Five yoga poses to relieve period pains and bloat

If I’m being honest, the last thing I want to do when I’m on my period is any type of physical activity. That’s why I chose restorative postures to help relieve period pains and bloating. A little movement, coupled with lots of water, and a heating pad can go a long way. Here are five yoga poses to relieve period pains and bloating.

1. Restorative childs pose

Using a bolster or pillow underneath your abdomen allows the muscles in your neck, shoulders and back to be passive. A lot of tension builds in the back side of our body. By disengaging these areas, and sinking into the support of a bolster, we create space in our body to let go of tension. take ten rounds of breath focusing on sending your breath to the back side of your ribs and low back.

2. Cat and Cow

The poses of cat and cow have numerous benefits to the health and mobility of our spine. Move slowly with the breath, using your belly button as your leading body part. Be gentle here, especially if you’re particularly crampy, or bloated.

Cow pose will help you gently open up the front side of the body, massaging out the muscles in the lower abdomen relieving pain from cramps.

Cat pose will help you break up tension in your neck and shoulders, and help open up your low back.

3. legs up the wall, or bridge pose

two options here since every person’s body is different and responds in its own way to movement.

There’s much debate as to whether or not you should practice inversions while on your period. The natural downward flow of energy during your monthly cycle can be interrupted by going upside down. Most practitioners believe in encouraging the downward cycle of energy rather than going against it.

However, I personally love practicing restorative legs up the wall. For me, it helps align my spine and relieves achy sensations in my legs and lower back. If you opt out of legs up the wall, feel free to practice bridge pose.

Bridge pose can be taken restoratively with a brick underneath your sacrum, or you can go for a more active variation. Bridge pose opens up the muscles in the front side of your body, relieving symptoms of bloat and cramps. Practicing this pose passively with a brick softens the muscles in the hips, low back and legs, allowing room for that natural downward flow of energy.

Bridge pose is also known to relieve headaches and backaches while giving your body an extra boost of energy to lighten your mood and keep you going throughout the day.

4. Supine twist

twisting helps ring out the internal organs of our body, especially those involved in the gastrointestinal tract. Twisting relieves gas and bloating in the body and can aid in relieving symptoms of IBS caused by your period.

5. Restorative supta baddha konasana

using a bolster up against the sacrum, laying along the spine adds a little backbend to this pose. By allowing your knees to fall open, the muscles in your pelvis and outer hips can soften. Supta baddha konasana is another energizing pose for our body, although it is subtle in comparison to bridge or wheel.

You can hold these poses for however long you would like, and add in poses of your own that feel good! Lots of women love restorative forward folds as well during their periods. Forward folds can help reduce lower back pain caused by your period, and reduce stress.

Do you have any favorite poses to practice when you’re feeling under the weather? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Sarah