Yoga for menstrual cramps, menopause, and disorders
Yoga for menstrual cramps, menopause, and disorders
IF half the female Yoga enthusiasts I know began their study of Hatha Yoga for the sake of improving their figures, it can be safely said that the other half did so because of menstrual cramps and other female disorders. Many females find that drugs do little to alleviate the dragging down pains they have to endure every month, and so year after year they suffer in silence.
But this kind of pain is unnecessary. Yoga can and does help. Practise, at least twice a day throughout the month, the Sarvan-gasana or Shoulderstand described in chapter four, or if you are unable to do this, try lying down with your feet very much higher than your head. The chief function of this inverted posture in the battle against period pains lies in the reversal of the influence of gravity upon the internal organs. The fluids of the body tend naturally to flow downwards and even the skeleton is subject to downward displacement by the pull of gravity. The downward drag, though it may be held in check by a healthy and active body, is nevertheless always present in some degree.
There is a greater tendency in women than in men to suffer from varicose veins and prolapse of the viscera, this being due to the wider pelvis and larger number of abdominal organs. By inverting the body and holding it in poised stillness, all downward pressure is relieved. Practise the Shoulderstand over a period of time and you will soon begin to notice a lessening of the intensity of your discomfort each month, until after a time it will cease altogether to be a problem. Though a certain degree of slowing down of activity on the first two days of a period is advisable, there need not be any undue resting. Incidentally the Shoulderstand is especially recommended for women after childbirth after a suitable period of recuperation has elapsed, but in all cases do not prolong the posture beyond the point of absolute comfort. No Yoga exercises should be performed during pregnancy or menstruation except the breathing ones, which can be done with impunity.
An especially valuable exercise for women suffering from ovarian and uterine disorders is the BHUJANGASANA, called in English the COBRA POSE. AS it belongs to the basic group of essential Yoga asanas it should never be omitted from any practice schedule, no matter what the ailment from which you are suffering. It is not at all difficult and can be performed by beginners in all age groups.
Cobra Pose
1. Lie face downwards on your mat with your chin on the ground, and your legs straight and feet together. Place your palms on the floor at shoulder level keeping your elbows high off the ground.
2. Inhale slowly and deeply and at the same time slowly raise your head, shoulders, chest and upper abdomen, leaving the lower part of your abdomen on the floor. Keep arching your spine as you complete your inhalation, and remain thus for as long as you comfortably can without exhaling. You will feel a strong pressure in the lower part of your back as you push your head back as far as you can. And remember to keep your elbows bent and well off the floor. I have demonstrated the correct position in figure 43, page 133.
3. When the impulse to exhale appears, do so and at the same time gradually lower your body until you are once more touching the floor with your chin.
4. Without pausing, inhale again and repeat the movement and after the second performance of the Cobra relax before you repeat the exercise a third and fourth time.
The Cobra has many benefits and is as suitable for men as for women for it affects the adrenal glands which lie above each kidney, and the backward bend of the Cobra sends them a richer supply of blood and subjects them to a healthy pressure. The Cobra is also beneficial to people suffering from backache, displaced vertebrae, and poor circulation.
A word of warning though. You may not be used to exercising and your spine may be stiffer than you think so do please be careful while bending backwards in this exercise. Be sure not to jerk your body as you raise it off the ground as you could easily injure a rigid muscle and the pain could last some time. Remember that the Cobra is a beautiful and graceful exercise. As you leave the floor come up slowly and majestically like a rising cobra and under no circumstances must you force yourself to hold the position longer than you find comfortable. Gradually increase the time you hold it until you can remain immobile in the Cobra pose for ten seconds. When you are limbered up you can perform this asana up to six times a day.
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admin | November 8, 2007