My yoga teacher says no headstands while menstruating, she won’t even let you do the bridge because you clench pelvic floor muscles.
Now, I’m not sure about this, mainly because I have a big problem with the “can’t do this when you’re on your period”-crowd.*
As I understand it, once the lining lets go it’s pretty much gravity at work, is that right? So, you could probably get blood flowing back when you’re upside-down, but would that really be a problem? Once you’re upright again, wouldn’t it just flow down again?
So, is this just yoga-woo, or is it really bad to be upside-down on your period?
The things the kids I used to work with in Brazil were told. GRRR I still get angry about that. Basically, they were just meant to sit still, look lady-like and preferably suffer. Every time I would go over it all with them again, and every time their teacher or someone at church would scare them again. I think the teacher even said something about me being a prostitute or something, but the kids wouldn’t tell me what she said!
What’s the alleged downside of clenching your pelvic floor muscles while you’re menstruating?
Women who are completely confined to a horizontal position, e.g. comatose women, can have normal periods. Women in space, where there’s no such thing as down at all, can have normal periods.
Thanks guys! I’m forever trying to find a yoga teacher who is just concerned with yoga. I like yoga. Stretchy, flexy excercise, it makes me feel so much better. But then the stupid woo, why is that? Why do the two have to go together?
Gila, I have no idea what the alleged problem was to clenching pelvic floor muscles. It probably kills dolphins or something; she just says you can’t do it. But about being upside down she said the blood flows back and that is “bad”.
As I understand it, the blood flows back all the time, e.g. if you’re sleeping on your side. Blood can spill through the fallopian tubes into your abdominal cavity, and does so routinely. So what?
I was under the impression that the uterus and vagina pump the material out of the body - the uterus actively so (thus the cramps), and the vagina just from its natural muscular tone/tension.
The various space agencies that have sent women into orbit for long periods (no pun intended) would be able to tell you for certain whether gravity was a factor or not.
When we have our periods, we sleep on our backs. I mean I don’t just stop sleeping on my back and start sleeping sitting up for the hell of it. That’s all it is.
There are cramps, to slough off the uterine lining, and that’s what hurts so bad (or sometimes not as much, but you always feel it). Once it’s sloughed off it just comes out naturally.
So yes, when we wake up after the night of sleeping, we can often expect a heavier flow in the mornings. (Not if we wear tampons, though).
This is what came to mind. A few years back there was some discussion of avoiding orgasm during menstruation for the same reason, because sloughed tissue might “migrate” and attach to intestinal walls or something. Haven’t heard or read anything like that in years. Maybe just don’t tell your instructor when you are having a period?
That’s pretty much what I was basing my theory on: that in the morning you get heavy flow for a while because gravity suddenly kicks in. But now I am curious about astronauts. Well, obviously, the stuff still finds its way out when we’re lying down, so that would still work in space. But I feel like there is some gravity involved.
Undoubtedly. It also happens to be a subject that particularly pisses me off, as I described in the OP. I just felt I needed to check that my anger-instinct had correctly kicked in against the woo.
I think I need to try another class. I like my Thursday power yoga, no woo in that so far. Now to find a replacement for this one.
I didn’t Thought I’d take my chances…
Also, about avoiding orgasm: it’s also meant to reduce cramps…
A. How could your yoga instructor possibly know if you have your period, unless you tell her? Why would it be her business? If that was the class I liked, I would just go and do and not worry about the woo.
B. I take and teach a certain type of dance class that requires frequent inversions and other gymnastic maneuvers, sometimes even contortion-level flexibility. We have never advised anyone on their period not to invert, nor do we even bring it up. I think it’s nonsense/yoga woo.
She asks. Then she says: “not you, you do this instead.”
I just started this particular class, and it’s not really what I’m looking for anyway. But this kind of thing really bugs me. So I’ll see what the weekend classes are like.
I don’t really mind. It’s clear she’s asking because she’s under the mistaken impression that it matters to the exercise. And why not say? I think it’s sad that it’s still such a taboo, like you’re admitting there is something wrong, something dirty going on. Obviously, it is your body, you don’t need to share if you don’t want to. But I wouldn’t mind living in a world in which that was normal question when relevant, and in general a normal thing to share. After all, for women it is a monthly/every day* reality. I don’t much like the taboo, the feeling icky, the fact that it still makes men cringe. No need to shout it from the rooftops, but I also don’t see a need to go out of your way to avoid the subject when it comes up.
*No, I’m not confused
Not at all, I agree with you 100%. It shouldn’t be a big deal or something to be ashamed of. We’ve come a long way since we were evicted from the cave during our “unclean” time, but we could stand to be more open about something half the population experiences 400+ times in a lifetime.
If you like the class, lie and tell her that your birth control prevents you from menstrating. She can stop asking and you can go on your merry bendy way.
Maybe collect some data on the subject and leave it on her desk…
Thought I’d take my chances…