Yoga Flow When You’ve Got Your Flow

You may have been brought up thinking that you should be able to do all of the vigorous activity that you normally do while on your menstrual cycle. Remember high school gym class?! And those tampon commercials encouraging women to bike and swim and not miss a beat…?

I’m all for women feeling strong, powerful and confident. I’m also a big believer in honouring the natural cycles and rhythms both internally and externally.

If we are overactive during our cycle throughout our menstrual years, this can be a contributing factor to a very challenging menopausal experience.

In Ayurvedic medicine, we always prefer to work preventatively over trying to retract dis-ease in the body-mind.

Give yourself permission to be gentle and rest during your menstrual cycle. It is the time to go inwards, be still, relax, journal, and do mellow physical activity. It is essential to listen to these rhythms and the wisdom that our monthly cycle brings; connecting us to the moon, the tides, and our own intuition and inner knowing.

When we disregard this phase each month and continue working and performing in our usual ways, we deplete ourselves and the deepest tissue layer (shukra), the reproductive tissue. This weakens the body at the source of creation.

Follow this short yoga sequence to get some ideas for a soft and nourishing yoga practice when you’ve got your period or anytime you’d like to restore and ground your energy.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

If you’d like to learn more about Ayurveda, the sister science to yoga, and how Ayurvedic medicine supports every aspect of our life; food, diet, daily self-care, yoga, and energy management, join me for the inaugural 100 hour online Ayurveda Yoga program.