Menopause marks a significant life transition for women, ushering them to a new stage. However, it is often accompanied by challenging symptoms like hot flushes, insomnia, and mood swings.
According to The Conversation, irregular periods signal perimenopause, which is the transition to menopause. Hormone levels then stabilize at a lower baseline, marking menopause. Many women describe this phase as highly distressing, strange, and isolating.
Yoga emerges as a gentle, evidence-based practice to relieve these effects through mindful movement and breath control. Accessible to all fitness levels, it offers individualized benefits that enhance physical comfort and emotional well-being during perimenopause and beyond.
This article will shed light on how incorporating yoga can restore balance naturally and make menopause easier to navigate.
Symptom Relief
Yoga efficiently decreases common menopause symptoms like hot flushes, night sweats, and fatigue. Bi-weekly sessions can reduce psychological, somatic, and urogenital symptoms by lowering the cortisol release and inflammation.
Urinary incontinence, caused by reduced estrogen levels, is another common symptom of menopause. While options like vaginal mesh can address UI, the device does more harm than good. The vaginal mesh lawsuit highlights the damage it can cause, with side effects like pain, erosion, and infection.
TorHoerman Law notes that the manufacturer failed to address the risks and sold defective products for use. Instead of using such high-risk treatments, menopausal women can rely on yoga to deal with urinary incontinence. Low-impact yoga and stretching provide better control and strength to pelvic muscles.
Poses such as a child’s pose and forward bends calm the nervous system. Similarly, pranayama breathing techniques regulate body temperature and improve circulation for noticeable relief. Regular sessions enhance vasomotor stability, leaving you feeling steadier through unanticipated flares.
Bone, Muscle, and Joint Health
According to a study published by Taylor & Francis, menopause is accompanied by musculoskeletal syndrome. It includes symptoms such as musculoskeletal pain, loss of lean muscle mass, loss of bone density leading to fractures, arthralgia, and cartilage matrix fragility with the progression of osteoporosis.
Yoga can enhance bone, muscle, and joint health during menopause. The best part is that it is doable, regardless of the waning strength and energy levels in aging women. Consistency and guidance can be valuable.
Weight-bearing poses like warrior II and chair yoga build bone density against oestrogen decline. Gentle stretches lubricate stiff joints. On the other hand, the tree pose sharpens balance to prevent falls. These low-impact moves preserve muscle tone and flexibility vital for healthy aging.
Sustainable Fitness
Menopause weight gain is common, and most women experience it. While hormonal fluctuations can add extra pounds to a woman’s body, lack of exercise due to low energy levels worsens the issue. Most women end up struggling with extra pounds and flab over the abdomen and hips.
Yoga adapts to menopause energy dips with restorative holds or dynamic vinyasa flows. Sun salutations elevate heart rate gently. This fosters endurance without exhaustion. Rather than engaging in high-intensity workouts, it teaches the body to sidestep the injury during hormonal flux.
Flows cultivate consistency, eventually turning movement into an enjoyable ritual. Over months, flexibility and stamina grow steadily. This helps with weight management and reduces body fat. The best part is that yoga fits seamlessly into tight schedules for lifelong activity.
Better Sleep
Sleep often becomes erratic once pre-menopause sets in, and the issue may worsen once menopause begins. For most women, nighttime hot flashes make insomnia a way of life. Menopause also causes a reduction of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep. Yoga can help address sleep issues.
The Sleep Doctor highlights that nearly 55% of the yoga practitioners report better sleep quality, and 85% reported decreased stress. Moreover, women in menopause who practice yoga report better sleep and decreased feelings of depression and anxiety.
Exercises such as the legs-up-the-wall pose drain lower body tension before bed, while yoga nidra guides deep relaxation. Diaphragmatic breathing dials down cortisol spikes that fuel night sweats and sleeplessness. Short evening routines regulate circadian rhythms disrupted by hormonal shifts, improving sleep depth noticeably.
Mood Regulation
According to Harvard Health Publishing, yoga practice fosters new neural connections and alters brain structure and function. This leads to enhanced cognitive abilities like learning and memory. It bolsters brain regions essential for memory, attention, awareness, thought, and language.
Further, it can improve mood by lowering stress hormones and enhancing the feel-good endorphins. It also elevates the levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the mood-boosting brain chemical.
Menopausal women can integrate yoga into their schedule for mood regulation. Shoulder stand activity boosts cerebral blood flow, elevating serotonin to steady irritability. Twists unblock emotional tension. This eases anxiety rooted in hormonal dips. Mindfulness anchors racing thoughts and clears brain fog for sharper focus daily.
FAQs
Is yoga good for post-menopause?
Yes, yoga offers many benefits to post-menopausal women. It maintains bone density through weight-bearing poses. Moreover, it preserves joint mobility and improves balance to cut fall risks. It helps manage lingering stress while safeguarding heart health into later decades.
Can yoga increase estrogen?
Yes, the Physiological Society notes that yoga can help regulate hormones like estrogen and progesterone in post-menopausal women. Studies show that a month of yoga practice can boost parasympathetic activity, resulting in the regulation of these hormones.
Why don’t Japanese women experience menopause symptoms?
Japanese women experience milder menopause symptoms due to the consumption of soy-rich diets. Such diets facilitate the secretion of phytoestrogens, while active daily movement and cultural norms frame menopause positively. Together, these factors reduce the impact of menopause on Japanese women.
Yoga has the potential to transform menopause from a challenging phase into a cherishable journey. It has several benefits, from easing symptoms to strengthening bones, improving mood, and ensuring restorative sleep. Its adaptable nature fits every schedule, helping with sustainable wellbeing. You must embrace it and live your golden years with renewed confidence.