Flowing with Your Cycle: How to practice yoga during menstruation (your period!)

As a cyclical woman, you do not wake up every day and feel the same. Your hormones ebb and flow and with them so does your mood and your energy. By aligning your yoga practice with your cycle you will begin to recognise and honour your unique needs, fostering a sense of self compassion, joy and filling up your own cup, helping you to create more patience (think less shouty, then guilty 🙈)  

Ayurveda (the sister science of yoga) recognises
three gunas or energies that govern the physical, mental, and emotional aspects within us. These gunas are known as Sattva (balance, goodness, purity), Rajas (passion, activity), and Tamas (inertia, lethargy), they are present in varying degrees in everything, including food, activities, and us!

Menstruation is governed by the energy of Vata according to Ayurveda and invites a gentle and nourishing yoga practice. It is also seen as the time when rajas guna leaves the body through the menstrual blood and as such we may feel more lethargy (tamas).

With Ayurveda and yoga, our aim is to find more balance (sattva) and so during menstruation if you are feeling on the exhausted end of the spectrum choosing practices that are warming, smooth, steady and easeful can help you come closer to balance.

Understanding Menstruation (aka your period!)

What to Avoid:

During menstruation, steer clear of intense inversions and strenuous poses. These can disrupt the natural downward flow and lead to discomfort. Instead, opt for a grounding practice that respects your body's need for rest and reflection.

Focus Areas:

Gentle Asanas: Opt for calming and restorative poses that soothe and ease tension or discomfort rather than challenge. Poses like Child's Pose, Cat-Cow, and Legs Up the Wall. Keep it simple; see the example sequence below.

Breathwork (Pranayama): Engage in deep, rhythmic breathing like Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing) to enhance relaxation.

Meditation: Practice mindfulness or guided meditation to deepen your connection with your intuition.

 Example Sequence:

1. Child's Pose (Balasana): Begin in a kneeling position, gently lowering your torso toward the floor with arms extended. Breathe deeply into your back.
2. Cat-Cow Pose (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana): Transition to a tabletop position, moving through gentle arches and curves to massage your spine.
3. Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani): Lie on your back, extending your legs up a wall. This promotes relaxation and eases pelvic discomfort.
4. Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana): Sit with legs extended, folding forward from the hips. Support yourself with props for comfort.
5. Supported Bridge Pose: Lie on your back, placing a block under your sacrum (where your spine meets your pelvis). This gentle inversion relieves tension.
6. Gentle Supine Twist: Lying on your back, draw one knee towards your chest and guide it across your body, maintaining a gentle twist. Repeat on the other side, releasing tension in your lower back.

Listening to Your Intuition

Menstruation offers a unique opportunity to tune into your inner voice. Practice self-reflection, journaling, or meditation to foster a deeper understanding of your needs, desires, and emotions. It’s a great time to vision into the cycle ahead and ask yourself what you need physically, emotionally and spiritually to care for and nurture yourself.

Closing Thoughts

Practicing yoga that is aligned with what your body truly needs will deepen your understanding of and relationship with yourself. By taking the time to restore and repair you will come back stronger, more energised, more creative than if you continually push through. Connect to your heart and ask yourself what you need, your body knows the answer. Trust what comes through.

Yoga is a personal exploration, so listen to your body and honour what it truly needs during this beautiful phase of your menstrual cycle, because when you learn to honour it, it truly can be beautiful, honour your needs and your body will respond. May your practice be a sanctuary of comfort and love.

Join us at Cyclical Yogi Studio: Embark on a transformative journey with our online yoga community. Discover personalised practices that honour your unique rhythm. Unveil the beauty of yoga in harmony with your menstrual cycle. Start your journey with us today.

Love, Lizzie X