Betcha didn't think I was gonna hack your yoga!
Yoga's a mindful practice, so it's a natural fit with cycle syncing. It's also intuitive, and we already know intuition plays a key role in living in hormonal alignment.
Have you ever attended a class and when the instructor cued a posture, you thought, “Ugh, I just DON’T want to.” That might’ve been your hormones talking. Your body and mind crave and need different movements during different phases.
So, next time you meet your mat, consider what phase you're in and try to sync your practice to your hormones!
Yoga for the Menstrual Phase
Right before and during your period, it's all about relaxation and restoration. You'll feel an urge to draw inward, so make it all about you! Awareness of and respect for your body is the goal.
Imagine this phase as a time to gather your energy for the upcoming weeks. You're just at the beginning of a new cycle, so give your body and mind a chance to take it easy and honor yourself. Yin yoga is an excellent style for this phase.
Menstrual yoga's emphasis is light movement and restorative postures. These can help with both physical and emotional period symptoms.
Add to your menstrual yoga practice:
Restorative forward folds (wide angle; head-to-knee with legs wide)
Restorative child's pose (if you're practicing with another person, they can add a bag of rice or a hot water bottle on your low back)
Restorative pigeon
Restorative bound angle
Restorative fish with blocks (great counter pose to forward folds)
Legs up the wall
Reclining hand-to-big-toe pose (good for lower back pain and cramps; use a strap if needed)
Longer savasana
Meditative music/sounds or silence
Avoid in your menstrual practice:
Inversions
Deep or active backbends
Deep twists that compress the abdomen
Yoga for the Follicular Phase and Ovulation
As your period ends, you can ease back into a more energizing practice. After all, the increase in estrogen gives you more energy and makes you want to try new things!
You can reintroduce postures you avoided during your period, and you can play around with new postures to stimulate your mind and muscles. Or, try a new class you’ve had your eye on.
As you enter the ovulatory phase, you may crave more intense, challenging movements. Use it as an excuse to practice hot yoga or a long power flow. Keep in mind that your hormone “relaxin” peaks around ovulation, so your ligaments will be looser. Try not to overstretch or pull anything— you never need to push too hard!
Add to your follicular and ovulatory yoga practice:
Sun salutations
Forward folds (good to refocus the mind)
Inversions (start with downward dog and bridge, progress to handstands and other challenging postures; increase circulation in pelvic area)
Backbends (start with cat/cow and progress to more intense backbends like wheel and camel; good to increase energy)
Twists
Creativity (new flows, dancing or complex transitions)
Avoid in your follicular and ovulatory practice:
Overstretching or pulling muscles
Simply anything that makes you uncomfortable
Yoga for the Luteal Phase
Soon, you’ll feel a decline in energy. Many people will find they want to start slowing down their practice and practice alone.
Watch out for PMS (premenstrual) symptoms like mood changes, headaches, cravings or fatigue, and consider what movements you could do to ease some tension and discomfort.
You may also notice that your balance or strength doesn’t seem quite as high as it did last week. That’s normal! Use this phase as an opportunity to focus on other aspects of movement and mindfulness.
Add to your luteal practice:
Twists (help with elimination, digestion, bloating and nausea; great for detoxification)
Triangle (aids in elimination)
Side stretches
Seated postures (seated forward fold, double pigeon, seated straddle split)
Forward folds
Backbends (fish, camel; heart-openers are mood boosters)
Squats
Pigeon
Any active or gentle postures that relieve PMS symptoms
Avoid in your luteal practice:
Twists (if pregnancy is possible)
Compression on abdomen (if pregnancy is possible)
Anything that makes you uncomfortable or exacerbates PMS symptoms
Just like the rest of your life, your yoga practice can change throughout your cycle so you can feel your best. Now go get “om” with it!
What are your favorite yoga poses? Do they change throughout your cycle?