Role of Yoga in PCOS Control – How to Achieve Work-life Balance?

Women today have been taking up multiple tasks juggling between professional and domestic life. This sometimes takes away the attention from their own deteriorating health.

With professional workload, lack of work-life balance, careless eating habits, and lack of exercise, they have been clutched in the tightening grip of a bunch of metabolic disorders like –

• obesity

• depression

• thyroid dysfunctions, and the most dreaded of all,

• polycystic ovarian syndrome

Affecting 4% – 20% of all women of reproductive age across the globe. The side effects of PCOS include-

• infertility

• PMDD

• excessive facial hair

• cystic acne

• hair fall

• prediabetes

All of these complications have hijacked emotional and physical health which certainly deprive them of the possibility to become their best versions.

PCOS not only hampers your health but it can even undermine your confidence along with your efficiency to duly manage tasks in a workplace environment.

Therefore, it is essential to take up all necessary steps required to stop PCOS in its tracks or at least manage and cure it with the best available options like Ayurveda and yoga.

If you can not dedicate enough time to going to the gym or other fitness activities, yoga can be the easiest self-health care tool available to you. It provides you the liberty to utilise your leisure time and improve your health in the comfort of your home, making it time-saving and affordable.

But more than anything, it is the enormous health benefits of yoga for PCOS that make it the most effective strategy to help combat this disorder in all-natural ways.

Though yoga alone is not sufficient to cure PCOS but when complemented with the right ayurvedic herbal treatment, it can assist you in getting rid of the disorder.

For all the working women (and men) out there, yoga can aid you in achieving much more than just physical fitness, once you introduce yourself to the yogic way of life.

Recent studies have taken interest in finding significant health benefits of yoga for reducing anxiety, regulating hormones & menstrual cycles, and metabolic parameters among women with PCOS that are far more wholesome than just conventional exercise.

Some more PCOS-related benefits of yoga practice are

1. Lowers male hormone levels 

Research conducted on randomly assigned women with PCOS, shows that the 1 hour-long mindful yoga practice just 3 times a week for a three-month period results in a significant decrease in the free testosterone levels which is a hallmark feature of PCOS.

So, doing yoga can help you relieve your symptoms of hirsutism and lower the risks of prediabetes, as insulin resistance is linked with high androgen levels.

2. De-stresses your body and mind

Stress and anxiety are caused by high cortisol levels that are increased if you are also struggling with PCOS. This can negatively alter your physical features such as pulse rate, body mass index (BMI), inner body fat, and waist-hip ratio.

A study on the benefits of yoga states that doing yoga for a minimum of 4 week period (3 times/weeks) under the supervision of a specialist immensely helps in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. Thus, yoga is an effective natural remedy for tackling stress from both PCOS and your professional life.

3. Regulates hormonal and menstrual cycles

Any disorder emerges when you accumulate body toxins (ama) which initially alters your hormonal cycle and then dismantles your health gradually. Yoga is a great exercise to cleanse and revitalize your body channels and boost the nervous system.

Various breathing exercises like pranayama and different poses help in improving the functions of all nerves, majorly ida, pingala, and sushumna, the three most important nerves running along your spine generating life force. 

The 12 effective poses in surya namaskar stretch your entire body and massage your internal organs, while also melting the accumulated ama in the form of body fat. These 10 powerful yoga poses will help you strengthen your reproductive health and restore the natural hormonal cycle. 

Some of the best yoga for irregular periods are

• Salabhasana (locust pose)

• Ushtrasana (camel pose)

• Paschimottanasana (forward bend pose)

• Ardha Matsyendrasaa (half lord of the fishes pose)

This way yoga helps you reduce your dependency on birth control pills and regulate natural period.

Women with PCOS may find it hard to focus on their work-life balance, due to disturbed emotional and physical health. Yoga and ayurveda treatment are some natural ways that can help you cure this endocrine disorder and be the best version of yourself in each area of your life.

PCOS may have some of the ugliest side effects that need to be controlled in time by getting treatment on time. It is important to consult an experienced ayurvedic doctor and seek guidance from a trained yoga instructor to avoid injury.

How do I know I have PCOS?

Symptoms that indicate the possibility of PCOS include:

• missed or skipped periods due to no ovulation

• mood swings (mild to extreme)

• excessive body hair growth

• acne on face, shoulder, chest, or back, but a blood test is necessary to confirm PCOS as these symptoms could be or some other health disorder as well.

Is PCOS a serious problem?

Yes. PCOS is a very serious and complex endocrine disorder. It affects your entire health system by slowly causing disturbances in other organ functions and hormone secretion. Health disorders common with PCOS are – hypothyroidism, prediabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Curing PCOS is highly important as soon as you are diagnosed. Natural treatments by Ayurveda and yoga are very reliable options.

Which yoga is better for PCOS?

• Baddha Konasana (Butterfly pose)

• Paryankasana (Couch pose)

• Vajrasana (Thunderbolt pose)

• Ushtrasana (Camel pose) Are some of the best yoga poses out of the 10 best yoga for pcos.

How yoga is helpful in PCOS?

Yoga helps in PCOS as it –

• Releases stress

• Cleanses body channels and detoxifies

• Boosts immunity

• Regulates period

• Improves metabolism

• Reduces weight

• Lowers androgen levels