YogaNaraska

PMDD is...
..feeling like two completely different people.

PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) is actually pretty difficult to explain to others. Before we knew I had it, my Dad would say that I had an alter ego, her name was Constance.

And while PMDD does not actually include "alters", like in other mental health conditions, the symptoms can cause such emotional, mental, and physical changes that it can feel like and *seem* to others that you are a different person.

When I am feeling well, I am happy, energetic, social, active, and engaging. When I am not well, I am anxious, irritable self-depricating, stiff, sedentary, and anti-social.

This is because my brain is highly sensitive to changes in my hormone levels, particularly in the latter half of my cycle. This also means that I am sensitive to changes in hormonal medications and may be more likely to suffer from post partum conditions and struggle through perimenopause & menopause.

It's important to clarify what PMDD is not, because there is a lot of misinformation out there.

PMDD is *NOT* a hormone imbalance. You can have PMDD *and* a hormone imbalance, but they are not the same thing. You can have PMDD *and* progesterone intolerance or estrogen dominance, but they are not the same thing.

PMDD is caused by an acute sensitive to the relative *changes* in hormone levels, not the hormones themselves or the level of hormones at any one given time.

I will post more about the symptoms in the coming days, but please know that PMDD is severe and can affect every single aspect of a person's life, and that there is no "cure" for PMDD - only management of symptoms.

It can feel like living a "half-life".

You can learn more about PMDD from by following their page, visiting their website (www.iapmd.org) and/or following along as I post here in April.

Teal Tuesdays 🩵

Every Tuesday in April is ! This is a fundraiser for IAPMD - International Association for PMDD & PME

The colours of the Premenstrual Disorder Awareness Ribbon are turquoise, teal, & black. You can find out what these colours represent on the second slide of this post 🎗 On Tuesdays in April we celebrate all things teal & donate to IAPMD.

IAPMD is an organization that is near and dear to my heart. Founded in 2013 (around the year of my own diagnosis), this certified non-profit works to inspire hope & end suffering for those affected by Premenstrual Disorders through peer support, education, research, and advocacy.

Their website is the most comprehensive resource for information on PMDs and their moderated Facebook support groups & weekly virtual peer support groups have no doubt saved lives. They also work to educate the medical community through their healthcare provider professional community & clinical advisory board. They also contribute to important research initiatives to help us learn more about the science of PMDs, and, hopefully, find effective treatments.

The IAPMD team is small but mighty, and on top of their everyday hero work, they organize to raise awareness and bring a sense of community & hope to all PMD patients and their loved ones.

You can participate in Teal Tuesdays all month long by donating via the link below (and posting your own pictures if you like!)

https://secure.givelively.org/donate/international-association-for-premenstrual-disorders/teal-tuesdays-pmd-awareness-month-2023

IAPMD is a registered 501(c)(3) Public Charity and your donation is tax deductible. You'll get an email with your donation receipt for your personal files.

Let's see your teal!!! 🩵

Lightbulb Moment💡

A "lightbulb moment" is when an idea kind of clicks in your head, and you have a whole new understanding of something. My own lightbulb moment with PMDD took a while, but eventually happened.

I was a pretty happy, easygoing, confident kid...that is, until puberty. When I hit my teenage years, I began to struggle with overwhelming feelings of anxiety, irritability, self-doubt, poor concentration, and depression.

I was also struggling with cyclical pain, fatigue, and changes in my appetite & sleep schedule. Of course, these latter things are generally expected around one's menstrual cycle.

But the prior things, my mood symptoms, were unusual for me, and becoming a big problem. I was forgetting to turn in assignments at school, avoiding asking teachers questions, isolating myself from friends, breaking down in tears at work, and having massive meltdowns at home.

I struggled with all of these symptoms through highschool and university, but still managed to get good grades and have friends (it was only at home or alone in my room that I would truly let myself fall apart).

It wasn't until I was 21 (about 8 years after I began menstruating) that my Mum noticed that my breakdowns and our family arguments tended to coincide with my menstrual cycle. Specifically, the week or two before I bled.

She booked me in to see our family doctor, who recognized this pattern and these symptoms and correctly diagnosed me with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). This was a fairly new & controversial diagnosis at the time, and not much information was available...but it was my "lightbulb moment".

Since then, I have been learning as much as I can about Premenstrual Disorders, finding support & treatment, & helping others to have that "lightbulb moment".

It is so hard to have compassion for yourself and to find a way to feel better if you don't know what you're up against. This is why I work to raise awareness - to help others & to be the person I wish I had when I was 14 and struggling.

You can be that person, too. Learn more about PMD from IAPMD - International Association for PMDD & PME by visiting their I
page or their website (www.iapmd.org) & following along as I post in April.

Spark Change 🎇

The theme for is "Spark Change", and immediately what came to mind for me was playing with sparklers as a kid. Often, a parent would light someone's sparkler, and we would "pass on" the spark from one person to another, until we all had lit sparklers.

This is a great analogy for Premenstrual Disorder Awareness, because so often, sufferers are in the dark, until someone comes along to "illuminate" them. They don't know to connect their symptoms to their menstrual cycle, or that they may actually have a very real health condition!

Raising awareness of PMDs is so important, because there are just so many people who don't know that their experiences are not "normal" and that help is out there!

If you or someone you know has bothersome mental, physical, and emotional symptoms that recur on a cyclical basis, it could very well be due to Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), or they might have another condition that is exacerbated by their menstrual cycle (Premenstrual Exacerbation).

Many people with PMDs are misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder or rapid cycling major depression. And although it is possible for those conditions to also be exacerbated premenstrually, it could actually be a PMD (especially if treatments fail, because the treatments for PMDs can differ).

In fact, many doctors are unaware of these conditions, as they were only recently added to the DSM & ICD (systems that medical professionals use to diagnose disorders).

You can ✨️ spark change ✨️ by learning more about PMDs, sharing these posts, & speaking with friends and family about menstrual & mental health. You might just change a life!

Learn more by visiting IAPMD - International Association for PMDD & PME via their page, their website (www.iapmd.org), or following along with my posts this month!

PMD Awareness Month 🩵

For the month of April, I will be posting about a cause that is near & dear to my heart. I am helping to raise awareness of Premenstrual Disorders (PMDs).

Personally, I have lived with a PMD since I was about 14, and it has had a drastic effect on my life. These disorders are not well understood by the medical community or society at large, which can make suffering from one all the more difficult.

🩵 At least 1 in 20 people born with a female body suffer from a PMD (about 60 million people worldwide)

🩵 90% or more of them are either misdiagnosed or undiagnosed

🩵 It takes an average of 12 years and 6 different doctors to get a diagnosis (if you're in the lucky 10%)

🩵 34% of people with PMDD have attempted su***de

These facts speak loud and clear: raising awareness of Premenstrual Disorders is vital to connect people who are suffering with community, support, and treatment. Awareness saves lives!

My favourite non-profit, the International Association for Premenstrual Disorders IAPMD - International Association for PMDD & PME, is dedicated to doing exactly that and has been doing so since 2013.

I am working with them as a this month to raise awareness & hopefully generate some much-needed funds. You can find out more about PMDs & IAPMD at www.iapmd.org and by following along with my posts this month.

Let's bust some stigma about menstrual & mental health & spark change!

Class Tonight 🧘‍♀️

This week we are working with the 3rd Eye, or Ajna Chakra 👁

This chakra helps us to connect with wisdom & intuition. I'm not really sure why, but this is the chakra I feel most connected to 💜

The 3rd eye chakra is all about working with energy, and all the things seen & unseen. It's a bit mysterious, but also very powerful!

Join me as we go with the flow & move intuitively in an hour long practice via Zoom! A replay will be made available if you can't make it at 8pm ET.

Use the link below to join!
https://www.yoganaraska.com/service-page/wednesday-yoga-flow

Class Tonight 🎉

This week we are working with the vishuddha (throat) chakra - this chakra is associated with communication, authenticity, and truth.

The throat chakra helps us to tune into our own bodies' needs and our inner truth, and to be unafraid to express ourselves.

If you find that you have a hard time speaking up for yourself or for others, or that you have a message you need to get out into the world, or you feel as if it is difficult to live your truth...this is the chakra for you!

We will be working with throat chakra poses in a gentle flow tonight at 8pm ET on Zoom! If you can't make it, a recording will be available for replay.

Sign up here:
https://www.yoganaraska.com/service-page/wednesday-yoga-flow

Free Class Tonight! 🎉

I felt this quote deeply when I read it; spring often feels a bit contradictory as we vasscilate between cold & snowy, warm & sunny, between wanting to hibernate and wanting to get out and explore!

Spring can have us feeling unsure of how to manage our energy levels, that's for sure!

Join me tonight for a FREE class as we welcome March with our minds & bodies. Half of the class will consist of gentle yoga and half of the class will consist of journalling, intention setting, and planning for the month ahead.

It's a great way to reset yourself and feel prepared for whatever life has to throw at you this month! Come in your jammies & bring your beverage of choice!

You can join via Zoom (click here to register: https://www.yoganaraska.com/service-page/free-monthly-classes)

But I will try to stream Live on FB & IG as well, at 8pm ET.

St. Paddy's playlist included 🍀

Hope to see you soon!

Class Tonight 🧘‍♀️

Join me at 8pm EST on Zoom as we explore the solar plexus (manipura) chakra through gentle yoga & relaxing meditation!

This chakra is associated with our energy levels and self-confidence...something I think we can all use a boost with in these cold winter months!

Take some time to rest, relax, and replenish!

Join me here:
https://www.yoganaraska.com/service-page/monday-rest-relax

Class Tonight 🧘‍♀️

Find your flow tonight as we explore the sacral chakra - the centre of creativity & sensuality 💃

Sometimes we can feel a bit stale or stuck, repeating patterns of the same old, same old. Sometimes we get so used to this that we become afraid to try something new!

The sacral chakra reminds us to connect with our need to have new experiences and create new things...to find the magic in the everyday!

Join me tonight at 8pm ET on Zoom for an hour of flowwww 🌊

https://www.yoganaraska.com/service-page/wednesday-yoga-flow

Class Tonight 🧘‍♀️

Do you ever feel ungrounded, untethered, unbalanced? Like you're not really sure of who you are, where you should be, or what you should be doing?

I feel like that a lot, to be honest. Many of us probably do, in this busy age of constant demands.

One way to remedy this is to slow down and reconnect with our bodies and with nature. This can be as simple as stepping outside and taking a deep breath, or as complex as undertaking a multi-day camping trip.

Yoga is a great way to help us remember to slow down, breathe, feel our bodies and our feelings, and to regain balance.

Tonight's practice will focus on all of these things ✨️ Join me by clicking the link below:

https://www.yoganaraska.com/service-page/wednesday-yoga-flow

Class Tonight 🧘‍♀️

Join me tonight at 8pm ET on Zoom for a relaxing class with a root chakra theme!

The root chakra is associated with the base of the spine and represents groundedness, safety, and security.

This is a great chakra to work with if you're feeling out of balance, anxious, or not quite yourself. Perhaps, as Rumi says, you are looking for solutions in all the wrong places!

I love this practice because it reminds us to slow down, reconnect with our roots, and appreciate nature. The element associated with this chakra is earth.

This class consists of 30 minutes of gentle stretching and 30 minutes of guided relaxation & meditation...you'll be drifting off into dreams of a moonlit forest by the end!

Click the link below to register:
https://www.yoganaraska.com/booking-calendar/monday-rest-relax

Class Tonight 🧘‍♀️

Ah, that winter sun today has really got me feeling all the warm fuzzies! Join me tonight for a gentle reawakening to more of a vinyasa style of yoga!

I'll take you through the basics of Sun Salutations as we welcome back the longer days and more sunshine. Let's get moving again!

You can join my clicking the link below :)
https://www.yoganaraska.com/booking-calendar/wednesday-yoga-flow

See you at 8pm ET on Zoom!

Free Community Class 🎉

Join me tonight at 8pm ET on Zoom for a free community class! Since it's February, we will be exploring the themes of love & self-love 🩵

This 1-hour event will consist of 30 minutes of gentle yoga stretches (you can even do them from bed!) followed by some guided intention setting, journalling, and planning the month ahead.

Put on your comfy clothes, pour yourself a tea, light a candle, grab a notebook & your calendar, and make some time for YOU!

Seriously - wear your pajamas. No need to put on your camera if you don't want to!

I'll try to livestream on FB & IG directly from Zoom, but if not, you can click below to sign up:

https://www.yoganaraska.com/service-page/free-monthly-classes

See you soon, lovely!

-love

Your yoga mat awaits! 🧘‍♀️ Be honest, you know you need it!

Come join my goofy yogi self this week on Zoom at 8pm EST (replays available if you can't make it live!) Classes are Mondays & Wednesdays.

Not sure if it's for you? Try out a FREE class tomorrow evening (free classes on the first Tuesday of each month!)

New upgrades to YogaNaraska include HD video, automatic email reminders with Zoom links, Zoom cloud replays, new class bundles and subscriptions, and Spotify playlists by yours truly.

You can check out class descriptions here:
www.yoganaraska.com/classes

And bundle/subscription options here:
www.yoganaraska.com/class-bundles-2

(Unfortunately my website registration can be temperamental at times, so if you need help with anything just send me a message and I can always add you from my end).

Hope to see your lovely face soon!

Welcome Back 🩵

Thank you to everyone who replied to my survey via Stories & email! The updated schedule reflects your preferences, hopefully it works for all!

You can book here:
www.yoganaraska.com/classes

Some new upgrades:
- Automated email reminders with Zoom links
- New pricing plan options
- Access to class recordings if you can't make the class
- Better picture quality (new camera!)

Pricing plans can be accessed here:
https://www.yoganaraska.com/class-bundles-2

Don't forget that the first FREE monthly class is coming up on Tuesday February 7th at 8pm EST on Zoom.

I'm so excited to see you all on the mat again soon 🩵

PS the website can be a bit finicky, please let me know if you need any help!

June Yoga Schedule!

Welcome to beautiful June & Happy Pride Month to all!

I am so excited to announce that we met our fundraising goal for the Sunrise Challenge! Together, our community raised $1000 for mental healthcare in Canada!

Well done to all participants and donors. The morning classes are still available on my FB & IG pages, and you can still donate to the cause below if you wish:
https://give.camh.ca/site/TR/Events/SunriseChallenge?team_id=5475&pg=team&fr_id=1190

As per usual, Monday & Wednesday evening online yoga classes are running weekly at 8pm ET, you can sign up below:
https://www.yoganaraska.com/class-bundles-2

Monday classes are very relaxing and include 30 minutes of gentle yoga and 30 minutes of guided deep rest meditation.

Wednesday classes are fun, upbeat, and set to music. They include poses to challenge your balance and build strength.

PS - I am open to teaching private outdoor yoga classes this summer if you are thinking about hosting any wedding/baby showers, bachelorettes, or parties in general. DM me for info!

Can you help us reach our goal?!

The morning yoga videos are still available on my FB & IG pages and will remain up after the challenge for you to practice anytime. If you donate, I will also send you all 7 of last years' pre-recorded classes!

https://give.camh.ca/site/TR/Events/SunriseChallenge?team_id=5475&pg=team&fr_id=1190

Free Yoga Tonight!

Wow, double header today! Yoga in the morning for the CAMH Sunrise Challenge & yoga tonight for the New Moon Circle!

The New Moon Circle is a FREE monthly event where we do a little bit of everything:

🌠 meditation
🌠 breathwork
🌠 gentle yoga
🌠 intention setting
🌠 planning your month ahead
🌠 discounts on weekly yoga classes
🌠 general community chit chat!

It's an hour for self-care and community, and it can be done from your mat, armchair, couch, or bed! I like to bring a tea with me and light some incense or a candle. Camera on or off, up to you!

Our theme for the month ahead (June) is speaking your truth!

I'd love to see you there - you can sign up below!

https://www.yoganaraska.com/booking-calendar/free-monthly-moon-circles?referral=service_list_widget

Daily Live Yoga This Week!!!

In support of the 2nd Annual Sunrise Challenge by , I'll be teaching a half-hour yoga class each morning this week (Mon, May 30th to Friday, June 3rd)! Catch me Live on IG & FB, or tune into the videos later (they'll still be posted!)

The Centre for Addiction & Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health teaching hospital and is a leading facility for mental health research worldwide. This is such an important resource in today's world, where 1 in 5 of us are affected by mental illness at some point in our lives.

Last year, the YogaNaraska community was able to raise $1,000 for this important cause - can you help us to beat this goal? You can donate below:

https://give.camh.ca/site/TR/Events/SunriseChallenge?team_id=5475&pg=team&fr_id=1190

Yoga & meditation are a great way to start your day and to check in with yourself & your mental state. Science tells us that moving our bodies and acting mindfully can have transformative effects on our mental health. Why not give it a shot & start your day off right?

Hope you'll join us!

Join us for the 2nd Annual CAMH x YogaNaraska Sunrise Challenge!

Last year, we rose with the sun each day for one week, and practiced mindful movement in support of CAMH (the Centre for Addiction & Mental Health). See for yourself how practicing mindful movement can impact your mental health, while raising money for vital research & mental healthcare. Together, we raised over $1000 last year! Can you help us surpass this goal this year? You can donate here:
https://give.camh.ca/site/TR/Events/SunriseChallenge?team_id=5475&pg=team&fr_id=1190

Last year, I pre-recorded yoga classes and emailed them to participants, however, this year I will be organizing things a bit differently. I will be going Live here on my page & on Instagram each morning at 6am ET to guide a half-hour yoga practice. If you miss it, or if you are in a different time zone, you can still catch the videos after the fact. I will do my best to make sure the classes are accessible to all abilities (no, you don't have to be "good" at yoga to participate!). The Sunrise Challenge runs from Monday, May 30th to Friday, June 3rd, 2022.

I hope you'll join us!

Tips For Dealing With Doctors

First of all, having a Premenstrual Disorder means that you have a chronic illness; and chronic illness means spending a lot of time dealing with doctors. And anyone with a chronic illness knows; doctors can be either a bridge or a barrier to effective treatment. Ideally, they'd be a bridge...but this isn't always the case.

Unfortunately, doctors are often uneducated or undereducated about Premenstrual Disorders such as PMDD & PME. This is a big part of the reason why the diagnosis rate is very low and the misdiagnosis rate is very high, despite 1 in 20 menstruators having the condition.

It's also common for many doctors not take women's health concerns seriously. Your physical pain or mental anguish may be passed off as "just a normal part of having periods".

It's important that you are educated about your own conditions and come prepared to your doctors appointments with notes and questions. Don't blindly trust that your doctor knows what's best; read up on evidence-based treatment options from or in medical journals.

It's not worth waiting around for weeks, months, or years for your doctor to be cooperative with you on your health journey. If you aren't seeing results or feel ignored, it's well within your right to find a new doctor.

Have you had a negative interaction with a doctor regarding PMDD or PME? Have you been gaslit or misdiagnosed? Let's talk about it in the comments...it's time to fight for the care we deserve.

All About Symptom Tracking

Tracking your menstrual cycle & symptoms is key in obtaining a Premenstrual Disorder diagnosis. Most doctors will ask for 2 to 3 months of symptom tracking data. By tracking, you and your medical team can identify patterns in your symptoms, which can help to confirm a PMD diagnosis and/or rule out other conditions with similar symptoms. It's very common for PMDs to be misdiagnosed, so this information is crucial in order to obtain a proper diagnosis and access the right treatment.

If you already have a diagnosis, tracking can also help you to understand your symptom patterns, plan your schedule around your cycle, and determine if your current treatment plan is working for you.

Tracking your cycle should not only include when you're bleeding vs not bleeding - tracking all 11 PMDD symptoms daily at a minimum is recommended. I also like to track my exercise and self-care activities, and have tracked my food choices in order to learn more about how this impacted my symptoms.

There are many ways to track your cycle. You can jot this information in a notebook, print a tracker sheet from , or use the app.

Note: Previously, I would have recommended using other menstrual tracking apps, but lately there have been concerns about how this data is used by companies and governments. is an app created by a PMDD Warrior and is safe to use.

The Ultimate PMDD Warrior Journal & Cycle Tracker is a resource that I created to help those with PMDD to track their cycle and explore their emotions through journaling. It is a fully editable PDF that you can save to your desktop, or you can print it out and put it in a binder. It is undated and can be reused from month to month!

Grab your copy here:
https://www.yoganaraska.com/product-page/the-ultimate-pmdd-warrior-cycle-tracker-journal

Could You Have A PMD?

If you've been following along during and the symptoms are starting to sound awfully familiar to you, then you might be one of the 1 in 20 menstruators that has a premenstrual disorder.

First of all; this is not your fault! We still don't know for certain what the exact cause of premenstrual disorders is, but it seems like a combination of many factors. But what is certain is that this is not something that you're choosing to do, a personality flaw, or 'bad behavior'.

Step 1) Be kind to yourself 💙

Step 2) Learn more about premenstrual disorders from at their website, www.iapmd.org - this is the most trusted resource for information.

Step 3) Join the PMD community by following other PMD Warriors here on Instagram, and join Facebook support groups. Self-diagnosis is accepted, since it can be difficult to get a diagnosis, and misdiagnoses are common. We see you! I have a list of FB groups in my PMDD Resource Library - join my email newsletter for access (link in bio under "Yoga For Your PMDD Cycle").

Step 4) Start tracking your symptoms. In order to get a proper diagnosis, your doctor will need to see that your symptoms line up with the luteal phase of your cycle. They generally need 2-3 months of data, so start tracking ASAP and stick with it!

Step 5) Make an appointment to discuss this with your doctor. If you don't have one, check out IAPMD's provider directory of PMD-knowledgeable doctors.

Step 6) Print out IAPMD's Clinical Care Helpsheet in case your doctor is unaware of proper diagnostic criteria & treatment options.

Step 7) Bring your tracking data with your to your appointment. Your doctor will need this to make a diagnosis.

This is just a start, but it should help you better understand what you're going through and how to access support! I will be putting out some more posts specifically about tracking symptoms and dealing with doctors soon!