Many women experience period pain, fatigue, mood swings, and discomfort each month. Symptoms like cramps, bloating, and irritability can disrupt daily life, leaving us feeling drained.
Yoga offers a gentle, effective way to manage these symptoms by supporting both physical comfort and mental well-being throughout the menstrual cycle. While yoga is not a miracle cure, and periods can affect each woman differently, it can certainly help manage symptoms and support your body throughout the entire cycle.
Understanding your menstrual cycle and energy levels
Each phase of your menstrual cycle brings unique physical and emotional changes. Aligning your yoga practice with your body’s energy levels can help ease discomfort and improve overall well-being.
Menstrual Phase (Days 1-5): This phase is marked by physical fatigue and cramping, making it ideal for gentle, restorative movements.
Follicular Phase (Days 6-14): Energy increases as estrogen levels rise, so lighter stretches and strength-building poses work well.
Ovulation Phase (Days 14-16): Your peak energy phase is perfect for dynamic movement and strength practices.
Luteal Phase (Days 17-28): As progesterone rises, energy decreases, which can lead to bloating and irritability. Slower flows and deep stretches help ease PMS symptoms.
The science behind yoga and menstrual health
Research shows that yoga can significantly reduce physical and psychological symptoms of PMS, including period pain. A 2020 review by Monika Ranga, Kalindi Dev, and Zahra Rakhshaee demonstrated yoga's ability to alleviate symptoms like cramps, while also balancing hormones and lowering cortisol levels. The Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology supports this, showing that yoga can relieve primary dysmenorrhea (painful periods) by calming the autonomic nervous system and promoting relaxation.
Yoga for your period
When you're on your period, it’s important to listen to your body and incorporate poses that gently relieve discomfort. Here are a few effective poses:
Child’s Pose (Balasana):
How to Do It: Kneel on the floor with big toes touching and knees apart. Lower your torso, extending your arms forward or resting them at your sides. Rest your forehead on the ground.
Duration: Hold for 3-5 minutes, breathing deeply.
Benefits: Relieves lower back and neck pain, calms the mind, and stretches the hips and thighs, helping with cramps.
Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana):
How to Do It: Lie on your back with your knees bent and the soles of your feet together. Let your knees fall to the sides.
Duration: Hold for 3-5 minutes.
Benefits: Opens the hips and groin, relieves menstrual cramps, and promotes relaxation.
Legs up the wall (Viparita Karani):
How to Do It: Lie on your back with legs extended up against a wall. Rest your arms by your sides.
Duration: Hold for 5-10 minutes, breathing slowly.
Benefits: Reduces swelling, calms the nervous system, and promotes relaxation.
Yoga and mental health during PMS
Yoga also helps with the emotional aspects of PMS. The hormonal fluctuations during the luteal phase can lead to mood swings and anxiety. Yoga’s focus on breathwork and mindfulness can help manage these emotional challenges.
Stress Reduction: Yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting calm and reducing anxiety. Techniques like deep belly breathing can help lower cortisol levels.
Emotional Release: Postures like Child’s Pose can help release trapped emotions and restore emotional balance.
Self-Awareness: Yoga fosters self-awareness, helping you recognize when to rest or gently move, cultivating compassion for yourself.
Conclusion
So, can yoga help with your period pain? The answer is yes.
Yoga not only reduces the physical discomfort associated with menstruation, such as cramps and bloating, but it also helps manage the emotional symptoms of PMS. Please note that periods affect women differently, and while yoga is not a one-size-fits-all solution, it is a valuable tool to ease this time of the month and support both your body and mind through the different phases of your menstrual cycle. The next time your period arrives, take the opportunity to slow down, honour your body, and use yoga to nurture yourself. You deserve it.
How do you manage period pain? Have you found yoga helpful, or do you have other go-to remedies? Let us know in the comments!
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Eloise x
References
Ranga, Monika, Kalindi Dev, and Zahra Rakhshaee. "The Effect of Yoga Therapy in Premenstrual Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials." Complementary Therapies in Medicine, vol. 51, 2020
Rakhshaee, Zahra. "Effect of Three Yoga Poses (Cobra, Cat, and Fish) in Women with Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Randomized Clinical Trial." Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, vol. 24, no. 4, 2011, pp. 192-196.
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