Yoga Medicine for PMS & Cramps

Here are a few suggestions to implement yoga medicine for PMS and cramps.

If you’re not a fan of popping ibuprofen for menstrual cramping, explore alternative remedies. As always, consult with your physician and medication list in case of contraindications. Most of these therapies below are available at a health food store. It’s best to consult an integrative medicine specialist or guide to herbal remedies to research for yourself.

Cramp bark extract. Try to add a few droplets of this extract on those crampy days. Follow the bottle’s instructions. You can dilute the woodsy taste a little by placing a few droplets in a small amount of orange juice to disguise its intense flavor. It’s not the best beverage you’ll ever taste, but still, the natural antispasmodic properties may be worth it!

Evening primrose oil. The healing properties of this yellow flowered plant are a constant in the alternative therapy world. It comes in capsule and oil extract forms. The anti-inflammatory properties are prized as a relief agent for premenstrual syndromes.

Hot water bottle or rice pack. The barrier of cost is low for a hot water bottle or heated grain pack, and this option is reusable. Put your feet up, grab a soft blanket, and rest the bottle or pack against the abdomen. It’s a mini-spa homemade moment all to yourself. If you don’t have one, consider soaking a washrag or hand towel in hot water, ring out the excess, and place flat against the abdomen too for temporary relief.

Essential oils. Consider using lavender, rose, chamomile, or jasmine as aromatherapy options for PMS. Use a few drops in an aromatherapy vaporizer. If you don’t have a vaporizer, place a few drops on a cotton ball. Lie down and place the cotton ball facing up on your shirt—don’t rub the oil directly on your skin but just rest it below your nose. The fragrance will waft and be a nice respite. Try our Essential Oils for Calm.

During menstruation, the key in yoga is to go light on your body and listen to it, at least in the first couple of days during your flow.

• Instead of starting with Sun Salutations A & B, start lying down with blankets or pillows stacked under the back and head. Point and rest the soles of the feet together, open the knees and drop them to the side. Allow your arms to unwind and go out with palms up. Stay here for as long as it takes to complete a body scan to release the tension in each corridor from top to bottom.
• Move into Happy Baby.
• Roll to one side and push up on all fours into Cat-Cow and gentle Downward Facing Dog, pressing through the heels and palms.
• Rest in supported Child's Pose with the support of a pillow or bolster.
• Return to your back for a gentle supine twist, one leg lifted and resting across the body to open the hip and opposite shoulder pressing away from each other. Hold each pose for a minute or two.

Also of importance: if you or any person you know experiences period poverty—the inability to afford feminine hygiene products--it’s essential to reach out to the school nurses or public health clinics to help find these critical needs. Consider donating feminine hygiene products to women’s shelters, local charities, and the public school system if you have the financial means.

Every female deserves the best hygiene during the sacred time of her cycle.

By Tricia Louvar; All Rights Reserved @2021

By Tricia Louvar; All Rights Reserved @2021