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Women who are pregnant should avoid any of the breathing
practices which put strong pressure on the lower abdominal/pelvic
cavity. This includes the following practices from this site: Kapalabhati,
Bhastrika, Breath of Fire and Nauli Kriya.
Women who are menstruating may want to eliminate these
practices as well. Here, the evidence and explanations are less
definitive than for pregnancy. We would recommend that women who
already have health concerns about their periods consult their physicians
before embarking on these exercises. Others may want to attempt
them in a gentle fashion (shorter times and less vigorous exhalation
than usual) to see how it effects their flow and cramping. Some
feel that these practices can be beneficial, increasing bleeding
for the first couple of days of menstruation, but also leading to
a quicker cessation of bleeding, and a shorter period. Others hold
that the pressure in the abdominal cavity can increase bleeding
to an unhealthy level. It is possible that either view is correct
for different individuals. We lack the medical research or explanations
to make a clear determination.
Traditional yogic advice is to eliminate these breathing
practices while menstruating. However, this advice comes from a
culture which was rather chauvanistic, possibly even to the point
of making such a recommendation based on male beliefs that women
could do very little while menstruating. They clearly had not seen
the Maxi-Pad commercials of the seventies showing women playing
tennis and running on the beach during their periods. In reality,
different women experience their menstrual cycles differently. Some
need to moderate their activities more than others.
In the end, the choice is yours. If you already have
health concerns about your periods, you may want to consult your
physician, or just eliminate the practices while menstruating. On
the other hand, if you are already confident and comfortable with
these breathing exercises and have normal cycles, you may choose
to practice them moderately and see how they effect you.
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