BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR MENOPAUSE

BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR MENOPAUSE – GUEST POST BY CATRIN OSBORNE 

During menopause, when hormones are fluctuating, we can swing between feeling exhausted and having surges of energy, when the mind feels busy. In traditional Chinese medicine, menopause is approached as a time when our yin is depleted. So yin yoga is great at this time as it replenishes our natural yin. Yin is also a cooling practice so it is good for hot flushes, sleeplessness and headaches.

If you are exhausted, yet unable to sleep yoga nidra and restorative yoga are both very effective as they activate the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing the body and mind to completely let go.

During menopause and afterwards, weight bearing exercise is good for our bones so Iyengar yoga and slow flow are good for this.

Ashtanga and vinyasa are both designed to build heat in the body so these may not work so well however some women report ‘sweating out the heat’ works well for them, and if you find yourself waking up very early, changing your routine so you go to bed earlier and get up early for a yoga practice can help with sleep patterns and energy levels.

Learning to listen to what your body needs when, or ‘embody’ your menopause is important. I find yoga enables me to check in with myself and helps me to figure out what I need when.

In terms of therapies acupuncture is also a great way to replenish the bodies natural yin and rebalance hormones, a regular deep tissue massage is also great – especially focusing on where the yang channels meet around the back of the neck – to help prevent headaches.

During this time in our lives we need to take even more care of ourselves and take on less, and learning to say “No” to what isn’t working for you is really important.