What is endometriosis?
To understand why yoga helps when you’re suffering from endometriosis, it’s helpful to know what endometriosis is in the first place.
Endometriosis is a disorder where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (endometrial-like) grows outside of the uterus. These lesions are different in both structure and behavior from the normal endometrium which is shed during your menstruation. Endometriosis tissue can cause pain, infertility, and organ dysfunction due to inflammation, invasion into structures in the body, and scar tissue.
Approximately 1 in 10 people assigned female at birth have endometriosis. It is extremely rare in people assigned male at birth. Symptoms are often dismissed as “bad cramps” leading to an average of delay of 10 years and 8 doctors to be diagnosed with endometriosis.
Although your health care provider may suspect endometriosis, surgery is required to confirm a diagnosis.
There are many theories that seek to explain endometriosis. Most likely, it is a combination of an embryonic origin (tissue that you were born with) plus other genetic and environmental factors. The commonly taught theory, that endometriosis is caused by the backflow of menstruation (“reflux menstruation”), has been largely debunked but is still used as a base for many of the treatments offered.
Symptoms of endometriosis
Education and awareness can lead to early detection. This is why it’s critical for you to know, understand, and be vocal about your symptoms. These are some of the symptoms of endometriosis:
Very painful periods (pelvic pain, cramping, lower back and abdominal pain)
Pain during ovulation or two weeks after your period
Leg pain or neuralgia (nerve sensations) associated with your cycle
Hip pain and/or back pain
Shoulder/chest pain or shortness of breath with your cycle
Pain during or after sex
Thick blood clots (often dark) with your period
Painful bowel movements or painful urination
Excessive bleeding
Fatigue and chronic pain
Diarrhoea and constipation
Bloating
Nausea and vomiting
Unusual urinary frequency, retention, or urgency
Allergies and other immune-related issues
Infertility and pregnancy loss (though many people can still have children)
How is endometriosis treated?
In some cases, surgery is successful in removing endometriosis completely. For many others, though, it does not fully eradicate the condition. In these cases, as well those where surgery is not an option, the focus shifts to managing the symptoms. This is often done with hormone treatment, painkillers, and the contraceptive pill. In addition to that, or as a stand-alone way of managing the symptoms, certain lifestyle tools may make living with endometriosis easier. These include Chinese herbs and acupuncture, dietary changes, therapy, massage, and yoga.
How yoga can help symptoms of endometriosis
Research suggests that yoga does help to manage endometriosis symptoms. A group of Brazilian researchers randomly divided 40 people with the condition into two groups: those with a gentle Hatha yoga practice and those going about their regular lives without an additional practice. For two months, the group that practiced yoga attended two ninety-minute classes per week.
At the end of the study, the two groups were compared. The people who practiced yoga reported significantly less daily pain, as well as an improved sense of well-being, according to results published in January 2017 in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. For many people with endometriosis, their nervous system and immune system are under attack all the time. The body heals best when it’s not in a stressed fight-flight-freeze state. This is why yoga can be so beneficial for when you’re suffering from endometriosis.
Relaxing the body by practicing yoga can also make your pain feel less intense. A practice that includes gentle asanas, meditation, and breathing exercises helps to calm your mind, which reduces how you experience discomfort. On top of that, certain yoga poses are known to relax tension in the abdomen and pelvis and increase blood flow to the region.
Not all yoga helps though
If you are looking for ways to ease the symptoms of endometriosis, it’s helpful to know that not all yoga helps to ease the pain. In fact, there are some styles that make it worse. This is especially the case with more vigorous styles, such as Ashtanga or Power yoga, which often build up too much heat and energy in the abdomen and pelvic area. This can lead to flare-ups, especially when you practice these styles while you’re on your period.
Slower styles of yoga, such as Restorative yoga, Yin yoga, and Hatha yoga are, for most people with endometriosis, a much better fit. These styles all help to gently create more space and relaxation in the pelvic area, as well as calm the mind.
Soft belly
Throughout my years of dealing with endometriosis, as well as my experience of leading workshops, retreats, one-on-one sessions and group coaching sessions focused on hormonal health and menstrual disorders, I’ve found a few poses (see below) that are particularly beneficial for those who are suffering from severe menstrual or pelvic pain.
Usually when you’re experiencing pain in a certain area of your body, you’ll try to contract around that area, in an attempt to ‘disconnect’ and therefore feel less pain. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work. Contracting and ‘disconnecting’ actually creates more pain, not less. As counterintuitive as this might feel, relaxing the belly and breathing towards the belly eases the pain.
Instead, see if you can allow your belly enough space for the breath to move in. So with every inhalation, the belly will move forward. With every exhalation, the belly draws back in.
Even if you don’t practice any poses, because you simply lack the energy at the moment, you’re in too much pain, or any other reason, take some time to soften your belly completely whenever you’re experiencing pain. See if you can also relax your jaw, as tension in the jaw often reflects tension in the pelvic floor. The more you can relax your jaw, the more your pelvic floor will relax too.
Which yoga poses can help?
So, which are the poses that help most to ease the pain that comes with endometriosis? That differs from person to person, and from cycle to cycle. In general though, focusing on grounding poses is a good idea. Hip openers create more space to breathe and are therefore very effective too.
For most people with endometriosis, Vajrasana, Malasana, and Supta Baddha Konasana offer relief.
Comments