While menopause is a point in time where menstruation stops, it’s also a phase that takes its own time and is different for everyone. The fluctuating hormones that come with menopause bring various physical and emotional symptoms for women between the ages of 45-55.
Whether it’s sleep issues, hot flashes, mood changes, or slow metabolism—Yoga, an ancient Indian physical, mental, and spiritual practice—can help mitigate some symptoms.
Here are some yoga exercises approved by yoga experts to effectively alleviate menopause symptoms.
1. Mood Swings
You’re not alone if you feel tired, sad, angry, and irritated. According to the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), 23% of women go through mood changes. While it’s not a lot, it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be talked about.
Anulom Vilom
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It’s one of the most effective breathing exercises practiced in Hatha yoga. This alternate nostril breathing is mostly safe for everyone. While it’s recommended to perform on an empty stomach, waiting 3-4 hours if you’ve eaten and practicing afterward is also fine.
Sit cross-legged, and keep your spine and neck straight. Start with your right hand and let your left hand rest on your thighs. Close your middle and index fingers in the direction of your palm. Now close your right nostril with your thumb and inhale deeply with your left nostril, expanding your stomach and keeping your chest as still as possible. Do the same using your ring finger for your left side. Starting with 5 minutes initially and gradually increasing it to 10-15 is usually recommended.
Because it balances the autonomic nervous system, it can calm your mind and soothe anxiety.
2. Headaches
Menopausal headache frequency and type might vary for women, but migraine and TTH are the most typical types. While only a tiny percentage of women get headaches in perimenopause, it can be unbearable.
Balasana
Beginners Yoga: How to do Balasana – Child’s Pose
According to Anupama Udawant, yoga therapist and performance nutritionist, Balasana is a great pose to eliminate headaches. A child’s pose can ease the hip, lower back, shoulders, and neck muscles while promoting better blood flow to the head.
It involves kneeling, bending forward, and holding the position to soothe muscles. Kneel on your mat or floor, and spread your knees hip-width apart. While you spread your knees, your big toes should still touch each other. Raise your arms, hold for a few seconds, and bend forward so that your belly rests between your thighs while resting your forehead on the floor. Scan your body from the toes to the forehead, and mentally relax every muscle while you do so. “If the forehead doesn’t touch the floor, one can always use a yoga block or a pillow for support,” Anupama suggests.
Research states that it can lessen pain intensity and yield feelings of relaxation.
3. Hot Flashes
Menopause is the leading cause of hot flashes. Hot flashes, or flushes, are the most common symptom of menopause. About 75% of all women experience these abrupt, transient, and cyclical temperature spikes. It lasts for two years for 80% of women.
Supta Baddha Konasana
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Cooling and restorative poses can help keep your body temperature at a normal level if practiced consistently. As this pose involves lying down, using a mat is always a good option instead of performing on your bed or the floor. But opt for whatever you’re most comfortable with.
Lie down straight on your mat. Gently bring your feet together by folding your knees laterally while keeping them on the floor. Imagine as if you’re using your feet instead of your hands to pose for a namaste. When the soles of your feet are touching together and your knees are bent at a 45-degree angle, your legs should form a diamond shape. It’s okay if your knees hover and you can’t touch the floor. Just make sure your legs are still. Rest for up to 10 minutes in this position and inhale and exhale deeply.
It can decrease the frequency of hot flashes in the first week itself. According to a study, women reported about 66% reduction in flushes frequency by week 10.
4. Difficulty concentrating
Concentration problems are common and can be brought on by low estrogen’s direct effects on the brain’s activity. Almost 60% of middle-aged women report having trouble focusing and other cognitive problems, according to a study.
Adho Mukha Svanasana
How to do Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
Awareness and focus are two things that the downward-facing dog pose can boost. It helps strengthen the core muscles. This yoga pose improves focus and eases stiff neck muscles if practiced daily.
Start with standing on your four limbs, i.e., your arms and knees. Raise your knees and elbows off the mat, and lift your hips as much as possible. Touch your heels to the floor. After you’ve made an inverted V shape, hold the position for a minute or a few minutes. You can also start by standing straight and stretching your arms up and in reverse. Now bend forward and remove your upper body from your legs to make an inverted V shape.
The nervous system is regulated by blood circulation to the brain, which improves concentration and stimulates mental clarity. “As a restorative pose, it encourages deep breathing and focused concentration,” says Anna Passalacqua, director and teacher.
5. Slow Metabolism
When estrogen levels decline, it may result in a slower metabolic rate, affecting how quickly the body turns stored energy into usable energy. This means more body weight and less muscle mass, which can disrupt your normal metabolism process.
Surya Namaskar
Suryanamaskar (The Sun Salutation) By Isha Sharvani, Indian Contemporary dancer and actress
Sun salutation is a series of high-powered and dynamic poses that start with Pranamasana, a prayer pose, and end with Tadasana, a mountain pose.
Start at the edge of your mat in a prayer position with your feet close together. Stretch your arms up and in reverse. Then, bend your torso forward and try to touch your feet or the mat. Then, stretch your right leg as far back as possible and place your left leg perpendicular to the floor between your hands. Take your left leg back as well to hold a slant plank position. Touch your knees down on the floor while lifting your butt slightly up. Then, bring your hips down and stretch your chest up, taking your head back. Then, keeping only your hands planted firmly on the mat, raise your hips as much as possible while making an inverted V shape with your body. Lower your body, etch your left leg back this time, and place your right leg perpendicular to the floor between your hands. Without raising your torso, stand up while bending forward, placing your hands on your feet or the mat. Then, stand and stretch your arms back exactly how you started. Complete the sequence standing tall.
It regulates metabolism and is proven to improve cardiorespiratory fitness.
6. Body Pain
Even if some women never experience pain in their joints, it’s possible around the time of menopause. As estrogen levels diminish throughout the body, it can exacerbate pain brought on by inflammation and everyday wear and tear.
Supta Matsyendrasana
How to do Supta Matsyendrasana – Supine Spinal Twist – Beginners Yoga
Supine spinal twist fortifies the neck, thighs, shoulder, back, and spine, which can pacify muscle pain. “The twisting action helps promote detoxification in the system while the body is restful,” says Udawant.
Lie flat on your back and open your arms wide, making a T shape with your body. Your arms should face down. Now, bend your right knee and keep your right foot on your left knee. Bend your knee exactly how you sleep on your side, but ensure your entire body stays in a similar position with only a slight twist to the left. Now, tilt your head to the left side while maintaining the flat position of your shoulder to the floor. Breathe deeply and hold this position for a minute or as long as possible.
A soothing supine position can help with pain management and functional improvement, especially for people with low-back pain.
7. Memory lapses
The menopausal transition is accompanied by increasing forgetfulness and “brain fog,” as reported by many women. Glucose levels are lowered during menopause. This affects brain cells generation and their link with each other, and some also die. These processes impact memory-related brain areas.
Paschimottanasana
Paschimottanasana | Seated Forward Bend Yoga Pose | Steps | Benefits | Yogic Fitness
Udawant recommends the seated forward bend pose as it helps soothe the sympathetic nervous system and influences functional connectivity of the DMN, an anatomically defined brain system.
Sit straight with your legs out in front of you, your back straight, and your toes flexed facing you. Raise your arms toward the ceiling and lean forward with your torso. Try touching your toes if you can and suck your tummy in. Suppose you can’t bend your body as much as you can as if you’re folding your body in half. Stay in this pose for a minute or so if you can, and repeat.
“Use a yoga belt (or a long scarf) to wrap around the feet. This will help keep the spine lengthened instead of rounding the back,” Udawant advises.
While Yoga is generally safe for everyone, consult your doctor before practicing these yoga poses if you have a medical condition.
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