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Yoga during periods: 4 postures you can avoid

Refrain from practicing certain poses of yoga during periods to avoid making your period symptoms worse! Find out more.
Not every yoga asana is suitable when you are on your periods. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Purvi Kalra Published: 4 Sep 2022, 15:06 pm IST
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It is that time of the month, and the last thing you would ever want is to worsen your pesky stomach bloat, period cramps, or that sore backache. When you are on your period, you surely want a sigh of relief from all these uneasy symptoms. You must have heard people suggesting yoga during periods. Yoga is great for period pain, backaches, mood swings, or cramps. However, that doesn’t mean that you can practice anything or everything during your leaky week. Some yoga poses should be avoid during periods.

Recently, in an Instagram post, yoga trainer Juhi Kapoor, shared some yoga practices that are a big no during periods. Come, let’s find out.

Yoga poses to avoid during periods

You can always go ahead and roll out your yoga mat on your period days, but try keeping away from these poses.

1. Inversions

You must have heard yoga trainers suggest against inversions during periods. Inversions include headstand, handstand, shoulder-stand. The rationale behind this has its roots in Ayurvedic science which says that it is the energy flow (prana) we are concerned with.

“The flow of prana moves away from the abdomen in case of inversions due to the upside-down movement. Hence, traditionally, yogis recommend avoiding it,” explains Kapoor.

Avoid inversions when you’re menstruating. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Simply saying that our energy flow goes downwards and turning upside down can intervene with that. Basically, the blood is oozing out for a reason, so let your body do the natural thing. Alongside, there is a risk of blood flowing back into fallopian tubes, which is believed to cause endometriosis.

That being said, Kapoor adds, “Several yogis believe that inversions can be practiced in yoga. Medical science suggests that gravity doesn’t really affect the flow of blood (explaining normal period cycles of female astronauts)”.

2. Deep forward bending

“Deep forward bends will crunch abdomen and put pressure on the uterine lining,” says Kapoor. It is likely that any form of the forward bend will exert the already bloated abdomen and can cause your pain to worsen. It can also cause swelling of the blood vessels in your uterus. Surely, that’s something you would not want to happen.

3.Core workout

For core workouts, she shares, “Your uterus and abdominal region are already under a load of menstrual management. So, loading it up with more core workouts would be unnecessary and unhealthy”.

4. Bow pose

Bow pose can actually turn out very helpful in getting rid of that irritating period bloat, but it puts a lot of pressure on the back. So, you must go easy with this if you are already experiencing a sore back during your periods.

Keep an idea of your risk of weight-related issues.

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It’s best not to do the bow pose when you’re down! Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Switch to these yoga stretches during menstruation

You will be okay to do mild stretches such as hip openers, twists or gentle backbends during periods. Or, you can also turn to deep breathing exercises to relax your strained body or mind, suggests Kapoor.

Every body type is different, and indulging in yoga means listening to and being aware of your body. So, on any period day, if any of these yoga poses make you feel better, you can practice them. If you’re a beginner, it’s best to do them under supervision.

Purvi Kalra

After testing her skill-set in the field of management and marketing, Purvi Kalra is exploring the world of turning thoughts to words. Her penchant for writing stems for being an avid reader all her life. Her work drives her to be better every day. ...Read More

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