Which are Yoga poses to reduce PMS
With this yoga guide for (premenstrual syndrome) PMS you'll be ready to tackle these stressful days at your best!
When we feel the symptoms of PMS what yoga practice can we do? Cramps, lower back pain, sadness and restlessness are just some of the symptoms of PMS. Let's see how yoga can be a valuable aid to regain well-being and relieve the pain.
PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME WHAT IS IT? CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS
Premenstrual syndrome is caused by the hormonal oscillation of progesterone spike and crash that induce both physical and psychosomatic symptoms.
During the last two weeks of the cycle, a woman's uterus works to prepare for a possible pregnancy. To do this, progesterone becomes the dominant hormone, taking over from estrogen, initiating the process of thickening of the uterine walls.
When pregnancy does not arrive, a collapse of progesterone occurs, allowing the mucosa to flake, thus leading to menstruation.
These intense hormonal changes, combined with the muscular activity of the uterus bring with them some very common physical and psycho-emotional disorders among women that are defined as premenstrual syndrome.
TYPICAL SYMPTOMS
- Physical discomfort: lower back pain, swelling, tension in the breast, headaches, exhaustion
- Psycho-emotional problems: anxiousness, irritability, sadness, difficulty in maintaining concentration.
To alleviate these symptoms can be helpful to do a targeted yoga practice for PMS that allows you to act both physically, dissolving muscle tension, and help the mood and psychological well-being by raising the levels of seratonin and endorphins.
YOGA FOR PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME
So what is the best yoga practice for PMS? The wisest advice is to listen to your body. If you feel the desire to move, some asanas are useful and effective for releasing tension and bringing vitality to the parts of the body most affected by PMS symptoms (such as the lower back).
If, on the contrary, your body tells you to stop, remember that meditation, breathing and resting positions (Shavasana, Badda konasana, Balasana) may be the most suitable choice for your needs.
Ultimately we choose our yoga practice based on what we need!
Let's see some suggestions
YOGA PRACTICE FOR PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME : STATIC
DO YOU NEED TO STOP IF: You feel agitated and a little sad, your head is muffled, your belly is swollen, you need to find your balance point again? Here are the exercises for you!
MEDITATION
Give yourself 15 minutes in silence in a comfortable relaxation position. Close your eyes and try to create space within yourself, letting thoughts float away from your attention. If a thought latches onto your mind, focus on your breath to send it away. You can be sitting, but also in a relaxing position such as shavasana.
Meditation is about detaching yourself from your thoughts and quietly observing the emotions that are lowering your spirits, it can do you a lot of good to find calm and make your headaches go away.
BREATHING
Controlled Pranayama breathing brings balance to the mind and oxygenation to the body. A few slow breaths are always a good idea, for PMS we particularly suggest these two breathing exercises:
ABDOMINAL BREATHING : Abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing is the type of breathing that brings more oxygenation to the body, especially to the arteries and in addition massages the belly, releasing muscle tension in the area. To practice this breathing you can put your hands on your belly and feel the belly that swells during inhalation, and then follow the navel that retreats to the inside of the belly with exhalation.
ALTERNATE NARRAL BREATHING: The main benefit of this technique is the anxiolytic effect. Alternate Nostril Breathing Nadi sodhana pranayama. It is practiced by alternating the closing of the nostrils.
To perform them with your right hand, close your index and middle fingers in your palm and keep your thumb, ring finger and millet extended. Use the thumb to close the right nostril and inhale from the left. With the ring finger now close the left nostril and exhale from the right. Inhale from the right, close the right nostril with the thumb and exhale from the left, inhale from the left, close the left nostril with the ring finger and exhale from the right, and so on.
RESTING POSITIONS
https://www.natmat26.com/en/blogs/yoga-ed-eco-sostenibilita/il-primo-chakra-muladhara
BALASANA : the child pose, allows you to effectively relax the lumbar zoma and re-enclose both physically and mentally in themselves, in the fetal position.
Get down on your knees by bringing your toes together. Shift your weight back and sit down resting your buttocks on your heels (if you can't reach them, put a blanket between your heels and your butt). Extend your arms forward until your head rests on the floor. Close your eyes and focus on your weight going backward as your body extends toward your heels. Your lower back will relax and loosen up.
SHAVASANA : Lie on the floor with legs slightly apart, rotate the ankles and put the toes outwards. Slightly open the arms with the palms facing each other. Relax your body with your breath, close your eyes and let the bulbs rest inside the skullcap, let your tongue fall inside your mouth, relax your facial muscles. Breathe in this position for a few minutes.
SUPTA BADDHA KONASANA : Ideal for relieving cramping throughout the lower back, loosening hips and inner thigh muscle pain. You will need a bolster or rolled blanket, a yoga strap and two yoga blocks. From a seated position, place the strap around your waist. Bring your palms together and run the strap under your feet. Adjust the length of the strap. Place one yoga block on each side that will be used to support your thighs. Finally lie on the bolster or another yoga block that will serve to open the chest. Breathe and close your eyes.
Gradually come out of these positions with slow movements and getting up a little at a time to avoid pressure surges. Getting out of the poses requires the same attention as getting into the pose, take your time, do not rush.
YOGA PRACTICE FOR PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME: DYNAMIC
DO YOU NEED TO MOVE IF: You're nervous, charged like a spring ready to explode, in danger of cursing every person you meet, your body is all tense and you feel the need to loosen it up with movement? Here's a yoga sequence for you!
Begin with a few breaths in BALASANA. Child's pose. Push your glutes into your heels to stretch your back well, rest your forehead on the floor.
Get on all fours and loose your back doing COW - CAT for a few repetitions.
Perform the BHUJANGASANA cobra pose. Keeping the thighs on the floor and arching the back, the shoulders tend downward.
Arch your back further with the arch position DHANURASANA (help yourself with a yoga strap passed around the ankles and held in your hand) perform a few breaths in this position
Perform the PASCHIMOTTANASNA pincer pose. You may need your yoga strap to achieve the stretch. Hold it in your hand and pass it behind the soles of your feet.
Lie on your stomach and perform APANASANA, squeezing your legs to your chest and swinging from right to left.
Go back to sitting and perform a couple of twisting movements on each side in ARDHA MATSYENDRASANA. Extend one leg, holding the hammer foot, pick up the other leg, holding it with the opposite arm. Conclude by bringing your gaze behind your shoulders.
Sit in the MALASANA garland pose. Keep the spine straight, unload weight downward without collapsing the shoulders. Focus on the ROOT CHAKRA, MULADHARA to find grounding.
Lie down and perform plow pose. Bring your legs back into HALASANA if your feet are not touching the ground, rest your instep on a chair or stool. Stay in this pose for a few breaths.
To conclude the practice, relax in SHAVASANA for a few minutes. Remember that relaxation at the end of practice is as important as the practice itself.
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