During menstruation, the body demands peace and relaxation

In my school, I did not participate in gym classes during menstruation. And the word "menstruation" was never used, we reported that we were "indisposed".

It was the same with me. Plus, I didn't even know how to say it, "indisposed", or "undisposed" or maybe some other way entirely? When I started practising yoga over 20 years ago, I had to get used to the topic of menstruation, because the women talked about it freely during the classes. Later, during trips and classes in an international group, I heard the word menstruation in various languages of the world. I found out that this is a positive topic, that there is no taboo on it. For me, after the period of adolescence, being embarrassed by my sexuality, worrying about my period, whether something leaked or my sanitary pad moved, it was a very healing experience.

Are women still sometimes ashamed to admit that they are menstruating?

It's not common, but yes. Some yoga asanas are discouraged during menstruation, such as all the inverted positions or those tensing and twisting the abdomen. During menstruation, the uterus should empty itself, the blood must have a free outlet, and these forms of exercise make this difficult. Therefore, in yoga classes, women who have their periods perform different exercise sets.

In addition to my usual classes, I also lead a women's circle at our school. During the interviews, participants admit that during their menstruation they either missed classes, or even worse, they performed these not recommended exercises, consciously risking harming themselves. It was unthinkable for them to "flaunt" menstruation in any way.

In the past, it was believed that women should avoid exercise altogether during menstruation. What's it like now?

It all depends on a woman's well-being, and it can be very different. There are women who feel very good and exercise more moderately, but there are also women who experience heavy bleeding for 1-2 days of their menstruation, headaches leading to nausea and even vomiting, and they may simply not feel like doing any "tumbles". This is a time at which our bodies demand peace, we should not force them to full, one hundred percent activity. If you want to do something for yourself, you can lie down in a relaxing position and loosen up your belly. That's when energy should be accumulated, and not spent, this is a time to recharge the batteries, which will be enough for the next few weeks. But there are also special positions to help overcome some ailments.

Is that why yoga classes are organised for women also during menstruation?

It wouldn't be easy to gather a group of women who are menstruating at the same time, especially now, so we invite them to women's yoga classes related not only to the menstrual cycle, but also, for example, the work of the pelvic floor muscles and sexuality.

Apparently, breathing techniques are also very useful in overcoming ailments accompanying menstruation.

Pranayama, consciously working with the breath and regulating it, is part of yoga. We have equipped the exercise room with a professional air purifier in order to ensure freedom from smog during classes. Breathing has a relaxing power. Working with breathing brings relief during menstruation, focusing on prolonged exhalation helps relieve tension, calms and regenerates, breathing which "massages" the abdomen helps get rid of pain.

Can practising yoga help us regulate the menstrual cycle? How can you recognise the subsequent phases of the cycle, what changes in a noticeable way?

Our body sends out various signals. During ovulation, we have the most energy, the most desire for sex and, for example, for more difficult practice. We often "feel" the ovary releasing an egg, we feel the pricks. I had an ultrasound once, when I felt various symptoms, it turned out that as I thought – I was ovulating. Knowing your own body helps a lot in trying to conceive a baby, even when difficulties arise. I am not saying that yoga is a panacea, that it is enough to exercise and all problems will end, but it can really effectively support infertility treatment with conventional methods.

The closer to menstruation, the more our body changes, we have more rounded breasts and abdomen, we are sometimes irritable. There are positions that relax the nervous system, reduce stress and regulate the amount of hormones secreted by the pituitary gland. After the end of menstruation, positions that stretch and gently massage the abdominal muscles, such as the popular candle, do us good. At this stage in the cycle, we usually have a lot of energy, we feel like doing more intense exercises.

The practice of yoga allows you to get to know your own body, it makes you sensitive to the signals it sends, not only those related to femininity, of course. Sometimes someone tells me, for example, that when she started practising yoga, she bought a new office chair because she suddenly felt that she was working in a position inappropriate for her shoulders or spine. The same is true of nutrition, people say they've started to feel that some things just aren't good for them.

We also experience various ailments during the menopause. Can yoga also help us in this case?

Yes, there is hormone yoga for women during this period. Menopause is a period in a woman's life that I have not experienced yet, but I hear from other ladies that yoga allows them to effectively deal with some ailments. Dinah Rodrigues, a yoga teacher who only started practising it during her menopause, argues that it allowed her to opt out of hormone replacement therapy. It is certainly not the case that yoga will help all women, that all women will be able to give up pharmacotherapy, but the effects are measurable, for example, some women find that the results of some tests improve. Their mental condition improves, yoga techniques help fight such inconveniences as insomnia and hot flashes.

We also conduct classes for seniors, but now, during the coronavirus epidemic, we decided to abandon those classes for safety reasons. These activities streamline and improve the work of the circulatory and respiratory systems, provide an opportunity to go out, meet interesting people. I hope we will come back to them, I liked these classes a lot, because their participants are great women, with a serene spirit and a good sense of humour, so I miss them a lot. You can start your adventure with yoga at any age.

Yoga and pregnancy. Do they go hand in hand or are they mutually exclusive?

They definitely go hand in hand. The practice of yoga during pregnancy is a link that connects the body, mind and heart of the future mother, a yoga session during which a woman pauses and listens to herself is a moment that deepens the bond with the baby. During classes for pregnant women, I suggest positions that prepare for childbirth, teach them how to deal with typical ailments during this period, relax and stretch slightly. There are a lot of exercises that are safe for both the mum and the baby.

In birthing classes, pregnant women learn, for example, how to breathe during labour. Are the skills acquired while practising yoga also useful at this point?

Of course! The topic of childbirth is extremely important to me, I could talk about it endlessly. I am a doula, companion in labour. I love the moment just after birth when the proud woman says, "I did it." During our classes, we teach how to work with the muscles of the perineum, how to breathe properly, we tell you how not to fight contractions, but how to make them effective. I saw childbirth when it seemed that the woman had no more strength, and yet when the next stage came, she found an enormous amount of energy. This is remarkable.

During labour, it is very important that a woman can assume a position in which she feels best, which relieves, alleviates her pain. Sometimes it is a position that requires great fitness, sometimes women told me later that if they had not had very strong legs thanks to yoga, they would not have been able to squat for such a long time.

A woman needs support during childbirth, someone who will motivate her, give her strength, tell her she will manage. This is usually a husband or partner, doula or midwife.

Now these kinds of births are probably difficult due to the coronavirus pandemic. Often lonely, because hospital authorities are afraid of infections and do not want to let accompanying people in.

Yes, all their relatives are left behind the closed doors of the hospital, women have to cope on their own. But they tell me that despite these difficulties, giving birth and being in the maternity ward can be very positive experiences. I heard stories when a midwife voluntarily stayed after the end of her shift to be with a patient, a complete stranger a few hours before, until the end of the labour. After giving birth, women support each other and look after each other's children when, for example, one goes to take a shower. Those who had given birth before said that the experience of a quiet, peaceful ward that is not visited is not necessarily all that bad.

Subsequent births or age may bring an unpleasant ailment, which is urinary incontinence. How can yoga help?

Urogynaecology is the gift that keeps on giving. I urge women who have trouble to seek advice first. In general, I strongly encourage every woman to take care of the pelvic floor muscles, it is a hammock that keeps this part of our body healthy. It is very important for women that these muscles do not lose their elasticity and flexibility. Urinary incontinence and other problems in this area are related to the deterioration of the reproductive organs, and this is prevented by keeping the pelvic floor muscles in good condition. Flexible muscles of the perineum also mean a higher satisfaction with sex life. The exercises aren't difficult at all, but it is worth consulting a specialist.

How did you get interested in yoga?

I was born with a damaged shoulder plexus due to complications during childbirth. To this day, I have a gimp arm. As a child, I underwent intensive rehabilitation. Then, during the first yoga session, I realised that it was basically very similar to what I did in childhood, but also offered in a completely different form, in silence, in contact with my lungs and mind, having its own sense and spirituality, unlike mechanical exercises to the annoying sound of the radio.

It seems to me that people living in houses or large apartments find it easier to bear the restrictions related to the coronavirus, and we are going through torture in our 2- or 3-room flats.

I experience it myself, I have two children, during the spring lockdown we went to the forest so that our son, who literally kept running around all over the place, could go for a run. People aren't made to sit still. We have to move, otherwise we get sick, mentally and physically. Taking part in yoga classes gives you the feeling that you are doing something for yourself, working with the body. It is an opportunity to be honest with yourself, to work on breathing, if possible, also to get out of the house.

If someone cannot leave their place, yoga teachers now run online classes. Yoga has an advantage over other activities in that you don't need much space to practice it, a bit of floor space is enough – you can use four square meters even in a tiny flat. It is worth a try, as it will help you survive these very difficult times.

Ewa Furtak talks to Aleksandra Künstler

Graphics: Marta Frej

• Aleksandra Künstler - psychologist, doula, co-founder of the Yogamudra Yoga Studio.

Interview published on wysokieobcasy.pl on 16 January 2021.