Yoga Asanas in Menopause

Yoga asanas in menopause might help ease hormonal imbalances and stabilize a woman's delicate systems, providing natural relief and management of menopausal symptoms without negative side effects.

Types

Yoga asanas for menopause include inverted poses, standing and seated forward bends, seated poses, twists, backbends and restorative poses.

Examples

Examples of yoga asanas for menopause include legs-up-the-wall pose; downward-facing dog pose; supported bound angle, bridge, and child's pose; shoulderstand; headstand; and final-relaxation pose. A bolster can be used in certain restorative poses to firmly support the spine and open the chest and back to allow for deeper breathing.

Benefits

Inverted asanas might lessen discomforts from hot flashes, night sweats, fatigue, stiffness, heavy bleeding, depression and mood swings. Together with deep breathing exercises, yoga asanas might soothe the nervous system, ease anxiety and irritability, and bring about mental and emotional clarity.

Effects

Yoga asanas might generate hormones by energizing the organs and cells of the body, including the ovaries and pituitary gland. Inverted asanas might revitalize a woman's endocrine and glandular systems by sending fresh oxygenated blood to the head and neck.

Considerations

Yoga asanas should be practiced slowly to prevent injuries, and the breath should flow freely and evenly and never be held.

References

• Yoga Guide for Menopause
• Coping with Menopause Through Yoga

Resources

• Yoga for Menopause
• Yoga and Menopause