#31 Heavy Periods & PMS: Symptoms, Mood Swings and How Yoga Can Help

Heavy periods, PMS, mood swings and the feeling that you're just supposed to put up with it every month? Let's talk about it.

Welcome back to The 30-Something Shift — the podcast for women in their 30s navigating cycles, fertility, pregnancy and all the other changes that come with this slightly chaotic decade of life.

In this episode, we're talking about heavy periods, PMS and mood swings, and I'm sharing my perspective as a yoga teacher on where yoga can fit into the picture.

Because there is SO much information online telling women that if they're struggling with their periods, they simply need to balance their hormones, change their diet, take the right supplements, cycle sync and do the perfect yoga routine.

And while lifestyle habits and movement can absolutely support your wellbeing, I don't believe women should be given the message that it's their responsibility to optimise themselves out of every symptom.

Sometimes your body is giving you information that needs looking at.

If your periods are very heavy, painful or disruptive, or your premenstrual symptoms are significantly affecting your mood, relationships or everyday life, seeking medical advice matters.

At the same time, yoga can be a really useful tool for developing a better relationship with your body, managing stress, moving in ways that feel supportive and creating a little more space when you're not feeling your best.

In this episode, we talk about:

🩸 Heavy periods — what counts as more than simply having a “heavy” period and why disruptive bleeding shouldn't automatically be something you learn to cope with.

🌧️ PMS — the physical and emotional symptoms that can appear before your period, from bloating and fatigue to anxiety, irritability and low mood.

🧠 Mood swings — how noticing patterns in your cycle can give you useful information without dismissing your feelings as “just hormones.”

🧘‍♀️ Where yoga fits in — how movement, breathwork, meditation and relaxation can support you when you're experiencing PMS or period symptoms.

🌿 Your nervous system — why creating moments of calm can be useful when you're already feeling physically uncomfortable or emotionally overwhelmed.

💭 Listening rather than fixing — why I don't want cycle awareness to become another set of rules women have to follow perfectly.

My favourite yoga approaches for PMS and period days

Depending on how you're feeling, you might choose:

• Slow, grounding movement
• Gentle spinal mobility
• Hip and side-body movements
• Breathwork
• Restorative yoga
• A more energising flow if you genuinely feel like moving
• Or... absolutely nothing. Rest counts too.

There isn't one perfect yoga for PMS routine because your symptoms can change from one cycle to the next.

One really important reminder

Yoga can support your wellbeing, but it isn't a diagnostic tool or a treatment for the underlying causes of heavy menstrual bleeding, severe PMS or conditions such as PMDD.

Your body isn't a problem that needs fixing.

But you also don't have to accept symptoms that are making your life miserable.

If your symptoms are severe, new, getting worse or interfering with your everyday life, speak to a healthcare professional.

You deserve to understand what's happening in your body.

And you deserve support.

Enjoyed this episode?

Share it with a friend who has ever said, “I think my period is probably just normal for me...”

And don't forget to follow The 30-Something Shift wherever you listen to your podcasts so you don't miss the next episode.

Resources:

www.livsarahberry.com/menstrualcycleyoga

(267) Yoga For Your Period - Gentle Yoga Flow for Menstrual Cramps & Low Back Pain - YouTube

Shop Liv's Favourites:

WUKA Period Pants- https://wukauk.pxf.io/n4P4qM