Most women experience some undesirable symptoms associated with their monthly cycle, ranging from slightly annoying to downright debilitating. For the most part, we accept these as just a part of our biology, and manage as best as we can. If we can start to see these symptoms simply as information that our body is providing us about imbalances, we can begin to introduce simple but potent yoga practices which support the body’s ability to return to homeostasis, or a state of balance.
Yoga increases interoception - one’s sense of the internal state of the body. Start by noticing how you feel at different points in your cycle. Are you tired or energized? What symptoms do you have? What makes them better or worse? Tracking your cycles and associated symptoms not only increases your awareness and helps you clearly see patterns, it gives you a baseline of data to see changes over time.
Yoga can be used very specifically as a therapeutic tool for many women’s health issues, including infertility, painful periods, PMS, endometriosis, PCOS, and menopause. In a more general sense, increasing circulation through the entire body, providing healthy compression to the abdomen and hips, and decreasing stress are key components in women’s health yoga.
The monthly cycle is like a beautifully timed dance, and there is a lot we can do to help the body complete its natural processes in each phase of the cycle.
Menses
During the menstrual phase, the goal is to completely shed the lining of the endometrium in order to clear the slate and set the stage for balanced hormones for the remainder of the cycle. Gentle circulation and downward movement help to move the blood. Helpful poses include seated or supine pelvic tilts, abdominal roll compressions, and malasana (yoga squat) on a block.
Follicular
In this phase, the endometrium is proliferating and follicles are developing. This is a time for nourishing, quiet practices, and gentle circulation to bring nutrients to the developing follicles. This phase focuses on restorative postures, and cultivating an overall introspective quality to gentle movement practices.
Ovulation
Ovulation is a time-sensitive event when the follicle opens and the egg is released. There is a rapid changeover of hormones in this phase, and building heat through quicker yoga flows and strengthening standing poses can encourage the shift. Most women have high energy at this point in the cycle, so investing this energy into more vigorous movement can have a powerful effect on releasing accumulated stress.
Luteal Phase
This is the longest phase of the cycle where progesterone is the dominant hormone. Bringing warmth and circulation is key here, whether for trying to conceive (providing a warm, welcoming environment for the embryo moving through the tubes for implantation) or preventing stagnation (PMS or pain). Try easeful, breath-based yoga flows and hip opening postures.
Yoga is such an effective intervention for women’s health issues because it empowers women with tools they can use on a daily basis to support their own unique physiology. The best way to start is by doing it and experiencing its powerful effects in your own body.
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