Hi There! I’m back with another fascinating blog “Yoga for PCOS”. Yoga is one of the promising forms of self-care for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Quick morning yoga is tremendous to promote hormone balance and optimal fertility for women with PCOS.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal imbalance affecting 6-12% of women while the childbearing phase. In PCOS ovaries produce an excess of male hormones, resulting in irregular periods, weight gain, and problems with fertility and ovulation.
Yoga is incredibly helpful and provides other benefits like reducing hirsutism (growth of unwanted facial and body hair), regularize periods and reducing insulin resistance. It can also help with menstrual cramps.
How Does Yoga Helpful In PCOS?
Yoga has a mindfulness factor that helps to increase relaxation and balance the mood. Women with PCOS are encouraged to be physically active to balance hormones and reduce insulin resistance to treat PCOS. Yoga for PCOS/PCOD benefits women with:
- Core strengthening of pelvic muscles
- Boost metabolism
- Improve blood circulation
- Reduces insulin resistance
- Boost fertility
- Balances hormones
- Decreases testosterone levels
- Improve sleep
- Regularise Menstruation
Women with pcos may have mild to severe mood disorders depending on body image and fertility issues. Yoga for PCOS offers mood elevation and reduces anxiety and stress.
A thirty-minute to one hour yoga, five days a week for a minimum of 3 months can give you tremendous results.
Tips to Help PCOS Recovery
A woman needs to take charge of herself. Do things that help you with your pcos journey, and manage your stress by staying silent some time, or spend more time with you.
Some small day to day things that can be a big help are:
- Take a good 8-hour sleep
- Don’t sit for long
- Walk every half hour or whenever you get time, have a little walk
- Stretch your body upwards
- Wear loose and comfortable cloth
- Meditate
- Eat healthy food and take PCOS supplements.
Which Yoga Is Best for PCOS?
Yoga has an extensive practice. From gentle flows to advanced poses reserved for experienced yogis, this ancient practice has something for all levels.
Few specific yoga asanas offer tremendous health benefits for pcos. Every woman should do it whether she is suffering from pcos or not. Because every woman needs some special exercises in the abdominal region and lower back region.
1. Bhadarasana (Butterfly Pose)
It is a very natural pose and very easy to perform. It improves posture and concentration. A great posture for prolonged meditation and reduces mental activity.
How to do
- Sit on a soft yoga mat*. Now keep your feet fully pointed forward, toes together – pointing up. Place the hands by the side of the body, palms resting on the mat.
- Keep the neck straight and the upper part of the body (chest) forward.
- The abdomen is kept in the normal contour. And keep the chin pulled inwards. focus the eyes directly on a point.
- Breathing in for 3 seconds, bring both the legs close to the body. Now keeping the feet in contact with the floor, keep the knees out and the soles of the feet together.
- Bring the feet close to the genitals, with the toes pointing out, the heel very close to the perineum. If necessary, clasp the feet to bring the heels as close to the body as possible.
- Once this position is secured, keep the hands pressed down on the respective knees. Keep the upper body and neck straight.
- Maintain this position for 6 seconds while maintaining the breath (last position).
- Return to starting position: While exhaling for 3 seconds, slowly extend the legs and return to the starting position.
2. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
Gut health can impact your overall health, so this asana helps to improve your gur health.
How to do Bhujangasna
- Lie on your stomach with your toes on the floor, soles facing up; Keep your forehead on the ground.
- Keep your feet close together, with your feet and heels touching each other lightly.
- Place both hands in such a way that palms are touching the ground under your shoulders, elbows parallel and close to your torso.
- Taking a deep breath, slowly raise your head, chest and abdomen. Keep your navel on the floor.
- With the help of your hands, pull your torso back and off the floor. Make sure you are applying equal pressure on both palms.
- Keep breathing with awareness, as you twist your spine, vertebra by vertebra. If possible, straighten your arms, bending your back as much as possible; tilt your head back and lookup
- Maintain the posture while breathing evenly for 4-5 breaths.
- Now exhale and slowly bring your stomach, chest and head back to the floor and relax.
- Repeat 4-5 times.
3. Sarpasana (Snake Pose)
In this asana you stretch your body, your neck that helps stimulating thyroid hormone, which controls many other hormone of the body.
How to do Sarapasana
- Begin by lying on your stomach on the mat. Your hands are directly next to the hips and feet in such a way that the sole is facing the ceiling. Lower your head on either side of your body.
- Now move both your hands back just above the hips and interlock the fingers. Get ready for the lift here.
- Holding the breath while inhaling, raise your torso first like the head and then the rest of the body. Use your core and back muscles to support the lifting here. Your feet should remain on the ground, only the torso will rise.
- As you reach the final position, engage the shoulder blades, inner thighs, buttocks and buttocks to remain in the pose. Take shallow breaths here to keep the pose alive.
- Now, extend the interlocked arms backward as far as possible to refine the torso raise. Hold here for 15 to 20 seconds.
- While exhaling from here, come back slowly releasing the hands. Relax the attached muscles and lie down on the mat.
4. Pranayama
A rhythmic alternate inhaling exhaling exercise is called anulom-vilom pranayama.
How to do Anulom-Vilom Pranayama
- Sit in any meditative posture either Sukhasana, Padmasana. Keep your spine and neck straight and close your eyes.
- Clear your mind of everything outside this moment.
- Begin by resting your outer wrists on your knees.
- Using your right hand, fold your middle and index fingers towards your palm.
- Place your thumb on your right nostril and your ring finger on the left nostril.
- Close your right nostril with your thumb and inhale slowly and deeply through your left nostril, until your lungs are full. Pay attention to your breathing.
- Next, release your thumb and close your left nostril with your ring finger.
- Exhale slowly through the right nostril.
- Now reverse it, this time inhale through the right nostril and exhale through the left.
5. Kapalbhati Pranayama
Kapalbhati is a fast and small breathing exercise. It helps in weight management, blood sugar levels, and stress levels.
How to Kapalbhati Pranayama
- Sit comfortably with your spine straight. Place your hands on your knees and palms open towards the sky.
- Take a deep breath in.
- As you exhale, pull your navel back towards the spine. Do it as comfortably as possible. You can place your right hand on the stomach to feel the contraction of the abdominal muscles.
- As you relax the navel and abdomen, the breath automatically moves into your lungs.
- Take 20 such breaths to complete one round of Kapal Bhati.
- After completing the round, relax with your eyes closed and observe the sensations in your body.
- Do two more rounds of Kapalbhati.
Which other types of exercise benefit PCOS symptoms?
According to the CDC participating in physical activities can help balance hormones, boost your mood, reduce weight, and manage blood sugar and insulin levels. You can perform any of the following you like:
- Walking/ jogging/ running
- Cycling
- Gym
- Swimming
- Cardio workout
- Strength training
- Meditation
Surviving with pcos can feel frustrating at times but you need to find ways to manage your PCOS and overall health that can make you feel better.
I hope this PCOS management with yoga will help you in your pcos reversal journey. Do share your reviews and your PCOS story in the comment section. You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
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