Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Stretches To Ease Cramps



I don't know about you, but when my time hits, the pain is excruciating. I'm not hungry, I'm not thirsty, I don't want to get up or move for any reason at all. All I want to do is lay in bed, find the most comfortable position possible, put my heat bad over my belly, and cry (yes, I really do cry and whimper).It's so bad, that I usually have to call in sick to work (luckily I'm only this bad for about 3 days). So awhile back, while I was cruising pinterest (surprise, surprise) I came across this stretch/workout that claimed to help ease cramping/period pain. So I decided to pin it, and save it for the time when I would need it.
Today, I decided to give it a shot. I noticed that I am alot less flexible during this time, and so some of the stretches were difficult. I also noticed that while the first move instantly made me feel better- the others kind of made my tummy hurt. When I had finished though- I felt better than I had all day and was able to get some stuff done. Unfortunately, the stretches don't see to last very long, so I may need to do this again.

I'll share the exercises here. Please note that this is all from the original site, I don't own the pictures or the info. If you'd like to see the full exercise guide and other info, click on the link above, Thanks!


trianglerevised.jpg


Extended Triangle Pose
Stand with your legs about three feet apart. Turn your right foot out 90 degrees and your left foot slightly in. Extend your arms out to the sides and engage your quadriceps. With your back straight, being to hinge from your hips and bring your right hand to your shin or the floor. Stretch your chest open and extend your left arm up to the sky keeping your head in a neutral position (above). Take 3 to 5 deep breaths or hold 20 to 30 seconds and repeat up to 3 times on each side to open your pelvic region and bring space to your abdomen.

half moonrevised.jpgHalf Moon Pose
Start in extended triangle on the right side. Bend your right knee and place your fingertips of your right hand on the floor or on a block directly underneath your shoulder. Lift your left leg up to hip height while straightening your standing right leg. Open your pelvis and chest so that your hips are stacked one on top of the other. Flex and extend out through the lifted leg and extend your left arm up to the sky (above). Take several deep breaths holding the pose for 10 to 15 seconds and repeat up to 3 times to open your pelvic region, help stop heavy bleeding and relieve cramps.






wide open angle photo Arevised.jpg

 

Wide-Angle Seated Pose
Sitting on the floor, take your legs wide apart, flex your feet and extend up through your spine. Place your hands behind you on the floor (top). Relax your shoulders away from your ears and gently draw your navel to your spine. Hold for 30 seconds then reach your arms in front of you and fold forward. If you're able, rest your head on the floor, your hands or on a pillow and breathe deeply (bottom). Hold this pose for 2 to 5 minutes to reduce agitation and regulate menstrual flow.



open wide angle Brevised.jpg

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
reclinedboundanglerevised.jpgReclining Bound AngleSit on the floor and lie down on your back. If you're using a pillow, place the pillow vertically at your sacrum and lie back over it. Put the soles of your feet together and let your knees and thighs fall out to the sides (above). Stay in this pose for 5 to 10 minutes breathing slowly and deeply to open up your pelvic area, relieve bloating, cramps, lower back pain and fatigue.

2 comments:

  1. So as an update on this stretch- I did this a few times yesterday, including a few hours before bed. I went to sleep, and slept with my heat pad (not unusual for me during this time). When I woke up this morning, my pain was COMPLETELY gone, my bleeding wasn't as heavy as it should be, my bloating was GONE (yesterday I could barely fit into my fat-pant sweats, today I'm wearing my skinny jeans) and my drown-myself-in-chocolate cravings (my periods are the only time I crave chocolate) had disappeared. I only had a tiny bit of pain through the day, and I simply repeated the stretches and it went away. I'm pretty excited about this, and will definitely be trying it again next month

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  2. So I did this stretch in February, and all through March and April, I had painless periods without me having to repeat it! It was so amazing to have pain free cycles again. This month, I had some mild pain (more like pressure) again, so I repeated the stretches, and it never escalated to full on cramps. Yay stretches!

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