Alleviate & Purify
I have been frequently approached by most of my young female students to come up with a yogic panacea for alleviating menstrual cramps. It is awful to be nailed to bed for days every month, not being able to function normally. Cramps are caused by the contraction of the uterus as it sloughs off the fertile layer it had prepared for a possible pregnancy. If there is an absence of a fertilized egg after ovulation has occurred, the uterine wall swells and sheds. Pre-menstrual cramps (PMS) are usually a result of high hormone levels and greater-than-normal uterine muscle contractions. Sadly enough, PMS syndrome triggers a whole chain of fluctuating feelings like anxiety, irritability and mood swings. At times fatigue, headaches and sugar cravings arise caused by the increased responsiveness to insulin as the hormone levels hike up. Even worse, congestive cramping forces the body to retain fluids and salt. What to do?
Taking the notorious pain killers or birth control that the medical experts swear by is not a healthy option. You temporarily numb the pain by muting your body’s signals. Pain is in fact the body’s natural alert mechanism that should never be suppressed. PMS pain kicks in to remind us of the power of women to resurrect their fecundity every month, while synching with the lunar ebb and flow. Instead of agonizing every month, women should celebrate the gift of fertility and yielding. The key to enjoying a pain-free period is exercise, as it improves blood and oxygen flow, increases the overall serotonin levels and decrease clotting. Physiologically, cramping is often the result of your body reflexively trying to hold the blood in, so it is vital to relax your pelvic muscles to let the blood flow out. Apart from probing the tried holistic period soothers like taking ginger root tea, and putting cayenne pepper in your food; eating fiber, and drinking plenty of water; supplementing your diet with vitamins E, thiamine, Omega 3, Zinc and Calcium; lying on your side or placing a hot bottle on your tummy; practicing targeted pranayama (breath-control), asana (right postures) and mudra (energy seals with the hands) would greatly benefit you during your monthly cycle.
When considering the optimal PMS Yoga practice for you, you ought to engage in a series of breathing techniques performed in simple postures that would both loosen the pelvic floor and improve the tone of the vaginal walls, releasing the gripping uterus muscles. Because the true alleviation of cramps happens on an energetic level first, the most favorable sequence would involve toning of one of the energetic locks in the body that relates to the first two charkas (energy wheels). In the branch of Yoga called “etheric” (energetic) anatomy the Earth lock that should be activated during menstruation is called “Mula Bandha” and the downward energy of release and surrender “Apana”. The “bandhas” are mechanisms by which we can direct the flow of prana, the universal life-force energy that animates and unites us all. Mula bandha is achieved when you find a neutral, stand with your pelvis anteriorly tilted, your pubic bone lifted, and the pelvic floor and the groins elongated. From a posterior position, you can find it by drawing your hips slightly back until the buttocks relax and the lumbar spine regains its natural curve. As you do this, lift the pelvic floor and lengthen the waist and groins—again to facilitate the flow of “Apana.” This downward and outward energy translates as “the air that moves away” and governs the ability to eject or eliminate what is not needed to the system. Just as with the breath we exhale what is not needed after assimilating the in-breath, the “apana” is the force behind the elimination of waste in general, working in the kidneys, colon, rectum, bladder and genitals. It is also the moving force in the process of reproduction – which essentially moves new life ‘out’ into the world – from insemination to childbirth. As we release “apana” we yield deeper into the mysterious masterpiece that is the female body – a temple of fertility and renewal. Our monthly cycle celebrates our magically orchestrated bearing, making us instruments for abundance and procreators of Earthly intelligence.
If you are sick of swallowing Tylenol every month, or you’ve had enough of curling in bed during cramp attacks, and you are not a fan of Ovarian Kung-fu, purify your body with this Yogea monthly cycle soother.
Yogea menstrual cramps soother: Alleviate & Purify
This Yogea practice blends asana, mudra and pranayama and is especially designed to relieve and reduce pain caused by pre-menstrual or menstrual cramping. Lower belly breathing strengthens the abdominals rectus, releasing clotting and increasing vaginal muscle tone. Pelvic floor stretches in frog pose release the flow while aiding the engaging of “Mula Banda” – the Earth seal. Seated butterfly positions are integrated with receptivity inducing “Yoni Mudra” to relax the tightness of the uterus. Pelvic contractions catalyze the first and second chakras, creating an open portal for re-directing downward flow. Trigger point activation is used while opening the hip flexors to stimulate the sexual glands and regulate the high hormone levels during menstruation. Supine forward bends and back bends strengthen the mid back and hips. Focused tapping into the navel speeds up detoxification and restores the vital flow.
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