Yoga During Periods

Yoga is a holistic form of exercise that aims at your complete well being. Apart from asanas or exercises that make your body flexible, supple and healthy, it has specific exercises for healing different parts of the body. In fact, there are exercises in yoga which you can do if you are having menstrual cramps. There are also ‘asanas’ or exercises for dealing with irregular or scant periods. Therefore, since menstruation is a natural phenomenon, there is no reason why you should not do yoga during periods if you are comfortable.

However, you should keep in mind that you cannot do all the yoga asanas that you would normally do. Just as when you have cervical spondilitis, you are not to do any forward bending exercises since this would aggravate the existing condition; so also when you have your periods, you need to take some precautions.

Precautions when you are having periods:

If you are uncomfortable, have excessive bleeding and feel fatigued, it is better not to do yoga for the days you are menstruating.

Do not do yoga postures that squeeze the abdominal area. This would interfere with the natural flow of blood. This kind of pressure can lead to the development of fibroids and cysts.

Do not do inversions or the shoulder stand and head stand. Inversions are not recommended because they reverse the flow of blood during periods and hence hinder the natural order of things. If you do inversions while you are having your periods, you may harm your body and your periods may become irregular or stop altogether.

Do not do strenuous back bends that may require more physical exertion than you can spare while you have periods.

Do not exert in any way, for periods is a time for rest and relaxation, since the body is cleansing itself. Only do light exercise and be very careful to avoid those which are not recommended during periods.

If you do the exercises recommended for menstruation, they will help to relieve cramps, body aches and discomfort. They will also ease the anxiety and depression that sometimes accompanies periods. Yoga poses such as Head to Knee Pose (Janu Sirsasana) which relieves cramps, Cobra Pose (Bhujang Asana) which alleviates menstrual irregularities, Supported Bridge Pose (Supported Setu Bandha) which helps relieve pelvic congestion, are some of the asanas that can be done.

If you suffer from excessive bleeding and discomfort, it would be wiser to choose not to do yoga at all during the time of your periods.