Many women experience painful cramps, irregularity, heavy bleeding, and more during their period. Symptoms range from mild to debilitating and encompass endometriosis, PCOS, and menorrhagia. Thankfully, there are ways to reduce period pain naturally so you an enjoy more freedom in your body. I’m sharing my own personal period healing journey and my perspective - as a Yoga Therapist C-IAYT - on how you can reduce your period pains.
Consider that period cramps can be as painful as having a heart attack. Professor John Guillebaud of UCL Institute for Women’s Health has conducted research showing that period cramps can be as painful as having a heart attack. When I first heard this, I swear I could hear thousands of women around the world respond: Yes, I told you so, It’s that bad!
Although there’s proof that period pain can be as intense as a heart attack, the medical system still largely disrespects menstruation health. Plus there are the stigmas and negative perspectives regarding menstruation which affects a woman’s relationship with her natural menstrual cycle health.
‘…Ignoring women's pain has been a concerning medical practise for, well, forever, with research showing that doctors generally take it less seriously than men's’.
— Georgia Driver | Elle Magazine
Exploring natural period pain relief when you’re not getting a solution from Doctors…
What’s more frustrating than experiencing period pains and cramps is how some Doctors treat these pains. If you’re like me, perhaps you were told to go on birth control or take pain pills. No other options were provided unless you considered a hysterectomy.
When it comes to menstruation health issues, there are so many factors you might experience: heavy bleeding, painful cramps, bloating, hormonal fluctuations and even if you get a diagnosis - such as PCOS or endometriosis - there’s still no solid solution.
My personal frustrations with Doctors and my period pains led me to research natural ways to heal my cramps and hormonal fluctuations.
I moved to Thailand and began womb yoga and private somatic healing sessions. Natural healing methods for menstruation was something I’d never heard of before and to be honest, I did have my doubts. But I slowly discovered that I was holding onto trauma and emotional tensions in my womb that was contributing to my poor period health.
Turns out, I’d been completely ignoring my womb healing because I never thought to be more compassionate with my womb. I was raised to believe periods were a major annoyance so why would I want to build a loving relationship with something I found quite irritating?
Once I began to explore natural period pain relief with womb yoga and private healing sessions, I discovered that self-compassion was actually a major aspect to my pain relief.
Exploring a more natural and spiritual approach to menstrual pain relief helped me realize how much emotional tension and disconnect I was experiencing with my natural period cycle.
Turns out, my body was holding so much emotional tension rooted in experiences directly connected to my womb: Sexual assault, slut-shaming, and negative thought patterns and habits about my period.
It was the easy womb yoga practices and private healing sessions that finally allowed me to notice my inner tension and learn how to release it. Up until this point, I didn’t even know there was a yoga which was for period and pelvic health.
Naturally reducing my period pains and cramps started simple: Asking myself gentle questions to target my own negative thought patterns regarding my period:
For example: What thoughts or memories come to mind when you think about your period? (Often times, our thoughts carry negativity which contributes to the suffering), how often do you hear women describe their period as ‘torture’ or ‘I hate my uterus!’.
Thoughts manifest reality so targeting your thoughts and boosting self-compassion is the starting point to improving period health naturally.
From here, I began to explore daily womb yoga exercises womb meditations which focused on building self-compassion and gratitude for my womb.
My period pains slowly started to reduce when I started my daily womb yoga practice and consistent private healing sessions. I had a major revelation from this self-healing experience:
Reducing period pains naturally means also exploring your emotional healing.
It’s not enough to pop a pill or take a supplement to ease physical symptoms such as cramps, pains, heavy bleeding, or irregularity. Emotions, thoughts, habits, and feelings hold serious power. If you’re like me, you’ll discover traumas, stories, memories, and negative thoughts which manifest into physical tensions and space to release.
The private somatic healing sessions I explored were so impactful because it invited me to build inner awareness to my thoughts, feelings, and tensions.
I became more present with my emotions and how it was all showing up in my body. This inner-awareness allowed me to learn how to self-heal and nurture what I was feeling within. I was sending compassion to my womb and body instead of ignoring which helped things release, and in-turn, I felt more freedom in my body.
Bottom Line
You are more than just your physical body. You are mind, body, and spirit. All these parts of you require healing if you want to truly reduce your period pains naturally and align with your natural healthy cycle.
Doctors are treating your physical period pain but there is so much more healing for you to explore energetically, emotionally, and spiritually. Journey beyond the physical sensations. Explore healing the memories, thoughts, habits, and feelings that come up when it comes to your period cycle.
This approach reduced my period pains and cramps naturally.
Prior to this, I was taking birth control and pain pills to manage my period pains and it was not working. It was only a practice in resistance and blocking. My womb needed self-compassion, kindness, and nurturing.
If you're reading this and suffering with period pains and cramps, I know this is tough because I’ve been there too and I work with clients all the time experiencing similar frustrations.
I healed from trauma, heavy bleeding, irregularity, hormonal fluctuations, and painful period cramps. It is possible and you are your own healer. You are so powerful.
Next Steps
Explore this journal prompt as a starting point to reducing period pains naturally: When you think about your period cycle, what feelings, memories, or thoughts pop up? (Write anything and everything out. Let it be honest, raw, and ugly)
Get my free guide to reducing period pains naturally: My guide helps you connect to your womb with compassion, ditch toxic period products, and support every day of your natural cycle.
Thanks,
Joss | Yoga Therapist C-IAYT
P.S: Seeking support with reducing your period pains? Book a free 20-minute consultation for online private yoga therapy. I help women from around the world every week reduce period pains and improve menstrual health naturally.
Joss Frank
Hi! I’m Joss Frank, founder of Wild Womb. I understand how womb and body healing ignites when you look within for guidance because I self-healed from my painful periods, depression, anxiety, sexual assault, emotional and physical abuse… after years of failed efforts to feel better about myself. My failed efforts led to a revelation that true healing comes from within and it requires loving community.
Today, as a Yoga Therapist in my practicum, I help people with womb and body healing so they can reclaim their feminine power, LOVE their sacred feminine bodies, and feel more confident.
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