How To Adapt Your Yoga Practice To Support The Phases Of Your Menstrual Cycle
I remember when I first discovered yoga. I was searching for help with fatigue, stress and anxiety and yoga offered me life-changing relief from these debilitating symptoms. I was immediately hooked!
Except, I noticed that some days I would get on the yoga mat and my practice was fluid and effortless. I would power up into gravity-defying arm balances, inversions came easy and my body just seemed to flow with ease.
On other days, just getting on my mat was a painful chore. My body felt heavy and rigid, my motivation was lacking and a pose that was easy one day was nearly impossible a week later. My body craved Savasana but oftentimes I would override those feelings and push myself to perform at the previous weeks level.
I was determined to find answers as to why my body could feel so differently from day to day.
I discovered that as women, we have another layer to take into consideration; the ever-fluctuating hormones in our menstrual cycle.
Emerging research suggests that women can optimize their workouts based on where they are at in their monthly cycle.
Let’s talk a little more about how this idea gained traction and where the research currently stands.
I’ll also share a few recommended yoga practices to support where you are at in each phase of your cycle and introduce you to The Period Yogi Method.
The Research on Cycle-Syncing Your Workouts
First of all, remember that women are historically left out of scientific research. Males are usually the research subjects, which is problematic since many biological differences exist between women and men.
Fortunately, more recent research is calling for the inclusion of women in studies regarding exercise science and pointing out that special considerations need to be made for various hormonal changes that women undergo throughout their lives.
Adapting your workouts to the phases of your cycle involves modifying the intensity and type of exercise depending on where you’re at in your menstruation cycle. For example, choose a higher intensity practice (think, vinyasa flow) when energy levels are naturally higher and a slower workout (like yin or restorative yoga) when energy is lower, like during menstruation.
Some proponents suggest that adjusting your movement practices in this way can actually improve performance.
The first time this idea hit the mainstream was after the Women’s US soccer team won the 2019 World Cup and shared that they used cycle tracking as a part of their training. The team modified training for the cycle phases, but also nutrition, recovery, and sleep strategies.
All this research leads one to believe that different approaches to physical activity throughout the month would be beneficial.
Recommendations for the Phases of Your Cycle
The idea of tracking your cycle and adjusting your movement practices to meet your body where it is hormonally each day makes a lot of sense. Your hormones are changing every day and can have a massive impact on how you feel emotionally and physically, leading to shifts in energy, motivation, and recovery.
If you are interested in adapting your yoga and movement practices for the different phases of your cycle, here are some recommendations for every phase based on the hormonal changes.
Remember that every body is different, and the best recommendation is always to listen to yours and do what feels right for you!
Phase 1: Menstruation
The theme here is “Letting Go”, but it’s not all rest and relaxation. It’s important to find types of movement to support the clearing out and release of the uterine lining in this phase.
Think breathwork, lots of movement through the pelvis (cat/cow), slow sun salutations, and compress/release methods focused around the belly that will bring nutrients to local tissues.
It’s important to listen to and honor your bodi’s wisdom, Day one/two of your cycle may be a restorative practice honoring rest while Day 3 may be slow sun salutations. You know your body best, trust your intuition, and listen deeply.
Phase 2: Follicular
The theme here is “Nourishment” - when the development of the follicles and the endometrium (the uterine lining that thickens to prepare for a potential pregnancy) occurs. You’ll likely feel more energized in this phase making it a great time for higher intensity flows, with longer holds and a slightly faster pace. It’s important to balance energy output wisely and leave space for nourishment to happen.
Think sun salutations with flowing movement and breath to create gentle circulation and gradual warming balanced by restorative and yin poses that calm the body and reduce stress levels. You’ll see some extended savasana’s here too (um, yes please!)!
Phase 3: Ovulation
The theme here is “Movement + Warmth”. Movement of energy, of blood, of a dominant follicle being released to travel down a fallopian tube. This is a great time for a more vigorous practice to generate heat in the body balanced by calming practices and postures to support opening both physically and emotionally.
Think faster-paced flows, whole-body movements, twists, and heart openers. Equally important though is the calming posture/s that comes after that heat to support energy balance such as supported baddha konasana or childs pose as well as extended savasana (we’re a fan!) to amp up those relaxation, stress-less vibes.
Phase 4: Luteal
The theme here is “Warmth + Calm”. The first half of this phase may feel very different from the last half leading up to the start of your period! Early luteal may have you feeling full of energy and lightness while late luteal may bog you down with physical discomfort and fluctuating moods as your period approaches. Know that within this phase (it’s a long one, 10-16 days), you could experience quite the range of physical and emotional shifts, so choose classes that support where you are at each day.
Think slow flows that will create a gentle, gradual warming in the body. Fluid, rhythmic, repeated movements between two poses, movement through the pelvis, compression and release techniques and longer holds to calm the nervous system and reduce stress levels. Overall, honor and tune in to what your body needs to feel nourished and be ready to adapt and adjust!
The Period Yogi Method
If the idea of working WITH your body’s natural ebbs and flows resonates with you, I invite you to explore my unique membership program - The Period Yogi.
I weave together a Western and Eastern (Traditional Chinese Medicine) approach to menstruation and the uniqueness of the female body to create customized movement practices to specifically target and support the four distinct phases of your cycle. Our classes support your changing needs throughout the month to optimize your FLOW.
Get to Know Your Flow
The first step in optimizing your practice based on your cycle is getting to know your body a little better through cycle tracking.
If cycle tracking is new to you, check out my blog here. Basically, you’ll be recording when your period begins and ends, the number of bleeding days and their intensity as well as any spotting in your cycle.
In Conclusion
Women are hormonally more complex than men. Let’s honor our bodies' cyclical ebbs and flows and enjoy our yoga practice in a way that supports our cycles and facilitates whole, optimized health.
Resources
(1) Liu, Katherine A. et al. “Women’s involvement in clinical trials: historical perspective and future implications.” Pharmacy Practice. 2016.
(2) Elliott-Sale et al. “Methodological Considerations for Studies in Sport and Exercise Science with Women as Participants: A Working Guide for Standards of Practice for Research on Women.” Sports Medicine. 2021.
(3) Kindelan, Katie. “USWNT used innovative period tracking to help player performance at World Cup.” GMA. 2021.