5 yoga poses for PMS

3 mins to read

Suffering from the symptoms of PMS? Naturopath Charmaine West discusses how yoga may help you navigate this 'time-of-the-month' and outlines the top 5 expert-backed poses to help see you through it.

Womens healthYoga

Is there anything yoga can’t do?

The main focus of this 5000 year old practice is to bring together mind & body –through movement, breath and meditation.

This seemingly simple approach has been shown to have a vast array of health benefits for the nervous system, heart health, digestion and muscle and joint health.

TRY THIS: 5 yoga poses to help you through your midday slump

But have you ever thought about trying yoga to combat your pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms?

Exercise, in general, has been shown to have a positive effect on PMS symptoms, and yoga can be particularly helpful.

One small study found that a 16 week course of yoga was highly beneficial for women with PMS. The majority of those that took part in the study reported significant improvement in negative affect (with reductions in anxiety, irritability, tension and low mood), along with significant improvements to concentration, and a reduction in symptoms like forgetfulness, confusion, insomnia and poor motor coordination. They also found improvements in weight gain and painful and swollen breasts.

VITAMIN B: Lower your risk of PMS with these B vitamin-packed foods

Yoga poses to beat PMS symptoms

Naturopath and yoga instructor Gina Burn gives us her top 5 poses to ease symptoms associated with PMS such as lower back pain, sensitive uterus area, feelings of introversion, reduced energy levels and mild irritability

1. Childs pose

This pose opens the back and hips, and allows the mind to go within. Forward folds are often soothing for pain (knees together and knees wide version).

2. Down Dog

This pose stretches almost everything! It is also a mild inversion, so it brings fresh blood to the brain & helps clear thoughts. It also encourages circulation to other parts of the body rather than uterus.

3. Half Pigeon

This pose is particularly soothing for the female reproductive system, and helps release anger (often experienced in PMS).

4. Supine twist

This pose helps the spine, and lower back. It may also help any uterine pain that is better for pressure due to the mild pressure on the uterus with this pose.

5. Savasana

This is the most important pose, and done after all the others. It is for spine health, and allows blood to be brought back equally to the rest of the body. It allows for stillness of mind, leading to stillness of body, a calm body cannot hold the tension of PMT. True relaxation and tension cannot co-exist.

...

Video Hosting for Business5 yoga poses for PMSChild's pose (Balasana)This pose opens the back and hips, and allows the mind to go within. Forward folds are often soothing for pain.flash 13cameramake NIKON CORPORATIONheight 1131camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS5 originaldate 3/15/2014 6:32:01 PMwidth 1697cameramodel NIKON D800Downward facing dog (Adho mukha svanasana)This pose stretches almost everything! It is also a mild inversion, so it brings fresh blood to the brain & helps clear thoughts. It also encourages circulation to other parts of the body rather than uterus.cameramake NIKON CORPORATIONheight 1733camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS3 originaldate 12/8/2011 12:23:35 AMwidth 2836cameramodel NIKON D3XHalf-pigeonThis pose is particularly soothing for the female reproductive system, and helps release anger (often experienced in PMS).flash 16cameramake NIKON CORPORATIONheight 1009orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS6 originaldate 10/3/2014 4:20:18 PMwidth 1903cameramodel NIKON D800Supine twistThis pose helps the spine, and lower back. It may also help any uterine pain that is better for pressure due to the mild pressure on the uterus with this pose.cameramake Hasselbladheight 1014camerasoftware Aperture 3.2.2originaldate 12/22/2011 4:27:08 AMwidth 1894cameramodel Hasselblad H3DII-31SavasanaFor spine health, and allowing blood to be brought back equally to the rest of the body. It allows for stillness of mind, leading to stillness of body, a calm body cannot hold the tension of PMT. flash 13cameramake NIKON CORPORATIONheight 1131camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS6 originaldate 3/15/2014 6:38:16 PMwidth 1697cameramodel NIKON D800

Gina Burn is a naturopath and yoga teacher. When she’s not here at Blackmores providing expert advice on all things health and wellness, she is at her busy practice helping her clients achieve optimal wellbeing.

She has been practicing yoga for 20 years and for the past 5 years has been teaching Hatha, vinyasa, yin and Kundalini yoga- both in classes in Sydney and at her farm/ health retreat on the Central Coast.