Experiencing painful menstrual cramps can leave you desperate for a solution. Doing something physical, such as yoga, may feel like the last thing you want to do.

However, some yoga positions are so effective at relieving menstrual pain that once you attempt them, they will probably become a part of your pain management routine!

Using yoga for menstrual cramps is an effective pain-relief strategy. First, think about the areas of your body that typically experience pain from cramping—your belly, pelvis, hips, and lower back. These areas can be targeted for pain relief through certain yoga poses. Additionally, the emotional symptoms of PMS and menstruation can also be reduced by yoga, so it can do more than treat period pain.

There are several different schools of yoga out there, and countless poses and adaptations. It can be a little overwhelming to start from scratch! Whether you have a significant amount of yoga experience or none at all, we want you to be able to use yoga to treat your menstrual cramps.

Here are a few specific yoga poses for menstrual cramps. We encourage you to give these a try!

Yoga Position # 1: Child’s Pose

Child’s pose is one of the most familiar yoga poses, even to less experienced practitioners or those who are quite new to yoga practice. This pose targets menstrual pain that is found primarily in the back.

Yoga Position # 2: Cat-Cow

Cat-cow is a two-part pose that will target not just the back but also your abdominal muscles. Exhale on the cat pose and inhale on the cow. Repeat 5 to 20 times to help relieve your pain.

Yoga Position # 3: Reclining Twist

Your lower back and lower belly will both benefit from the reclining twist position. This pose should relax your back, hips, and shoulders. Repeat 5 to 10 times on each side. This pose should relax your back, hips, and shoulders. Repeat 5 to 10 times on each side.

Yoga position # 4: Pigeon Pose

The pigeon pose will help your hips feel more relaxed as they carry the stress of menstrual cramps. The pigeon pose will help stretch and relieve the pain felt in your hips.

Yoga position # 5: Corpse Pose

This pose is a frequent ending pose for yoga courses, and it can be especially useful in the practice of mindfulness to overcome menstrual pain. This one is less about stretching your body and more about relaxing or focusing your mind.

Source: Moreland OB-GYN