Hormonal health
Yoga for PCOS
Gentle yoga may support women managing PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) by reducing stress, encouraging activity and supporting hormonal balance and wellbeing — all of which help alongside medical care. Hip openers, gentle twists and calming breath are commonly used. It is a supportive complement, not a treatment.
Who this is for
Women managing PCOS who want gentle, supportive movement alongside their medical care. Not a treatment — work with your healthcare team.
At a glance
- Supports: stress reduction, activity, hormonal wellbeing
- Approach: gentle hip openers, twists, calming breath
- Alongside: your prescribed care and lifestyle guidance
- Not: a cure or replacement for medical treatment
PCOS is a common hormonal condition, and while yoga can't cure it, two things it does well — lowering stress and increasing gentle activity — are genuinely helpful as part of managing it. Chronic stress can worsen hormonal imbalance, so calming, regular practice supports the bigger picture.
Gentle hip openers such as Butterfly, mild twists and reclining poses are commonly used, along with slow breathing to calm the nervous system. Keep the practice regular and kind rather than intense, and always alongside the care and lifestyle guidance from your healthcare team.
A PCOS practice you can follow, with Rasika
Rasika leads a sequence for PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), describing it as a chronic hormonal condition and building a gentle flow — standing poses, forward folds and twists into rest — with careful transitions like bending the knees and rolling the spine up slowly to stand. It's approachable for most levels.
Gentle yoga may support women managing PCOS by easing stress and encouraging activity; use it alongside, not instead of, medical care.
Watch: a gentle sequence
This short practice includes poses such as seated forward fold (Paschimottanasana) and boat (Navasana) that are often included in routines for PCOS. Regular, moderate movement and a calmer, less stressed body may support overall wellbeing alongside medical care — but yoga is not a treatment or cure for PCOS. Manage the condition with your healthcare provider, and avoid strong or forceful techniques if you are pregnant or advised to.
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. …
- Cobra PoseCobra Pose (Bhujangasana) is a gentle backbend: lying face down, you lift the chest using the back muscles with the hands lightly …
- Bridge PoseBridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana) is a gentle backbend: lying on your back with knees bent, you lift the hips to form a bridge, chest …
Video transcriptThis video guides you through a butterfly pose stretch, a seated spinal twist, and a bridge pose lift to ease PCOS-related 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.
Now, lift your navel above the ground level, push your pelvic bone down, tuck in your pelvic bone down, and then in both ways push the shoulders back, drop them back and drop them back. While your feet, one on top of the other, treat them as one unit, and now bring your left hand on your knees, take your right hand behind. Now this is going to be a twist, and before you do any twist always engage your core, lengthen your spine, open out your shoulders, and then as you exhale twist back.
Begin to lie down on your back and place your heels as close as possible to your butt and hold your ankles, make sure your thumb is outside, and when you're ready slowly inhale and lift your hips all the way up. So try and reach as high as possible, but your breath should be in the normal range, and stay here for a couple of deep breaths.
Frequently asked questions
- Can yoga help with PCOS?
- Yoga may support PCOS management by reducing stress, increasing gentle activity and supporting overall wellbeing — all helpful alongside medical care. It is not a cure or a substitute for treatment.
- Which yoga is best for PCOS?
- Gentle, calming practice — hip openers like Butterfly, mild twists, reclining poses and slow breathing — done regularly. Reducing stress matters as much as the poses themselves.
- How often should I do yoga for PCOS?
- Little and often — a gentle practice most days supports stress reduction and activity better than occasional intense sessions. Consistency is what helps.
References
- General wellbeing guidance; not medical advice · Institution — Yoga may support general wellbeing but is not a diagnosis, treatment or cure. It is a complement to, never a replacement for, medical care.