Heather - Day Sixteen thru Twenty: Moon Days: the plight of the woman...

Guys! If you are squeamish about women's issues, then don't read this blog.

Menstruation. In the Ashtanga system women are expected to not practice while they are menstruating. Most say the reason is that a woman's natural energy flow at that time is downward, and she shouldn't upset that - particularly with inversions - which even standing forward folds and downward facing dogs are considered to be. It is also true, myself included, that it taxes the body while it is purifying itself. It is believed that the blood that leaves the body is particularly filled with toxins and impurities of which the kidneys are gladly getting rid. Therefore, putting the body through such a rigorous practice only exhausts the body in a way that is not beneficial. So...there you have it - the main reasons I have found why female Ashtangis do not and/or are encouraged not to practice during their cycles.

Not completely trusting this, early in my yoga life, I began to interview trusted teachers and long-time practioners of Ashtanga AND other styles. It seems, in my limited research, that yoginis outside of Ashtanga and Iyengar do not buy into or adhere to this notion of resting during their cycle. A couple of teachers from one tradition half-jokingly said, "Yoga was invented by men and the only reason women are told not to practice is because a long time ago men thought if women went upside down, they would bleed from their eyeballs." However, Patricia Walden contributed much of the writing to a wonderful book about yoga for women entitled: The Woman's Book of Yoga and Health: A Lifelong Guide to Wellness; I also took her class in Cambridge once and observed a student completely propped up and doing long restorative holds while the rest of the class continued through a beginning Iyengar sequence. In both places it is clear from her actions and words that she supports a restful, restorative practice during a woman's monthly cycle. Many of the practioners outside of Ashtanga that I spoke with said that they had been practicing at all times for years and never had a problem and felt fine. Inside the practice, one teacher and fellow student said, "yoga works us on subtle energetic levels before we may be able to sense them. It is better to be safe than sorry and, besides, is this a practice for a few years, or a lifetime?"

So, for me, I listen to my body and try to respect tradition in combination. If I am feeling really physically tired as often happens in the week before, I skip a couple of days. I also refrain from practice on the first three days. After that, depending on how I feel, I go to practice and do a shorter, modified sequence: I skip backbends and full upside down inversions. I do do the forward folds and down dogs, however.

I also have to say that I experimented for three months with practicing everyday and honestly? My cramps were far less severe (and I have pretty severe ones) and sometimes, I just felt sooo much better after sweating it out. Inversions felt great - they always do anyway. But I kept going back to what my friend Anna had said about subtle energy. I DO want to practice for a lifetime. I also know that there are days when I did do the practice regardless and felt worse for it. Maybe it is a crapshoot, maybe it is meaningless either way. Maybe it is just an antiquated tradition. But, in some people's minds, so is vacation and siesta or afternoon tea. The point is, I have been raised in a society where developping an inner awareness takes A LOT of work. It is not honored or glorified by western culture - if it ever was. And just as the eight limbs of yoga are a process of moving from the external to the internal until all is united, I have faith in the notion that if I practice, all will come - not the "all" I expect or envision, and certainly not when I want (which is sooner rather than later) - and for me, all will be welcome!

WisHing you happiness and from a little dot in the universe called Boston,
Heather