POPSUGAR UK

Soothe Your Cramps and Release PMS Pain With This Peaceful Pelvic Floor Yoga Sequence

14/06/2019 - 07:40 AM

When you're dealing with stomach-splitting cramps, a calming yoga flow can feel like heaven; it's stress relief and stretching all in one. But it actually goes even deeper than that.

"Yoga is actually a great strategy for taking away cramps, because it works the pelvic floor muscles on both sides of the sacrum, the lower pelvic floor, and the rectus abdominis muscles that all surround the uterus," said Heather Bartos, MD, an gynaecologist and certified yoga instructor. Cramps occur because your uterus is contracting [1], she explained, pulling on those surrounding muscles (your pelvic floor and the sacral muscles around your lower back) to do so. Yoga stretches out those stressed muscles, which helps them help your uterus do its job better and can end up relieving some of your cramps [2].

"If we think about how period cramps are essentially 'labor' pains that are trying to rid your body of menstruation, then these yoga poses all make sense because they are working the back and pelvic muscles into different positions to prevent overcramping," Dr. Bartos told POPSUGAR. "Kind of like how we stretch before we lift weights."

Dr. Bartos added that it's totally fine to do inverted poses, such as Downward-Facing Dog [3], where your heart is higher off the ground than your head, despite concerns in the past that they could cause menstrual backflow (where flow can back up into the fallopian tubes). That's actually a common occurrence for many women during their periods, Dr. Bartos explained, and isn't linked to health issues. "In the medical community, we have women lie upside down all the time for things," she told POPSUGAR. "People lie down during their periods to sleep. It's just kind of an antiquated view of how the physiologic process works." Whatever poses feel good for you and your body when you're on your period are fine to do, she said.

Dr. Bartos recommended these seven simple, soothing yoga poses to help alleviate period pain. You can do them one at a time, peppering them throughout the day when you need relief or in a full sequence. Hold each pose as long as is comfortable, and remember to modify if you need to.

Child's Pose

"This pose will make your abdominal muscles contract and helps to manage stress," Dr. Bartos said. "It also lengthens the spine and can help release those pelvic muscles that are spasming during your period."

Cat-Cow Pose

Cat-Cow helps to contract your pelvic floor muscles, Dr. Bartos explained, "so you're actually giving your uterus a little bit of a helping hand." This pose is wonderful for releasing that pressure all through your midsection and back.

Legs Up the Wall

"One of my favourite poses to do when I'm having cramps is Legs Up the Wall," Dr. Bartos told POPSUGAR. This pose releases the pressure on your hip bones and sacrum, the bony structure at the base of your spine, and allows them to relax. "It allows the hip bones and sacrum to relax on the floor and takes pressure off them. "It feels amazing," Dr. Bartos said. "I recommend that women do it all the time."

Standing Forward Fold

You can do Forward Fold standing or sitting on your mat, Dr. Bartos said, lengthening your spine and straightening out your hips to relieve period pain.

Knee-to-Chest

Do Knee-to-Chest with one leg at a time, as shown, or by pulling both up your chest. You'll get the same soothing effects as with Forward Fold.

Double Pigeon

Also called Seated Pose, Double Pigeon increases your flexibility and helps to balance the hormones in your body, Dr. Bartos said. You can do it as pictured, with your foot on top of your opposite knee, or sit in a simple "criss-cross applesauce" pose to make it a little easier.


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.co.uk/fitness/Yoga-Sequence-Period-Cramps-46268529