Women's health
Yoga for Endometriosis
Gentle yoga may support people living with endometriosis by easing tension, calming the nervous system and offering comfort during difficult days. Soft hip openers, supported reclining poses and slow breath are commonly used. This is a supportive complement for comfort and wellbeing, not a treatment for endometriosis.
Who this is for
People living with endometriosis who want gentle, comforting movement alongside medical care. Not a treatment — work with your healthcare team.
At a glance
- Supports: relaxation, tension release, comfort on hard days
- Approach: soft hip openers, supported reclining poses, slow breath
- Alongside: your prescribed care and pain management
- Not: a cure or replacement for medical treatment
Endometriosis can bring significant pain and fatigue, and it needs medical care. Yoga can't treat it, but gentle, supported movement and slow breathing may help you relax, ease muscular tension and find some comfort — particularly on harder days. Soft hip openers and restful poses are commonly chosen for their soothing quality.
Gentle Butterfly, resting Child's Pose and supported Reclined Bound Angle, with slow breath, invite the body to soften. During a flare, favour supported, restful shapes over anything intense. Always keep the practice kind and work alongside the care and pain management from your healthcare team — this is a supportive complement, not a treatment.
Recommended practices
- Butterfly PoseButterfly Pose (Baddha Konasana) is a seated hip opener: soles of the feet together, knees dropping out to the sides, spine tall. …
- Child's PoseChild's Pose (Balasana) is a gentle resting pose: kneeling, you fold forward to rest the torso over the thighs and the forehead on…
- Reclined Bound Angle (Supta Baddha Konasana)Reclined Bound Angle is a restful reclining pose: lying on your back, the soles of the feet come together and the knees fall open.…
Video transcriptIn this session, Yoga & You Teaching Faculty guides you through butterfly pose, shoulder stand variations, and seated stretches easing pelvic and hip tightness.
We begin to sit with a straight back and keep your soles of your feet together and interlock your fingers onto your toes and begin to flap your thighs. So this helps in opening your tightness in your groins and your hips. Make sure your breath is really normal to intensify the stretch in your groins. Pull your feet closer to your pelvis and begin to flap for a couple of times.
Lie down in supine position, raise your legs, lift your hips up, and support your back. Stay there for a few breaths to adjust, when your knees towards the forehead, tuck your elbows in closer together, walk your hands down your back, and then straighten the legs. Now bend the right knee towards the forehead, bring your left leg above the head parallel to the ground, keep the back supported, and release. Repeat on the other side, and release, coming back into regular Sarvangasana.
Move your legs wide apart, you can reach far down as you can. And if you're here all the way down with your arms stretched out, try to lift your head up and bring your chin and just down with your thigh being pushed back and down. Stay in this pose with normal breathing.
Now go to place your hands down between your shoulders and your pelvic bones. Open your legs like you are in here and then come up. Now lift your navel above the ground level, push your pelvic bone down. Put your navel bone down and then end both ways, push the shoulders back and drop them back, and drop down.
Now the same thing again, join your legs together, feet together. When you join your legs together, your arms will not be more, but your spine stretch will be here. In case, lengthen your spine. Create a space between your pelvic and your little cage, and then arch back. Queen your back, drop your shoulders back, and then arch, mouth close. Upper your navel, go in contact with yourself.
Frequently asked questions
- Can yoga treat endometriosis?
- No. Yoga is not a treatment for endometriosis and doesn't replace medical care. Gentle, supported practice and slow breath may offer comfort and relaxation alongside your treatment.
- What yoga is best during an endometriosis flare?
- Favour gentle, supported and restful poses — such as Child's Pose and supported reclining shapes — with slow breathing, rather than intense practice. Check with your doctor about what suits you.
References
- Traditional yoga uses gentle, restorative practices for comfort and calm. · Tradition — General traditional context; not a medical claim.