Easing Endometriosis Pain: Yoga Poses, Breathwork and Meditation

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Yoga is a complementary therapy that may help alleviate pain caused by endometriosis. Endometriosis occurs when tissue identical to the uterine lining (endometrium) grows outside the uterus. The illness can cause severe pelvic pain, infertility, and a lower quality of life.

Endometriosis primarily affects women of reproductive age (15 to 49). Although there is no treatment for endometriosis, some patients find comfort through surgery. However, surgery can be highly invasive and does not always provide relief (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Endometriosis: a review of clinical diagnosis, treatment, and pathogenesis

Go to source). Yoga helps alleviate endometriosis pain through poses, breathwork, and meditation.

How Can Yoga Help Relieve Endometriosis Pain?

Yoga is a gentle or strenuous physical activity that can be practiced on a regular basis to help relieve discomfort. People who suffer from chronic pain Developed and engage in regular physical activity feel less discomfort.

Endorphins (the body's natural feel-good chemicals) are believed to be released into the bloodstream as a result of physical activity. With this discharge, the sense of pain decreases (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Physical activity in women with endometriosis: less or more compared with a healthy control?

Go to source).

Yoga Poses for Endometriosis

The following positions and relaxation techniques may relieve endometriosis pain (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
The practice of Hatha yoga for the treatment of pain associated with endometriosis

Go to source). These can be completed at home without attending a full yoga class.

Happy Baby (Ananda Balasana)

How to do Ananda Balasana?

• Lie down on your back.
• Bend your knees and draw them up to your chest.
• Grab the outsides of your feet and bring your knees to your armpits.
• Rocking side to side can help you relax.
• Bend and straighten your legs to increase the stretch's intensity.

Supine Spine Twist (Supta Matsyendrasna)

How to do Supta Matsyendrasna?

• Lie down on your back.
• Draw your right knee to your chest.
• Gently move your knee across your body to the left.
• Try to maintain your right shoulder on the ground while twisting.

Child's pose (Balasana)

How to do Balasana?

• Get on your hands and knees.
• Bring your big toes together, and keep your knees wide apart.
• Lower your chest to the ground, shifting your hips back into your heels. You can keep your arms out in front of you or alongside your body.

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Garland pose (Malasana)

How to do Malasana?

• Stand with your feet hip-width or wider apart.
• Turn your toes slightly outwards.
• Place your hands together in front of your chest.
• Begin squatting down.
• Use supports, such as a chair or a block under your pelvis, to support your body and ease into the stretch.

Reclined Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)

How to do Supta Baddha Konasana?

• This stance is comparable to the restorative goddess pose minus the accessories.
• Lie on your back and bring the soles of your feet together.
• Allow your knees to fall to the sides; for some people, they may almost touch the ground.
• Place your arms alongside you.

Reclined Hero Pose (Supta Virasana)

Please keep in mind that fully expressing this pose may take some time and may result in additional pain. Move carefully through each step, stopping when you feel a stretch:

• Begin in a kneeling position with your knees together and your feet slightly wider than the knees.
• Sit back on your heels. If this is too excessive, you can sit on a block or pillow to reduce the stretch.
• Slowly walk your hands behind you to increase the stretch.
• Gently drop your back to the ground, between your legs.
• Close your eyes and exhale.

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Yoga Nidra: Breathing to Relieve Endometriosis Pain

Yoga nidra is a yogic breathing and meditation method that can help you relax without requiring a full night's sleep (4^✔ ✔Trusted Source
The origin and clinical relevance of yoga nidra

Go to source).

This exercise can help you achieve deep calm. Here's a reduced version you may do at home:

• Find a comfortable position while lying on your back.
• Close your eyes.
• Draw a deep breath.
• Allow your body to become heavier. Feel your body sink into the ground, almost as if it is melting into the floor.
• Focus your attention on your breath. Allow yourself to be relaxed and natural while observing how your breath moves into and out of your nose.
• Create an intention for your practice. This could be a single word or several words. Maybe it's relaxation or release. Find something that speaks to you and repeat it to yourself.
• Now focus on your entire body. Consider how each component feels from head to toe. How does your scalp feel? What about your forehead? Your nose? Your cheekbones? Continue asking these questions as you proceed down the body. As you check in with each body part, take a deep breath and visualize relaxing it as you exhale.
• Allow your body to get heavy again after scanning it thoroughly.
• Return your concentration to your breath. Observe how your tummy naturally rises on inhalation and descends on exhalation.
• Relax.

Breathing and Meditation to Relieve Endometriosis Pain

Drawing attention to the breath helps distract the mind from the pain. One modest study discovered that pranayama, or breathing exercises, helped people cope with pain (5^✔ ✔Trusted Source
A qualitative study on the practice of yoga for women with pain-associated endometriosis

Go to source).

Breathwork also encourages relaxation. Slow, deep breathing has been demonstrated to help relieve discomfort. Yoga's emphasis on carefully inhaling and exhaling may be especially beneficial for persons who are too painful to move (6^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Effects of slow deep breathing on acute clinical pain in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Go to source).

Meditation, the interior practice of directing your thoughts to a single point of focus, can help relieve tension and anxiety. Stress can exacerbate discomfort. Reducing stress can assist in alleviating discomfort (7^✔ ✔Trusted Source
The effect of practicing "endometriosis yoga" on stress and quality of life for women with endometriosis: AB design pilot study

Go to source). Focusing on a single object, such as the breath, mantra, or a simple sound, prevents the brain from wandering, worrying, or stressing.

Practice Yoga Mindfully to Get Relief From Symptoms of Endometriosis

When starting a yoga practice, there are a few things to keep in mind to safeguard your safety and limit the possibility of increasing endometriosis symptoms.

Although regular exercise can help relieve pain, some people find that strenuous activity worsens their pain, especially if they are new to the exercise (8^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Exercise-induced pain and analgesia? Underlying mechanisms and clinical translation

Go to source). For this reason, more strenuous styles of yoga, such as vinyasa, power yoga, and ashtanga, may be better avoided.

People who have recently undergone abdominal surgery to diagnose or treat endometriosis should see their doctor about whether it is safe to resume physical activity.

Tips for Yoga with Endometriosis

Just as not everyone's experience with endometriosis is the same, the portions of yoga that provide help will be different as well:

Listen to your body

Finding the proper balance between doing too much physical activity that aggravates pain and doing too little activity that causes pain to persist may require time and experimentation. Check-in with yourself after each yoga session and note whether you are in less or more discomfort.

Do whatever works for you

Deep stretching stretches may assist some people ease discomfort, while meditation is the only thing that works for others. Simply because another person finds relief in a particular pose or practice does not guarantee that you will as well. It may take some trial to determine what works best for you.

Move slowly

When taking a yoga class or performing any of the positions listed below, move slowly. This allows you to stop whenever you feel just enough stretch or release to relieve pain without generating pain.

Yoga helps alleviate endometriosis pain through physical movement, breathing exercises, and meditation. However, for certain persons, a strenuous practice such as vinyasa, power, or ashtanga yoga may cause further pain and should be avoided. Instead, gentle practice with simple poses can be beneficial.

Poses that can alleviate endometriosis discomfort include happy baby, legs-up-the-wall, and supine spinal twist. A yoga nidra practice can help relieve stress and promote relaxation.

Other recommendations for practicing yoga with endometriosis include listening to your body, focusing on what works for you, and moving slowly.