6 Best Poses for Cramps & PMS Relief

Hello ladies, I think one thing we can all agree on is that cramps and PMS symptoms absolutely SUCK. Although every woman experiences symptoms differently (some worse than others), many of the symptoms are similar such as bloating, back aches, breast tenderness, moodiness, cramps, etc. Yoga can fortunately help relieve some of these uncomfortable symptoms. Keep reading to find out which 6 yoga poses are best for cramps and PMS relief.

Cobber’s/ Butterfly Pose

Woman in a relaxing Cobbler's or Butterfly Pose for PMS relief.

How to Get into this Pose:

  1. Start in a comfortable seated position
  2. Bring the palms of your feet together
  3. Interlace your fingers around your feet or toes
  4. Keep your back straight
  5. On your inhale, lengthen through the back and as you exhale, begin to lower your chest towards the feet and floor
  6. Stay here for 10 breaths, deeply breathing in and out through the nose
  7. Once you are done, slowly roll yourself up and return back to seated
  8. Bring your knees in together and give your knees a squeeze

Modification

  • Bring a block (or pillow) on either side of your knees, if you are having a hard time to bring the knees all the way down and the pose feels too intense
  • Sit on a block, bolster or pillow for extra elevation of the hips
  • If you are feeling a deep stretch in a seated position already, you do not have to bend forward

Low Lunge

Woman performing a Low Lunge to stretch the hips and relieve tension.

How to Get into this Pose:

  1. Start on all fours, in a table top position.
  2. Step your right foot forward, keeping your palms on either side of the right foot.
  3. Keep your right hip moving back and left hip moving forward and your hips are squaring forward.
  4. You may choose to keep the palms on the ground, or if you are feeling more flexible, you can interlace your fingers and place them right above your right knee.
  5. On your inhale, lengthen through your back, relax the shoulders down and away from the ears, and on your exhale sink deeper into your right hip.
  6. To come out of the pose, return your right leg back into table top and sway your hips from side to side and relieve any further tension.
  7. Repeat the same thing on the opposite leg and P.S don’t forget to breathe!

Modification:

  • If you are experiencing knee pain, place a rolled up towel under your knee cap for extra cushion
  • Keep your palms on the ground instead of placing them above your knee.

Camel Pose

Woman in Camel Pose, a heart-opening backbend.

How to get into pose

  1. Start in a table top position and slowly roll yourself up to your knees
  2. Bring both hands on your hips and find your balance for a moment
  3. Bring your hands on your lower back, right above your hips
  4. On your inhale lengthen your back and as you exhale draw the shoulder blades together, bringing the elbows parallel to one another
  5. On your next inhale, lengthen through your back, and bring your chin and gaze up, opening your chest forward
  6. Relax the shoulders down, while slightly pushing the hips forward
  7. If you feel comfortable to go further, drop your palms on the back of your ankles and keep squeezing the shoulder blades closer to one another
  8. To come out, slowly place your hands on your hips and gently return back up
  9. Once you finish the pose, get down into your child’s pose as a counter pose

Modification

  • Place a blanket under your knees for extra cushion if you have knee pain
  • Do not drop your hand onto your ankle and keep them on your hips while opening up the chest and squeezing the shoulder blades in

Yogi Squat

Woman in a deep Yogi Squat to open the hips.

How to Get into This pose:

  1. Start in a standing position with your feet hip distance apart.
  2. Walk your feet mat distance apart, and lower your hips as low as you can. Make sure your toes are pointing slightly out.
  3. Bring your palms to heart center and use your elbows to open up the knees wider.
  4. Keep your back straight, gaze forward and shoulders relaxing away from the ears.
  5. Stay here for a 10-15 deep breaths, sinking the hips lower with each breath.

Modification:

  • If your hips are not as flexible, feel free to place a block under your hips and let your hips rest on top of the block.

Happy Baby

Woman in Happy Baby pose, a gentle stretch for the lower back and hips.

How to Get into This Pose:

  1. Start by laying on your back, with your knees towards the chest.
  2. Reach for the outside of our feet with your hands.
  3. Open up the knees as wide as you can, allowing the knees to reach as close to the ground as possible.
  4. Keep your lower back glued to the mat, and your shoulders are relaxed away from the ears.
  5. Stay here for 10-15 breaths, allowing all the tension and cramps to slowly dissolve and relieve
  6. To come out, bring the knees back towards the chest, hugging your knees with your arms. Feel free to add a gentle rock from side to side, to further relieve tension from the lower back.

Modification:

  • Get into half-happy baby instead. Instead of grabbing both of your feet, grab one foot at a time (and follow the same instructions as above). Keep the other foot, bend and grounded into the mat.
  • Place a rolled up towel or strap on the arches of your feet (and follow the same instructions as above). This will give you more length.

Child’s Pose

Woman in a restorative Child's Pose.

How to Get into This Pose:

  1. Start at a table top position.
  2. Open up your knees mat distance apart, bringing the big toes to touch and heels slightly apart.
  3. Drop your hips down to your heels, and extend your arms forward towards the front of your mat.
  4. Drop your chest and forehead down to the mat as well.
  5. Relax your shoulders away from the ears, relax your belly and allow your forehead to fully ground into the mat.
  6. Stay here for 10- 15 breaths (or longer if desired).
  7. To come out, slowly roll yourself up to a seated position.

Modification:

  • Place a pillow or bolster under your chest, and allow your chest to rest on top.
  • Roll up a blanket and place it underneath your ankles (if you are experiencing pain or discomfort).

Yoga for Cramps and PMS – Conclusion

The yoga poses above can help with cramps and PMS relief. I encourage you to listen to your body, and be gentle with it. If you feel like staying in one pose longer than another, go ahead and do so. Most importantly, try to allow your muscles to relax in each pose, and this will help to lessen the cramps and PMS symptoms. Lastly, Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

If you are experiencing lower back aches and wish to learn more poses that can help relieve the pain, be sure to check out our Yoga for Lower Back Pain post.

I hope you find this post helpful!

Namaste!