First you need to understand that pain on critical days is usually the result of hormonal imbalance. But this does not mean that the problem needs to be solved with chemical hormones. It is enough to remember that our body is a very wise system that itself can renew itself, cleanse itself and restore itself, maintaining balance. So, our task is only to help the body in its natural processes, and to eliminate factors that violate the internal balance. To do this, we will approach more consciously to nutrition, lifestyle, practice and attitude towards ourselves.
1) A decoction of fenugreek seeds, or shamballa, will become a magic elixir for pain on critical days. This drink will not only calm the raging fire inside, but also give energy, vivacity, clarity. Fenugreek contains the substance diosgenin, from which our body produces the hormones that are missing for balance.
It is advisable to soak a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds overnight. But if the decoction is needed urgently, you can do without soaking. Pour the seeds with a glass of water, bring to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes. Enjoy the rich yellow color and earthy smell of this drink! Seeds after cooking can be thrown away, or you can add to a salad or eat with honey – the beneficial effect will only increase. Feel how this natural energy will make your life easier and make friends with your nature.
2) Refuse these days from refined sugar (buns, sweets, chocolate, cakes) and, most importantly, from coffee, natural and freeze-dried. Firstly, it increases the contraction of the uterus, which can only make cramps more painful, and the discharge more abundant. In addition, coffee exacerbates our emotional swings, and we need just the opposite effect. And most importantly, this drink disrupts the hormonal balance. Think about it, do you drink a lot of coffee during the day? Maybe this is one of the causes of painful periods? Conduct an experiment and give up coffee for 7 days before the start of menstruation, or rather live without it for a whole month and compare how much easier it is for you to start a new cycle. If you are not yet ready for such severe austerity, then drink no more than 1 cup a day.
3) Regarding the diet in general, Swami Muktananda in the Nava Yogini Tantra recommends eating ripe bananas, oranges or lemons during menstruation to make up for the lack of potassium and maintain emotional balance. The use of pomegranate or pomegranate juice stimulates the hematopoietic process and in some cases saves from dizziness, which is especially important for anemia. It will also be useful to eat more vegetables, fruits and berries, do not forget about nuts, sprouted wheat and unrefined vegetable oils, drink more water and herbal tea. With painful cramps in the lower abdomen, omega-3 fatty acids are especially needed. You can find them, if not in red fish, then among dietary supplements or, for example, in chia seeds.
4) It is important to pay attention to the relaxation of the uterine muscles. This will help, as you know, a warm heating pad, as well as the practice of “breathing the uterus.” Find an opportunity to lie down for 15-20 minutes in a quiet and peaceful place. Close your eyes and relax your whole body. Observe several breath cycles, and then imagine that your breath moves to the lower abdomen. Visualize how with an inhalation your uterus is nourished, filled with orange or pink light, and with an exhalation, anxieties, resentments, fears and all accumulated negative emotions leave it with a gray stream. Your womb is being cleansed, released, to be filled with new energy with a new breath. As you exhale, consciously go deeper into relaxation, releasing the spasm and pain. With your attention, you help your body, promote its natural processes, harmonize the energies in the lower centers. The practice of shavasana and yoga nidra will also be useful.
5) Over time, daily (except for the first three days of the cycle) yoga practice will help restore hormonal balance with the inclusion of:
a) backbends: natarajasana (pose of the king of dancers), rajakapotasana (pose of the royal pigeon), dhanurasana (pose of the bow), etc.,
b) asanas that help cleanse the lower energy centers: malasana (garland pose), utkatakonasana (strong angle pose or goddess pose) with pulsating mula bandha,
c) balances on one leg: archa-chandrasana (half-moon pose), garudasana (eagle pose), virabhadrasana III (warrior III pose),
d) inverted postures that harmonize the thyroid gland: salambasarvangasana (candle posture), halasana (plow posture), viparitakaranimudra (reversed action posture),
and e) obligatory shavasana at the end.
I emphasize that these are recommendations for general practice and they do not apply to the first three days of the cycle. During menstruation and when we feel unwell, we rest or, if we wish, we do only a gentle practice aimed at relaxation, facilitating all asanas with the help of bolsters, pillows and a pile of blankets.
6) Often regular female pains are rooted in psychosomatics. Their root cause is a woman’s rejection of her nature, her innate femininity and the very process of menstruation. Listen to yourself: do you feel grateful for being born a Woman? Do you accept yourself, your body, your emotions, your mistakes? Do you allow yourself to be weak and feel a soft feminine – not masculine – strength in yourself? Do you easily accept the love and care of the Universe and generously give this love and care to yourself, your loved ones and all living beings? I would like every woman to answer “YES” with her heart to all these questions, and until then we will go to the acceptance of our Femininity through self-knowledge, meditation, yoga and women’s practices. It is very important to treat correctly, including menstruation. This is by no means a curse or a punishment, and by nature they are not designed for suffering at all. The first days of the cycle are a process of purification, getting rid of the accumulated negativity. This is a gift that renews our blood, maintains health throughout the body, we reboot and every month it’s like starting to live from scratch. Accept this process of purification and renewal with gratitude! Realize how important it is for our well-being, health and happiness, and then menstruation will become an easier and more fertile period for you.
7) What else is worth thinking about is the lifestyle in general. Assess the level of stress and tension that is familiar to you. Be aware of the speed at which you are swimming or racing through life. Track where you draw negativity and how you dump it. Or maybe you are completely accustomed to keeping everything in yourself and not giving the negative an outlet? The fact is that the more negative thoughts and emotions we have accumulated during the month, the harder our days of purification go. It’s logical, right? Try to adjust your lifestyle so that you move more slowly and smoothly, to breathe deeper and calmer, to fuss and be less stressed, and to walk more in nature, find time for your beauty and favorite activities, meet friends. You say the task is too idealistic? But it is worth thinking about your real priorities and what you put in the first place today, and then the task will turn out to be absolutely real.
On the most painful day, it is especially important to allow yourself to be weak. Your well-being is in the first place, so it is recommended to rest and lie down more, to leave all the “primary” things that supposedly no one can handle without you. On this day, you are especially vulnerable physically, emotionally and energetically, and you have a special right to be at peace, without overexerting yourself and without interfering with the internal process of purification. All feats and victories will wait. Get a good night’s sleep and stay in bed for as long as you want. Don’t worry, your loved ones will do their homework just fine. Once you recognize the right to step back from all affairs and devote this time to your health and inner balance, then the household will eventually accept this and treat you with even more care and courtesy.
Be friends with your nature, and then every day you will be grateful that you were born a Woman.