Try Yoga to Support Your Menopause Journey: 5 Practice Suggestions

Life. Death. Taxes. Menopause. The guarantees of womanhood. 

This natural transition in a woman’s life is one that can’t be avoided, and one that can bring many challenges across its course. As menopause marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years, it does so by altering the production of hormones that help to regulate many elements of her system. If you’re already in the midst of menopause, many of its symptoms will be familiar to you. If you’re learning about what’s ahead, arming yourself with insight into the process to come is one proactive way you can find support for your individual journey.

Menopause isn’t all bad news, however. Learning what your body needs as it moves through this natural season of transition is crucial to doing so as calmly and gently as possible. With a wide range of treatment options available, menopause’s physical and emotional symptoms can be managed and, in some cases, alleviated entirely.

Yoga is one such tool that can provide an excellent source of support for women going through menopause. Offering physical and mental benefits alike, yoga’s an often-overlooked form of exercise that can provide many fundamental benefits to women of all ages.

If you’re yet to give yoga a try, it’s time to step onto the mat.

Why yoga is beneficial during menopause

Yoga is a holistic form of exercise that forms a beneficial practice for women in the midst of each of menopause’s stages. Its benefits include:

1. The reduction of hot flushes and night sweats – struggling with sudden, intense heat during the day or night? Hot flushes and night sweats may be the culprit. Yoga has proven links to a reduction in the frequency and intensity of hot flushes and night sweats, with some yoga poses helping to regulate the body’s temperature.
2. Improvements to your mood – not limited to menopausal women, yoga has far-reaching benefits in its ability to improve your mood, as well as reducing the symptoms of depression and anxiety. If you’re looking for support in feeling calm, centred and grounded through menopause, yoga’s a great way to find support. A healthy practice assists in alleviating mood swings and encouraging a greater sense of emotional wellbeing.
3. Assistance with sleep – if you’ve already started experiencing menopause-related sleep disruptions, you’ll know just how frustrating it can be to try and get a full night’s sleep during this period. Insomnia or patchy sleep are common symptoms for women going through menopause – it’s why yoga can be so powerful in promoting restful sleep through stress and tension reductions, as well as promoting calm and relaxation.
4. Support for bone health – unfortunately, the development of osteoporosis is a risk for women in the midst of menopause. As calcium levels decrease, women can be at greater risk of having problems with their bone health and density. With numerous yoga poses helping to promote bone density, this exercise is a great way to proactively support your bone health.
5. Stress reduction – let’s face it. Menopause can be an extremely stressful time! Yoga offers a natural, healthy way to reduce stress and increase your relaxation. You can increase your calm by implementing a regular yoga practice throughout the week.

How to build a regular yoga practice

Ready to give yoga a try? Here’s how you can build a regular yoga practice to unlock its many menopause-related benefits.

Embrace Restorative Yoga

Restorative yoga is one of the most gentle forms of yoga, emphasising a deep level of healing and relaxation. This practice involves holding postures over an extended period, using props such as bolsters to support the body in these poses.

Restorative yoga is a great form of yoga for stress reduction and the promotion of restful sleep. As it specifically works to reduce tension in the body, this may be the best form to begin your practice in if you’re new to yoga overall.

Step into Yin Yoga

Yin yoga is another gentle yoga form, with this kind involving holding poses over an extended period of 3-5+ minutes. 

Yin yoga focuses on stretching connective tissues throughout the body, resulting in increased flexibility and mobility. This is a powerful form of exercise for us as we age, helping to reduce stiffness and joint pain.

This type of yoga is recommended if you’re looking to protect your long-term mobility. Even a short Yin yoga session daily can have a remarkable impact on how your body feels and moves.

Cooling Breath

The Cooling Breath is a form of breathing exercise that can reduce hot flushes and anxiety. If you’ve just got a few minutes in your day, reach for this yoga practice to give yourself the benefit of a symptom-fighting session.

To practise Cooling Breath, find a comfortable position you can settle into and curl your tongue into a tube shape. Focus on inhaling deeply through your tongue before exhaling through your mouth. Repeat this multiple times, with a focus on how the air cools in your mouth and throat. This is a great way to ground into your body and really take a moment to focus on supporting its cooling needs.

Try the Legs up the Wall Pose

Ready to try a more obvious yoga pose? Legs up the wall is a restorative pose that can actively reduce stress and tension, while promoting relaxation throughout the body.

Begin by lying on your bank with your hips against the wall and your legs extended up it. You may find a folded blanket or a pillow useful to provide support under your hips. 

Hold this pose for several minutes. While you’re doing so, really focus on your breathing, actively letting go of tension held in your body.

Meditation

Meditation is an incredibly useful practice that’s often underestimated by people who aren’t familiar with its benefits. You can meditate anywhere, at any time, allowing you to take this practice with you over the course of the day. 

Women in the midst of menopause find that meditation can help them to cultivate a sense of calm and peace. With a wide range of emotional symptoms related to menopause’s progress, meditation is a proactive tool in regulating your mood, emotions, and maintaining your connection to self throughout major physical changes.

Find support for your menopause journey

Yoga’s just one tool you can use to build your menopause support toolkit. To learn more about how our treatments can alleviate your symptoms, as well as how we can support your menopausal journey, connect with our team today.