It’s that time of the month again, but this time, it hurts like hell. Menstrual pain and cramps are quite common for millions of women around the world. To subdue the pain, most women take painkillers or similar meds. However, in recent years, more and more women are switching to yoga as a more reliable alternative.
Yoga, as you probably already know, is an ancient spiritual and physical practice. It originates from India and is quite a popular way to deal with stress and other problems. Only 20 minutes of yoga per day is more than enough to help you relax. At the same time, specific yoga poses can help you overcome menstrual cramps and pain.
Yoga Heals the Body and Mind
Practicing yoga will balance your body and mind and help you relax mentally and physically. Of course, it’s not a miracle “pill” for any disease, but it has plenty of benefits for our health. Yoga is much more than just wiggling your body in difficult poses. The combination of mental and physical challenges can improve your health on many levels.
The ancient practice has seen an increase in popularity in recent years, and experts link it to the stressful way of life nowadays. They aren’t wrong. We live in highly stressful times and are under a lot of pressure to deliver results and be financially stable. The world is a pretty difficult place to live nowadays, and not all of us can handle the pressure.
This is where yoga comes in. Although finding time to spare can be a challenge with our busy schedules, everyone has around 20 minutes of free time to do some yoga and relax. It will do yourself a lot of good, especially in “that” time of the month.
Apart from teaching you how to breathe and focus, which should help you relax on its own, certain yoga poses can do wonders for any type of pain. During menstruation, women need more peace than the usual. Their emotions and hormones are out of balance, and only yoga can bring harmony back. You don’t even need to do the heavy stuff. Light yoga styles such as yin and gentle yoga are more than enough to stop the menstrual cramps and pain.
Here are a few poses that can help:
1. Balasana
This simple pose can soothe pain and cramps, massages your internal organs, relaxes your lower back, and calms your racing mind down.
To do it, sit on your heels on the floor, then stretch forward with your hands and let your forehead touch the mat. If you can’t do it all the way down, use a pillow. Keep your arms stretched out in front as well.
2. SuptaBaddhakonasana
Another relaxing pose, this asana will “work out” your thigh muscles and relax your lower body. Just lay down on your back on a floor mat and put your hands beside you, then bend your knees and let your soles touch. If it helps, you can use pillows under your knees.
3. Spinal Twist
This stretch will clean and stimulate your organs, help you relax, and relieve pain in the lower back and body.
To perform it, lie down on your back, then pull the right knee to the side and let gravity pull you to the left. Keep your right arm to shoulder height and your shoulders firmly on the floor. Your head and neck should face to the left – if you find this uncomfortable, keep your head in the original position.
4. Knees to Chest Stretch
This pose will relax your lower back and improve the circulation in the abdominal area. It will clear your mind, eliminate tension, and relieve menstrual cramps and pain.
It’s pretty simple to perform – just lie down on your back, then bend your knees and bring them to the chest. You can also roll a bit to the sides gently to massage the lower back muscles.
5. UpavisthaKonasana
UpavisthaKonasana can stop menstrual cramps and pain and open up your hips. At the same time, it will relax your feet and back muscles and revitalize the area around your pelvis.
What you need to do is sit on the floor with your legs stretched to the sides, then lower your torso forward as low as you can. To make things easier, put a pillow and rest your forehead on it when you lean down.
6. SethuBandhasana
This asana can be described as a half-bridge type of exercise which stretches the muscles in your lower back, pelvis, and neck. It can help reduce menstrual pain and cramps as well as pain in the lower back.
Start by lying on your back on the floor, then bend your knees and push your feet on the floor. This will help you raise your body off the ground. Keep your feet firmly on the ground and your knees parallel to your hips.
As mentioned, it’s almost as if you’re doing a bridge halfway.
