Period pain and menstrual cramps are uncomfortable, painful, and downright horrible during your menstrual cycle. Trying to find ways to reduce period pain can be challenging, and one of my favourite ways to approach reducing period cramps is utilizing stretches for menstrual cramps. You can also utilize yoga poses as well to help get period pain relief and for lower back pain.
For myself, I love to use essential oils to help reduce period pain and complement it with stretches and exercises to help during that time of the month. As well, I also ensure to eat foods that help balance my hormones and support reducing my PMS symptoms. Reducing period pain unfortunately isn’t just one quick fix, it’s best to take a holistic approach to take care of several aspects of what’s causing your menstrual cramps. Stretches and yoga practice is a great option to help reduce pain and help overall assist in reducing painful menstrual cramps.
![Image of woman doing stretches for menstrual cramps.](https://simplyalexjean.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Stretches-for-menstrual-cramps-2.png)
What are the benefits of stretches for menstrual cramps?
When you are experiencing period cramps you are likely to want to curl up and hold your body as tight as possible. Doing this further produces tension in your body by holding tense poses and clenching muscles. This can affect your lower back muscles, and further create more pain and painful symptoms of pms. Stretching has many benefits such as increasing muscle blood flow, decreasing muscle tension, reducing stress held in the body, promoting circulation, and decreasing low back pain. These benefits are great for daily life and often require little effort – now combine that with when our body needs extra care like on our monthly cycle.
Our bodies naturally hold a lot of tension when we experience pain, it’s natural human nature and instinctual and hold our bodies close and tight when in pain to help reduce those feelings. However, the opposite of that can also be beneficial. Taking time to stretch your body will help boost circulation and help relieve the tension your body holds onto with cramps. A great way to let the tension out of our bodies is to increase blood circulation with stretches, deep breathing, and light physical activity. Overall the best stretches for menstrual cramps can help reduce your pain and help your body as it moves through its cycle.
![Image of woman in athletic apparel stretching.](https://simplyalexjean.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Stretches-for-menstrual-cramps-1.png)
Creating a calming space for stretching
Creating a space where you can do your stretches for menstrual cramps can really help create relaxation, and a peaceful space to help cramps and reduce pain. To create this space, you can repurpose a rug, yoga mat, or workout area to have as your space to do your stretches. For myself, I sometimes do them in bed or sitting on the floor in front of the tv while enjoying one of my favorite shows, with a warm cup of tea to help with period pain. I like to diffuse different oils such as lavender or peppermint to help create a relaxing space. Lastly, I bring over my water bottle to have nearby to ensure I stay hydrated. If you like music then you can turn on some gentle music to help create your calming space.
You want to ensure you have enough space to safely do different yoga poses and move your entire body about freely.
![Image of woman sitting on floor doing stretches for menstrual cramps.](https://simplyalexjean.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Stretches-for-menstrual-cramps-2.png)
Bound Angle Pose
Bound Angle Pose is one of my favourites, you may also know it as Baddha Konasana, Butterfly Pose or Cobbler’s pose. This is a go-to pose for when you’re having painful periods as it helps with opening your hips and stretching the inner thigh muscles using gentle movement. This pose can also be beneficial for digestive issues which can accompany cramps as a PMS symptom.
To do this pose you sit on the floor and place your legs bent out to the sides (seated position), so your feet are facing each other. Gently let your legs fall towards the floor while keeping your feet connected by their bases. To take this pose to the next level you can lay down while keeping your legs bowed and feet together. Laying down inbound angle pose adds many health benefits such as stimulating your heart, relieving stress, relieving pressure in the knees and groin, and energizing your body while offering significant improvements to period pain.
![Bound angle pose for stretches for menstrual cramps.](https://simplyalexjean.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Stretches-for-menstrual-cramps-3.png)
Child’s Pose as stretches for menstrual cramps
This pose might be something you naturally do depending on how painful menstrual symptoms are. I remember some of my worst cramps as a young women I would be squished up in bed late at night in similar positions trying to get relief. A child’s pose helps with releasing tension in your lower back and neck, as well it flexes your groin which results in relaxation of the muscles over time.
This pose can be achieved by kneeling on a soft surface, folding your body over your knees (knees-to-chest type pose), and reaching forward. Your arms should be extending past your head, and you look at the ground. As you sink more into this pose you can sink deeper into your knees and reach further out with your fingers. Remain in this pose as long as you’d like and repeat as often as you feel you need relief. You can follow this pose by using a heating pad to help release sore muscles even more.
![Image of woman doing yoga poses for period pain.](https://simplyalexjean.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Stretches-for-menstrual-cramps-4.png)
Inverted Leg Pose
It’s likely that similar to myself you’ve had mood swings or emotional symptoms from your period pop up. The inverted leg pose is a fantastic pose to not only relieve menstrual pain but also help lower blood pressure and soothe your nervous system. This position helps with improving circulation and aiding in digestive issues, while at the same time helping to boost your energy and reduce those feelings of fatigue. It’s even believed this can help you with improving concentration and focus, which can help with those brain fog days.
To do an inverted leg pose find a comfortable surface near a wall. Lay down flat on the ground and then place your left leg followed by your right leg up the wall, your body and the wall should make a 90-degree angle. Lay your arms out wide and relax letting your hips and pelvic region relax and get closer to the floor with each breath. You can hold this pose as long as it feels comfortable and return to this as many times as you’d like throughout the day.
![Image of woman with legs up wall for stretches for menstrual cramps.](https://simplyalexjean.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Stretches-for-menstrual-cramps-5.png)
Cat-Cow Stretch
I will preface that this is a yoga position I do when my cramps aren’t at their worst, as this requires some range in motion, I like to do this leading up to my cycle or once the first couple of days of my cycle have completed. I do have a couple of friends who can do it on their heaviest days but for myself not as much! This cat pose helps stretch your back and shoulder blades and stretch your abdominal muscles that often contract and hold tension during monthly cycles.
To do the cat-cow pose you’ll need to go on your knees and the soles of your feet flat on the floor. You’ll want to start with your back horizontal and your face looking down at the floor – neck in line with your back. Then you’ll take a breath and arch your back as you breathe in to round your spine.
Hold this position for a couple of seconds and then relax back to the neutral position that you started in. You can repeat this up to 10 times as needed to help with increasing your energy levels.
![Image of cat-cow stretch for stretches for menstrual cramps.](https://simplyalexjean.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Stretches-for-menstrual-cramps-6.png)
Hug Knee and Circle as stretches for menstrual cramps
The hug knee and circle pose, similar to the inverted leg pose, can be beneficial to reducing the anxiety and worry in your nervous system. It helps create a sense of calm and helps reduce emotional spikes and mood swings that can come with a period cycle. To be honest this is the last thing we want to deal with while combatting period-related pain. As well this stretch helps relax and open your hips to help reduce lower abdomen pain which is a key component in period cramp relief positions. Personally, I love to do this stretch early in my cycle as I find it helps on my heavy days as it helps relieve cramps and period pain fast.
To do this deep stretch you’ll want to lay down flat on your back with your legs flat on the floor. Then you’ll bring one knee up to your chest and hold it there with your hands. Gently bring your knee closer to your abdomen as you breathe. You can then turn the leg out to your side and deep breathe again if you’d like. Hold each leg as long as you’d like and then repeat with the other leg. Be sure to keep your upper body still during this pose focus on your abdominal region and take deep breaths.
![Image of woman doing hug knee and circle stretch.](https://simplyalexjean.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Stretches-for-menstrual-cramps-8.png)
Summary
These stretches for menstrual cramps can certainly help with reducing your PMS pain and PMS symptoms, however, each body is different, and the relief felt from stretching can be different for everybody. Yoga poses and stretching has been shown to help reduce pain and overall improve PMS symptoms and the duration of symptoms for most women who routinely practice them during their cycles. These stretches will not magically make PMS symptoms and pain disappear, believe me, I wish! However, they are a key to helping with feeling better and relieving tense muscles during this time.
Do you have a favourite stretch when you’re with menstrual cramps? Let me know in the comments below! Check out my 6 best foods to eat during your period, and essential oils to help reduce cramps, and orange juice for period cramps as well to provide a holistic approach to your PMS symptoms.
Talk Soon!
Oh wow!!! These are good stretches. I need to do these stretches. I got menstrual cramp often. Thank you for sharing.
Passing this on to Fred as she struggles a lot when on her period. I will still save it for myself because sometimes the pain gets a little out of hand – and I never thought about stretching!
Sometimes I have no choice but to stretch. It’s the only thing that makes me feel better. Child’s Post and Cat/ Cow are my 2 main ones. It’s all about stretching out my lower back. Unfortunately, there are some months when nothing helps. Thank you for sharing the other stretches. I’ll add them to my list.
These are some great suggestions. Thank you for sharing these stretching tips. 🤗
Pastor Natalie (ExamineThisMoment)
Letstakeamoment.com
These are all great pointers. I use herbs to help with my cramps qs I struggle with endo however mine is so much harder to impossible to get rid of as it was hereditary. I actually just did a post recently on herbs than can help in balancing your hormones. Loved your post, I have been wanting to try exercising while on my cycle but I just have this fear of doing so.
Class! I actually really needed these today.
I get quite bad cramps from time to time, and usually either sit with a book and a cup of herbal tea or retire to bed with a hot water bottle for a nap. I must say I look forward to trying these stretches in the future, though, and love your easy visual guides. 🙂
Child’s pose and Cat-cow stretch are the two that I do the most on my period (and the rest of the month with my awful lower back pain!). Simple yoga stretches are the only thing that help my back pain during my period, I’ll try the others too x
This is just what I needed today – going to give some of these a go! Thank you so much for sharing these 🙂
Thanks, Fadima – I hope they can help reduce some of your pain with cramps next time you need them!
Great to hear this could be helpful for Fred to hopefully reduce some of her monthly pain – hope it helps you all! Thanks!
It’s great to hear stretching helps you and you’ve got your two facourites that help provide relief! Child’s Pose can be so powerful for me to help provide relief. I hope the additional stretches I provided can help and thanks for reading!
Thanks, Natalie – I hope they can be helpful!
Yes for sure, endo pain can be powerful, and sending gentle wishes to you being an endo warrior! I’m glad this post gave you some ideas and I’ll be sure to check out yours on balancing hormones!
Great to hear – I’m glad they can be helpful for you!
All of those are great ways to help with period pain, tea is honestly one of my favourite rememdies! I hope these stretches can help and I’m glad the images are helpful with understanding the different poses.
Fantastic to hear those two work well for you – a child’s pose is definitely one of my favourites for lower back pain and period pain. I hope they help with reducing your back pain during your monthly cycles.
Amazing to hear this is helpful – I hope these reduce some of your pain!
Stretches are really good, and we do them together. My girlfriend and I and these will be good for her. Thank you for sharing!
i love stretching during my time of the month. it helps so much!
This is an incredibly helpful post, Alex! I get rotten lower back pain (as do most of the other commenters, lol) and I find some stretching does help. I’ll definitely be incorporating these into my monthly routine now. Thanks for sharing! x
They’re so helpful with just overall health and wellness, I’m so glad you do them together that sounds like fun!
Right?! It’s so helpful and really does help provide relief in a natural way!
I’m so glad to hear Felicia that stretching helps with reducing your lower back pain – it’s so simple to add it in and I’m glad you have a routine and it’s been helpful for you! 🙂
I have such terrible pain and cramps they often ruin my day; any help and advice is always appreciated. These stretches sound wonderful. I will be giving them a try!
I know that feeling- I do hope these stretches can help with providing some relief next time you need them!