Inversions During Menstruation

When I first began doing yoga in my twenties, my teacher would advise against women doing an inverted series while they were menstruating. Since I rarely saw any women opting out of doing the inverted postures, I did them regardless of where I was in my cycle. I liked the effect of the postures, didn't want to share with the class where I was in my cycle, and never noticed any effects, negative or positive, from doing inversions while menstruating. Why are inversions said to be contraindicated during menstruation? I am reluctant to include inversions in the yoga classes I teach and would love input.
—Anonymous

Read John Friend's response:

Dear Anonymous,

Inversions have strong effects on the pranic flow in the body. After teaching yoga to thousands of women over the last 28 years, I have gathered numerous testimonials from those whose cycles were negatively affected after practicing inversions while menstruating. Menstrual periods can become weaker or irregular, or they may immediately stop, for months after inverting for a few minutes during menstruation. The effect on the menstrual cycle is directly related to the duration of the inversion. The effect increases significantly as the woman remains inverted for more than five minutes.

Although it is a minority of women who experience negative effects from inversions during menstruation, I think that it is better to be consistently safe than sorry. So I do not think that it is a good idea to invert while menstruating.

Personally, I believe that this negative effect on menstruation is almost entirely a prana-related phenomenon of inversions. The most important days to avoid inversions during menstruation are during the first two or three days of heaviest flow. Apana vayu is the downward-flowing region of prana in the pelvic area that helps in the elimination of waste. Inversions can have a strong effect on apana vayu, which can cause the flow of waste out of the body to be disturbed.

Just as I have been told by several women over the years that their periods were disrupted from practicing inversions while menstruating, I have also had success with initiating menstruation in women suffering from amenorrhea by having them regularly practice inversions. So women should carefully consider the pranic effects of inversions.

John Friend, the founder of Anusara Yoga, has practiced a variety of hatha yoga styles since the early '70s. Today, he is widely considered one of the most charismatic and highly respected yoga teachers in the world. Blending an uplifting Tantric yoga philosophy with Universal Principles of Alignment, John's teaching style guides each student to fully live every moment from the heart. In 1997, John founded Anusara Yoga to promote his innovative vision. Today, Anusara Yoga is one of the most popular and fastest growing schools of hatha yoga in the world.

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