Have you noticed excess weight gain in areas such as your abdomen or face? Are you struggling with acne or skin issues? Do you feel thirstier than usual, or fatigued – even after a long, restful sleep? You may be struggling with hormonal imbalance.

Hormonal imbalance occurs when our bodies have too much or too little of a certain hormone. The good news is, there are many ways – both medical and lifestyle techniques – to balance your hormones.

One of these methods is yoga. In this article we are going to discuss how yoga and balancing hormones can go together, including the best yoga poses to help with hormonal imbalance.

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Can Yoga Be Used For Help With Hormonal Imbalance?

Absolutely! Taking part in a regular yoga practice is one of the most effective ways to keep your hormones in check.

A great place to start balancing hormones is with stress relief. One of my favorite parts about yoga is that it naturally helps you set your body in motion to balance hormones by activating the nervous system.

Yoga is practically a byword for balance, so it stands to reason that this popular exercise would help your body introduce some much-needed balance.

Why Is Yoga Good for Balancing Hormones?

One of yoga’s biggest benefits is its effect on stress. Yoga, especially when paired with meditation, has been shown to reduce stress which can help keep your hormones well-balanced.

Yoga helps you slow down and engage your parasympathetic nervous system. This is the system responsible for our ability to rest and digest. If you have hormonal imbalance, allowing your body to rest and digest is beneficial.

If you’re struggling with excess weight gain, regular yoga can build strength and keep those extra pounds at bay. One of the best parts about yoga is that it’s a more accessible type of exercise than running or weight-lifting for people struggling with fatigue.

If you’re not sure where to start with using yoga to balance your hormones – you’re in luck! I have created a comprehensive guide below with the best poses for balancing female hormones.

Additionally, for an easy introduction to yoga – check out my FREE 10-day yoga challenge for beginners. It’s only a 10 minute commitment per day, which is about as easy as it gets, but you will still see results! Just fill in the form below.

Which Yoga is Best for Hormonal Imbalance?

There’s no one yoga pose that cures hormonal imbalance. Instead, there are several yoga poses that can have a helpful effect on balancing hormones, especially when combined with a hormonal imbalance diet plan and other stress-relieving techniques.

While all types of yoga can benefit hormonal imbalance, if you’re feeling particularly sluggish or fatigued, you might prefer to take part in a more relaxing style. An example would be restorative yoga, rather than styles like Bikram yoga that are more physically demanding.

The Best Yoga Poses for Balancing Female Hormones

I have picked poses that naturally require you to breathe rhythmically and deep to actually get through the poses. I also love yoga flows that keep you in a constant state of inhale, exhale, and cycle on a beat. This helps calm the nervous system and balance the hormones in your body. 

With that said, let’s review the best yoga poses that balance hormones.

1 – Sun Salutation A (Surya Namaskar)

Sun salutations are a key part of any vinyasa flow in your yoga practice, and they’re the perfect start to a more challenging sequence. To practice a sun salutation, begin in mountain pose before inhaling and sweeping your arms up above your head, then bend forward at the waist to touch your toes.

From there, bring your right knee to the floor with your left leg stretched out behind you and look up. Take the left leg back to a plank pose, before resting your chest and chin on the floor and raising your posterior.

From there, move into cobra pose, then mountain pose, and repeat the equestrian pose by putting your right knee forward and left leg back. Breathing out, reverse the steps you took at the beginning, by moving from hand to foot pose to mountain pose via raised arms pose.

Check out this video to see the complete sequence.

2 – Cat Cow (Bitilasana Marjaryasana)

This is one of yoga’s best known poses, and it’s ideal for solving hormonal imbalance. Begin on your hands and knees with a neutral spine.

Start inhaling and lifting your sit bones upwards, while your chest falls forward, your belly sinks, and you face forward. This is cow pose.

As you exhale, move into cat pose by rounding your spine and tucking in your tailbone, while releasing your head toward the floor. Repeat several times.

3 – Camel (Ultrasana)

Start on your knees with your legs hip-width apart. Place your hands on your lower back with your fingers pointing toward the floor. On an inhale, lift your chest towards the ceiling until your back curves.

If you feel comfortable doing so, bring your hands onto your heels. Hold this pose for 30-60 seconds.

4 – Pyramid With Tucked Chin (Parsvottanasana)

From mountain pose, step one leg back about 3-4 feet, with your front foot facing forward, and your back foot slightly turned out. Place your hands in reverse prayer behind your back.

Inhale and lengthen your spine, before exhaling and folding forward from the hips. Don’t let your back round. Hold the pose for up to ten deep breaths, then repeat it on the other side.

5 – Fish (Matsyasana)

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Inhale then lift your pelvis off the floor and slide your hands below your posterior, resting your buttocks on your hands.

Next, pressing your forearms and elbows firmly against the floor, lift your upper torso and head away from the floor. Release your head back, but keep a minimal amount of weight on it to avoid a neck injury.

Either keep your knees bent or straighten your legs depending on what’s comfortable for you. Stay in the pose for 15-30 seconds, while breathing deeply.

6 – Cobra (Bhujangasana)

Cobra pose is low-impact and perfect for opening the shoulder blades, neck, and collar bones. Start by lying on your yoga mat with your abdomen on the floor. Place your palms on the ground to the side of (or underneath) your shoulders.

Keeping your elbows close to your sides, inhale and lift your upper body slowly off the ground, straightening your elbows. Keep your pelvis pressed to the mat.

Your shoulder blades should draw back and drop away from your ears to open up the chest muscles. Focus on lifting your chest to the sky and hold the pose for as long as is comfortable, before exhaling to release.

7 – Reclined Butterfly (Baddha Konasana)

This pose is one of the most effective at reducing stress. Start by lying down on your yoga mat with your knees bent and feet on the ground. Externally rotate your hips until both knees tilt sideways. Bring the soles of your feet together.

Based on your flexibility, open your legs as far as you can. Take several deep breaths in this reclined position.

8 – Bridge (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your legs hip-distance apart. Move your feet closer to your buttocks, before pressing through your feet and raising your hips while you inhale.

Clasp your hands together under your back until your weight moves firmly onto your shoulders. Lift your thighs and buttocks as high as possible while your thighs stay parallel. To release the pose, exhale, release your hands, and lower your thighs and buttocks to the floor.

9 – Wide Legged Forward Fold (Prasarita Padottanasana)

Begin in mountain pose. Step your feet 3-4 feet apart and lift your torso tall before folding slowly at the hips over your legs. Don’t use your back to bend – fold at your hips instead.

Place your hands flat on the floor (or dangle them if not possible) and fold deeper, bringing your head as close to the floor as possible. After several deep breaths, slowly return to mountain pose.

10 – Garland (Malasana)

Stand with your feet mat’s width apart. Bend your knees and lower your posterior, coming to a deep squat position. Keeping your arms inside your knees, bring the palms together in a prayer position.

Keep your spine straight and practice balancing in the position while you take several deep breaths. To come out of the pose, straighten legs, sit back, or move into a forward roll.

Besides Yoga What Other Things Help To Balance Hormones?

At the heart of keeping hormones balanced is a healthy diet. Minimize sugar-laden, processed, and fatty foods, and prioritize eating fresh fruits and vegetables as part of home-cooked meals.

If you need extra support with this, you can click the link to sign up for my FREE 3-day hormone balance meal plan. It is the perfect way to started with eating the right way to keep your hormones in check.

Sleep is important too. Getting those all-important hours of shut-eye can contribute to keeping key hormones in balance and stress at bay. If lifestyle changes don’t make a difference, discuss possible medical solutions with a healthcare professional.

When it comes to yoga and balancing hormones, it’s a great exercise to help!

Yoga can help you find balance in all aspects of your life, from mental wellbeing to physical balance. When performed in conjunction with stress reduction techniques, healthy eating, and sleep, yoga can be the key to unlocking what you’ve always dreamed of – a body and soul that work in tandem together.