Yoga for PMS Wichita KS

RX-Yoga and PMS

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By Brooks Freehill

Premenstrual syndrome—better known as PMS—includes at least 150 different symptoms that run the gamut from irritability and fatigue to backaches and bloating, from herpes outbreaks and crying jags to insomnia, sugar cravings, and migraines. In order to alleviate what ayurvedic physicians call a woman’s monthly dysfunction, it helps to understand what causes it in the first place. Back in 1998, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine posited that PMS doesn’t come from a hormonal imbalance per se; rather a woman’s abnormal response to normal hormonal levels is the culprit. Other studies highlight the emotional aspect of PMS, saying that the severity of symptoms may be directly related to how much stress and emotional upheaval a woman has in her life. Still other researchers believe a sluggish liver, vitamin B6 deficiency, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), or endorphin withdrawal may contribute to the symptoms.

Although you can’t really define PMS as a single set of symptoms, a daily yoga practice and a few lifestyle changes can help mitigate the effects. Pick your PMS nightmare—and its solution—from one (or more) of the following four categories.

• Irritability, mood swings, and free-floating anxiety—all of which may be brought on by your response to hormonal irregularities. Forward bends and inversions (turning upside down) can help quell agitation and rebalance the endocrine system, which is vital for good menstrual health. For some women, going up into a headstand is too unsettling. If that’s the case, try poses that get your pelvis up higher than your heart. Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana), above, or supported Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) are gentle, effective choices. Resting your head on a bolster during Downward-Facing Dog will cool the brain and ease any tension you feel. Forward bends like Head-on-Knee Pose (Janu Sirsasana) ease anxiety and irritability as well.

• Sugar cravings, fatigue, and headaches—all of which happen because your body is more sensitive to insulin in the week or so before your period. Women often crave chocolate, which contains magnesium, a mineral known to decrease cramps and normalize glucose metabolism. Supported backbends, like Bridge Pose, can stimulate blood flow to the abdominal and pelvic areas—without requiring too much effort on your part—which helps to tone the reproductive organs, relieve carbohydrate cravings, and lift your spirits. The gentle twisting action of Head-on-Knee Pose helps tone and activate the reproductive organs, calm tension headaches, and relieve stiffness in the hips and lower back.

• Depression, fuzzy thinking, and spaciness—all of which may occur because of too much progesterone. Again, any chest-opening poses and inversions will help. Downward Dog and Bridge Pose as well as any standing poses you have in your yoga repertoire will work wonders. If you suffer from fatigue as well, do your standing poses at the wall and...

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