Is yoga good for the female body?
Is linear yoga hurting the female body? And, specifically the female pelvis?
The short answer is yes...every single private yoga therapy client I'm seeing right now has some sort of pain in or around the pelvis.
And, the answer is also no, when we really get into the nitty gritty of what asana really is supposed to look/feel like. So, let's go there.
Most of you know that I've been deep in study since September with a traditional midwife (not to become a midwife, but to further my support of women's health). In one of the mentorship calls, the conversation started to turn to how yoga asana is not supportive of female pelvic health (asana means yoga poses/postures). I sat with that as someone who has significant sacroiliac pain at times and current symphysis pubis dysfunction...did yoga contribute to it? Did my 20+ years as a dancer?
And, then I jumped in to the conversation.
I agree that some types of yoga practices that we've latched onto in the West are NOT supportive long-term to the female body - especially the pelvis.
The truth is that SOME (not all) yoga asana, meaning postures/poses, were indeed created for young boys to treat their need for activity. We see these lineages derived from those practices meant for male adolescents in the power, hot yoga, ashtanga, vinyasa, Bikram, etc. lineages that have become so prevalent and popular in our culture. Our culture has a insatiable appetite for the intense. These practices are NOT the full spectrum of yoga nor the full picture, especially when applied only in pieces and parts.
And, I'm not shaming those of us who practice or have practiced - like me - these lineages. What we can do is take an objective look at how that is working for us long-term.
True yoga - i.e. the whole eight faceted path - was/is meant to be practiced alongside Ayurveda to prevent and treat conditions, rather than cause them. This was the original yoga therapy.
With this understanding, we recognize that alignment matters A LOT less than what a western class would have us believe; rather it's alignment for YOUR body that is what matters.
As an example, a few years ago I took a studio class here in Rhode Island. There were about 50-60 folks in the room, all doing a form of Surya Namaskar (sun salutations) over and over again.
With my back pain at the time, I had to modify quite a bit. And, the TEACHER said loudly that we would keep doing these salutations over and over again until everyone did it right. And, then she came over to me while practicing and asked, "Why aren't you doing this the correct way?" Loudly. Rudely.
I responded calmly that upward facing dog is painful and so cobra works for me. She finally moved on. If my bags weren't blocked by 10+ sweaty bodies, I would've walked out in the beginning of that class.
That IS NOT yoga.
Asana is never meant to hurt.
Sensation, yes, we want to feel sensation because that drops us into our physicality. We feel the stretching, the releasing, the rolling, but it's never meant to hurt. Each posture should have steadiness and ease.
It's also why - when I teach in private sessions and group practices - I do not focus so heavily on alignment (unless an injury is about to happen!), rather I observe:
How do the lines of the body want to settle?
Where is there strain?
Where is there noticeable pain?
What is happening with the breath?
Is there a reason this body doesn't want to make a particular shape and how can we honor that?
How does this body want or need to express?
How can I encourage this individual or group to move to their rhythm of their own needs?
This is also why I don't make a great "studio teacher" anymore. Ha! At least not in most business models, but I digress...
There truly no one size fits all when it comes to what intuitively supports each body, and now we'll look - briefly - at the individual female pelvis.
When we force a body to take the "perfect" and "correct" shape of a Warrior, a Triangle posture, a pigeon, etc., we can often induce injury and long-term chronic issues OR exacerbate conditions already present within and around the pelvis.
Examples of pain in and around the pelvis include:
Sacroiliac Joint Pain
Unexplained hip and pelvic pain
Low back and/or sacral pain
Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction
Prolapse
Cystocele
Hemorrhoids
Sciatica
Piriformis pain
Vaginal pain and vulvar pressure
and so many more.
Let's say it together - There is no perfect shape! There are ways to practice movement that are more supportive to reduce injury, and that will support your own body. If you're stuck, you can get with a yoga therapy practitioner and yoga therapist (like me!) to help you find that right space of steadiness and ease, and to find a yoga treatment plan that will be supportive of your body.
What I will say about pelvic support is that we need to focus LESS on hip opening and more on overall mobility, strength, joint freedom, and a bit of stretching (in pregnancy and postpartum this is easy to overdo).
We need to focus less on linear movement patterns (like in yoga asana of the west) and more moving on the circular, which I've written two essays about here and here. We need to learn how our bodies WANT and need to express and that yoga practice isn't just about the asana anyways.
Yogic practice ALSO includes the ethics of yogic philosophy and the Vedas, pranayama (breathwork), drawing away from the senses, and various stages of contemplation/meditation, so that is key to supporting the body and the pelvis through the subtle body (not solely the physical). The physical realm unfortunately does not solve all of our problems. Yes?
So, the answer again is Yes. Linear yoga practice - i.e. move from this pose to this one to this one and do it perfectly and exactly "right" every single time - ARE hurting our bodies. Especially when practiced for long periods of time without other forms of movement - i.e. restorative, gentle practices, swimming, gentle walks in nature, etc.
And, also NO. True yoga is never supposed to hurt and is meant to be adapted to your body's needs. The adage of "no pain, no gain" doesn't apply here in regards to the body.
I'd LOVE to hear from you on this topic. It's such a rich one! I'll be writing a little series on hip and pelvic pain, and have some free resources on my website to support you.
Are you experiencing these types of pains? Do you need support? Please schedule a 15 minute free consultation here and we'll talk.
We'll also be exploring circular forms of movement and subtle body work in Living Lush, which starts tomorrow! It's not too late to join if you want in. <3
Jai Ma.
With love,
Leanne
