Yoga for health · Ladies-only batch
Yoga for PCOS & PCOD in Jaipur
A women-only room, a female teacher, and an honest account of what a regular practice may and may not do for polycystic ovary syndrome — alongside your gynaecologist, never instead of her.
Yoga does not correct polycystic ovary syndrome. What many students find is that a steady practice may help them manage the things that surround it — stress, poor sleep, low mood, and the difficulty of staying consistent with the moderate exercise every gynaecologist asks for. That last one is the point. Regular movement supports insulin sensitivity and weight management, and a class you look forward to is movement you actually keep doing.
What are PCOS and PCOD, in plain language?
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a hormonal condition, not an ovary problem alone, and in India it is diagnosed extremely often in women in their twenties and thirties. It usually shows up as some combination of irregular or missing periods, acne, unwanted hair growth, hair thinning, difficulty losing weight and, in many women, insulin resistance.
“PCOD” is the term most Indian labs and clinics still use, and in everyday conversation the two words are used for the same thing. What matters for a yoga class is not the label but the picture: a body that is being asked to manage weight, blood sugar, stress and self-image at the same time, often while being told by the internet that one asana will sort it out. It will not.
Diagnosis, ultrasound, blood work and treatment belong to your gynaecologist or endocrinologist. This page is about the movement and breathing part, which is one piece of a much larger plan.
Can yoga help with PCOS?
Yoga works on the load around PCOS, not on the syndrome itself. The plausible mechanisms are unglamorous and well understood: regular moderate exercise supports insulin sensitivity, consistent movement supports weight management, and practices that calm the nervous system may help with the sleep and stress that make everything else harder.
Research specific to yoga and PCOS exists but is mostly small studies with short follow-up, and the honest summary is “promising for quality of life and stress, not established as a treatment”. Anyone who tells you a twelve-week course of asanas will normalise your hormones is selling something.
What Ritika sees in the ladies-only batch is more modest and more useful: students who were doing nothing at all start doing something four or five mornings a week, sleep better, feel less at war with their bodies, and become far more likely to stick with the diet and medication their doctor prescribed. That is a real contribution. It is not a remedy.
Which asanas and pranayama are used?
The sequence mixes hip and pelvic work, gentle backbends that open the front of the body, one restorative inversion, and breathing practice. Nothing in it is exotic, and the weekly total of moderate movement matters far more than any single posture.
| Practice | What it does | How long | Cautions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surya Namaskar (slow) सूर्य नमस्कार |
The main moderate-intensity block of the class — whole-body movement that raises the heart rate without becoming a workout you dread. | 6–12 rounds, built up over weeks | Start with 3–4 rounds. Slow the backbend phase if the lower back is sensitive. |
| Baddha Konasana बद्ध कोणासन Bound angle |
Opens the hips and inner thighs; the most-used seated posture in this sequence. | 1–2 minutes | Sit on a folded blanket. Never press the knees down with the hands. |
| Supta Baddha Konasana सुप्त बद्ध कोणासन Reclining bound angle |
The restorative version, over a bolster. Used on heavy-flow days and on tired days. | 3–5 minutes | Support under both thighs. Comfortable for nearly everyone. |
| Malasana मालासन Garland / deep squat |
Hip and pelvic floor mobility, and a position most Indian bodies used to hold daily and no longer do. | 30–60 seconds | Heels on a folded mat. Skip if the knees hurt — see yoga for knee pain. |
| Bhujangasana भुजंगासन Cobra |
Gentle extension through the front of the trunk after a day of sitting. | 5 breaths, 2–3 rounds | Stay low. Avoid during pregnancy and with active abdominal pain. |
| Dhanurasana धनुरासन Bow |
A stronger front-body opener, used once the back is comfortable with Bhujangasana and Salabhasana. | 3–5 breaths, 2 rounds | Skip with back pain, hernia, high blood pressure, pregnancy, or on heavy-flow days. |
| Setu Bandhasana सेतु बंधासन Bridge |
Strengthens glutes and hamstrings and can be taken as a supported restorative posture over a block. | 5–8 breaths, 3 rounds | Comfortable for most; keep the neck still once you are up. |
| Viparita Karani विपरीत करणी Legs up the wall |
The one restorative inversion in the sequence; students describe it as the most settling five minutes of the week. | 5–10 minutes | Skip with uncontrolled high blood pressure, glaucoma, and on heavy-flow days. |
| Nadi Shodhana नाड़ी शोधन / अनुलोम विलोम Alternate-nostril breathing |
Slow, even breathing that many students find settles a racing head. Taught without breath retention. | 5–10 minutes | No forced retention. Stop if you feel light-headed. |
| Bhramari भ्रामरी प्राणायाम Humming breath |
A long, humming exhale. The practice students most often take home and use at night. | 6–10 rounds | Avoid with an active ear infection. Otherwise very safe. |
| Shavasana शवासन Corpse pose |
Closes every class. Sometimes extended into a short Yoga Nidra in the ladies batch. | 5–10 minutes | Lie on the left side in later pregnancy. Never skipped. |
What should I avoid?
Most of the cautions here are about intensity and about the days of your cycle, not about particular postures being dangerous.
- Kapalbhati and Bhastrika are frequently recommended online for PCOS. They are strong practices and are not taught to students who are pregnant, have high blood pressure, a hernia, an ulcer, or during menstruation. If you do them, learn them from a teacher in person.
- Strong abdominal compression — Dhanurasana, deep twists, intense core work — on heavy-flow days.
- Over-training. PCOS is often accompanied by fatigue, and grinding out daily high-intensity sessions in the hope of faster weight loss usually ends in a month off with an injury.
- Fasting before class beyond the normal empty stomach, and any “detox” regime sold alongside a yoga programme.
- Treating yoga as a replacement for your appointments. Keep your scans, your blood tests and your gynaecologist.
Can I practise during my period?
Yes, if you feel like it, and no, if you do not. In this studio the guidance on heavy-flow days is to leave out inversions, strong abdominal work and deep twists, and to use Supta Baddha Konasana, Balasana, gentle side stretches and Bhramari instead. Comfort is the guide, not tradition and not a schedule.
पीसीओडी के लिए योग
पीसीओडी या पीसीओएस एक हार्मोनल स्थिति है और योग इसका इलाज नहीं है। योग एक सहायक अभ्यास है जो आपकी डॉक्टर के इलाज के साथ चलता है। नियमित मध्यम स्तर का व्यायाम, बेहतर नींद और तनाव कम करना — ये तीनों चीज़ें डॉक्टर वैसे भी कहती हैं, और योग इन्हें रोज़ कर पाने में मदद कर सकता है।
हमारी महिलाओं की कक्षा में आमतौर पर ये अभ्यास कराए जाते हैं — धीमा सूर्य नमस्कार, बद्ध कोणासन, सुप्त बद्ध कोणासन, मालासन, भुजंगासन, धनुरासन, सेतु बंधासन, विपरीत करणी, अनुलोम विलोम और भ्रामरी प्राणायाम। शवासन हर कक्षा के अंत में होता है।
माहवारी के भारी दिनों में उल्टे आसन, गहरे मरोड़ और पेट पर ज़ोर डालने वाले आसन न करें। कपालभाति और भस्त्रिका को इंटरनेट पर बहुत बताया जाता है, लेकिन ये तेज़ अभ्यास हैं — गर्भावस्था, हाई बीपी, हर्निया या अल्सर में न करें, और सीखें किसी शिक्षिका से सामने बैठकर।
सबसे ज़रूरी बात: मेटफ़ॉर्मिन, गर्भनिरोधक गोली या कोई भी दवा योग शुरू करने के कारण बंद न करें। यह फ़ैसला सिर्फ़ आपकी डॉक्टर का है। कक्षा से पहले शिक्षिका को अपनी स्थिति ज़रूर बताएँ।
How do sessions here work for someone with PCOS?
Most students managing PCOS or PCOD join the ladies-only batch at 10:00 AM — a women-only room with a female teacher, which is the single most common reason women in Mansarovar tell us they chose this studio. The general morning and evening batches are open to you too if the timing suits better.
How the class is shaped
- A moderate-intensity block — slow Surya Namaskar and standing postures — four to five days a week
- Hip and pelvic work in the seated section, always with props rather than force
- A restorative close: Viparita Karani, Bhramari and a longer Shavasana
- Your sequence is adjusted around your cycle if you tell Ritika where you are in it
- Batches of eight to twelve, so nobody is practising unobserved
What we do not do
- No diet charts, no supplements, no “PCOS detox” packages
- No claims about hormones, ovulation or fertility
- No weighing you, and no before-and-after photographs
- No advice about your medication — that conversation belongs with your doctor
- No pressure to practise on days you feel unwell
This page is general information about yoga practice, not medical advice, and it does not diagnose anything. Yoga is complementary to medical treatment and does not replace it. Please consult your doctor or gynaecologist before starting any new physical practice, especially if you are pregnant, trying to conceive, recovering from surgery, or managing an ongoing health condition. Do not stop, reduce or change any prescribed medication because you have started yoga, and tell your teacher about your condition before class.
Reviewed by Ritika Khandelwal, CERT_PLACEHOLDER certified yoga instructor, Mansarovar, Jaipur.
Questions
Yoga for PCOS & PCOD — FAQs
Can yoga help with PCOS or PCOD?
Yoga may help you manage some of the things that sit around PCOS: stress, sleep, and staying consistent with moderate movement, which doctors ask for because it supports insulin sensitivity and weight management. It does not correct the hormonal picture on its own and it is not a substitute for your gynaecologist's treatment or your prescribed medication.
Which yoga asanas are used for PCOS and PCOD?
The sequence usually combines hip and pelvic work such as Baddha Konasana, Supta Baddha Konasana and Malasana, gentle backbends such as Bhujangasana, Dhanurasana and Setu Bandhasana, a restorative inversion such as Viparita Karani, and pranayama including Nadi Shodhana and Bhramari. Steady moderate-intensity movement over the week matters more than any single posture.
Can I do yoga during my period?
Yes, if you feel like it. Most teachers here ask students to skip strong abdominal work, deep twists and inversions on heavy-flow days and to use restorative postures instead. Comfort is the guide; there is no obligation to practise, and no harm in a gentle class if it helps.
Will yoga regulate my periods?
Nobody can promise that. Some students report cycles becoming more predictable over several months of regular practice alongside dietary changes and medical treatment, and some do not. Cycle length is influenced by many things, so keep your gynaecologist involved and keep your appointments.
Should I stop my metformin or contraceptive pill once I start yoga?
No. Never stop, reduce or change a prescribed medicine because you have started yoga. Any change to metformin, an oral contraceptive, letrozole or any other prescription is a decision for the doctor who prescribed it.
Is the PCOS-friendly batch women-only?
Yes. Most students managing PCOS or PCOD join the ladies-only batch at 10:00 AM, taught by Ritika Khandelwal in a women-only room. The morning and evening general batches are also open to you if those timings suit better.
हिंदी में आम सवाल
क्या योग से पीसीओडी ठीक हो जाती है?
नहीं। योग एक सहायक अभ्यास है, इलाज नहीं। यह तनाव, नींद और नियमित व्यायाम में मदद कर सकता है, जो पीसीओडी को सँभालने में सहायक हैं। जाँच, दवा और इलाज आपकी डॉक्टर के पास ही रहेगा।
माहवारी के दिनों में कौन से आसन न करें?
भारी रक्तस्राव वाले दिनों में उल्टे आसन (विपरीत करणी, सर्वांगासन), गहरे मरोड़ और पेट पर ज़ोर डालने वाले आसन जैसे धनुरासन न करें। इनकी जगह सुप्त बद्ध कोणासन, बालासन और भ्रामरी करें।
क्या कक्षा में सिर्फ़ महिलाएँ होती हैं?
जी हाँ। सुबह 10:00 बजे का बैच केवल महिलाओं के लिए है और इसे रितिका ख़ुद पढ़ाती हैं। सुबह और शाम के सामान्य बैच भी आपके लिए खुले हैं।
Your first class is free
Try the ladies-only batch this week
10:00 AM, Monday to Saturday, in a women-only room opposite Thadi Market in Agarwal Farm, Mansarovar. Mats and bolsters are provided.