Yoga can help us during the menopause to re-evaluate life priorities and step into a more empowered way of being. Which yoga poses for menopause will best serve you right now?
Menopause (derived from the Greek words for ‘month’ and ‘cessation’) marks the end of the menstrual cycle. ‘The menopause’ is an umbrella term encompassing perimenopause, menopause and post menopause, which are natural biological processes spanning several years. This article offers the best yoga poses for menopause.
Read more about yoga for menopause in this complete guide
In our Western culture it is common to dwell on debilitating menopausal symptoms (for example hot flushes, night sweats, brain fog, increased anxiety and mood swings) that can arise from hormonal changes. The British Menopause Society estimates that.. estimates that menopausal symptoms affect more than 75% of women, with around 25% reporting severe symptoms.
The menopause is a time of change that each individual experiences differently. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) menopause is known as the ‘Second Spring’ and represents renewal of energy and an opportunity to re-evaluate priorities in life. The invitation is for menopausal women to view it as a time of empowerment. We can learn how to be more in tune with our minds and bodies and truly honour this important transition.
“Start to view the menopause as an awakening to yourself and your inner wisdom.”
Petra Coveney
In this article we will explore yoga poses for menopause and how they can help us navigate our own ‘Second Spring’.
Sign up to Movement for Modern Life and get The Menopause for Modern Life course (a comprehensive guide to menopause with the guidance of experts in yoga, nutrition, women’s health and the journey of menopause) completely FREE.
Read more about yoga for stress and anxiety in this complete guide
YOGA POSES FOR MENOPAUSE: TUNE IN!
Floor-based, restorative postures provide the ideal opportunity to connect with our bodies and listen to what is really going on for us.
These three floor-based yoga poses for menopause help us come home to ourselves.
1. Salamba Matsyasana (Supported Fish Pose, or Mountain Brook)
Try: Second Spring: Opening Your Heart
Spend 5-10 minutes in this pose, which enables you to breathe more deeply and open the heart to possibilities in your ‘Second Spring’.
2. Savasana (Corpse Pose) with Props
Try: The Sacred Pause
Choose props (blankets, bolsters, pillows) that work for you to access the most comfortable position lying down. This short class, The Sacred Pause, with Adrianna Zaccardi explores two variations of Savasana.
These guided Yoga Nidras with Uma Dinsmore Tuli can be done in Savasana and provide the time and space to pause, rest and simply ‘be’.
Yoga Nidra: Welcome Home to Yourself
Yoga Nidra: Your Menopause Journey
3. Viparita Karani (Legs up the Wall Pose)
Use a wall for this restful pose that downregulates the nervous system. Viparita Karani is also part of this gentle vinyasa class, Menopause Yoga: Finding Ease with Petra Coveney – designed as a moving meditation to help prepare for rest.
YOGA POSES FOR MENOPAUSE: BUILD BONE STRENGTH
An important priority during the menopause is to work on strength. Here are three yoga poses for menopause that help build strong bones.
1. Utkatasana (Chair Pose)
Utkatasana develops stamina and strength in the hips, legs and feet.
2. Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III Pose)
Combine balance and strength in a gentle, accessible way.
Yoga for Strong Bones with Gabriella Espinosa features poses which have been proven (in a seminal 2-year pilot study of yoga and osteoporosis) to improve bone strength. The class incorporates Utkatasana and Virabhadrasana III.
3. Vasisthasana (Sage Vasistha Pose; Side Plank Pose)
Vasisthasana builds strength in the arms, wrists and shoulders. Practise it in Menopause Yoga for Strength with Petra Coveney.
YOGA POSES FOR MENOPAUSE: THREE POSES TO HELP WITH HOT FLUSHES
Hot flushes are an uncomfortable and sometimes inconvenient symptom of menopause for many. Research in clinical trials has shown that the frequency and intensity of these symptoms can be reduced through simple breathing techniques, yoga stretches and meditation. It can also be helpful to examine our emotional response to hot flushes.
Read more about Hot Flushes and 5 Tools to Reduce Hot Flashes
Here are three postures that help us to manage the occurrence of hot flushes and night sweats to cool down:
1. Constructive Rest (Effortless Rest Pose)
This Hot Flush Remedy in Constructive Rest features visualisation and breathing.
2. Supta Baddha Konasana (Supported Cobbler Pose)
Gently stretches the hip flexors and leg muscles and opens the chest to create more space for the lungs and heart. This pose features in Menopause Yoga: Befriending Your Body with Petra Coveney. This is a floor-based class which helps us surrender to the natural process of change and cool hot flushes.
3. Salamba Balasana (Supported Childs Pose)
Salamba Balasana is a downward facing restorative pose that promotes a feeling of safety in the front of the body and has a quieting effect. Try it as part of this Cooling & Calming Practice with Gabriella Espinosa.
YOGA POSES FOR MENOPAUSE: FURTHER CLASSES
Menopause Yoga: Befriending Your Feelings with Petra Coveney is a dynamic vinyasa class which energises and then soothes, finishing with a restorative pose, relaxation, seated meditation and mantra.
Yoga Nidra to Cool and Relax with Uma Dinsmore Tuli. For this you can raise the legs on a sofa or chair for extra relaxation and cooling effect.
YOGA POSES FOR MENOPAUSE: MODIFICATIONS FOR SYMPTOMS
Menopausal symptoms may make it necessary to modify some yoga poses. For example, any gripping or tension in the body can make hot flushes worse. Use props (bolsters, blocks and blankets) to support the body and/or place the head on a cushioned chair during forward folds.
If you suffer with osteopenia (weakened bones), use a chair to modify standing poses and forward folds. Yoga for Osteopenia with Petra Coveney provides a brief tutorial on ways to modify and adapt the yoga practice to accommodate for weaker bones.
MENOPAUSE FOR MODERN LIFE COURSE: CLASSES, NUTRITION & SUPPORT
The Menopause for Modern Life course is a comprehensive guide with support from various contributors who are experts in yoga, nutrition, women’s health and the journey of menopause. With the support of the contributors and also the community itself, there is a vast amount of information and guidance on the physical, emotional and psychological changes attributed to the menopause.
Read more in Yoga for Stress and Anxiety: A Complete Guide
FURTHER READING
“So many women I’ve talked to see menopause as a blessing. I’ve discovered that this is your moment to reinvent yourself after years of focusing on the needs of everyone else.”
Oprah Winfrey
When we start to accept, and even value, menopause as a time to slow down and focus on ourselves it can be incredibly empowering.
Read more in Yoga for Menopause: A Complete Guide
Author: Helen Krag. Helen is a health and wellness enthusiast; observer of human behavioural change; yoga teacher trainee; passionate traveller; and lover of the outdoors.
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