11 Yoga Poses for Constipation That Actually Work

If your belly feels like it’s staging a protest, these yoga poses for constipation might be exactly what you need to get things moving again.

I put this list together by looking at what yoga teachers, gastroenterologists, and digestive health researchers recommend most often. These are the poses that show up again and again because they work on real, physical mechanisms. Not just feel-good stretches, but moves that target your digestive organs in different ways.

Here’s the thing about yoga and constipation. It works on two levels at the same time. On a physical level, certain poses compress, twist, and massage your digestive organs. That stimulates peristalsis, which is the wave-like muscle movement your intestines use to push things along. On a nervous system level, yoga activates your parasympathetic response. That’s your body’s “rest and digest” mode, and it’s the opposite of the stress-fueled state that slows digestion down.

A randomized controlled trial found that three months of regular yoga practice led to significant improvements in constipation-related quality of life compared to a control group. A separate 2024 systematic review confirmed that physical movement significantly reduces the risk of constipation by keeping gut motility active.

None of the poses on this list require experience or flexibility. Whether you are brand new to the mat or have been practicing for years, most of these are beginner-friendly. If you want a broader starting point, this guide to accessible poses for all levels is a good place to get your footing first.

11 Yoga Poses for Constipation

1. Wind-Relieving Pose (Pavanamuktasana)

This one does exactly what the name says. Wind-Relieving Pose puts direct pressure on your ascending and descending colon, which are the two sides of your large intestine. That gentle compression helps move trapped gas and stool along.

It works on the same principle as abdominal massage. Research found that physical stimulation of the abdomen stimulates peristalsis and decreases colonic transit time in constipated patients. This pose delivers that same compression using your own body weight.

Your digestive system is most receptive in the morning when your body is naturally starting to wake up. Pairing this pose with a few other wake-up moves to start your day creates a simple routine that can make a real difference over time.

How to do it:

1. Lie flat on your back with your legs extended.
2. Inhale slowly.
3. As you exhale, pull both knees toward your chest.
4. Wrap your arms around your shins and hug them close.
5. Rock gently from side to side for 30 to 60 seconds.
6. For more targeted relief, do one leg at a time. Pull your right knee in, hold for 30 seconds, then switch.

2. Garland Pose (Malasana)

This is the most underrated pose on this list, and it might actually be the most powerful one for constipation. Malasana is a deep squat, and the squatting position physically changes the angle of your rectum. It relaxes the puborectalis muscle, which is the muscle that normally keeps your bowels closed. That makes elimination significantly easier.

The name itself tells the story. Malasana’s true Sanskrit translation is closer to “defecating pose” because it directly mimics the position the human body was designed to use for elimination.

The pose also puts direct pressure on your lower abdomen, massaging your digestive organs and stimulating them to work more efficiently.

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and toes turned out.
2. Slowly lower your hips down into a deep squat.
3. Bring your palms together in a prayer position at your chest.
4. Use your elbows to gently press your knees wider apart.
5. Keep your spine as tall as you can.
6. If your heels lift off the floor, place a folded blanket under them for support.
7. Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute, breathing deeply.

3. Supine Spinal Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)

Twists are some of the most targeted moves for constipation. When you rotate your torso, you compress one side of your digestive tract and then release it. That squeeze-and-release action directly massages your intestines and can stimulate the movement of stool through your colon.

Research found that abdominal compression increased bowel movements and decreased gastrointestinal symptom severity in constipated patients. Spinal twists create that same compressive effect from the inside out.

The supine version is done lying down, which makes it one of the gentlest options on this list. It also releases lower back tension, which tends to build up when your gut is sluggish.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your back with your legs straight.
2. Pull your right knee to your chest.
3. Use your left hand to guide that knee across your body to the left side.
4. Extend your right arm out to the side in a T shape.
5. Look to the right if that feels okay on your neck.
6. Hold for 1 to 2 minutes, then switch sides.
7. Always do both sides to work your full colon.

4. Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana)

When you fold forward over your legs, your abdominal organs get compressed in a way that nudges digestion forward. It also gives your lower back a deep stretch, which tends to tighten up whenever your gut is sluggish.

What makes this pose especially valuable for constipation is the calming effect it has on your nervous system. The combination of the forward fold and slow breathing pulls your body out of stress mode and into that rest-and-digest state where your gut can actually do its job.

How to do it:

1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you.
2. Flex your feet so your toes point toward the ceiling.
3. Inhale and sit up as tall as you can, lengthening your spine.
4. Exhale and hinge forward slowly from your hips, not your waist.
5. Reach your hands toward your feet. Hold your shins, ankles, or feet, wherever you land comfortably.
6. Stay here for 1 to 2 minutes, letting your belly soften with every exhale.

5. Cat-Cow Stretch (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana)

Cat-Cow is rhythmic, gentle, and more powerful for digestion than most people realize. The back-and-forth movement of your spine directly massages your abdominal organs with every single repetition. It also coordinates with your breath in a way that activates your parasympathetic nervous system and keeps your digestive system engaged.

That breath connection is the part most people underestimate. How you breathe during yoga directly affects how your gut responds. If you want to understand how different breathing techniques influence your body during practice, it’s worth going deeper on that topic because it changes everything about how effective these poses feel.

How to do it:

1. Start on your hands and knees with wrists under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
2. Inhale and drop your belly toward the floor. Lift your head and tailbone up. This is Cow.
3. Exhale and round your back toward the ceiling. Tuck your chin and tailbone. This is Cat.
4. Move slowly and let your breath lead every movement.
5. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

6. Child’s Pose (Balasana)

Child’s Pose looks like a rest, but it’s doing real work on your digestive system the entire time. The compression on your lower belly directly stimulates your digestive tract. The deeply calming nature of the pose also brings your cortisol levels down, and high cortisol is one of the main reasons stress slows digestion so effectively.

If you hold tension in your gut, this is your pose.

How to do it:

1. Kneel on the floor and sit back toward your heels.
2. Spread your knees wide, about hip-distance apart or a little wider.
3. Walk your hands forward and lower your forehead to the mat.
4. Let your belly rest between or on top of your thighs.
5. Breathe deeply into your back and sides.
6. Stay for 2 to 3 minutes. The longer you hold it, the better.

7. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

Cobra adds something that no other pose on this list provides: a backbend. While most poses here work by compressing the abdomen, Cobra works by stretching it. That lengthening motion stimulates your digestive organs from a completely different angle, and the pressure your torso creates against the floor as you lift gives your intestines a gentle squeeze at the same time.

Backbends do a lot more for your body than most people expect. If you’re curious about the full range of ways backbends support your health, it goes well beyond digestion. Cobra is also known for releasing trapped gas, which often accompanies constipation and makes the bloating worse.

How to do it:

1. Lie flat on your stomach with your legs extended and the tops of your feet pressing into the mat.
2. Place your palms flat on the floor beneath your shoulders.
3. Keep your elbows tucked close to your sides.
4. Inhale and slowly press your hands into the floor to lift your chest.
5. Keep a slight bend in your elbows rather than locking them straight.
6. Look slightly upward without straining your neck.
7. Hold for 5 to 8 breaths, then slowly lower back down.

8. Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)

Bow Pose is the most intense abdominal move on this list, and it earns its spot. When you lift into this pose, your entire body weight balances on your abdomen. Every breath you take in this position rocks your body slightly forward and back, creating a direct rolling massage across your digestive organs. No other pose gives you quite that effect.

It’s a more advanced move, so save it for after you’ve warmed up with the gentler poses earlier in this list.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your stomach with your legs hip-width apart.
2. Bend your knees and reach your hands back to hold your outer ankles.
3. Inhale and kick your feet away from your body while lifting your chest and thighs off the mat at the same time.
4. Your body should form a bow shape, balanced on your belly.
5. Keep breathing and let each breath rock you gently forward and back.
6. Hold for 5 to 8 breaths, then slowly release.
7. Follow with Wind-Relieving Pose to counter the backbend.

9. Happy Baby (Ananda Balasana)

Happy Baby opens your hips and lower back while putting gentle traction on your entire digestive tract. The rocking motion mimics a gentle abdominal massage and stimulates your intestines from the outside.

If Garland Pose felt tight through your hips, this one helps loosen the same area with far less effort. Building stronger, more open hips over time also makes poses like Garland and Low Lunge feel much more comfortable and sustainable.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your back and pull both knees toward your chest.
2. Open your knees wider than your torso.
3. Reach up and hold the outside edges of your feet. Or hold your ankles if that’s easier.
4. Flex your feet and gently press your knees toward the floor.
5. Rock from side to side slowly for 1 to 2 minutes.

10. Low Lunge with a Twist (Parivrtta Anjaneyasana)

This is the most dynamic pose on the list and it packs the biggest digestive punch of any standing pose. A deep lunge stretches your hip flexors and stimulates your ileocecal valve, which is the junction between your small and large intestine. Add the twist on top and you get that gut-compression effect working at the same time.

It targets two separate parts of your digestive system in a single move, which makes it one of the most time-efficient poses here.

How to do it:

1. Step your right foot forward between your hands into a lunge.
2. Lower your left knee to the floor.
3. Plant your left hand on the mat inside your right foot.
4. Inhale and lengthen your spine upward.
5. Exhale and twist to the right, raising your right arm toward the ceiling.
6. Hold for 5 to 8 breaths.
7. Come back to center and switch sides.

11. Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani)

This one looks almost too simple to work, but it’s a genuine digestive reset. When your legs go up the wall, blood that’s been pooling in your lower body gets circulating again. The full-body calming effect also shifts your nervous system firmly into rest-and-digest mode, which is exactly where it needs to be to move things along.

It’s the perfect pose to end your practice with. It also makes a wonderful addition to your wind-down routine before bed, since relaxing the nervous system at night supports better digestion through the following morning.

How to do it:

1. Sit sideways next to a wall with your hip close to the baseboard.
2. Swing your legs up the wall as you lower your back to the floor.
3. Scoot your hips as close to the wall as feels comfortable.
4. Let your arms rest by your sides, palms facing up.
5. Close your eyes and breathe slowly and deeply.
6. Stay here for 5 to 10 minutes.

Your Gut Does Not Have to Feel Like This

Pick three or four of these poses and spend 15 minutes with them today. Start gentle with Wind-Relieving Pose or Cat-Cow and build toward the more dynamic ones like Bow Pose and Low Lunge with a Twist.

If constipation is something you deal with regularly, a short practice like this three to four times a week can make a real difference. Your gut responds well to consistency, and so does your nervous system.