I’ve been on birth control for eleven years, and coming off it has been painful, but this yoga pose has helped me manage my sore lower belly

When I turned 30, I decided to take a break from the hormonal contraceptive that I’ve been on since I was a teenager. My body has been adjusting slowly, with a mix of weird and wonderful symptoms as my hormones find their natural balance again, including sore breasts and intense pain in my lower abdomen that feels very much like period cramps.

The experience of coming off hormonal birth control is personal and can vary widely. Even though mine has been a painful process, that doesn’t mean yours will be too.

If you do find yourself experiencing soreness in your lower abdomen—whether from period pain, hormonal changes or something else—this gentle yoga pose helped me to release tension and alleviate some of the discomfort in that area.

Reclined twist

The reclined twist is a stretch I was already doing instinctively, then I decided to check that my form was good and found it on Yoga with Adriene’s YouTube channel.

Adriene demonstrates how to perform this simple lying pose correctly—it helps to ease tension in your abdomen, hips and lower back.

I usually do it for 10 minutes, alternating sides and breathing deeply throughout.

Reclined Twist Yoga Pose - Yoga With Adriene - YouTube

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How it helped me

It alleviated discomfort

The pain I was experiencing felt similar to period pain, but I also have adhesions on my abdominal wall that might have added to the discomfort with a tugging, itchy-like sensation.

When the pain was particularly intense on one side, this pose allowed me to “scratch” the internal area, like scratching an itch I couldn’t quite reach. While the underlying pain was still there, the sensation changed from a negative, unmanageable one to something that felt more manageable.

It distracted me

This stretch gave me something to do while I waited for pain relief to kick in. Doing something active helped me feel a little more in control.

I’m always amazed at how mindful breathing can help with pain management. It draws my focus away from the discomfort and onto the rhythm of my breath, and while the pain is still there, it doesn’t dominate my attention as much.

Why this stretch is good

I asked Sophia Drozd, a yoga instructor and creator of the Yoga for Pain app, why this stretch is so helpful for lower abdominal pain.

“Supine twists can be beneficial for lower abdominal pain as they apply gentle compression to the belly, relieving pain through naturally massaging the abdominal area and abdominal internal organs,” she says.

“This can be a fairly deep twist. Remember to move slowly and gently, using the ground for support. For a softer approach, try it in bed.”