Mind, Body and (Menstrual) Flow

By Tara Pokras and Juliana ColeA word from Tara Pokras of Period Portraits:“Do you have an extra pad or tampon?” This is spoken often by over half the world’s population yet we still feel shameful when bringing up the topic of menstruation.In the developing world girls and women face challenges around their menstruation, such as inadequate supply of water or access to sanitary hygiene products, lack of disposal facilities, or little privacy for changing pads. However, have you ever stopped to think about the stigma and lack of menstrual equity (yes, that is a real thing!) in our own lives?How many times have you hidden a pad or tampon in a pocket, your bra, or a small purse so you could walk to the bathroom at work or school not to be noticed? How many times have you had to reduce your participation in or miss a work event or a social gathering because of your period, but you never told anyone why? Or imagine if your monthly visitor was a huge and costly burden each month because you are homeless or incarcerated. What would you do then?These are just a few of the questions I have been tackling over the last year since I started a project called Period Portraits which aims to break down the stigma of menstruation through intimate storytelling and empowering photographed portraits. Sharing stories is just one part of the puzzle in breaking down the stigma of menstruation. Being able to understand, listen, and talk about our bodies is integral to being more open about menstruation.Yoga has played a huge part in my journey to understand myself and my body. Our movements are so connected to our internal health, both mind and body. Through my yoga practice I feel like I have learned so much about what my body needs, from what nourishes it and what depletes. Particularly while menstruating I have become more in tune with my body through my yoga practice. I believe if we can work to listen and understand what our bodies need during any point in our reproductive health journeys, we can empower ourselves and those around us.A word from Juliana Cole, Yoga Instructor:Menstruation and yoga have a tumultuous relationship. In many traditions, it is recommended not to practice yoga while menstruating and the reasons for that vary from what we are doing through our bandhas (internal locks) and how the direction of the flow might be affected, to the belief that a woman’s body is somehow impure during this period and should not be in the sacred space. Other traditions offer specific poses and sequences for when a woman is menstruating. Having conversations with different healthcare professionals will also give you a slew of feedback that does not put to rest the question of whether or not it is ok to practice during your menstrual cycle. If we go back to the origins of the physical asana practice (the poses and the root of vinyasa) we must acknowledge that this tradition has been developed almost entirely by men - and it need not be said that at no point in the history of our species have men experienced menstruation. What I have learned as a long-time yoga practitioner, yoga instructor, woman who menstruates and woman who talks to other women who menstruate is that (get ready for this…) yoga while menstruating is as personal and as fluctuating as our bodies and our menstrual cycles are themselves! The only thing I would ever prescribe is one very basic yogic teaching: learn to listen to yourself and your body. Interestingly enough, the process of turning inward and listening to our bodies almost always necessitates the process of turning outward and sharing our experiences, if not for anything other than support.However this conversation does not have to apply only to women! In my Mysore practice, we as a community have started a conversation about what to do when a woman is on “lady-holiday” (one of the many terms used to make our menstrual cycle seem like a walk in the park). The shala I attend is attended by men and women and led by a man, who is one of my biggest supporters in hosting these conversations and in coming to the shala to do what I need to do while I’m menstruating. This is a major and first step in bringing the conversation of yoga and menstruation to our table.The practice has been around for close to 6000 years so it is easy to get stuck in “the way” that yoga has been practiced for millennia, but the beauty of the practice is that it will always be ever-changing. We should remind ourselves that we are part of this ongoing research and conversation that is yoga so as long as our bodies are changing, let’s keep talking! Join us for a special yoga class - Mind, Body, and (Menstrual) Flow: Connecting your body and reproductive health through yoga and discussion -  on Sunday, March 18th from 2-3:30 pm at the Georgia Ave. studio.This is an inclusive class open to menstruating and non-menstruating yogis. You do not have to be currently experiencing your period to participate. We want to make this experience as open and evolving as possible. This is a donation-based class with all proceeds benefiting the Greater DC Diaper Bank’s menstrual hygiene initiative, The Monthly. We will also be running a menstrual product drive, collecting packages of pads, tampons, and panty liners to be donated to the bank and distributed to those in need.