Do you have experience of using yogic or tantric worldviews or practices to engage with your menstrual cycle? We invite you to contribute to a research project on menstruation management within South Asian-inspired spiritual or religious settings.

This research project explores the experiences of yoga and tantra practitioners on menstruation. Menstruation is understood and interacted with in various ways in different yoga and tantric communities—at times approached as a spiritual opportunity, sometimes regulated by social and religious constraints, at times harmonised by mind-body techniques, and sometimes stopped (amenorrhea) by these techniques and processes. This project combines participant interviews with textual analysis to bridge historical perspectives with contemporary lived religious practice.

Menstruation-management has a profound impact on people’s lives. Many yoga and tantra schools and teachers have a lot to say about menstruation, but the experience of menstruators has not so far been foregrounded. Your inputs will contribute to practitioner-facing studies and academic publications that extend our understanding of menstruation and amenorrhea.

Are you over 18 years old? Do you have experience with menstruation management in yoga, tantra, or South Asian religious traditions? Would you fill in an online questionnaire? Would you be willing to do a follow-up interview online or in-person? Your contribution will be de-identified in project outputs unless you give explicit consent to be named.

Your privacy matters. Participation involves a confidential questionnaire about your personal experiences. Some participants will be asked if they would like to do a confidential online or in-person interview. A detailed information sheet explaining confidentiality and data protection is available on this page or email Ruth (ruthwestoby[at]gmail.com). Making an enquiry creates no obligation to participate in the research. This project has been reviewed and approved by Inform’s Management Committee.

Please fill in the online questionnaire on the link button below in order to contribute to this research project.

Please use the anonymous form below to send comments directly to the researcher. Your details will not be retained. If you would like to be contacted then please provide an email address or phone number.