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Researchopedia ISBN: 978-93-93166-28-9 For verification of this chapter, please visit on http://www.socialresearchfoundation.com/books.php#8 |
Womens Health and Yoga |
Dr. Neelima Singh
Assistant Professor
Department of Physical Education
SGTBS Govt Degree College Bilaspur,
Rampur, U.P., India
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DOI: Chapter ID: 17957 |
This is an open-access book section/chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. |
Introduction of Yoga
and its importance Every
one of us is found to be seeking happiness throughout our life, happiness in man’s
life has always been the goal of all endeavors including religion, philosophy
& science. Yoga has recently come to be recognized all over the world as a
means for the fulfillment of that goal. Scientific investigation are under way
for studying the utility of various yoga techniques for the improvement of
physical & mental health. The
importance of yoga for the prevention and cure of disorder is being felt more
& more. The action of yoga techniques in this respect is many fold. In
various asanas, as we shall see later, some muscles and other parts of the body
are pressed, while some others are stretched. And this pressure or stretch
keeps on working continuously for some time on the parties concerned. This
improves the muscle tone & promotes blood circulation. When blood is
supplied to a body part in sufficient quantity, it assure a sufficient supply
of nutrients and removal of waste materials and tonic substances. This helps to
remove congestion of blood & checks any disability or weakness of the
tissue and the organs concerned. There are various asanas available for this
purpose and through them no part of the body may be left without benefit. Yoga
the set of ancient physical, exercise, meant to keep man physically, mentally
and spiritually fit, has caught the attention of the whole world now. The word
yoga is generally associated with yogi, as Hindu saint, and sounds rather
religious. However, Hatha yoga along with Pranayama is now being practiced by
many people purely as a set of physical exercise devoid of religious or
spiritual conations. And as a distinct system to take up the body and the mind,
there is no set of physical exercise that can equal yoga. Yoga for
women 1-
All women who keep normal health may practice. Asanas and Pranayama taking into
consideration their bodily build, age and physical activities at home. Regular
practice will relieve strain, impact energy, improve the figure, and prevent
many uterine and ovarian diseases and several disorder connected with
menstruation and child birth. Excess fat could be reduced and the body
developed symmetrically. They should, however avoid difficult Asanas. 2-
Women should avoid yoga practice from the time menses actually begin to flow
until they stop, the normal period being three to four days. It is better to
rest during the period, for which Savasanas will be especially helpful Yoga
practice many be resumed after the period is over. Practice during the period
may cause increased bleeding. 3-
After marriage and as a preparation for child birth, such asanas which loosen
the muscles of the pelvic floor, stretch the hips, increase the flexibility of
the spine and strengthen the muscles of the abdomen and back should be given preferences. Pre-natal exercise 1-
Mother to be should not start Asanas for the first time since the danger of
miscarriage is greatest during the early months of pregnancy. Those who are
regular practitioners may take them lightly and selectively without too much
bending or force up to the fourth month to keep the whole birth mechanism in
order. 2-
Asanas which tone up and relax the particular muscles that will be used in the
actual child birth and those which increase the flexibility of the hips may be
practiced up to the fourth month of pregnancy. 3-
Padmasana and bhadrasana are recommended for women in pregnancy as a
preparation for child birth as they open up and develop the pelvic floor and
loosen up the concerned muscles. 4- From conception onward until approximately the fourth month of pregnancy, the following Asanas can be performed by expectant mothers, taking into consideration their age, physical condition and circumstance :- 1. Surya Namaskar 2. Naukasana (Supine) 3. Ashwini Mudra 4. Moola Bandha 5. Pawan Mukatasana, 6. Janu Sirasana 7. Yoga deep Breathing 8. Ujjayi 9. Anulom Vilom Pranayama 1. After the third month of pregnancy, all inverted, forward and backward bending
postures, which compress or stretch the abdomen should avoided. Any asanas
which bring about discomfort should also be discontinued. 2.
From fourth month to begin of fifth month of pregnancy only Ashwini Mudra,
Ujjayi, Anlomvilom and savasana should be practiced. 3.
Beging of fifth month till pregnancy all asanas should be discontinued except Savasana. Post natal exercise For
the first three month only rest, sleep and relaxation is needed rather than
exercise.After third month of delivery Asanas, Pranayama and Suryanamaskar may
be done by the beginner, avoiding strain. All
inverted postures like Sarvangasana, Viprit karani and position 8 of Surya
Namaskar are excellent after child birth as they counter act the effect of
gravity on the internal organs during pregnancy and help them to slide back to
their proper places. For contraction of pelvic floor. Mutsyasana, Bhadrasana,
Yoga Mudra and Mool Bandha would prove beneficial. Naukasna (spine),
Pavanmuktasana and Chakrasana will recondition the abdominal muscles
Bhujangasana, Ardha Shalbhasana Dhanurasana, Vajarasana, Supt.
Vajarasna Ushtrasana, Ardha Matsyandrasana and Akarshana, Dhanurasana will also
help the body to get back into in its normal shape and size. The asanas done
slowly puts the pelvic organs and supporting structures under tension and
strengthen them. Rest in Savasana in between each Asana and at the end of
practice period. The above mentioned asanas will help the body regain its shape
and strength within a few weeks. Female disorder The
disorders of menstruation, whether pain, scantiness, pre-fusion or
irregularity, are not disease of themselves but the symptoms of other diseases.
The treatment of these disorders should, therefore, aim at identifying the
cause and correcting it and not by the relief of symptoms. Menstrual disorders 1. Amenorrhoca-Physiological
or Pathological cessation of menstruation. 2. Menorrhoca
excessive and prolonged bleeding during the menstrual period through the cycle
remains unaltered. 3. Dysmenorrhoca
difficult or painful menstruation. 4. Lecorrohoca-mucous
discharges from the vagina “the whites”. Asanas recommended
specific 1. Shalabhasana 2. Dhanurasana 3. Paschimotasana 4. ArdhaMatsyendra 5. Baddha
Konasana 6. YogMudra
in BadhaPadmasana 7. Sasankasana 8. Janu
Sirasana 9. Bhadrasana 10. Pavan
Muktasana 11. Naukasana
(spine) 12. Bujanagasana
these asanas helpful to normalize the menstrual cycle. General 1. Sirasana 2. Vipritkarni 3. Sarvangasana 4. Matsyasana 5. Halasana 6. Padmasana 7. Suptavajrasana 8. Uddiyana 9. Nauli 10. Moola
Bandha 11. Trikonasana 12. Utkatasna 13. Relaxation
in savasana Displacement of uterus
and fallopian tubes The uterus may get loose and
tend to fall downwards and outwards (prolapsed) due to weakness of pelvic &
vaginal muscles, particularly several disorders. In severe cases, the cervix of
the uterus may be pushed down to the level of the valve. And in extreme severe
cases the entire uterus may be extruded from the vagina. Specific All
inverted postures like – Sarvangasana, Vipritkani, Sirshasana and Halasana will
help the displaced internal organs to gall into their correct anatomical
position. Cycling movement in viprit karni. General Other assanas – Matsyasana, Bhujangasana, Shalbhasana, Janu Sirasana, Paschimotanasana, Ustasana, Yog Mudra, Ashwini Mudra, Sasankasana, Naukasna, Baddha Konasana, Pavan Muktasana, Bhadrasna, Mool Bandha, Uddiyana, NauliTrikonasna. References: 1. Swami Manuvaryaji Maharaj, Yoga and Health—, Dundubhi printers, first edition, 1994. 2. Tsai S Y. Effect of Yoga Exercise on Premenstrual Symptoms among Female Employees in Taiwan. Int J Environ Res Public Health.2016; 13(7) pii: E721. 3. Arndt B ussing,1 Andreas Michalsen,2 Sat Bir S. Khalsa,3 Shirley Telles,4 and Karen J. Sherman5,Effects of Yoga on Mental and Physical Health: A Short Summary of Reviews Review Article, Hindawi Publishing Corporation, evidencebasedComplementary and Alternative Medicine, Volume 2012, Article ID 165410, 7 pages, doi:10.1155/2012/165410 6. Kumar G.S. Yoga in promotion of health: Translating evidence into practice at primary healthcare level in India. J. Family Med. Prim. Care. 2013;2:301–302. Doi: 10.4103/2249-4863.120768. [PMC free article] [pubmed] [crossref] [Google Scholar] 7. Smith C., Hancock H., Blake-Mortimer J., Eckert K. A randomised comparative trial of yoga and relaxation to reduce stress and anxiety. Complement. Ther. Med. 2007;15:77–83. Doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2006.05.001. [pubmed] [crossref] [Google Scholar]
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Hernandez-Reif M., Medina L., Delgado J., Hernandez A. Yoga and massage therapy
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Doi: 10.26911/thejmch.2019.04.02.07. |