4 Easy Yoga Poses That'll Ease Your Period Cramps
Try these poses for relief from those awful period pains!
getty As a fitness enthusiast, I want to work out all the time. Being active gives me energy, fills my body with endorphins, and keeps me happy throughout the day. But then, there are those days during my menstrual cycle when I just want to curl up in a ball and stay there until the pain goes away.
What causes menstrual pain? Known as dysmenorrhea, the pain associated with the menstrual cycle is due to increased levels of prostaglandins, which trigger contractions of the uterine and intestinal walls. Most women deal with some level of dysmenorrhea their entire lives and usually treat it with anti-inflammatory medication such as Ibuprofen or with prescription medication in severe cases.
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Since I’m not a big fan of medication, I wanted to learn how to relieve period cramps by seeing if my active lifestyle could provide some answers, without disrupting my regular routine.
As a regular practitioner of HIIT, yoga, pilates, running, Shaun T’s Insanity, P90X and so many others, I felt I had a good enough exposure to various workouts to be able to pick the ones that would tame down the cramps. So, here are 4 yoga poses for period cramps that work well:
1. Child’s Pose
A classic relaxation beginner yoga pose, Child’s Pose allows you to use your breathing to relax your pelvis and curb those cramps.
Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as a yoga mat. Fold your body forward and nest it in between your knees.
Release your body by breathing in and out slowly while stretching your arms forward while keeping your posterior touching your heels. Stay there for 1 minute, breathing slowly. The pose stretches the hips gently, calms the brain, and relieves back pain.
2. Body Weight Squats
Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your body as if you’re sitting down on an invisible chair by pushing your hips back, bending your knees and keeping your chest up. Go down until your knees are at a 90-degree angle, pause for a few seconds and then go back up. Repeat 10 times.
Squats are great for toning your body, but they also improve the moving and pumping of body fluids, which means your tissues, organs, and glands get oxygen and nutrients faster, and the toxins get eliminated easier.
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3. Bridge
Start by lying on the floor with your knees bent, your heels close to your hips, and your hands by your side. With knees and feet shoulder-width, lift your hips off the floor while keeping your back straight. Pause for a few seconds at the top before lowering down. Repeat 10 times.
The Bridge is great for your core muscles, as well as your back, glutes, and leg muscles. It also helps with strengthening your abs and calming your cramps.
4. Camel Pose
Finishing off with a yoga pose, we have the camel, a back bend that boosts your energy levels and helps you breathe better. Since the camel is not a beginner pose, make sure you go into it slowly and only bend back as much as it feels comfortable to you.
Start by kneeling on the floor with your knees hip-distance apart and put your hands on the back of your pelvis as if you’re putting them in your jeans back pockets. Start leaning back while pushing your chest forward and arching your back. Only go as far as it feels comfortable.
If you can bend back so far that you can see the wall behind you, slowly move your hands one at a time from the back of your pelvis to your heels. Stay there for 30 seconds, then reverse slowly.
We all know that menstrual pains can be quite disruptive to our daily life and sleep routines, but with these simple yoga poses, you can improve the pain and make your body and mind feel better in the process.
Lavinia Lumezanu specializes in multi-cultural marketing and publicity campaigns, but writes about lifestyle, relationships, and health. She sees the world in shades of purple, and is able to combine her artistic and analytical senses to find solutions for every challenge.