provided respite from the monthly period, but women now have far fewer children than their foremothers, and many do not have children at all. This change, plus the demands that women face in the modern world, may be forcing the female reproductive system to adapt in unhealthy ways. Whether we have children or not, women are focused on “keeping up.”

menarche

Additionally during this phase, some long, deep forward bends may provide the perfect counterbalance to rising estrogen levels.

Continue practicing them for three to five days following the end of menstruation. They help the organs to recover from menstruation, balance

cyclical hormonal rhythms.

It really depends on how things are going in a woman’s life. Feelings that may have been bubbling under the surface throughout the month may boil over in the days leading up to menstruation. Frustrations, unexpressed anger, and unfulfilled dreams become

Continue with a balanced yoga practice, including standing poses, sitting poses, forward bends, inversions, back bends, and twists, throughout the remainder of the cycle, to help keep premenstrual symptoms at bay.

hormone levels, reestablish a balanced mental state, and prepare the body for the next cycle.

more difficult to ignore. During perimenopause, the years leading up to the full cessation of periods, PMS may become even more intense, due to the increased fluctuation of hormones and erratic menstrual cycles.