Can I practice aerial yoga during my period?
My answer is to do what’s good for you! There is no evidence that practicing aerial yoga during menstruation is harmful, and research on exercise and menstruation alone is scarce. However, it is possible that the tight wrapping of the hammock material around the abdomen, hips, and lower back increases the discomfort and pain during your period.
Core and abdomen muscles during the period
More than doubts about inversions, focus on the core and abs. In the first days of the period, the belly and loins may be sore, the belly “swollen” and therefore more “lazy” and harder to activate. It may result in weakening the core control, so special attention should be paid to poses that require its involvement, such as a plant. The weakened belly these days may cause a transfer of the effort of holding the position to the loins, which may result in their overload.
So my advice is – you can exercise but with respect for your well-being and a greater focus on body signals. If you need a gentler or shorter practice, allow yourself to do it. Communicate with the teacher during the class in case of any discomfort. There are many gentler variations of aerial yoga poses that you may want to choose for those days.
Everyone is different! If you want to exercise, do it! If not, then no. During my aerial yoga classes, I want to let you make your own decisions about your body.
Is inversion harmful during menstruation?
Some schools of classical yoga claim that inverting the body during menstruation is harmful. There are yoga schools that prohibit women from practicing yoga at all during that time. Inversions are forbidden because it is believed to disturb the natural movement of downward-flowing energy (apana) and the healthy elimination of blood and endometrium during menstruation.
Yogic energy flow aside, a quick dive into Western medicine and academic publications shows little evidence that performing upside-down positions during menstruation is dangerous. Indeed, there is a phenomenon such as retrograde menstruation, but its causes are not well understood yet. There is no evidence that going upside-down causes retrograde menstruation. I couldn’t find any research on aerial yoga or aerial sports during period.
However, according to Ayurveda, certain yoga poses (asanas), massaging specific points on the body, and breathing exercises, can regulate the cycle and reduce premenstrual symptoms. There are also studies that show that yoga can improve overall well-being during the luteal and menstrual phases of the menstrual cycle.
Where does this exclusion of menstruating women from yoga come from?
Abstaining women from yoga during menstruation may have roots in the harsh practices of Brahmins in India, where women were considered “dirty” during their periods. While one might assume this was intended to allow menstruating women to spend time are home, rest, or turn inward during menstruation, forcing women into seclusion during that time is more often a patriarchal exile than a celebration of a woman’s menstrual cycle.
Menstruation is a globally stigmatized phenomenon, and cultures around the world have developed harmful and even destructive ideals and beliefs about menstruation. I stand against it.
Menstruation is a globally stigmatized phenomenon, and cultures around the world have developed harmful and even destructive ideal and beliefs about menstrution. I stand againts it.
