Embracing yoga during your period (or moon cycle) is a transformative way to honor and nurture yourself during your natural cycle.
This 25-minute yoga class is designed for your moon cycle, offering a gentle, soothing practice that caters specifically to your body’s needs during menstruation or premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
We'll move gently and breathe through calming postures that aid in cramp relief and alleviate the discomfort associated with PMS, allowing you to turn what can be a potentially uncomfy time into a period of self-love. Our periods are powerful reminders of our strength, femininity, shedding the old and creating space for new beginnings and fresh energy. So unroll your mat, and join me for this gentle yoga for menstruation class.
What's in this Moon Cycle Yoga - for Luteal Phase and Cramps Class:
0:00 - Intro 0:42 - Self massage 3:50 - Neck and torso rolls 6:12 - Butterfly pose 8:19 - Single leg stretches 12:10 - Cat cow + spinal rolls 16:12 - Pigeon Pose 19:20 - Yogi squat, lunges, and half splits 24:06 - Gentle Close
Namaste friends :)
_________________________________________ D I S C L A I M E R
Please consult with your physician before beginning this moon cycle yoga for your period. By participating in this yoga for menstration and cramp, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge Yoga with Kate Amber from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of any content from Yoga with Kate Amber.
Hello, sweet friends.
This is a yoga class for your moon cycle
or your luteal phase of your cycle.
Now, oftentimes in the luteal phase of your cycle,
your hormones are telling you to slow down,
take it easy and do lower impact movements.
So that is exactly what we're gonna do today.
We're gonna move softly and sweetly and slowly
so that you can feel good in both your body and your mind.
Let's go ahead and get started.
Before we start with any gentle movements,
let's prime our environment a little bit.
I brought in my fresh flowers.
I always like to have fresh flowers in the house.
You can light a candle like some incense,
maybe bring some essential oils over here.
And if you have a block or a bolster or a cushion
to get comfy with some of the poses,
go ahead and grab that.
Now, let's start really sweetly with a self-massage.
Just really gently starting at our arms,
one arm at a time, and just give your muscles some love,
almost as if you're kissing or loving your skin
with each fingertip.
Allow this to be really supportive, really kind.
Bring it on up to your neck.
We often hold a lot of tension
in our upper back and our neck.
So just breathing and moving through it.
Bring it on down to our chest.
Oftentimes, our breasts can be quite sensitive,
so feel free to put pressure on them.
Give them a little bit of sweets, attention.
Move it on down to your stomach, your abdomen, your hips.
You might be feeling a little sore here.
Give them the love, a little light pressure,
good intention, good energy coming through your palms.
And one leg, and don't forget your feet,
arches of your feet, each of the toes,
and the other leg.
This is one of my favorite ways to start the class.
It's almost like it couldn't be a sweet or loving class
after you do this.
And then come back to an easy seat,
however that looks like to you,
maybe a bolster or a block under your body,
and just start to take neck rolls or neck movements,
however feels good here.
So maybe just side to side or maybe half or full circles,
just getting out all the little tightness,
any of the little creaks that we feel.
And then I like to do this next one,
either an easy seat or on my knees,
gives me a little bit more area to move.
We're gonna take torso rolls.
So we're gonna move our hips and our torso in one way.
This one is so good if you're having cramps
or feeling stiff or have pressure in your low back.
Feel free to allow your neck to also move in this position.
If you're moving in one direction, move in the other.
Move nice and slow.
There's no rush and feel free to linger in places
where you need a little extra love.
And then come to neutral,
sit back down on the mat if you're not already,
and we'll take Baddha Konasana, butterfly pose.
So bottom of the feet together,
the feet can be any distance away from the body
that's comfortable to you.
Just get both sit bones firmly on the floor
and maybe you have to move some of your flesh
out of the way and that's fine.
Grab onto your ankles or your toes.
On your inhale, shine the heart forward.
Shoulders go back.
So already you're feeling an opening
through your chest, through your inner thighs.
And maybe on your exhale,
you shine your chest forward and fold.
Feel this beautiful opening in the inner hips,
the outer hips.
We'll keep a straight bag for the first half of this pose.
And then for the second half,
allow your spine to round, ragdoll fold here.
You can bring your forearms to the floor if they reach,
and if they can, I offer you to have palms skyward.
It's just a reminder to stay open and stay soft,
no gripping.
With every exhale, see if you can sink,
even just in your mind, a little lower.
On your next inhale, walk yourself up.
Extend your left leg
and your right foot comes towards your inner thigh.
Both sit bones on the floor
as you inhale to a really long spine.
And on your exhale, fold forward to any degree.
And this is where you can have a block,
a bolster, a cushion, and get really comfortable here.
Feel really supported.
The more comfortable we are in a pose,
the easier our body will open up and relax for us
since the nervous system can be calmer.
On your inhale, come up.
Plant the bottom of your right foot on the floor.
We'll take a twist.
Two ways to do this.
Wrap your left arm around your right knee and twist,
or you can hook your left elbow
to the outside of your right knee.
Wherever you are, make it an easy twist with a long spine.
Maybe every time you exhale, you look back a little further.
And every time you inhale,
you lengthen and come out just a bit.
Beautiful.
We'll switch out the legs.
Right leg long, left foot towards your inner thigh.
Inhale to that long, long spine.
And exhale, fold forward to wherever you feel
a gentle sensation today.
Breathe deep.
Allow your waistline to expand,
even your lower back to expand with each inhale.
And on your next inhale, come all the way up.
Bottom of the left foot on the floor,
and we'll take that same twist.
In either way that felt comfortable to you.
Beautiful.
Release that.
Move your pillow cushion bolster if you have one there.
And we'll come onto a tabletop.
So pointer fingers pointed forward.
Hips over your knees.
And we'll inhale, look up.
Your tummy drops, your hip bones rise for your cow pose.
On your exhale, chin to chest.
Round through each vertebrae.
Really bring the navel in towards the spine here.
Press through the hands so you're getting length
in the top of your spine.
Inhale, look up.
Exhale, round.
Move with your breath here.
One more round.
And slowly sit your hips back onto your heels
for child's pose.
Take a moment here, grounded.
And on your inhale, ripple up through your plank
into your up dog.
Your knees rising off the mat,
pressing into your hands, shining the chest forward.
Exhale, slowly into child's pose.
A few more times.
Inhale, up dog.
Exhale, child's.
See how slowly you can make this transition,
how fluid.
Inhale, up dog.
Exhale, child's.
We'll shift our hips to the right now.
Same motion, just with a half circle to the right.
Up dog.
And send it back the same way.
It should feel nice.
One more time to the right.
And we'll send it to the left this time.
Half circle to up dog.
And send it back to child's.
Last time.
Beautiful.
We'll tuck the toes, keep the hands where they're at,
and lift the hips to downward dog.
Just a transition pose,
but walk your hands back to meet your feet.
And we'll ragdoll fold with bent knees over our feet.
Find a gentle sway, side to side,
release the back of the neck.
On your next inhale, walk your hands out to downward dog,
and step your right leg up,
and setting up for pigeon pose.
So your right knee by your right hand,
your left foot by your hip,
or more parallel towards the top of the mat.
Take a peek behind you.
Look your back leg,
try to get it straight back behind you.
And take a humble pigeon here.
With your cushion, without.
It's all good.
Relax in.
If you'd like to take a twist here,
needle your right arm under your left arm.
Slowly start to come out.
No rush here.
Press into the mat.
Tuck the back toe, lift the back knee,
step back into downward dog.
Take a breath here,
and then switch it out.
Bring your left knee up to your left hand,
and your left foot by your right wrist,
or more towards your body.
Two variations here.
A simple humble pigeon,
or a twist,
needling your left arm underneath your right arm.
Slowly, slowly start to walk yourself up
to your hands.
Tuck your back toe, lift your back knee,
press into downward dog.
One breath here.
And then walk up to the top of your mat really slowly.
Take your feet wide, heels in, toes out,
and sink your hips down into yogi squat.
Malasana.
You can use your elbows to push your knees apart
and come to prayer hands in the center.
Find a really long spine here if you can,
and you can always use a block under your body
or your cushion.
Nice, easy breaths here.
Then lower your left hand.
Reach your right arm up for a little twist.
Then switch it out.
The right hand comes down, the left hand comes up.
We'll come back to center.
Three big breaths here.
Beautiful.
Place both hands down on the mat.
Step your right foot back in space
and straighten up your left foot
so the toes are facing forward.
Lower the back knee, untuck the back toe,
and come into your supported lizard pose.
We'll find a little bit of gentle movement here
on your exhale.
Shift your hips back, straighten through the front leg,
the toes come back towards your face.
On your inhale, re-bend, lizard.
On your exhale, straighten your front leg, half splits.
Nice and slow, inhale, re-bend, lizard.
With your breath now, one more time,
and we'll meet in lizard pose.
Then re-bend your left leg, come into a tabletop,
90 degree angle with your knees,
walk your hands forward, puppy pose.
Slowly come out.
We'll step our right foot up to the side of the mat,
lizard on the right.
Back knee is down, back toe is untucked.
On your exhale, straighten through your right leg,
toes come flexing towards your face, half splits.
We'll take those same cycles.
So on your inhale, you re-bend to lizard,
make it long and slow.
And on your exhale, straighten into half splits.
With your breath, one more full cycle.
Beautiful, we'll meet in lizard pose.
Step back into your tabletop,
and we'll come down to our booty.
We'll lay all the way down onto the mat,
bottom of the feet touching.
So supta baddha konasana.
And if you need blocks or bolsters under your knees,
take that, bring one hand to your navel,
the other to your heart.
Relax your shoulders onto the mat.
Relax the space between the eyebrows.
Soften the space between each eyelid.
Relax the cheeks, the lips, the throat.
Relax the chest, release the abdomen.
Release any gripping in your hips, your thighs.
Your calves and your feet.
Stay here as long as you need to.
I hope you have a beautiful rest of your day.
Namaste, sweet friends.
