Yoga tape disclamers? I am confused...

[LVgeogeek]

On the Yoga tape I use, there are the disclaimers and warnings at the beginning. I have no probem with that. The thing that has me going is that one of the disclaimers says “women who are in mensus [menstrating] should not do these exercises” I am really confused by this. I know that excercise and stretching makes me feel 100% better when I am… you know

Does anybody know what adverse affects could be caused by Yoga done while menstruating? I am at a loss.

I think this goes here, as I think the answers could be too varied for GQ…If I am wrong please move and I apologize in advance.

[Indygrrl]

What’s the copyright on that tape?

There’s no reason why you couldn’t do yoga while having a period. You can do everything else, so why not yoga?

[The_Asbestos_Mango]

Well, it could be because some women with certain types of problems could end up with somebody-please-shoot-me cramps, so they think that the safest course of action is to just advise all women to lay off the yoga at certain times of the month.

I have a fibroid, and I basically have to lay off just about any form of exercise when Aunt Flo is visiting, including yoga, because of the cramps.

None of my yoga tapes have this waring in their disclaimer, though.

[Ethilrist]

If you’re thinking of yoga as mild toning exercise with lots of stretching, if it doesn’t hurt you, go for it.

However, if you read any of the deeper philosophical meanings of yoga, they’re all concerned with the natural energy flows within the body. Flows like, say, the reproductive cycle. My WAG is that the tape producer’s opinion of women who do yoga while menstruating is like people going for their first canoe trip down some whitewater rapids…

[LVgeogeek]

Indygrrl;The tape is fairly new (less than 4 years old). I thought it might be a sort of archaic warning or such. Actually, I thought it was silly. It is only a moderate yoga tape, nothing too complicated, but above a beginners tape.

I do the yoga anyway and never had a problem, but Asbestos has a point, if one has fibroids or the like, it might cause someone a lot of pain.

[alice_in_wonderland]

I have a pilates tape with the same sort of warning regarding inverted poses and mestruating women.

I thought it was hokum until I tried to do an inverted pose at that time of the month and tipped right over. I have no idea why this would be, but it really made me light headed - perhaps that’s why.

[vix]

I practice Iyengar yoga, and my instructors have always said that menstruating women aren’t supposed to do inverted poses, like headstand or shoulderstand. Not sure why. However, there are many yoga poses that are supposed to be helpful if you’re menstruating.

This site says:

Yoga can be practiced by women of all ages and at all stages of life. Practice is beneficial, even during menstruation and pregnancy although the practice needs to be adjusted depending on one’s circumstances. Certain postures are extremely helpful for a women’s physiology, especially to overcome menstrual disorders and also to withstand the physiological and emotional changes accompanying menopause.

[emacularius]

From my Yoga DVD (Yoga for Inflexible People) :
“Women who are menstruating should not perform any inversions or deep twists.”

It also says not to practice right after eating…

The copyright says 2002… it’s for beginners, and it even has a couple of menstruation series.

[Podkayne]

You’ll find this warning on pretty much any yoga book or tape.

I heard somewhere that it came from the mistaken belief that if you do inverts and other vigorous exercise during menstruation, bits of the edometrium (the lining of the uterus that swells with blood, then breaks down during mentstuation) can migrate out the fallopian tubes out out into the abdominal cavity, leading to endometriosis. While causes of endometriosis remain mysterious, standing on your head while surfing the crimson wave is no longer thought to be a contributing factor.

I’ve never had any trouble doing yoga during my period (if anything, it’s helpful for my cramps) and have yet to develop endometriosis. However, I have learned that a super-absorbant tampon is advisable, for obvious reasons. My more-yoga-than-thou friend doesn’t practice during her period because she thinks tampons are unhealthy, and, well, I don’t have to paint a picture for you, do I?

Here’s a cite:

Traditionally, inverted poses in yoga are contraindicated for menstruating women because it is believed that there is an outward flow of energy during the menstrual or “moon” cycle and inversions go against this flow.

According to Yoga Journal columnist and yoga teacher Barbara Benagh, some yoga instructors are concerned that inverted poses will cause endometriosis or vascular congestion in the uterus that could encourage excessive menstrual bleeding.

Benagh points out that current scientific research has debunked the endometriosis theory and that vascular congestion will only be a problem for women who hold the inverted poses too long.

[Jadis]

This article from yoga.com debunks the endometriosis aspect of not doing inversions during menses, but gives another physiological reason that they believe you still shouldn’t do them:

During the menses, the pelvic vascular bed contains more blood than at other times of the cycle. The uterine blood supply enters the uterus from the right and left sides of the pelvis. These blood vessels are located in the broad ligaments that suspend the uterus from the pelvis. The uterine arteries are thick-walled and muscular. The uterine veins are thin-walled and easily collapsed.

During inversions, the uterus is pulled towards the head by gravity, causing the broad ligaments to be stretched. This can cause stretch and partial collapse or occlusion of the thin-walled veins, while allowing the uncollapsed arteries to continue to pump in blood. Thus, more blood enters the uterus via the arteries than can be carried away by the veins. The vascular congestion that results can lead to increased menstrual bleeding.

[Basandre]

I took a yoga class that involved some of the inverted postures once. Not knowing that there could be any problem, I did them while I was having my period as well - once. I could feel things flowing the wrong way, it was bizarre… Nothing bad happened, it just felt extremely weird.