Yoga During Periods – All You Need To Know

Yoga During Periods – All You Need To Know

The ancient discipline of Yoga, meaning “union”, is a comprehensive philosophical guide to life. Its principles find ways to better the mind and body of the disciple whilst creating an undivided singularity between the being and the universe. The last four decades is evidence of its philosophical potency as Yoga has become a globally accepted part of everyday life. The understanding of Yoga has only propagated in the form of an exercise routine that covers only a small part of the discipline. The actual discipline incorporates an entire lifestyle that requires rigorous practice and regimentation. 

The most popular Yoga form is the Asanas section of the discipline which basically boils down to an exercise routine. These Asanas are extremely beneficial that help in increasing body flexibility, endurance, and induce relaxation within the body and the mind. 

Yoga During Periods

Menstruation is a natural bodily function for women which tends to induce a certain level of discomfort from time to time.  Yoga can be an incredible stress releaser with a multitude of benefits. Women can practice these yoga asanas to overcome their mild discomforts and induce a certain level of tranquillity. 

Menstruation is a very delicate period in a woman’s life and is experienced differently by all women. It is a phase of heightened sensitivity and requires the woman to listen and understand the body. The Yoga Asanas will help in reducing the level of discomfort and understanding the body will help in determining which asanas will be best to reduce the discomfort. Yoga is both guided and organic in a way that can generate the best results for body and mind relaxation. 

6 Yoga Poses Women Can Practice During Their Periods 

Yoga as an exercise and meditation routine has been increasing its horizon on a global scale whilst inducing relaxation and other therapeutic benefits. Women on their periods can incorporate certain yoga techniques that can help induce relaxation and reduce their discomfort. The meditation techniques and breathing exercises can calm the body and the mind helping with headaches and nausea while the asanas help in increasing body endurance to deal with discomforts like cramps and stomach aches.

Here is some Yoga poses that can be practiced during periods have been briefly mentioned below:

1. Dandasana

The Dandasana involves sitting with your legs extended in front of your torso. Your hands are kept to your sides as you continue on with a deep breathing technique.

Benefits of Dandasana:

• The goal of this asana is to improve the health of the back muscles. 
• Stretches your chest and shoulders. 
• Enhances posture. 
• It stretches the muscles in the lower body. 
• It has been used to treat asthma and sciatica. 
• This asana aids in the relaxation of the mind. When combined with proper breathing, it alleviates discomfort and aids in concentration.

2. Baddha Konasana

The Baddha Konasana or the Cobbler Pose involves sitting down with your feet aligned heel to heel and toe to toe. Holding your toes together and keeping your back straight the asanas continue into a deep breathing exercise. 

Benefits of Baddha Konasana: 

• The Cobbler’s Pose enlarges the pelvic area. 
• Come into a forward bend using a bolster or multiple folded blankets to support your torso for a milder variation. This could make you feel even more relaxed.

3. Kumbhakasana

The Kumbhakasana is basically the plank pose where you balance your body weight on your hands and toes. 

Benefits of Kumbhakasana:  

• Builds core strength
• Increases the endurance of back and abdomen muscles.
• Improves regulation of the nervous system.
• Stimulates the Manipura Chakra 
• Once done with the asana, the abdomen region relaxes and helps deal with cramps. 

4. Paschimottasana

This asana involves sitting on the floor with your legs in front, bending your back forward, and holding your feet. Make sure the back is straight as you try and bend forward as much as you can. Remember not to overexert yourself so as to avoid increasing your discomfort during menstruation.

Benefits of Paschimottasana:

• Reduces fatty abdominal deposits
• Stretches all the back muscles as it increases their flexibility and strength.
• Enables menstrual cycles to balance out.
• Tones the pelvic-abdominal region and strengthens the core muscles.

5. Janu Sirasana

The Janu Sirasana is a pose where you sit down, extend your right leg, and place the bottom of your left foot against your inner right thigh. Then bend forward and continue breathing slowly. After holding the pose for 30 seconds, bring your right foot back as you move into the Cobbler pose or Baddha Konasana and continue to do the same with your left leg. 

Benefits of Janu Sirasana:

• Hamstrings are stretched. 
• It’s a straightforward stretch that allows you to concentrate on one leg at a time. 
• It also aids in the gentle lengthening of your hips and groin

6. Upavistha Konasana

This Asana involves you sitting down and opening your legs wide. Keep your back straight and hold the position as you continue breathing. You can also include a forward bend if you want to depending on how comfortable you are during your menstrual cycle. 

Benefits of Upavistha Konasana:

• The Asana stretches the hamstrings and the inner thigh muscles. 
• It opens up the pelvic region.
• The forward bend helps in strengthening core muscles as well as stretches the back giving relief to the body.

Health Benefits of Yoga during Periods

Yoga is an extremely vast discipline that incorporates an entire lifestyle of spiritual existence and within this lifestyle comes the pranayama and asana section which focuses on breathing and physical exercises disadvantages of yoga during periods these two sections are what most contemporary yoga instructors teach and have attained a great level of significance over the last few decades. Practicing Yoga during the menstruation period of a woman can also have many health benefits that have been mentioned below:

• Menstrual cramps can be relieved with yoga. 
• When you’re experiencing period fog, it can be beneficial to find a calm place in your mind. 
• Slow and restorative yoga is a gentle way to keep your practice going and your body moving. 
• You release endorphins and can still feel a body high, which can be especially soothing during your period.

Yoga Poses to Avoid during Periods

Even though Yoga is extremely beneficial during the time of menstruation, there are some asanas that need to be avoided during the menstruation phase. The menstruation phase is a very delicate time for a woman and the asanas look to increase Prana in the body to awaken the Kundalini. Practicing inversion Asanas like Sarvangasana, Adho Mukha Vrkasana, Pincha Mayurasana, Sirasana, etc. should be avoided during the time of menstruation. The reason for this is that while practicing these inversions, one type of the prana known as the Apana moves from the Manipur Chakra (Naval) towards the Mooladhar Chakra (Cervix). Practicing these asanas during menstruation may lead to excessive bleeding and other reproductive problems and hence should be avoided.

When it comes to the other asanas, strong asanas involving backbends and twists should be avoided as it puts a lot of stress on the pelvic region. Now considering that many women face pelvic discomfort during menstruation the logical outlook would be to avoid any stressful asanas. 

Much like the inversion asanas, the Bandhas are also asanas that involve the movement of the prana within the body. The practice of Bandhas during menstruation tends to reverse the movement of the prana and can lead to excessive blood flow and heavier bleeding. 

Yoga During Periods – FAQs

Q1. Can We Do Yoga During Periods?

Yoga is a practice that caters to every need in every situation. During menstruation, it is advised to practice certain asanas that will help relieve the tension in the body and relax the mind.

Q2. Which Yoga Is Best During Periods?

The Baddha Konasana is the best yoga pose during menstruation as it stretches the pelvic region and the spine giving relief to the body and the mind. The asana is very easy and does not overexert the body during the period’s cycle.

Q3. Is It Good To Do Yoga During Periods?

Yes, it is very good to do yoga during periods as the asanas will induce a certain level of tranquillity within the mind as well as increase body flexibility and endurance to counteract the discomfort experienced during menstruation.

Summary

The importance of yoga as an exercise routine in everyday life has been discussed with importance given to those asanas that can help with reducing the discomforts arising due to menstruation in women. The understanding of yogic philosophy is much more vast and requires a great deal of discipline. But in this particular article, the discussion encompasses only the Pranayama and Asana sections of Yoga. 

It is important to understand and educate people about menstruation. It is a very delicate phase in a woman’s life and does involve certain discomforts which need to be dealt with by the woman herself. Certain yoga asanas can help alleviate these discomforts and instill a sense of relaxation within the body and the mind. 

This article introduces some intriguing concepts such as Rāja Yoga and Hatha Yoga, which are extremely potent techniques for ensuring long-term immunity to the harsh external environment. The Asanas covered in this article shed light on some of the techniques that can help alleviate some of the discomforts arising due to menstruation within women. If you are interested in reading or learning more about the vast and highly advanced yogic philosophy, please visit our website. For any inquiries regarding yoga classes & workshops please write at hellothere@mrunalpawar.com.