𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

Once more: We do not serve our fitness practice. It should serve us.

If the way in which we practice fitness harms us, it is not serving us, and that violates many principles of basic self-care and Yoga which teaches non self-harm (ahimsa).

It’s not that inversions are dangerous or “harming” per se, and this is edited to clarify that avoiding inversions isn’t about the archaic theory that they can cause “backward flow” and endometriosis. Those things weren’t even mentioned in the training. It was more about honoring the work of our bodies.

Also, this website Fit2B serves women whose cores do NOT work like functional cores. We serve women with dysfunctional cores that have been compromised by diastasis recti, pelvic organ prolapse, hernia, abdominal surgeries, avulsions in their pelvic floor, and other issues which have an impact on uterine positioning and function.

A healthy, functional core may not allow the uterus to be affected at all by any asana during a woman’s cycle. But a damaged core requires extra thought and attention, and having worked with thousands of women worldwide, I can speak to how we can’t leave any stone unturned when it comes to helping women figure out their personal fitness needs.

I’ve often suspected that avoiding being upside down makes sense due to blood flow and “energetics” as some call it, but this is what the training spelled out as to why inversions could be a problem.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?

1. During your period, the uterus weighs quite a bit more and is quite a bit bigger. If you already have a tilted uterus, or any other issue where your uterine ligaments are compromised, then being upside down when it’s heavier with blood and slough could stress the uterine ligaments more.

2. We need to work with our bodies, truly encouraging the natural flow of everything. During “that time of the month” it’s thought that it’s best to stick with gentle motions that open the hips, keep us upright, gently compress the low belly, or fold us gently forward like child’s pose, etc.

3. Joints are more lax during your cycle, so transitions into strenuous balance poses + the poses themselves are more likely to cause injury to connective tissues.

Put simply: Being upside down for longer than several steadying breaths, with gravity opposing the work of your uterus to contract and clean you out… well, is that working with nature or against it?

Don’t over-think this. Mild declined positions (like a shoulder bridge that helps you connect with your pelvic floor better) are fine. It’s the major upside down ones with legs over head, balancing poses, and possibly also “tipi” or downward dog pose, that could be problematic.

So just for a few days, why not modify to upright positions, do Adho Mukha Svanasana (down dog) with hands on walls, and allow your body some healing time with a focus on gentler moves?

𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲’𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐞:

At our meal after the 2 hour practice time, I felt like I couldn’t put more than 5 words together. I had only done a few of the inversions during the practice and only held them momentarily to get the feel of them. But afterward, I was stumbling all over my words! So I said, “Gosh I’m having trouble talking!” Then the head instructor, Tara, said it was because my body’s energy and blood wants to be in my pelvis during my cycle, but inversions forced it to my head, but once I was upright again, there’s a fight in the core over where to send the blood, and it’s not to the speech part of the brain for sure!

Watch the following videos for fun routines and not dangerous at all.

https://fit2b.us/cts-wall-workout-with-beth/

https://fit2b.us/fusion-1/

https://fit2b.us/balance-poses/