Period Pain: What Helps, And Five Supported Yoga Poses To Try
Period pain: the short answer
Period pain is the cramping in the lower belly and back that many women feel just before or during a period. It does not have to be put up with. The gentlest help is rest, and in yoga that means supported poses: leaning back on a bolster, bending forward with the head rested, and lying down fully held. Give the back and belly something to lie on, and breathe out slowly. Skip the upside-down poses until the period is over. Here is the article in short form:
- Period pain often sits in the lower belly and the lower back.
- Choose supported poses, with the back and head resting.
- Bound Angle Pose leaning back on a bolster is the first one to try.
- Make the out-breath long and soft. Do not hold your breath.
- Leave out Headstand, Shoulderstand and Legs Up The Wall during the period.
- A full period-day practice takes about 30 minutes.
- In Darwin, learn it in a beginner class or online.
Last updated: 25 October 2026.
A quick word on Iyengar yoga. Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. It is the style we teach at Flametree, in Darwin and live online.
Bound Angle Pose leaning back on bolsters. The back rests and the belly stays soft.
What is period pain?
Period pain is cramping before or during menstruation. When no other condition is behind it, it is called primary dysmenorrhea (say dis-men-or-REE-a). It is common: one trial reports that it affects about half of teenage girls, and it is common in women of reproductive age. For plenty of women it is felt in the lower back as much as the belly. Chris Lalor, who teaches at Flametree, puts it this way: once a month “you’ve got menstruation happening, which is often serious back pain. And so you’re really looking to broaden across the back.”
This page explains what period pain is and what helps. Our yoga poses for period pain page tells Chris’s own story and her four-stage monthly approach, and our menstruation home yoga practice gives a full sequence to follow.
What are the rules for yoga on a period day?
Four simple ones, taken from how Iyengar teachers have taught women for decades.
- Support the back and head. Rest on bolsters, and rest the forehead in forward bends. The aim is to stop holding yourself up.
- Spread the buttocks and do not tuck the tailbone under. It keeps the lower belly soft and the pelvis open.
- Open and lift, do not flop. Lift the chest and the sides of the ribs a little, so the pose has life in it.
- Make the out-breath long and soft. Breathe out slowly, and never hold the breath.
The out-breath is the brake. A long, slow breath out helps the body settle.
Which poses ease period pain?
These five are the ones Chris gives women on period days. Set them up with bolsters, blankets, a belt and a chair. Stay with each for the time shown, and come out earlier if you feel any strain.
- Bound Angle Pose leaning back on a bolster (Baddha Konasana). Sit with the soles of the feet together. Put a bolster lengthways behind you, and a folded blanket for the head. Spread the buttocks, then lean back. Chris says it is “particularly good when you’ve got any sort of lower back pain, or for women when menstruating.” Stay 2 to 3 minutes.
- Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana). Lie back over the bolster with the soles together. A belt low round the back and over the feet holds the pose, and a block under each thigh supports the knees. Stay 5 to 7 minutes.
Reclining Bound Angle Pose, with a belt and blocks under the thighs. The legs are held, so they can let go.
- Seated Wide Angle Forward Bend over a bolster (Upavistha Konasana). Sit with the legs wide and a bolster between them. Rest the forehead on a folded blanket on the bolster. Chris says it “really helps deal with lower back pain, bloating, issues like that.” Stay 2 to 3 minutes.
A supported wide forward bend. Here the bolster rests on chairs, for a little more height.
- Head to Knee Pose with the head on a chair (Janu Sirsasana). Sit on a folded blanket with one leg straight under a chair and the other knee bent out to the side. Rest the arms and head on the chair seat. Stay 1 minute each side.
Head to Knee Pose with the head resting. A bolster on a chair works well.
- Supported Savasana (corpse pose). Lie back with a bolster under the knees and a blanket under the head. If you prefer, lie on your side with a bolster between the knees. Stay 3 to 5 minutes and breathe out slowly.
Supported relaxation. The legs rest on a bolster and the head on a blanket.
All five together take about 30 minutes. If you only have 15, do the first, the third and the last.
Which poses should you leave out during your period?
In the Iyengar tradition, women do not practise upside-down poses during their period. That means Headstand, Shoulderstand, Half Plough and Legs Up The Wall Pose. Hold the breath for nothing either. If you like standing poses, keep them supported by a chair or the wall, and stop before you are tired. Every inverted pose has a resting choice: when the class goes up into Headstand, the women lie over crossed bolsters instead.
After the period ends, Geeta Iyengar taught a return to the upside-down poses first, starting with Legs Up The Wall, before the backbends and balances. In the days before a period, Bobby Clennell, a senior Iyengar teacher, advises against challenging practice and backbends, which can leave some women shaky. A longer out-breath helps if those days disturb your sleep.
Does yoga really help period pain?
A little, and the research is still small. In a 2011 Iranian trial, 92 female students aged 18 to 22 were split into a yoga group (50) and a control group (42), and followed for three cycles (Rakhshaee, Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology). The yoga group practised Cobra, Cat and Fish Poses in the second half of the cycle. Their pain was lower and shorter than the control group’s. These poses differ from the supported ones here, but it shows that yoga can help.
A 2024 review pooled 29 trials with 1,808 women (Tsai and colleagues, Sports Medicine Open). Relaxation exercise had the biggest effect on period pain at 4 weeks. At 8 weeks all the exercise types helped, with yoga lowering pain by 2.75 points on a 10-point scale. That fits our approach, because the supported poses above are mostly relaxation. The trials in the review varied in quality, so treat it as a good sign, not a promise.
Get the free ebook Cool, Calm And Strong. New to Flametree, or away for 3 months or more? You get 2 free classes + 2 ebooks, only available via this offer. Already coming to class? You can still get the book.
Where can I learn yoga for period pain in Darwin?
For period pain in Darwin, come to a beginner class at Flametree’s Woolner studio or join live online from anywhere in Australia. Every class uses bolsters, chairs, belts and blankets, and the teacher adjusts each pose to your body. You do not need to be flexible to start. Our guides to yoga and menstruation and how to use a yoga bolster go further.
Frequently asked questions
What is period pain?
Period pain is cramping in the lower belly, and often the lower back, just before or during a period. When there is no other cause it is called primary dysmenorrhea (say dis-men-or-REE-a). It is common in women of reproductive age.
What helps period pain?
Rest and a long slow out-breath help. In yoga, the poses that help are supported: leaning back on a bolster, forward bends with the head rested, and lying down fully held. Avoid upside-down poses during your period.
Which yoga poses help period pain?
Bound Angle Pose leaning back on a bolster, Reclining Bound Angle Pose, Seated Wide Angle Forward Bend over a bolster, Head to Knee Pose with the head on a chair, and a supported Savasana.
Which poses should I leave out when I have my period?
The upside-down poses: Headstand, Shoulderstand, Half Plough and Legs Up The Wall. Iyengar tradition keeps these for the days after the period. Also avoid holding the breath.
How long should I hold each pose?
Between 1 and 3 minutes in the seated poses, and 5 to 7 minutes in Reclining Bound Angle. Come out sooner if you feel strain. A full practice on a period day is about 30 minutes.
Is it better to practise before or during a period?
Both, in different ways. In the days before, keep to quiet, supported poses and avoid challenging backbends. During the period, use the supported poses above. After it ends, return to the upside-down poses first.
Does yoga reduce period pain in studies?
Some, but the studies are small. In a 2011 Iranian trial of 92 students, three yoga poses practised before the period reduced pain and its length. A 2024 review of 29 trials pooled yoga along with other exercise.
Where can I learn yoga for period pain in Darwin?
Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga at Woolner in Darwin and live online. Our classes use bolsters, chairs and belts, and the teacher adjusts each pose to your body.
Where to next
- New to yoga, or coming back? Start with our half price 10 class pass with 2 classes free, in Darwin or live online.
- For a workplace, team or group: book private yoga classes for groups, online, at a Flametree studio or at your venue.
- Want to see class times first? Look at the beginner timetable.
Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin and live online. This article is general information, not medical advice.
Sources: Rakhshaee Z, Effect of three yoga poses (cobra, cat and fish poses) in women with primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized clinical trial, Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 2011; Tsai IC and colleagues, Comparative effectiveness of different exercises for reducing pain intensity in primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, Sports Medicine Open, 2024; Chris Lalor’s class teaching, including the teaching of Geeta Iyengar and Bobby Clennell.
