Sinnead Ali is a Menstrual Cycle Expert, Cycle Informed Yoga teacher, Doula, Sex Educator and Abdominal Therapist. Sinnead has been a member of MWY for about a year, so we are very pleased she is sharing her insight on womb yoga. Over to you, Sinnead.
How to Connect with Your Womb Through Your Yoga Practice
Yoga asana is a great way to increase body awareness and increase vitality. The womb, whether a person physically has one or not, is their creative centre. If you are trying to manage PMS, support your fertility or simply connect with your inner cycles then your yoga practice can be a great place to start.
Here's how:
Breathe deeply - During our practice we’re often guided to breathe deeply into our bellies. Next time, try breathing deeper into the space between your hips. Imagine you inhale, gently drawing up your pelvic muscles and the ligaments and connective tissues supporting your womb; visualise your exhales melting all tension in your pelvis away.
Invert or nah? - Traditionally, inversions were not advised for people on their bleed, and many teachers will stay true to this still. The belief was that being upside down was to go against the natural flow of our period leaving the uterus. However, we know that menstrual blood is not pulled by gravity, but rather by contractions in the uterus. Inverting for a short period of time is unlikely to hinder your bleed, although the energy needed for such postures may exacerbate feelings of tiredness and low energy if that's something you’re already experiencing. To conclude, it’s personal. As with anything in yoga, listen to your body, especially if inversions are not part of your regular routine.
Heart-womb connection - In the few minutes before you get moving and that twilight phase after savasana, do you ever find yourself thinking “what should I do with my hands? '' You could use these moments to physically connect with your womb by placing your hands on your lower belly. You could also place your other hand over your heart and visualise a stream of healing light transferring between the two.
Cycle sync your practice - What day are you on in your cycle? Sometimes it’s hard to keep track! Mixing up your yoga practice to match the energy of each cycle phase can help you with tracking and listening to your body’s needs. Just finished your bleed? Your follicular phase is a great time to really challenge yourself with newness: try some balances or binds. Moving toward your bleed - a sweaty flow might help to burn through any PMS-induced anxiety or if your body is saying it’s time for stillness then slow it right down with something restorative.
Find out more about Sinnead and womb yoga here.
