This one’s mostly for the ladies. Not that men don’t have hormones too! We know you do.

But if you haven’t been told (or told yourself) that you’re moody because you’re hormonal at least once in your life, then you might have a hard time understanding what’s being discussed in this article.

Almost all types of yoga positively impacts the endocrine system where our hormones are housed, regulated and released.

Hormones fluctuate in many stages of a woman’s life. Puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, after childbirth, menopause.

Sometimes life wreaks havoc on our hormones as well. Things like stress, particularly consistent or constant stress, affect how our hormones are released and work.

Symptoms of imbalanced hormones include:

• Weight gain
• Irregular cycles
• Mood swings
• Lowered immunity
• Thyroid problems
• PMS
• Lower back pain
• Fertility problems
• Insomnia
• Hot flashes
• Blood sugar imbalances

And more.

That’s a lot. Yoga helps regulate hormones and ease or eliminate the discomforts associated with hormonal imbalances. That’s why I wanted to offer a Yoga for Hormonal Imbalance class on myYogaTeacher!

Because at some point all women will experience some sort of hormonal imbalance.

If you haven’t joined myYogaTeacher yet, you can grab a 2-week free trial here! There are over 35 different classes you can take on a daily basis. All from the comfort of your own home!

Yoga helps with hormones throughout the body by stimulating the glands associated with releasing them. Yoga is also responsible for stress reduction, lower cortisol levels, and the release of endorphins.

I want to provide you with a beginner’s list of yoga poses to help with hormonal imbalances that you can do at home with or without myYogaTeacher.

So try these out!

1. Cobra pose

This pose stimulates the adrenal glands, helping your body combat stress and anxiety. While cobra pose is an excellent asana for your reproductive organs, it also opens up your chest, improves digestion, and stimulates the circulatory system.

All of which help alleviate menstrual or premenstrual symptoms like bloating, gas, cramping, stomach upset and headaches.

And it’s easy to do! I recommend holding this pose for a minute while breathing deeply, releasing, and repeating a few more times for maximum benefit.

2. Camel pose

Camel pose has lots of benefits, but one is that it stimulates the thyroid and parathyroid glands, two major hormone producing glands in your neck region.

This pose also brings about a really nice stretch in the abdominal region, stretching out the uterine muscles and relieving menstrual cramps. The stretch in the spine helps reduce or eliminate mild lower back pain that can occur with menstruation as well.

I recommend holding this pose for 30 seconds to a minute before coming up slowly and repeating several times. Be sure to bring your torso up first!

3. Butterfly pose

Another really simple pose that opens up the hips massages the adrenal glands, butterfly is beneficial for relaxation and stress reduction as well.

Butterfly pose isn’t just a yoga pose for hormonal balance. It’s also a great asana for PCOS prevention and symptom relief. You’ll also feel a good stretch in the spine and lower back.

Use a block to rest your head on if this pose gets too intense or your head doesn’t reach your feet.

Hold butterfly pose for 1-2 minutes and release.

4. Bridge pose

Bridge pose strengthens your core and pelvic floor muscles. If you have lower back pain, place a block underneath your tailbone area for comfort.

This asana will also stimulate the thyroid and parathyroid glands located in the neck area, but be careful not to put too much pressure on your neck in bridge pose and cause an injury.

If you’re unsure of how to do this one or any of the poses I mention here without injuring yourself, you should definitely check out my class, Yoga for Hormonal Imbalance.

Hold for 30 seconds, and release from the top of the spine, rolling down. Repeat several times for maximum benefits!

5. Child’s pose

Many female yogis say this pose is the best for menstrual cramps. Not only does it relieve pressure from your lower back and up towards your neck, it massages and relaxes the abdominal area, including the uterine muscles, and stimulates the adrenal glands.

Child’s pose is a pose literally anyone can do! I'm pretty certain you’ve heard of it before, but just in case, I still gave you an example of this one below.

6. Supine twists

Ahhhhh, sweet relief! Supine twists are ahhhhhhmazing for menstrual cramps. As a matter of fact, other twisting poses like seated twists and standing twists are also good.

But who wants to sit or stand to stretch when they’re feeling yucky? Why not just lie down!

This is the easiest way to “wring out” the front of your body and relieve tension in the lower back. Supine twists also help you feel more relaxed and calm, which is something every woman could stand to feel a little more of during that time of the month.

Hold each side for 30 seconds to a minute, breathing deeply and repeat several times on each side.

If you’re menstruating, you’ll want to avoid most inversion poses like downward facing dog, hand or headstands, shoulder stands, and plough pose. These poses are not good for your menstrual flow and can even increase cramping.

We’d love to have you learn more about yoga poses that help with hormone imbalances and menstrual issues in my class, Yoga for Hormonal Imbalances!

If you’re not a myYogaTeacher member yet, you can get a 2-week free trial here and try out any or all of the live group yoga classes offered. There are over 35 of them