Breathing for IBS

A MAJORITY of the anxious clients I see also suffer from  irritable bowel syndrome. It’s not surprising, since as I’ve written previously we essentially have what many refer to as a second brain in our stomachs.

If you suffer from abdominal pain and spasm, the following breathing exercise, done regularly, is very effective at calming your gastrointestinal system – and if your tummy is calm, you’ll feel less anxious too.

Try lying on the floor with your legs hip width apart and raised – knees pointed at the ceiling.
Rest your hands over your tummy and slowly take a deep breath, feeling your stomach fill your hands.

As you breathe in, imagine you are breathing in soothing, healing, calming air – you can just say to yourself the words ‘soothing’, ‘healing’, ‘calming’ – or whatever sounds good to you.

Then when you breathe out, imagine you are breathing out all the pain, anxiety, worry, anger – or what fits for you. Again, just say the words to yourself – ‘pain’ etc; or you might simply say to yourself ‘let go’.
It’s great to really relax and do this for up to 20 minutes but, in general, aim for around 10 minutes each time.