Can I practice yoga during menstruation?

Yoga is an indispensable form of exercise for women to maintain their health. In their daily lives, many women will choose to go to yoga classes to practice yoga as long as they have time. Yoga has become an indispensable form of exercise for many women. However, during women’s special physiological period, that is, during menstruation, how to practice yoga? Do you know which yoga poses are suitable for practicing during menstruation?

Can I practice yoga during menstruation?

In India, women call their menstrual period the Moon Day, a day for introspection, retreat, rest, purification and meditation. From a physiological point of view, due to the impact of changes in hormone secretion on physical strength and emotions, it is recommended to minimize intense and busy external activities and stimulation, and instead enter a state of introspection and meditation.

How to practice yoga during menstruation?

1. Sitting Angle Pose: Sit upright with your tailbone against the wall for 3 to 5 minutes, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing.

2. Bound Angle Pose: Sit upright with your tailbone against the wall for 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Supine Hero Pose: Use three or four large pillows to elevate your back and head, with your forehead higher than your chin, for 5 minutes.

4. Supine Bound Angle Pose: Tie your sacrum and feet with a belt for 5 minutes.

5. Head to knee pose: Use the edge of the chair to support your head for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

6. Single-leg kneeling stretch: Use the edge of the chair to support your head, 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

7. Half Lotus Single-Legged Back Stretch: 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

8. Seated Angle Forward Bend: Bend your body forward and use three or four pillows to support your chest and head.

9. Seated Angle Side Bend: Use three or four pillows to support your chest and head, for 2 to 3 minutes each.

10. Double-leg back stretch: Use three or four pillows to support your chest and head for 5 minutes.

11. Pranayama: Calm and slow Ujjayi Pranayama for 5 to 10 minutes, Nadi Purification Pranayama (nostril alternating breathing) for 5 to 10 minutes, Bee Pranayama for 2 to 3 minutes, and then relax in supine corpse pose for 5 minutes.

What should you pay attention to when practicing yoga during menstruation?

1. During menstruation, it is best not to practice inversions, abdominal contractions, and energy-boosting poses. All inverted postures (such as plow pose, headstand, shoulder stand, etc.), postures that squeeze the abdomen (such as back extension pose, single-leg extension pose), and intense postures that put a lot of stress on the body (such as wheel pose) will cause discomfort to the body due to physiological problems.

Doing inversions or positions that squeeze the abdomen during menstruation will cause some of the menstrual blood that should have been discharged from the body to remain in the body, affecting menstrual health.

2. Avoid strenuous exercise during menstruation. You can practice some gentle stretching postures to massage your body. Do some gentler standing or kneeling poses, such as bow pose, triangle pose, tree pose, cat pose, snake pose, etc.

3. Avoid all inversion positions (positions where the uterus is higher than the heart), which will interfere with the natural process of the body's energy detoxifying downward during menstruation.

4. Postures that are too intense and can easily cause tension and fatigue, standing or balancing postures for too long, violent backbends, postures with violent abdominal contractions and movements, jumping, movements that use arms to support the whole body for balance, and difficult postures should all be avoided during menstruation.

Generally speaking, it is not suitable for women to practice yoga during menstruation. However, through specific yoga exercises during menstruation, blood circulation in the lower body can be promoted, the pelvis can be exercised, and most importantly, a slim waist can be achieved. It can prevent fat accumulation in the abdomen and can help girls with irregular menstruation periods get an adjustment. Doing some yoga poses during menstruation can help blood circulation, relieve menstrual discomfort and calm emotional fluctuations.