Here at the Himalayan Iyengar Yoga Centre we practise a great many inversions — and yet our teachers consistently guide female students away from inverted postures while menstruating. For dedicated practitioners who love their daily Sirsasana and Sarvangasana, missing out for four to six days each month can feel inconvenient. Here is why we teach it this way.
Many committed yoga students are, quite honestly, a little attached to their inversions. Going without Sarvangasana, Halasana, and a long hanging Sirsasana for several days a month can feel like a real loss — enough that it's common to catch yourself thinking "my flow is light this month" or "it's almost over" just to justify getting back upside down.
So why do we ask students to set inversions aside during their period? The reasons fall into two categories: the energetic and the physical.
The Energetic Reason: Apana and the Downward Flow
In Ayurveda, menstruation belongs to apana — the body's eliminative function. Apana is a natural, downward-moving energy, and during menstruation that downward movement is already doing important work: clearing not just physical waste but also unnecessary mental and emotional residue. Menstruation is, in this view, a powerful monthly cleanse, and a thoughtful asana practice can support the body through it rather than working against it.
An inversion does the opposite of apana — it reverses the body's orientation and, with it, the natural direction of that downward flow. Practised occasionally and briefly, this isn't considered harmful. Held for long periods, which is exactly how inversions are practised in the Iyengar tradition (often many minutes in Sirsasana, sometimes considerably longer in variations of Sarvangasana), it works directly against what the body is trying to do that week.
The Physical Reason: Vascular Congestion
Beyond the energetic explanation, there is a more clinical concern: vascular congestion. This refers to a temporary disruption of normal blood flow that can result from extended inversion during menstruation — a pause in flow that may be followed later by an unexpected and heavier resumption of bleeding, sometimes appearing to restart from the beginning.
Some of our own students at HIYC have reported exactly this pattern: inverting on day three or four when bleeding had become lighter, only to have it intensify again as if the cycle were starting over. Because Iyengar practice favours long, held inversions rather than brief transitional ones, this risk is more relevant to our style of practice than it might be in a faster-moving vinyasa class.
So What Can You Do Instead?
The one occasion we may make an exception is in class, while a student is still learning an asana for the first time — here a brief entry of a minute or two, followed by coming back down, is generally not a concern. Once or twice, for a short hold, won't cause harm. It's the long, sustained holds that we ask students to set aside for the week.
A favourite substitute in Sharat Arora's method is a well-supported Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog). Technically this isn't a full inversion — the legs remain on the ground even though the trunk folds forward — which is exactly what makes it useful. It offers comparable benefits for the spine and internal organs, and a similar quiet, settling quality, without disturbing apana the way Sirsasana or Sarvangasana would. If cramping or heavy flow make even a supported dog pose unappealing on a given day, it's just as appropriate to skip it altogether in favour of rest.
All bodies are different, and it is important to listen to yours. Yoga brings us into closer relationship with our own rhythms, including the menstrual cycle. Experiment gently and notice what genuinely feels supportive — but as a general guideline, we do not recommend holding inversions at any point while you have signs of your period, even if bleeding seems to be tapering off.
A Note on the Misinformation Around This Topic
It's worth saying clearly: the guidance to avoid inversions during menstruation has nothing to do with outdated ideas that menstruating women are somehow "unclean" or unfit for practice. That belief has no place in genuine yoga teaching. The reasoning here is purely energetic and physiological — rooted in how apana moves and how the body responds to long, held inversions specifically, not in any judgment about menstruation itself.
Having your period can, in fact, be a deeply empowering time to deepen your awareness of your own body's subtler rhythms. A gentler, more restorative practice during this week is not a consolation prize — for many students it becomes one of the more meaningful parts of their monthly practice.
Learning This Within a Supported Practice
Questions like this come up naturally once you're inside a structured, ongoing practice — which is exactly what our courses are built around. Whether you're brand new to Iyengar yoga or returning to deepen an existing practice, our teachers address exactly this kind of question directly, in person, as part of your course.
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