Mindfulness and Meditation Aren’t the Same—Here’s Exactly What Sets Them Apart

Two different practices, one common goal.

Periods can be a real pain—literally. Cramps, bloating, and mood swings can make you want to curl up and cancel your day. But before you reach for a heating pad or another painkiller, consider this: Yoga might be your secret weapon.

A small 2016 study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that just 60 minutes of yoga once a week (plus a little meditation) for 12 weeks significantly reduced period pain and distress in college students. Yes, you read that right—gentle stretches and mindful breathing can actually help you feel human again.

Ready to try it out? Let’s dive into the best poses for period cramps that can ease those monthly aches and more.

First things first: How does yoga help with period cramps?

Breathing is at the heart of yoga. Deep breaths—inhaling and exhaling for at least five seconds each—send a” wave of calm” through your body, says Paige Willis, RYT-200, certified yoga instructor and founder of Undone, a pop-up yoga experience. “While breathing alone can be a soothing force for cramps, pairing it with yoga postures allows the benefits to multiply,” Willis says.

Here are just a few ways that the calming combo of yoga and deep breathing can help with pain and cramps during your monthly flow, per Willis:

It relaxes your muscles
It increases blood flow to your pelvic area
It reduces stress by activating your parasympathetic nervous system, which guides your body out of stress and into rest

Yoga also stimulates the release of beta-endorphins, natural painkillers that boost your mood and alter pain perception, according to a 2017 review in the International Journal of Adapted Physical Education and Yoga. Research links elevated beta-endorphin levels from yoga to reduced stress, exercise-induced euphoria, and better hormonal balance. In short, yoga connects your mind and body, helping to ease pain and improve overall well-being.

“While breathing alone can be a soothing force for cramps, pairing it with yoga postures allows the benefits to multiply.” —Paige Willis, RYT-200

The best poses for period cramps

Ready for relief? Ahead, Willis shares her go-to yoga poses that target the most common pain points—abdomen, low back, hips, and pelvic region—during your period. These restorative poses show these problem areas a little love through gentle compression (very soothing for cramps) and stretching (releasing tension in the body parts that need it most).

1. Child’s pose (Balasana)

“In child’s pose, your torso drapes forward between your thighs, gently stretching your low back, hips, and spine,” Willis says. “It naturally turns your focus inward, so you’ll feel more comfort as you draw a deeper connection to your breath.”

Begin on your hands and knees in tabletop position and take a deep breath in.
Exhale and sink your hips back onto your heels, spreading your knees wide enough apart to fit your torso between your thighs.
Inhale and reach your arms forward to lengthen your spine.
Exhale and relax your entire body down into the floor.
Stay here for 5 rounds of deep breaths or 1 minute.

2. Cat-cow pose (Bitilasana Marjaryasana)

Alternating between flexion (arching) and extension (rounding) in your spine “allows you to release stagnant energy and tension in your body, particularly your low back, hips, and abdominal area,” Willis says.

Start on all fours with your palms and knees on the ground. Align your elbows and shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees.
Slowly arch your spine, dropping your belly toward the ground. Look up as you draw your tailbone toward the ceiling.
Slowly transition into a rounded-spine position. Tuck your chin into your spine as you tilt your pelvis forward.
Alternate between an arched and rounded position at least 3 rounds of breath.

3. Hip circles

“This simple, circular movement gently releases tension in your low back, hips, and pelvic area,” Willis says. Its repetitive motion is also soothing for your nervous system, she adds.

Start in a tabletop position with your toes tucked.
Keep your hands and feet where they are.
Move your shoulders and hips in a circular motion.
Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Repeat this movement in both directions for at least 3 rounds of breath.

4. Wind-relieving pose (Pavanamuktasana)

“With your knees in toward your chest, you create gentle pressure on your lower abdominals, which can ease tension and bloating during your period,” Willis says. A little forewarning: This pose might also get things flowing in your bowels, so if you let a little, um, wind, loose, that’s okay.

Lie down on your back with your legs extended and your hands on your belly.
Bring your knees in toward your chest and grab your shins with your hands.
Rock side to side for at least 3 rounds of breath.

5. Reclined bound angle pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)

“This reclined stretch helps open your hips, relieve tension in your low back, and increase blood flow to your abdominal area,” Willis says.

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on your hips or by your sides, whichever is most comfortable.
Let your knees open wide, bringing the soles of your feet to touch.
Stay here for at least 3 rounds of breath.

6. Legs up the wall pose (Viparita Karani)

Feeling tired and swollen on your period? This pose is for you. It helps “reverse blood flow, letting circulation return from your feet to your heart,” Willis says. You don’t even need a wall to get the benefits. Just lifting your feet overhead will do the trick, she says.

Lie down on your back next to a wall or on a mat with your legs extended and your hands on your thighs.
Lift your legs straight up so your body forms a 90-degree angle; if you’re against a wall, let them rest against the wall.
Keep your hands on your thighs or relax them down by your sides.
Stay in the pose for at least 5 minutes.