When Slowing Down Heals the Gut: My Journey Beyond IBS

For as long as I can remember, my belly has been my most sensitive place , the part of me that speaks the loudest when something in my life is out of balance.

I lived with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) for over 15 years. For a long time, I didn’t even know what it was — all I knew was that I could feel bloated for no reason, have sudden cramps, or feel an unpredictable urgency just when I was about to teach a class or go out. Basically, not the greatest feeling…

First, I thought it was just food. Then I thought it was stress. Then, maybe hormones.
In truth, it was everything.
And more than anything, it was a message from my body that I had been ignoring for years.

When my IBS symptoms were at their worst, I was living what looked like a perfectly healthy lifestyle.

I was teaching yoga full-time, practicing Ashtanga every morning, eating light, avoiding processed foods, yet I was constantly exhausted, anxious, and inflamed as my body could´t assimilate my food intake. My stomach hurt almost every day, and I had stopped trusting my body.

I later understood that I was living in a state of chronic overactivation , constantly moving, pushing, striving.
In other words, I was living in excess Pitta.

When I discovered Ayurveda, everything began to make sense.

In Ayurvedic terms, IBS is often linked to an imbalance of Pitta dosha — the element of fire and water that governs digestion, metabolism, and transformation.

When Pitta is balanced, digestion is strong, focused, and clear — both physically and mentally. But when aggravated, Pitta becomes like a flame without control — it burns through the system, creating inflammation, impatience, irritability, and heat.

IBS, in this light, wasn’t a random digestive problem.
It was a sign that my inner fire — my Agni — was out of balance.

Too much intensity.
Too much ambition.
Too much self-discipline.
And too little rest, softness, and pleasure.

What Ayurveda also taught me, and what no doctor ever had is that digestion is not only about food.

It’s about emotion.

Every thought, feeling, and experience we “swallow” must be digested too. When we repress emotions, especially anger or frustration ,that energy doesn’t disappear; it stays within us, building internal heat.

I realized that my IBS had as much to do with what I was eating as with what I was not expressing.

For years, I had held in anger , trying to stay peaceful, spiritual, and calm, even when I felt hurt or frustrated. But the body doesn’t lie. My belly became the container of everything unspoken.

When I finally allowed myself to feel and release that anger without judgment, without guilt , things began to shift.

My true healing began not with doing more, but with doing less.

I let go of the need to be the “perfect yogini”, always strong, flexible, glowing. I allowed myself to rest, to cancel classes when needed, to take naps, to eat heavier food, to not always be “on”.

Here are the practices that changed my gut and my life:

🌿 Gentle Movement
I replaced my dynamic Vinyasa and Ashtanga practice with Yin, Restorative, and slow Hatha yoga. I discovered the beauty of stillness, how deep release and healing happen when we stop forcing.

🌸 Cooling Breathwork
Practices like Chandra Bhedana (left nostril breathing) and Sheetali Pranayama helped me cool down internal heat and calm my nervous system.

🍲 Warm, Nourishing Food
I stopped eating raw salads and cold smoothies foods that I thought were healthy but that my gut couldn’t digest.
I began eating cooked vegetables, rice, kitchari, soups, ghee, and herbal teas with cumin, coriander, and fennel.
My meals became rituals of care, not control.

🕊️ Emotional Expression
I started journaling and giving myself permission to feel anger, sadness, and fear, emotions that I used to suppress. Crying became a form of cleansing.

🪷 Reconnecting to the Feminine
As women, we are cyclical. Yet, I had been living linearly, every day the same, with no softness, no variation, no honoring of my inner rhythm.
IBS taught me to live more like the moon phase — waxing, waning, resting when my body asks.

Contrary to what many believe, more exercise doesn’t always mean better health, especially for women with IBS or hormonal imbalance.

When we push our bodies through high-intensity workouts, long fasts, or endless yoga classes, we increase stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which in turn aggravate the gut.

The truth is:
the gut heals when we feel safe.

So, movement for me now is all about creating safety and flow. I walk slowly by the sea, do gentle yoga, dance when I feel like it. I move to feel connected, not to burn calories or prove anything.

Modern science now confirms what Ayurveda knew thousands of years ago, that the gut and the mind are deeply connected through the gut-brain axis.

When we’re anxious or overworked, our gut contracts.
When we’re peaceful, it relaxes.

This is why relaxation practices like meditation, yoga nidra, and slow breathing are essential for IBS recovery. They’re not “optional extras”; they’re medicine.

Over time, I also learned that what we eat is far less important than how we eat.

I stopped eating in a rush, in front of my laptop, or while checking my phone. I made mealtime sacred again — sitting down, breathing, and chewing slowly.

Here are a few Ayurvedic guidelines that helped me heal:

These small, consistent rituals rebuilt my trust in my body.

IBS was never just a digestive condition. It was a teacher.

It taught me humility — that even as a yoga teacher, I can be imbalanced.
It taught me compassion — that healing is not linear.
And it taught me surrender — that the body always speaks the truth before the mind is ready to listen.

Now, years later, I can say with deep gratitude that I no longer suffer from IBS. My digestion is stable, my belly is calm, and most importantly, I feel at peace with my body.

The healing didn’t come from a miracle cure or a strict diet.
It came from living softer, slower, and truer to my nature.

If you’re living with IBS — whether you’re a teacher, a student, or simply a woman trying to feel better in her body — please know this:
You are not broken. You are not weak.
Your body is communicating, not punishing you.

Instead of fighting your gut, try listening to it.
What is it asking for?
What are you holding in that needs to be released?
Where can you soften?

Because sometimes, the most powerful act of healing is not to do more, but to let go.

With love, warmth, and deep understanding,

Audrey 🤍