When you have your mothly gift from Mother Nature, you body is little uncomfortable, and a little out of sync. The most obvious symptom are period cramps and a scattered head. To relieve period cramps and relax your mind, we’ve pulled together 5 easy poses. These deep breaths and easy stretches can help with both the physical and mental cramps.
You may already know that you should be avoiding inversions (don’t go upside down, think move with the flow). Most other poses are approved and even encouraged. Here are some of the easiest top 5 restorative abdomen centric poses.
1.) Childs Pose - Get on your knees and bend forward, letting your buttocks settle between your ankles. Either extend your arms outward or tuck them in close to your legs with your palms facing upward. You can place a pillow between your belly and your knees to help spad legs, rest more fully, and control how much pressure you place on your abdomen. If you find yourself crawling into a ball of small pain because stretching is difficult, just take your hot pack and sit in child’s pose for however long you want in whichever way is most comfortable.
3.) Fish Pose - In fish pose you lay on your back while you elevate your torso by sliding your arms underneath your shoulders and buttocks. Move your head back to touch the floor and expand your chest. This moves your breath to fill your entire lower belly and can help stretch those muscles. (To intensify the pose experts can lift their weight onto the balls of their feet and elevate the legs slightly off the ground.) (more on fish pose here: http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/fish-pose)
4.) Supine Twist - Gently wring out your body with a slow twist. Lay on your back in corpse pose, place your arm out in a ‘T’ formation. Slowly bend one knee and bring it over to rest over the other leg. Hold the twist for a bit and breath into your chest. Remember to keep your shoulders on the floor and breathe into the abdomen and chest. The repeat on the other side. (step by step pose insturctions here: https://www.doyouyoga.com/how-to-do-reclined-spinal-twist-pose/)
5.) Knees to Chest - That’s correct - an upright fetal position will help you with your pain. Lay on your back and gather your knees to your chest. Hug your knees gently and let your back settle into the ground. This relaxes your torso and abdomen while also helping reduce anxiety. More info on the pose: https://www.doyouyoga.com/how-to-do-knees-to-chest-pose/
If you’re feeling up to a longer routine, then we love Sarah Beth’s 15 minute cramp relief sequence.