever you can reach. You can alsouse a strap around your feet. Keep your feet flexed strongly throughout.
10. To release, raise your back, hinging at your hips, to return to sitting with legs extended.

Squats

Squats are good for more than building strong thighs and gluteal (butt) muscles. Here's how to lower yourself into this position to help relieve trapped gas:

1. Start with your feet hip-width apart and facing forward.
2. Put your hands on your hips or hold on to the back of a sturdy chair. Then, slowly bend your knees until your rear end is close to the floor.
3. Place your hands on the tops of your thighs (or continue to hold onto the chair). Stay in this position until you feel the gas start to move.

Bridge Pose

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor, hip-distance apart. Inch your feet as close to your butt as you can.
2. Bring your arms alongside your body, palms down.
3. As you inhale, press down firmly through your feet and lift your hips, initiating the movement from the pubic bone rather than the navel.
4. Press your upper arms down.
5. Continue to press down firmly through your heels and draw your thighs toward one another to keep them hip-distance apart.
6. To finish, exhale as you release your hands and slowly lower your hips to the floor.

Happy Baby

1. Lie flat on your back on the floor.
2. Bring your knees toward your chest, keeping them at a 90-degree angle. The bottoms of your feet should face the ceiling.
3. Reach forward and grab the inside or outside edges of your feet — whatever’s most comfortable.
4. Spread your knees apart gently. They should be wider than your armpits.
5. Flex your ankles and gently rock from side to side.
6. Inhale and exhale deeply as you continue to rock.

Downward-Facing Dog

1. Start on your hands and knees on the floor with your hands slightly in front of your shoulders. Spread your fingers wide and tuck your toes under.
2. Exhale as you lift your knees off the mat and reach your butt toward the ceiling. Your body should now resemble an upside-down “V” shape.
3. Press the back of your thighs toward the wall behind you and stretch your heels toward the mat. Straighten your knees without locking them.
4. Relax your neck and keep your head between your upper arms. Hold your body in position, making sure to breathe properly. Slowly bring your knees back to the floor.

Additional Tips to Relieve Gas and Bloating

Along with yoga poses, other ways to relieve gas include walking, lying on your side, and consuming certain foods and drinks.

Get on Your Feet

Taking a walk can sometimes be all that's needed to relieve trapped gas and bloating in the short term.

Research shows light physical activity, such as walking, can help move intestinal gas and reduce bloating in the abdomen.

At least 30 minutes of exercise three or four days a week may help keep the bloating and burps at bay.

Lie on Your Side

This simple move may work especially well for relieving trapped gas in the lower intestine. Follow these steps to see if they bring relief:

1. On a bed, sofa, or the floor, lie on your side.
2. Gently draw both knees toward your chest.
3. If you don't get relief after several minutes, try slowly moving your legs down and up a few times.
4. Try using your hands to pull your knees closer to your chest, if you can do this comfortably or without causing more pain.

Consume Certain Foods and Beverages

Some foods are more likely to cause gas, such as fatty foods, high-fiber foods, cruciferous vegetables, fruits high in fructose, legumes, carbonated drinks, and foods containing sugar alcohol (such as sorbitol, mannitol, or xylitol). Try avoiding these items when you have gas and bloating.

Choose these foods and beverages that are less gassy:

• Lean red meat, poultry, or fish
• Non-starchy vegetables, such as leafy greens, cucumbers, green beans, tomatoes, and zucchini
  
• Fermented foods and beverages, such as kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, and yogurt
• Lactose-free dairy products
• Fruits, such as berries, grapes, melon, and kiwi in moderation
• Grains, such as rice, quinoa, and oats
• Gluten-free bread

Another tip is to drink beverages slowly. Chugging or gulping makes you swallow more air, which can lead to bloating.

When to See a Healthcare Provider

Intestinal gas is rarely a sign of a medical problem. Again, it's a normal by-product of digestion. However there are times when it could be signs of a serious health issue.

These conditions include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), lactose intolerance, and celiac disease.

It is recommended that you talk with your healthcare provider if you have symptoms such as:

• Excessive gas or gas occurs more frequently than usual
• Abdominal pain
• Weight loss
• Fever
• Bloody stools

Otherwise, try changing your diet to exclude foods known to cause gas.

Other changes that may help are:

• Stop smoking
• Chew gum less often
• Don't drink through a straw

Gum and straws both make you swallow excess air, which can lead to more gas.

Summary

You can learn how to relieve trapped gas by trying different yoga poses, lying on your side, and being physically active.

Changing your diet may also help. In most cases, gas is not a serious issue. But you may want to see a healthcare provider if you have excessive gas or if it interferes with daily activities.