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About me Hi! I m Helen Kåselöv and I m the founder of Yoga for endometriosis & pelvic pain: www.endoyoga.com. I m a yoga teacher and yoga therapist in Mediyoga - a therapeutic form of kundalini yoga. I have a long history of being ill with endometriosis and all the illnesses that can come with a having one illness. My journey with endometriosis has been very long and tough. I probably got it when I was 18 and lived with excruciating pain for twenty years. The only help I got from the doctors was surgery and painkillers. It took me 17 years to get my diagnosis. I know what it s like to be in so much pain, when you vomit and faint, missing work, friends and school because you are not able to be active when you are in so much pain. I started with yoga 2006 after being burned out and felt that it touched me deeply, both in a physical way and emotionally. Pretty soon I decided to become a yoga teacher and yoga therapist. I tried different yoga sets for my illness, but they were too tough on my endometriosis. When it couldn t get any worse with my pain, I managed to find my own methods to heal myself. Sometimes you need to hit the rock bottom to begin your way up I changed my diet, created a yoga program that worked great and made some other lifestyle changes. It didn t take long to notice improvement in my health. I realized it was actually possible to remove these symptoms with some great yoga programs and nourishing food. Today I m almost symptom free. It took maybe one year to get where I am today. This was 2011. I have learned a lot these years, struggling with endometriosis and trying to heal myself. It has been quite a journey. Though maybe it sounds weird, I wouldn t want to be without these years of struggling. I wouldn t be who I am today without it. So this is why I m so dedicated to help women around the world with their pain. I know what you are going through and my belief is that it is possible to get a healthy vibrant life again. 2
What is yoga for endometriosis & pelvic pain? The yoga programs I m teaching, are designed especially for women that have endometriosis, PCOS, uterine fibroids, pelvic floor dysfunction and other pelvic pain. The programs are focused on calming the body and mind, helping you to get less pain, balancing your hormones, making you more flexible as a few examples, but I don t only focus on pelvic pain in my programs. I know many of you suffer from other things at the same time. Many of you have headaches, back pain, digestive problems, anxiety and depression. The list can go on and on. As I work therapeutically with yoga I know that specific yoga programs can help you with specific issues, not only physical problems or psychologically problems, also emotional, spiritual and personal development. Yoga is not about only stretching your body, in my opinion, although of course many yoga poses will help you with that. No, yoga does so much more than that. It helps you become more aware, reaching your inner qualities that maybe has been hidden from you for years. It helps you to become who you already are deep within. To feel free, secure and relaxed. There is hope for you. I hope my yoga programs can be a part of your new hope. About the 5 most important yoga poses In this pdf/e-book I m sharing some of my most important yoga poses, when you have endometriosis and pelvic pain. It s the yoga poses to begin with, so you get started with your yoga practice. They are yoga poses you can do one by one, or do them as a yoga sequence all together. In the instructions you see how to do the poses and for how long you can do them. If you are a new beginner, start slowly with maybe just one minute and one pose or two. Increase the time and poses over time. Some of the poses have videos you can check out. The poses will help you to relax and some of them are super-great to do when you are in the middle of a pelvic pain attack. Even though doing yoga can be the last thing you want to do at that very moment, it can be the best thing for you. So I advise you to try. Do the poses at your own ability. Yoga can be a little bit challenging, but it should not be painful. So always listen to your body and follow it. 3
The 5 most important yoga poses for Endometriosis & pelvic pain Long deep breathing The first yoga pose, or actually this is a breathing technique, I want to teach you, is the long deep breathing technique. This is a technique that is so important that you need to learn it first of all. You will use it in the yoga poses and often in meditations. We tend to breathe way too shallow and don t get down our breath all the way to the lower parts of the lungs, especially when you are in pain. Breathing deeper and more complete increases the oxygen and also affects the parasympathetic nervous system that turns you into a more relaxed and balanced state very fast. Your muscles relax and your mind becomes calmer. So what happens is that the stress hormones decrease and the feel-good hormones increase. Using good breathing techniques can affect your whole system! So use this breathing technique on a regular basis and when you have pain. Lie flat on your back, or sit in easy pose. Place one hand on the navel point and the other hand on your chest, the rib cage, so you can feel the movement when you breathe. Always inhale and exhale through your nostrils. The Long Deep Breathing consists in three parts: 1. Abdomen Inhale steadily through the nostrils, filling the lower part of your lungs first. Your Abdomen will push out, feel it with your hand. Exhale and the abdomen sink down again. 2. Chest, ribcage Inhale and fill the middle part of the lungs, pushing out the lower ribs, breastbone and chest, feel with your hand that the ribcage is expanded. Exhale, chest sinks down again. 3. Collarbone Put your hand on the chest close to the collarbone. Inhale deeply, fill the next highest part of the lungs, expanding and lifting the upper chest, and the upper six or seven pairs of ribs and collarbones. Exhale and the collarbones sink down. Put these three parts together so it becomes only one smooth, continuous motion - the Long Deep Breathing: Inhale through the nostrils fill the lower part of the lungs, expand the abdomen. Continue to inhale and fill the middle lungs and feel that the chest is expanding and the abdomen is sinking slightly. Continue inhale and fill the upper lung and feel the collarbones lifting a little bit. Exhale in reverse order: first the collarbones sink down followed by the chest and at last the abdomen. After you have exhaled wait a couple of seconds until you inhale again. Let the body decide when it s time to inhale again. Continue to breathe long and deeply as long as you want. 5-10 min a day is great! 4
Squatting Squatting is a yoga pose I use a lot in my programs. I found out by trying this pose, myself, that it s really great to do when you have pelvic pain. It also works well if you have IBS as it helps your digestion. It helps to open up in the pelvic region, so the blood circulation increases and the muscles relax. It helps to strengthen and lengthen the pelvic floor. If you have weak abdominal muscles and also too tight lower back, it can affect the pelvis so it is out of alignment. This is one reason to work with yoga poses that helps you with this particular problem. Back in the old days squatting was a natural pose for us. This is how we often sat and also this is how we sat when we went to the toilet. In some countries this is still the pose that is used when they go to their toilet or just resting. They are so fortunate, because this is the natural way to sit. I know that many have a problem sitting in squatting pose, so therefore I ll also give you some modifications here. From a standing position with your legs apart, squat down and maintain that position. The toes should be straight forward and your spine as straight as possible. Pull in your chin so you get the straight line from your spine up in the neck. If you need to make any adjustment with your legs to be as comfortable as possible you can do that. Wrap your arms around your knees and breathe long and deeply. Feel so you breathe all the way down to your belly. Sit in this pose for 1 min to 3 min. You can also sit longer if you want. Modifications: 1. Place a pillow or folded towel under your heels. Many experience that it feels like you are falling backward in this position. To place something under your heels can help you with this. 2. Lean against a wall or sit on the sofa. This will also help you to sit more comfortable. 3. If sitting in squatting pose doesn t work for you at all, you can try and modify it lying down instead. Lie down on you back on the floor or in the bed. Pull down your knees to your chest with your legs wide apart and wrap your arms around your knees. Breathe long and deeply. 5
Tiger stretch Tiger stretch is a yoga pose that helps to open up in the pelvic region. It helps to increase the circulation to your reproductive organs by releasing tension in the lower back. This can prevent menstrual cramps. It can also support the functions of your ovaries and kidneys and balances your hormones. This is a very nice yoga pose if you have lower back pain as well. Sit on your heels in Rock pose. Place your hands on either side of your knees for support. Extend your left leg straight out without bending your knee. Relax your shoulders and lengthen your spine through the crown of your head, lifting your sternum and pressing your heart center forward. Breathe deeply for 1-2 min. Repeat the exercise stretching your right leg back. 1-2 min. Come back up and sit on your heels and relax. Modifications If you have problems with your lower back this is a nice yoga pose, but if this pose give you any pain at all you can contract the muscles in your buttocks so there is no pressure on your lower back. You can also adjust with keeping your arms straight or bending them slightly. Baby pose Baby pose is a very soothing and relaxing yoga pose. It is sometimes used as a resting pose in between the other poses and can act as a counter pose for poses that are in the opposite direction (like tiger pose). It helps you to relax, calms the nervous system, stretches out the lower back, the hips and thighs. Sit in Rock Pose on your heels. Spread your knees, leaving room for your belly. Place your hands on either side of your knees for support. Lean forward and rest your head on the floor. Relax your arms by your side, near your feet, palms facing upward. You can also extend your arms upward to stretch your spine. Long Deep Breathing 1-3 min. Modifications If this pose is uncomfortable for you, you can support with pillows. Place them wherever you feel is necessary. Under your buttocks, between your legs or you can use a big folded blanket/big pillow, place it between your legs, sitting on it in the beginning and when you come down you have the pillow under you and lie on top. 6
A meditation for the endocrine system. Meditations are always included in my yoga programs. They always have a purpose and there are different kinds of meditations. In this meditation you are going to breathe in a specific breathing pattern, sit in a mudra (hand and finger position) and you also repeat a mantra mentally. This is a very powerful meditation that is said to work on your endocrine system, that is so important for you hormonal balance. It is very good to practice this meditation before going to bed. If you do it in the morning or other time of the day, make sure you rest a while afterword. Sit in easy pose or on a chair. Sit with your spine straight and pull in your chin slightly so you get that straight line from your spine up to your neck. Bring your hands together in front of your chest at heart level. The palms facing up and your hands formed like a bowl, the sides of the hands and the pinkie fingers together. The other fingers are separated not touching each other. Focus on the tip of your nose with your eyes slightly opened (1/10 th ). It can take a couple of minutes until you get used to this. If this is too difficult for you, you can focus on the third eye point, the point in between your eye brow. Form your mouth into an O, and slowly inhale through your mouth. When you have inhaled fully, hold the breath for 5 seconds. Exhale through your nostrils in four segments. And as you do that, think the mantra SA TA NA MA each segment. When you have exhaled, hold the breath out for 2-3 seconds. And continue in this breathing pattern. Notice so your shoulders are relaxed. Continue for 5-31 minutes. Start slowly and build up your practice over time. (SA TA NA MA represents the cycle of life and is a very common mantra in kundalini yoga and Mediyoga.) 7
I hope you have enjoyed these 5 yoga poses and that it has given you a good start in your yoga practice. If you have any question at all, please go to your favorite social media, and I ll try to answer them there. Or email: helen@endoyoga.com Don t forget to join me on: See you there! Take care! 8