Ladies’ Holiday -a regrettable name for this very common occurrence, those of us experiencing it usually don’t consider it a holiday!

Unfortunately, our monthly cycles are still subjects of awkward conversation and often overlooked or avoided, especially if you are a woman with a male teacher. Ashtanga Yoga is a practice of finding harmony with one’s body, and so we cannot simply skip over such a huge part of who we are as women.

In the Ashtanga Yoga Tradition, women are encouraged to take rest during the first few days of menstruation, the bleeding portion of their monthly cycle. There is a wide range of opinions on this, each just as valid as the next. As with any method or ritual, its important to understand the reasoning behind our chosen behaviors, rather than following blindly. This only leads to increasing the stigma that Ashtanga Yoga is rigid and dogmatic.

Energy and menstruation:

In Ayurveda, menstruation is a time of detoxification and apanic (downward) energy. The body is heating from the inside, expelling toxins. Practices that increase heat in the body -like Ashtanga Asana practice and other intense exercise, are discouraged. Instead, we need to allow the body time to rest and enhance this natural detoxification process. Similarly, people doing a panchakarma cleanse or a period of fasting, are also encouraged to rest. This isn’t because the body is considered weaker (or that women are considered weak during their periods), but to give the detoxification process the best environment to do its work.

Apana governs detoxification and elimination processes. It is a grounding, downward energetic force. If we are going to practice asana during menstruation it makes sense to do postures that support this energetic movement. These are postures that keep the pelvic bowl open, and don’t constrict the abdomen. Additionally, most schools of yoga discourage inversions (upside down poses) during menstruation. Inversions are postures that redirect the flow of life energy and are therefore invigorating and rejuvenating. It is usually recommended that women avoid inverting the pelvis over the heart during their periods. It is believed that to do so, would be to invert the energy of the pelvic bowl, rather than enhance its downward energy of expulsion.

Bandhas, energetic locks, play a big role in our asana practice, specifically mula bandha and uddiyana bandha. During menstruation women may find it hard to activate or engage these subtle forces. To activate these bandhas we are basically activating the pelvic floor and the area behind the navel. This internal, upward flying force, encourages prana up the spine and is associated with the lightness and core strength we feel during asana. To engage these bandhas would be to counteract the downward, apanic energy of menstruation. Plus, its just plain uncomfortable! Things are swollen and crampy, engaging my bandhas is the last thing I want to do while I’m bleeding!

Ashtanga Practice and Menstruation

As traditional Ashtangis, we are practicing six days per week, and many women look forward to having an extra couple days off each month. Plus, symptoms associated with menstruation, like fatigue, cramps, nausea, headache, irritability, bloating etc make asana practice very difficult. However, many women also report feeling strong and energized during menstruation, and they say that practice or exercise helps to alleviate these symptoms.

I encourage you to reflect on your motivations for practice, and remember that its ok to slow down. I promise you will still be able to do your struggle pose after a little bit of rest. Even if you feel physically capable to practice, honoring the body’s subtle cycles allows us to deepen our relationship to the unseen forces that govern our equanimity and our longevity as practitioners. However, if you simply can’t miss practice for whatever reason, consider a modified practice instead. For me, this looks like avoiding half lotus and deep twists (shoving my foot into my ovaries doesn’t feel good when they’re swollen). Take a gentle approach, don’t engage bandhas, and allow your easy breath to carry you through the sequence. Not every practice needs to be filled with fire and strength. Try taking legs up he wall and supta baddhakonasana instead of the inversions in the finishing sequence.

This can also be a great time to turn inward and practice some of the yamas and niyamas. Crack open that philosophy book you’ve been putting off, or take an online course you’ve had your eye on. You may find that during your period your creative energies and intuition are heightened -try journaling or pulling tarot cards, or make your way to a temple.

Furthermore, we must remember that this is a cycle -meaning its unending. Women may find they need rest days near ovulation, when we can feel sluggish and low energy. The cycles we experience are never “cookie cutter” or textbook revelations of the menstrual cycle. Post menopausal women still experience hormonal fluctuations and should be encouraged to follow new rhythms and patterns that unfold even after they stop bleeding. Pregnancy and breast feeding throw more variables into the hormonal stew, and what each woman needs in practice can be vastly different than the next.

Roots of Menstrual Taboos

Part of the narrative around Ladies’ Holiday involves the stigma of menstruation in Hindu culture. According to legend, a demon named Vritra withheld water from humankind, and the god Indra subsequently destroyed him, and restored water to the world. Indra was consumed with guilt for killing Vritra. He came to womankind and asked us to take on his guilt, and endure a regular cycle of repentence. Therefore, during menstruation women are considered “dirty” because we are essentially “shedding our sins” (or, Indra’s age old guilt). Since this is a cleansing process, it is believed that women are “impure” while they are bleeding and should not have contact with anything sacred. This is why menstruating women aren’t allowed to go in Hindu temples or participate in certain rituals. This ideology has also led to the belief that a woman on her moon flow can turn food rotten with just a touch, or pollute water sources.

However extreme these concepts may seem, they are still prevalent in India, especially in Hindu culture. Therefore, we must consider the impact this belief system would have had on our very own Sri K Pattabhi Jois. As a Brahmin, KPJ would have been familiar with these practices. It is possible that the idea of Ladies’ Holiday is rooted in the desire to keep an “unclean woman” out of the Shala, which is a sacred space.

As with all things in life, experience is the best teacher. Remember, your practice is ultimately yours alone. Do what feels right in your body, and what makes sense in your life. Walking this path isn’t meant to be easy, and experiencing yoga unfolding will always bring more questions. If we are taking the time to make mindful choices about how we live this practice -then we are doing the work of yoga.