The week of your period has most likely always come with unspoken instructions to curl up and wait it out. Talk to a yoga teacher, though, and you’ll hear something closer to the opposite—some of the month’s most valuable practice happens right here, cramps and all, provided it’s the right kind of practice.
“Many women avoid exercise during their periods, but yoga poses for period pain can actually be highly beneficial,” says Pinky Shah, an aerial yoga expert. “It helps improve blood circulation, which may ease menstrual cramps, reduce lower back pain and relieve bloating. Gentle stretching helps relax tight muscles, reduces stiffness and promotes overall comfort,” she adds. Just make sure the intensity is dialled right down, with a modified practice standing in for the usual workout.
For Anvita Dixit, yoga instructor at TEGO Fit, the logic runs deeper than the physical alone. “Yoga is a holistic science,” she says—one that works on the body, the mind, the emotions and the spirit simultaneously, easing everything from cramping, lower back pain and fatigue to the irritability, gas and disrupted sleep that so often gatecrash the week. “First-timers are better off practising under guidance than improvising alone,” Dixit advises. Acemthese yoga poses for period pain and the rest follows.
Six yoga poses for period pain
Keep a bolster, a long cushion and a stretch of wall within reach—these six poses lean heavily on props.
Corpse pose (shavasana)
A natural place to begin. “This is the best restorative pose,” says Dixit, who suggests placing a pillow under the knees to relax the lower back—breath awareness throughout, she adds, “will amplify its benefits.”
Reclining bound angle pose (supta baddha konasana)
