Yoga for PCOS - Effective Asanas for PCOS

As PCOS is widely talked about condition, there are many fears surrounding it — most of which aren’t completely true. Given this, we had done a post on the myths and truths about PCOS as told by our in-house specialist, Dr Dhanya Ramdas.

Many of the readers got back to us saying that they would love to know some exercises that can help them manage PCOS and therefore, with the help of our in-house Yoga Experts- Divya Rolla and Ajay Shetti, we have put together a list of Yoga Asanas that could help you.

‍Benefits of Yoga for PCOS Treatment

• It’s non-intrusive and doesn’t involve the usage of any devices;
• It has no side-effects, except perhaps the feeling of positivity and rejuvenation;
• It’s inexpensive unlike the other treatments and medications available in the market

Asana #1: MALASANA

Steps:

1. Stand with your arms at your sides and with your feet apart (as wide as your mat)
2. Come into a squat by bending your knees and lowering your hips. The separation between your thighs should be wider than your torso and your feet should be close together
3. Bring your arms together in a prayer position in front of your heart by pressing your elbows against the inside of your knees. Your forearms should be parallel to the floor
4. Keep your spine straight and shoulders relaxed while shifting your weights slightly into your heels
5. Hold the pose for five breaths before straightening your legs and coming into a standing forward fold

Benefits:

• Like squats, Malasana opens up the pelvic girdle and hip, helping women suffering from irregular menstruation
• It tones abdominal muscles and improves the colon functioning
• It is especially beneficial for women who wish to conceive

Asana #2: VIRABHADRASANA 1

Steps:

1. Stand straight with your legs spread about 3-4 feet apart (right foot in front of the left foot)
2. Turn your right foot outwards by 90 degrees and the left foot by 15 degrees. Your heel of the right foot should be aligned with the centre of the left foot
3. Lift your arms sideways and join your palms above your head while bending your right knee such that your knee and ankle are in a straight line
4. Breather normally and come up exhaling gently

Benefits:

• Strengthens and tone the lower back, arms, and legs
• Stimulates metabolism and helps stabilise and balance the body
• It helps release stress from the shoulders and relaxes the mind and body

Asana #3: BHUJANGASANA

Steps:

• Lie on your stomach with your forehead placed against the floor, feet together
• Keep your feet pressing against the floor while placing your hands underneath your shoulders and elbows close to your body
• Inhale and lift your head and chest off the floor. Your elbows should be slightly bent
• Hold for 2-3 full breaths, then exhale and lower yourself back to the ground

Benefits:

• It helps relieve upper body stiffness and strengthens the shoulder and upper back area
• It stimulates the digestive organs and relieves menstrual pain

Asana #4: VAKRASANA

Steps:

1. Sit on the mat with your legs stretched out
2. Bend one leg, say left leg at the knee, and place the foot beside the right knee
3. Keeping the spine straight, twist your waist toward the left while exhaling
4. Slowly bring your right arms towards the left side and place it beside the left foot
5. Bring the left arm back and place the palm on the ground

Benefits:

• It compresses and twists the belly area aiding belly fat loss
• Reduces body stiffness and increases flexibility

Asana #5: CHAKKI CHALANASANA

Steps:

1. Sit down bringing your legs straight in front of your body while interlocking your fingers and stretching your hands out in front of your chest
2. Slowly bend forward like you are churning the mill, pivot to the right with your hand going over the right toes as far as possible. Then lean back as you do when rotating, pivot to the left, and come back to the initial position
3. Do at least 5-10 clockwise and anti-clockwise rotations

Benefits:

• It strengthens the abdominal organs and improves the functions of reproductive organs
• It reduces abdominal fat
• Helps relieve menstrual issues

Asana #6: PASCHIMOTTANASANA

Steps:

1. Sit straight with your legs stretched out
2. By placing your palms on your knees, slowly bend your head and trunk forwards while reaching for your toes with your hands
3. Try touching your head to your knees and elbow to the floor
4. Hold the posture for a few seconds before exhaling and slowly returning to the initial position

Benefits:

• It helps tackle one of the biggest side-effects of PCOS- obesity
• Balances menstrual cycles and reduces abdominal fat
• Calms the mind and relieve stress and irritability

Precautions to Take When Doing Yoga for PCOS

While yoga offers a lot of health benefits, you should be careful when beginning to practice yoga, especially if you are a novice. Though the exercises aren't high-intensity or high-impact, it does require a lot of flexibility.

Yoga works all joints and muscles in your body. So, if you are not used to working out a lot, beware of cramps and aches.

Here are a few more things worth considering when doing Yoga for PCOS.

• Use a yoga mat or a thick carpet to prevent slipping and falling
• Wear stretchable clothes, especially pants
• If you are unable to do an asana perfectly, don’t push yourself. Let your body get used to moving first
• Don’t have a pre-workout meal before a yoga session as lots of asanas will put pressure on your belly
• Drink water. Though yoga doesn’t make you sweat like other high-intensity workouts, it is important to keep your body hydrated
• Always do asanas first followed by pranayama

The inability to lose weight is one of the biggest concerns related to PCOS. For this reason, it’s natural for women suffering from the disease to inch towards intense workouts to burn more calories. However, yoga it is good to combine this with yoga as it will not only help you shed some pounds but also control your stress levels.To put in short, yoga is a one-stop solution to your optimal overall health and it’s particularly beneficial in healing organs that are affected by PCOS.