As a woman is especially sensitive during the menstrual cycle, she needs to meet her personal needs and desires more and to provide her body (at all levels) with adequate relaxation, regeneration, and rest. A powerful energy moment. A woman goes through a time of separation and isolation from the outside world throughout her menstrual cycle. When a woman gets into contact with her deep part, her intuitive side, it is said to be a particularly potent energy moment in ancient traditions. Only later, due to misunderstanding and fear, was this period considered “unclean”, and the woman was placed in isolation. In today’s modern society, this is a topic that is not talked about too much, and the less it is noticed from the outside, the better-each ad shows us a woman in “those days” happy, lively, energetic (and dressed in tight white clothes)!
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Menstruation as a period of reflection
In the first days of the cycle, dynamic styles and deep twists or inversions are not recommended. The recommendation to avoid practicing dynamic yoga or certain asanas during the menstrual cycle is not based on cultural differences or “sexist” tradition, but on physiological and energetic knowledge about the female body. In the Ashtanga tradition, it is not recommended to exercise for the first 3 days of the cycle, nor to perform inversions, primarily due to the effect that warming has on the female body. Yogic tradition teaches that during the menstrual period, the energy moves down and out (apana). Therefore, the energy flow should not be interrupted or reversed, which would happen through inversions or intense exercise. Here is the explanation:
“During the menstrual period, the vascular pelvic floor is filled with more blood than usual. Blood through the veins reaches the uterus on the right and left sides of the pelvis. These blood vessels are located in the wide ligaments that support the uterus in the pelvis. The arteries in the uterus are muscular and thick-walled. The veins in the uterus are thin and can easily collapse. During inversions, gravity pulls the uterus downward and thus stretches the wide ligaments. This can cause stretching, partial collapse, or clogging of the veins while at the same time allowing the arteries to continue to pump blood. So, a lot more blood enters the uterus than it can get out, which can cause heavier bleeding. “-Yoga: the Path to Holistic Health”-BKS Iyengar
Listen to your body
Women are really strong, but in their strength and desire to achieve equality, independence, and self-esteem, they can inadvertently neglect their femininity and intuition, which is, in fact, their greatest strength! It is necessary to understand that the condition during the menstrual cycle reflects our mentality and psyche. And instead of being distracted and irritable due to hypersensitivity, let’s use this period by isolating ourselves a little, having more understanding for ourselves and others, letting go and forgiving injustices, and listening to our body, its needs, and emotions.
Take a chance
Don’t ignore the cycle period, but pay attention to the details and everything that comes your way. This is the time of our flow, relief, and release, and as such, it is very precious. The more intensely we attract and feel everything that needs to be purified, the more the door to deeper healing and listening also opens. Unite with your feminine nature and be confident in her power and energy, which always finds a way to successfully resolve things in our favor. So let’s not fight against her, but let her come to us.
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How Safe Are Yoga practice During a Cycle?
We said that during the menstrual cycle, the female body is in a natural process of purification, and nature asks us to adequately follow that flow. Therefore, positions that may prevent this output flow should be avoided. Be sure to emphasize to your instructor that you are in the cycle so that he will guide you through the class and indicate which exercises you should not do. During menstruation, it is also safe to do positions that are pleasing to us, that do not take away too much energy and thus do not lead to hormonal imbalance. Those days of the month often come with uncomfortable and painful feelings, and as more than 80% of women suffer from pain during menstruation, it is important to know how to approach this problem holistically.
Yoga has been shown to help with menstrual pain, so it is better and more effective than taking pills or skipping any common activities, such as sports. Breath and numerous movements and postures help clear your mind as you release pain and discomfort. Yin yoga for period pain which, if performed in accordance with Yin yoga (for example, holding the position for 3-5 minutes), the benefits increase through deepening the position, and thus greater stretching of the body and awareness of all sensations that occur in the body and mind.
You can practice yin yoga poses with props or if you like practice with out.
1. Yoga pose: Butterfly (Bada Konasana)
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Sit on the floor with your back straight and your legs outstretched (Dandasana). Raise the seat on a blanket or pillow if your hips or groin are too tight. With the exhale, bend your knees, pull your heels towards your groin and let your knees fall to the side and your feet pressed against each other.Pull the heel as close to the groin as possible. He grasps the toes of both feet with the index finger, middle finger and thumb of each hand. If you can’t catch your toes, cover your whole feet with your fists. Press the edges of your feet firmly to the floor.Sit with your back straight and your shoulders relaxed. Do not force your knees down, but lower your thighs to the floor and your knees will already follow.In the static variant of this position we stay in it to the limit of comfort, say 1 – 5 minutes.The dynamic version of this position involves waving your thighs up and down, like a butterfly when flying. We start lightly first and then wave faster and faster. Finally, press the thighs down several times.
2. Yoga pose: Reclined Goddess Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
Image by Drazen Zigic on Freepik
The main thing in this position is to lie on a long pillow, the so-called ‘Bolster’ (or wrapped blanket). The role of that pillow is (1) to keep the lower back “hanging” in the air and (2) to open the chest – because the shoulders “fall” on both sides of the “bolster” (great for the heart!). First, you sit on a rug or blanket in the position of a squat, straight back and place a bolster behind your back, next to the cross. So, you’re not sitting on a bolster, you’re just going to lie on it.With both hands, connect your feet (as in the ‘butterfly’ position) and cover them with a yoga belt. Your belt goes over the inside of your thighs and around your back. You tighten the strap to a comfortable length. It serves that you don’t have to ‘keep’ your feet from sliding forward.Prepare two bolsters or some other pillow on both sides of the mat for the knees and thighs.You twist your thighs outwards and lie down carefully so that your spine lies exactly in the middle of the bolster.If your head is hanging (like the menu in this photo), put an extra pillow (as in the picture with pregnant coach Sanja) or just this little neck pillow (cereal pillow) is enough.Cover your eyes with a flaxseed eye pad.Let your knees and thighs fall comfortably to the side and place bolsters or pillows or a yoga block as you see fit.Release your hands from the side with your palms facing up.Cover if necessary. You can stay in position for a few to several tens of minutes, depending on your habits and comfort.
3. Child s pose
Sit in a heel position (Vajrasana), toes touching and thighs and arms parallel.With the inhale, raise your hands and with the exhale, lower your torso to your thighs. Hands are next to the body, palms up. Pull your neck out of your shoulders and let your shoulders fall to the floor.Balasana is a relaxation position. Stay in the position for about 30 seconds to a few minutes. It is convenient for beginners to feel a deep forward bend while the torso lies on the thighs. With the inhale, raise your arms and with the exhale, put your hands back on your thighs.
4. Yoga pose: Reclining Hero Pose (Virasana)
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We sit comfortably in the starting position of Virasana, the seated hero. We place the palms on the arches of the feet, the toes on the outside, the toes on the inside.With the exhale, we tilt the torso back, lowering one elbow to the ground. We breathe evenly and keep our knees together.Gradually reduce the pressure on the elbows and straighten the arms.First we lean the top of the head, the top of the head, on the ground. Then, slowly straighten the back of the neck and lower the nape of the neck, shoulders, back to the ground as much as possible. Stretch your arms next to your body and press your wrists on the arches of your feet. We turn the thighs inwards and press the heels outwards with the thumbs.Stretch your arms out to the side with your palms facing up. Fully lengthen the spine and spread the shoulders as far away from the neck as possible. Knees and shoulders rest on the ground!Raise your hands above your head and stretch them behind your body on the ground, palms facing up. We press both shoulders down, buttocks and knees remain on the ground. Let’s relax our backs, soften them, feel like they are sinking into the ground. Spread the chest evenly, on both sides of the sternum. We breathe evenly in the position of 30-60 seconds. Gradually extend the stay in it for 5 minutes.Exit from the pose: return the arms to the body, press the forearms, lean on the palms and straighten the torso to the starting position, Virasana. When straightening the torso, we are in front of the sternum, not the head or chin.
5.Yoga pose: Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana )
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We lie on our backs with our hands next to our bodies. Bend both knees and place your feet flat on the ground, heels as close to the seat as possible so that the lower legs are vertical in relation to the ground. Keep your knees and feet hip-width apart. With the exhale, press the soles and hands actively on the ground, push the tailbone upwards, towards the pubic bone, strengthen the sciatic muscles and lift them off the ground. We intertwine the fingers of the hands under the pelvis, firmly joining the palms. We actively stretch our arms, twist our shoulders and rise to their tops.With the inhale, lift strongly and push the hips and buttocks until the thighs are approximately parallel to the ground. We keep our knees above the heel, taking care not to spread them to the side. We push them forward, away from the hips, in order to lengthen the tailbone as much as possible towards their back. Lift the pubic bone towards the navel.Slowly and slightly remove the chin from the sternum and, after securing the shoulder blades to the back, press the tip of the sternum against the chin. So, we push the sternum and bring it closer to the chin, never the other way around. We don’t move our necks.Fasten the outer parts of the arms, spread the shoulder blades and try to raise the space between them as much as possible towards the front part of the torso while the back part of the neck rests on the ground or blanket. We remain in the position breathing normally for 30-60 seconds.
6.Yoga pose :Sphinx Pose
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Lie down on your stomach, face down.Lift your kneecaps, join your inner thighs, and firmly press the tops of your feet into the ground.Press up onto your forearms as you slide your hands back until your elbows are directly beneath your shoulders.Firmly press into your palms (facing down).Send your heart forward and experiment with the level of intensity that is now nourishing for you.Create space between your ears and shoulders by extending your crown of your head.Hold the stance for at least one minute, or longer if it feels comfortable.
7. Yoga pose: Angled Seated Forward Bend (Upavistha Konasana )
We sit in the Dandasana position and spread our legs as wide as we can. Lean on your arms, placed on the ground behind the sciatic muscles, press your palms firmly on the ground, lift your pelvis slightly and, pushing it forward, increase the distance/angle between the legs. Let’s straighten the hull. If we can’t sit comfortably in this position, straighten our spine and place a thinly folded blanket or pillow under the sciatic muscles. 02. We turn the thighs a little on the outside, fixing them so that the toes and the cups of the knees are pointed towards the ceiling. We fix our feet by pressing their entire backs to the ground. We stretch our soles and leaves, pulling our toes towards us. Let us pay attention to the fact that our legs remain in this position all the time while we are in the position.Place your palms on the ground in front of your pelvis. The arms are outstretched at the elbows. We “walk” or “slide” forward with the hands forward on the inhale, enhancing the stretching of the spine and groin.. On the exhale, lower your forearms slightly to the ground, bend forward and lower the torso as much as you can. We remain for several cycles of breath in the achieved position, relaxing tense muscles with each exhalation. When we have relaxed enough, we stretch our arms with the inhale and “walk” a little further. With the exhale, we lower the torso a little lower. We deepen the stretching of the torso forward with each inhale, its lowering with each exhale, until we feel a pleasant stretching in the back of the thighs and groin. We stay in the reached position for 30-60 seconds, breathing deeply and lightly, relaxing the area of the back of the thighs, groin, and lower back. With the inhale, we stand up straight. With the exhale, we gather our legs and return to the initial position of Dandasana. Yoga-positions-exercises-folded-spaghetti-Italian 05 One of the variations of this position is to hold on to the feet.
8. Yoga pose: Shoelace pose
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Bring your left foot to the outside border of your right hip, slipping it underneath your right knee, starting from a seated posture with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.Stack your knees on one other and bring your right foot to the outside edge of your left hip.Place one knee behind the other on all fours, spread your heels as wide as comfortable, and sit back between your heels.Allow your spine to circle by grounding both sitting bones and gradually folding forward from the hips.You should feel feelings in your hips and buttocks, as well as a slight stretch along your spine.Hold the position for 3 to 5 minutes.To exit the pose, gently press the floor away with your hands and softly roll up your spine.Lean back and place your hands behind you to release your legs.Before moving on to the opposite side, take a few moments to assimilate the effects of this stance.
9. Yoga pose: Cat pulling is tail
On your left side, lie down.Outstretch your right leg in front of you.Twist your spine by wriggling your left shoulder forward and bringing both shoulders to the floor.You can now reach behind you with your right hand to your left foot (you can use a belt or strap if you want). Reach your left hand to support your right foot in front of you for an even deeper stretch.As a counter position, practice the pose on both sides and bring your knees to your chest.
10. Yoga pose: Leg ups to wall
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: from Pexels
To perform this pose, you need one or two folded blankets, a harder pillow, or yoga blocks. You will also need to place your feet perpendicular to the wall or somewhere else where you can rest them to be upright. Before performing the pose, determine two things related to your pad: how high it is and the distance of the pad from the wall. If you are stiffer, the pad should be lower and further away from the wall, and if you are more flexible, use a higher pad closer to the wall. Your distance from the wall also depends on your height. If you are shorter, place the pad closer to the wall, and if you are taller, move it away from the wall. Experiment on the pad until you find a position that suits you. If you are not lying on a mat, place a very low pillow or blanket under your head to fill the space between the door and the floor. You can also tie a yoga strap around your legs Start by running about 10 cm away from the wall. Exhale and swing your legs against the wall in one gentle motion, then your shoulders and head on the floor. You may not have succeeded at first, but don’t give up. Try to move away from the wall a little more until you succeed, and then return closer to the wall. The sitting bone does not have to be exactly on the wall, but it must be in the space between the washer and the wall. Make sure the front of your torso is in a slight arch with your groin so that the arch ends at the top of your shoulders. If not, then you have probably slipped off the washer a bit. Bend your knees, press your feet against the wall, lift your pelvis, rewind the pad, and lower your pelvis onto it again. Do not push the chin towards the sternum, but relax the throat and lift the sternum towards the chin instead. Keep your legs relatively firm, just enough to keep them vertically in place. Relax your femurs and abdomen. Relax your eyes and focus your gaze on your heart. Stay in this position for 5-10 minutes..
