| actually, periods are great. they really are.
and you don't have to practice yoga on your period if you don't want to.
your male teacher knows and undertands this, but i don't see why you'd have to ask him to simply not take the class, unless it's a course that you have to take for school or osmething, in which case you can tell him that you're menstruating and it's really not a big deal.
cramps happen for a variety of reasons, malnutrition is one of them. are you eating enough good, healthy fats? i know that you're very active, and this often decreases PMS symptoms, but some women are over-active and dont' get enough nturients, and therefore end up with PMS because they don't hae their exercise and nutrients balanced.
i never wear tampons, when i do practice, it's always with pads. but i use 'glad rags' which are cloth, reuseable/washable pads. they're very comfortable and they work well for me (no leaks).
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| 1. you're not hurting his feelings. he's teaching because he wants to. it's not a burden to him.
2. in some traditions, practicing while menstruating is contra-indicated. that means, you're not supposed to practice while menstruating. now, other traditions say that it's ok to practice, as long as the practice is restorative, and other traditions say you can choose whether or not you want to practice and how you want to practice. if you have too many discomforts to practice, then don't practice.
and if you choose not to practice, unless the teacher needs to know (eg, it's for class credit or something), you don't need to tell him. your being their isn't going to make or break his day. he can handle you not being there.
3. yes, periods can be great. personally, i've always loved my period. there's a whole theory about how the menstrual cycle (particularly the first one, menarche) is considered a spiritual initiation and process that a woman receives. it is a very powerful initiation and one of the "blood mysteries." (you can look that up on the 'net.)
women receive four blood mystery initiations: menstruation, giving of one's virginity, birth, and menopause. two focus on life (menstruation, giving of one's virginity), and two focus on death (birth, menopause). Uniquely, two focus on both in converse ways. Giving of one's virginity not only initiates a woman into the life-giving process of childbearing, but in doing so, reflect into birth, during which "a woman must pass through her death to bring forth life." So, there is a nod to the death aspect in life itself. Birth, of course, is the process of bringing forth that life, by confronting death.
these are very powerful blood mystery initiations. each time we have a menstrual cycle, we are reminded of the potency of blood and it's part in both life and death. the menses is a perpetual rite that acknowledges our fascinating place--being a woman is being a seat of both life and death in one body. it's a very powerful position, spiritually speaking.
menstruation itself needn't be uncomfortable, a balanced lifestyle with a focus on the sacred nature of menstruation and other women's rites and initiations, will nurture a physicality that respects and honors this process. this is not to say that it will be pain free, but it can be less uncomfortable, and those discomforts would be less 'emotionally problematic' if we saw them as something spiritually valuable and important.
4. i got my pads online through a friend of mine. i'll give you her web site if you are interested. you can also find them by looking up "luna pads" and "glad rags" or "cloth menstrual pads" through google or another search engine. i do not know if walmart sells them or not, but they are not very expensive, are easy to care for, and last a long time. my first set lasted 7 years, and i just bought my new set 6 months ago. they're really wonderful.
if you want a reuseable alternative to tampons, you might consider the "keeper" or "diva cup." if you look them up, you can learn about them as well.
many women discover that their PMS symptoms decrease when they move away form commercial pads and tampons. it is long-rumored that the dyes and chemicals in these products actually increase cramps and other menstrual pains, and might even cause women to bleed more (have heavier periods) in order to use and therefore buy more product (afterall, the multinational food corporations do it to get people to eat and buy more food, so why not these companies?).
so, going to a natural, reuseable alternative may actually decrease your PMS symptoms.
hope this gives you some food for thought and inspiration. |