Yoga for Women: Why + How to Sync your Asana Practice to your Cycle
Tuning your yoga practice to the rhythm of your menstrual cycle is like learning to dance with your body’s own wisdom. By listening to its subtle hormonal shifts, you move with greater ease—flowing stronger when your energy rises, resting gently when it softens.
This mindful approach eases PMS and cramps, nurtures your mood, deepens self-awareness, and helps protect your body from injury. Instead of forcing a rigid, 24/7 routine, you honor your infradian rhythm—the natural ebb and flow of your monthly cycle—and in doing so, you cultivate a yoga practice that nourishes your body, your mind, and your sense of well-being.
Want to sync your cycle to your asana practice?
Here is a guide to get you started, keep in mind that your ‘seasons’ may be slightly different, so if this flow doesn’t feel quite right, I suggest mapping your cycle for a month and keeping a journal of how you feel to get a sense of your own seasons and monthly cycle.
Days 1-5: Winter Energy - many women feel more introverted at this time and wanting to embrace stillness or go really slow so this is a wonderful time of your menstrual cycle to lean into the lunar energy that can be heavy and grounding with restorative yoga practices, include some yoga nidra as you get snuggly under a blanket. If yin yoga is more your style then do it with lot's of props as well as some meditation and soothing pranayama practices - avoid breath retention and heat building pranayama at this time of month.
Days 6-15: Spring Energy - this is where things start to awaken a little more, feeling into that budding energy of spring with a beautiful slow vinyasa flow that may be more floor based but with lot's of rhythmic movement - I love enjoying Chandra Namaskara - Moon Salutations as a really lovely way to energise and move my body but without the heat building that comes from Surya. Otherwise I'll enjoy a mix of slow flow and yin asanas at this time of month as the energy starts to rise!
Days 15-17: Summer Energy - a short but oh so sweet summer where we often feel called to be out and about, interacting with the world around us! For many women, this is peak energy where we can lean into sense of confidence - a great time to hit up a group yoga class, perhaps try something different or make the most of this peak energy with playful inversions and arm balances - or even just upping the pace of our flow with some cranking tunes!
Days 17-28: Autumn Energy - think of this phase of your cycle as digestion, in the first part of this phase you'll still have that burst of energy to carry you through the first half of this phase where you can enjoy some strength based flows and experiment with more dynamic postures and flows, but as you move into the last half of this phase it's likely you'll feel that subtle shift calling you towards calm and guiding you towards slower grounding flows as your cycle wanes.
It bears mentioning that each of our cycles are unique and individual, we’re in a constant flux of change, so your cycle can and will shift - listen to your body, and adapt as needed to tap into your feminine wisdom!
Our 200-hour yoga teacher training for women in Perth: The Feminine in Flow, including prenatal and postnatal yoga teacher training guides you to align with your cycles, your energy, and the natural rhythms of life. Learn to teach with presence, intuition, and empowerment.