Regarding menstruation, I'll put on my teacher hat. There are different schools of thought. You'll get different answers from different people ranging from 'women shouldn't do any yoga while menstruating' to 'that rule was created because yoga was started by a group of men'. I'm in the 'do what works for you' camp.
If you are doing downward dog, standing forward folds and shoulderstands while menstruating, you are already doing types of inversions. How do these poses make you feel? How does yoga in general feel for you *today*? Physically, how are you feeling overall? Sometimes, menstruation can make you dizzy, woozy, feverish and if you aren't paying attention to the signals that your body is giving you, then doing a handstand will be especially dangerous. What works for you today may not work for you tomorrow. Heck, what works for you right now may not work for you in an hour. Listening to your body all the time, not just when you are menstruating, is the only way to have a healthy yoga practice.
The science behind inversions and menstruation is just now in its infancy. At one point, people said that inversions during menstruation can cause endometriosis. This has been proven false as doctors have increased their understanding of the disease.
From a yogic perspective, again, opinions are divided. Some schools say that inversions while menstruating change your energy flow in harmful ways (e.g. Astanga) and some say they change your energy flow in helpful ways (e.g. Iyengar). I come from the Astanga school and have found that for myself, practicing while menstruating feels wrong energetically. This is more due to engaging the bandhas than in doing inversions.
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If you are doing downward dog, standing forward folds and shoulderstands while menstruating, you are already doing types of inversions. How do these poses make you feel? How does yoga in general feel for you *today*? Physically, how are you feeling overall? Sometimes, menstruation can make you dizzy, woozy, feverish and if you aren't paying attention to the signals that your body is giving you, then doing a handstand will be especially dangerous. What works for you today may not work for you tomorrow. Heck, what works for you right now may not work for you in an hour. Listening to your body all the time, not just when you are menstruating, is the only way to have a healthy yoga practice.
The science behind inversions and menstruation is just now in its infancy. At one point, people said that inversions during menstruation can cause endometriosis. This has been proven false as doctors have increased their understanding of the disease.
From a yogic perspective, again, opinions are divided. Some schools say that inversions while menstruating change your energy flow in harmful ways (e.g. Astanga) and some say they change your energy flow in helpful ways (e.g. Iyengar). I come from the Astanga school and have found that for myself, practicing while menstruating feels wrong energetically. This is more due to engaging the bandhas than in doing inversions.