Yoga is essential for women at every stage of life. Their capability to handle challenges and stress, whether emotional or physical, highly depends on your health. Yoga makes one more aware of the strengths and weaknesses while exploring the new horizons in fast paced life.

• Yoga is especially helpful to alleviate the lower back pain common in women before menstruation, during pregnancy and towards menopause.
• A regular yoga routine has ability to even out periods and alleviate the anxiety and depression common at ’that time’.
• Yoga asanas which strengthen the abdominal muscles are good for reducing common women’s problems related to lower abdomen.

Yoga is a relaxing experience and carries with it an overall sense of well being.Yoga is exclusively time for yourself! Take a break from the demands of being a career woman, wife and mother and be yourself!

Yoga during Menstruation

It is time for you to take it a little easier, especially the first 3 days. Do not do any strenuous practice during this period. Do the postures gently. It is recommended to avoid the inverted postures. However, experienced yoga students may feel comfortable doing their regular practice.

Give more time to your meditations. Listen to your body and practice accordingly. Some of the postures, along with deep breathing that are helpful in reducing menstrual discomfort are:

The Triangle (Trikonasana)

• Stand with your feet about 3-feet apart
• Rotate the right foot 90 degrees to the outside.yoga women
• Rotate the left foot 15 degrees to the inside
• Align your right heel with the centre of the left foot
• Stand erect, pressing the feet firmly into the ground. Balance yourself
• Breathing in, stretch the arms out to the sides, palms facing up
• Breathing out, bend to the right side. Keep the arms in a straight line, with the right arm reaching for the right foot and left arm reaching for the ceiling
• Turn your head to look up at the left palm. Rotate your torso to have the chest facing the opposite wall. (If you are bending forward toward the floor, come up a bit and focus on bending sideways.)
• Hold
• Breathing in, pull yourself up with the strength of your left arm
• Repeat steps 2-10, bending to the left side
• Breathing out, bring the arms down

Benefits:

• Stretches the sides of the body
• Tones the arms, legs, and abdominal organs
• Improves flexibility of the spine and hips

Two-Legged Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)

• Sit up with the legs stretched out straight in front of you, keeping the spine erect and toes flexed toward you
• Breathing in, raise both arms above your head and stretch up
• Breathing out, bend forward from the hip joints, chin moving toward the toes. Keep the spine erect focusing on moving forwards towards the toes, rather than down towards the knees
• Place your hands on your legs, wherever they reach, without forcing. If you can, take hold of your toes and pull on them to help you go forward
• Breathing in, lift your head slightly and lengthen your spine
• Breathing out, gently move the navel towards the knees
• Repeat this movement two or three times
• Drop your head down and breathe deeply for 20-60 seconds
• Stretch the arms out in front of you
• Breathing in, with the strength of your arms, come back to the sitting position
• Breathe out and lower the arms

Benefits:

• Stretches lower back, hamstrings and hips
• Massages and tones the abdominal and pelvic organs
• Tones the shoulders

Butterfly posture

• Begin by sitting on the floor and bring the soles of your feet together
• Clasp your feet with your hands, straightening your arms and sitting up very straight
• Close your eyes and begin raising and lowering your knees, as a butterfly would flap its wings (hence the name)
• Continue this movement for 30-60 seconds and then relax

For instructions on how to do these postures, visit the ‘Yoga Poses/Postures section’ These postures massage the lowerback, spine, abdomen, pelvic and abdominal organs.

Benefits:

• Stretches lower back, and hips
• Massages and tones the abdominal and pelvic organs
• Stretches thighs and tones the muscles