Did you know yoga for period pain can help ease some monthly fibroid symptoms? One of the most uncomfortable side effects of uterine fibroids is menstrual pain. Cramps become more intense, and your cycle is often longer and heavier. While over-the-counter medications can offer some relief from your menstrual discomfort, if this is a monthly issue, you may want to seek a more natural form of pain relief.
So next month, instead of popping some Advil, why not try one (or more) of these yoga for period pain poses? The moves are all designed to target areas of your body that are specifically affected by period pain!
Using Yoga for Period Pain
If a heavy period and cramps bother you each month, try these yoga poses in addition to your regular practice. They’re designed to ease pelvic pain, cramps and more.
1. Child’s Pose 
Child’s pose is the go-to resting pose in most active yoga classes. The pose is a great option for those suffering from menstrual-cycle related back pain because it gently stretches the low back muscles.
Focus on deeply breathing into the back and notice the rise and the fall of the breath in the body. Relax through the hips and let the torso rest upon the tops of the thighs which will help alleviate fatigue.
Tip: Put a bolster or pillow under the torso to make it more comfortable for you to hold the pose.
2. Forward Fold
Forward Fold pose lengthens your spine and stretches your hips, possibly helping alleviate pelvic pain. It also helps ease the pain that radiates down the legs and around the back by stretching the hamstrings, calves, and back.
For an extra stretch, grasp opposite elbows while you are in the pose to release your neck muscles and further unwind.
3. Knees-to-Chest Pose
One of the most effective poses for menstrual pain is the Knees-to-Chest pose because it the lower back and abdominal muscles, relieving tension and reducing pain. Knees-to-Chest pose also increases circulation to the abdomen which may help deliver some pain relief.
When you are in the pose, try rocking from side to side and back to front to sneak in a bonus back massage!
4. Cat/Cow
Moving slowly through the active Cat-Cow pose will warm up the body, an action that is known to help relieve menstrual cramps. In addition, these poses target the back and abdominal muscles—stretching and toning them.
Try going from one pose to the other at your own pace, lingering where desired. Remember to inhale as you rise to Cow pose, and exhale as you coil inwards with Cat pose.
Period Protection for Your Yoga Practice (and the Environment)
If you’re dealing with a heavy period, you may avoid exercise. Even if it’s yoga designed to relieve your pain. But that’s a bad idea, since exercising on your period is important for your overall health. And for fibroid relief.
We know you might worry about leaking during exercise. And that’s why you may want to check out this smart new invention: period pants from Modibodi! Because this type of menstrual protection replaces your regular underwear, you can wear a tampon as well during exercise. That way, you can feel secure about flowing through your yoga poses. Without leaking through your clothing.
Then, as an added bonus, consider this fact. When you choose period pants over pads, you can reduce your ecological footprint. Because washable period plants could make a major dent in the nearly 11,000 disposable feminine hygiene products the average woman tosses out in her lifetime. (Remember, that’s average. But women with fibroids tend to have heavy periods. And, for our purposes, a heavy period means you soak through a super tampon every hour or sooner. Meaning you probably use more than the average woman.)
Once you feel confident about your feminine hygiene protection, we hope you try out yoga for period pain. Because yoga can a wonderful option to help you cope with the painful menstrual side effects of fibroids. Just don’t forget: even the best yoga pose won’t offer permanent fibroid pain relief. If monthly fibroid symptoms are interfering with your daily activities, it’s time to explore other treatment options. So make an appointment with your Houston fibroid specialists today. Together, we can review all your treatment options!.
Sources: The Daily Mail, Do You Yoga
