Yoga and Farting

That's right, I said it.

As a yoga teacher, a frequent question asked by friends and family is "does yoga make you fart?" or even more gritty: "has anyone ever farted in your class?" The honest answers lie here...

Let's deal with the first question: does yoga make you fart? The short answer is yes in that it can help you relieve gasses you didn't even know were stuck within you. It's not uncommon to be enjoying a deep downward dog and start to notice that your drawn-in navel is starting to feel some push back. With so much core involved in the practice, it's natural that the digestive process starts to kick in and for some people that can mean a strong desire to let go of some wind. If this is something you think you might be prone to, here are a couple of tips that can help you work around your gut:

• position yourself in a corner or farther from the other yogis
• try to do a little stretching before-hand to get anything out that might be right below the surface

Now for the second question: has anyone ever farted in one of my classes? And the easy answer to that is also yes, however only once in a way where it was audible and somewhat awkward for the person. Unlike most situations, true yoga classes are open minded and non-judgmental so if there was any time when one was going to slip out in public, this might be one of the most accommodating.

Future use: what poses are most likely to make a person fart? From my experience there are a few key poses where this is more likely to crop up:

• boat pose (navasana) and other strong core commanders - the pressure from the navel drawing inward tends to press on the lower intestinal tract and literally squeeze out any stale gasses while also stimulating digestion.
• shoulder stand (salamba sarvangasana) and other inversions - these tend to reverse the flow of gravity and blood while simultaneously using strength from the core to keep the posture intact
• happy baby - in this pose you are lying on your back with the knees drawn towards the chest while you grasp for your ankles or feet. Any pose that draws the knees towards the chest promotes easy digestion and can stimulate gas.
• hugging knees to chest while lying down - just like the previous pose, this one is conducive to passing wind. In fact, in a teacher training I attended in India, this posture had the Sanskrit name Pawanmuktasana translating to "Easy gas release pose". This is also handy when you are not at yoga and are trying to get rid of a bloat belly - and you can get even more into this by incorporating a slow twist of the legs to each side (imagine wringing your belly out..).
• downward dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) - another inversion, this popular pose encourages an inward movement of the navel and gas has no other choice but to move or get out.

So now the secret is out, farting in yoga can be a reality. It's important to note however that the reality of it does not make it a commonality and that the vast majority of classes pass with no passing of wind. Regardless, if you are worried of this one day happening to you, the best advice I can offer to keep this from happening is: go to yoga on an empty stomach (about 2 hours after eating)! This should be the norm for your practice anyways and it will help make sure there are less digestive going-ons so that you can devote your attention to the practice at hand, not one going on in your belly. Conversely, if you are someone who suffers from sore bellies and an inability to pass gas, video-guided yoga classes at home might be just the trick to free you from the discomfort this causes.

For more info on yoga, wellness, life and modern-day balance, you can check out my blog on www.balancetree.com.