Yoga Guide for Menopause

Written by: Suza

For women at midlife and beyond, Yoga offers a primary form of menopause
medicine that can help them adjust to hormonal changes and cope with a wide
range of symptoms -- including hot flashes, night sweats, heavy bleeding, mood
swings and fatigue -- without negative side effects.
For the past thirty years, my classes have been filled with women who began Yoga
during the menopausal years. Now that Im fifty-five years old and officially in
menopause (defined as that point in time when a womans periods stop permanently) my Yoga practice is
an antidote to the stiffness and fatigue that tends to settle into the body with the passage of time. Even a
short Yoga session helps replenish my energy reserves, especially when practiced with the help of Yoga
props. During the year that my periods stopped, I told my students that Yoga Bolsters are my menopause
medicine. "And," I added, "you will not hear about a study ten years from now saying bolsters are bad for
you!"
I often remind my students who are in the perimenopausal (pre menopause) years, that if you practice
Yoga before menopause, then all the poses that are especially useful for coping with uncomfortable
symptoms are already familiar, and you can reach for them like a nurturing and supportive friend.
The spiritual science of Yoga recognizes that equilibrium in the physical body helps to bring emotional
balance and mental clarity. Yoga supports a new archetype that depicts older women as wise, strong,
healthy and intuitive.

Yogas Unique Benefits During the Menopausal Years

Yoga reduces the effects of menopauses hormonal changes by balancing the endocrine system. It
smoothes out the hormonal and glandular changes that take place during this stage of life. The regular
practice of all the categories of poses -- standing, sitting, lying down, backbends, forward bends, twists,
and inverted (upside down) poses -- stimulates and activates all the glands, organs, tissues and cells of
the body. Yogas inverted poses are particularly important during menopause as they have a powerful
effect on the neuroendocrine system, allowing fresh, oxygenated blood to flow to the glands in the head
and neck.
A womans body is quite capable of adjusting to the hormonal changes that occur when the ovaries slow
down. If all our other glands are functioning well, they will, in most cases, continue to produce all the
hormones a woman needs for the rest of her life.
Its important to bear in mind that all menopausal symptoms are related and using Yoga to ease the
unpleasant effect of one symptom generally leads to better health in the rest of the body. Every Yoga
pose has a multitude of effects on all the systems of the body.
No aspect of Yoga is more important for women crossing the menopausal bridge than to take time to
practice Yogas restorative poses passive poses where the body is completely supported by Yoga props.
Props help you stay in poses for a longer time and conserve your energy, allowing the nervous system to
relax. Restorative Yoga poses are recommended for replenishing your adrenal reserves. This is especially
important during times like menopause when women often find themselves in a vicious cycle of feeling
"too tired to exercise," (often due to adrenal exhaustion) and then feeling even more tired because they
are not exercising.

Yoga Bolster

Menopause Medicine

A Yoga Bolster provides a firm support for the entire length of your spinal column, from the lower back to
your head, when you are lying down. The muscles of your abdomen, chest and back release their tension,
lengthen and relax deeply. Bolsters are specifically designed so that the sides of your rib cage open and
expand over the bolster and move downward toward the floor. When your rib cage expands laterally in
this manner, your breathing capacity naturally deepens. The bolster leaves a vital, lasting impression on
the body of what it feels like to have the chest open and free.

Keep your Yoga bolsters in plain view so that they call to you, to remind you to take time to stretch and
relax - just like your toothbrush reminds you to brush your teeth. When tired, get in the habit of lying
down on your bolster in The Goddess Pose (Supported Lying Down Bound Angle Pose) or other
restorative pose.
Most restorative poses can be safely practiced on their own. For example, if you are feeling tired,
practice Supported Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose or Supported Lying-Down Bound Angle Pose for ten minutes. If
you have twenty minutes, practice both or stay in one pose longer. Do not be in a hurry. It is far better to
do fewer poses in a peaceful, leisurely way than to rush through too many. There will be days when it is a
blessing just to be still and rest deeply in one pose for as long as you like. Yoga gives us some muchneeded time to be quiet.
After a long stay in restorative poses, you will feel and look like youve had a massage and a facial. Your
face and whole body will feel smoothed and soothed, from the inside out. Your eyes will look clearer and
brighter. You will look at your world as if from the top of a mountain. The deep rest, peace and quiet you
experience with restorative Yoga is a doorway to meditation.
In all poses -and in all of life - keep your abdomen soft, your chest open and your breath flowing.

Essential Poses for Crossing the Menopausal Bridge

Place your props for the following poses on a Yoga mat so they dont slide. As you read the descriptions
that follow, be aware that in practicing Yoga, there are subtle adjustments and refinements that cannot
be covered in the space of an article. A qualified teacher can give you specific, individualized instructions
and show you how to make these healing poses truly comfortable.

Supported Lying Down Bound-Angle Pose -The Goddess Pose (Supta

Baddha Konasana)
This supremely nourishing pose is essential for replenishing energy reserves during the
menopause transition. This pose places the abdomen, uterus, ovaries and vagina in a position
that frees these areas of constriction and tension that inhibit balanced hormonal activity. Blood
flow is directed into the pelvis, bathing the reproductive organs and glands and helping to
balance hormone function. The centering, balancing effect of this pose helps reduce mood
swings and depression.
In this pose we are practicing what yogis refer to as "deliberate stillness." We give the mind and
body a chance to integrate and also let go of the past. If you have trouble sleeping soundly,
practice this pose before going to bed or if you cannot fall back asleep.
Sit in front of the bolster placed lengthwise behind you, the soles of your feet together. Place a
folded blanket at the top of the bolster to create a comfortable support for your head and neck.
Loop a strap behind your back, at your sacrum (near your tailbone, not your waist). Bring it
forward, around your hips, across your shins, and under your feet so that the soles of your feet
are secure. Secure the strap in such a way that it is not too tight or to loose.
Place a folded blanket (or Yoga block) under your outer thighs (and forearms, if needed, to be
comfortable). Place an eye bag over your eyes to help quiet the movement of your eyes and help
your brain to relax. Stay in the pose for 10 minutes or longer. To come out of the pose, place
your hands under your thighs and bring your legs back together. Remove the strap and straighten
your legs, allowing them to fall evenly away from the midline. When you feel ready, bend your
knees, turn to your side, and use your hands to help you slowly sit up.
When you come out of Lying Down Bound-Angle Pose, you can turn and face the bolster and relax
in Supported Childs Pose. Adho Mukha Virasana)
For those moments when you feel like youre falling off the menopausal bridge and wish you
could either stay in bed or run off and have a "crones year alone," try kneeling on the floor,
hugging your bolster and retreating for a few minutes into Childs Pose. It gives you the

opportunity to take a break and detach yourself from the sometimes seemingly impossible
demands of life.
This comforting, restful pose helps calm your nerves and emotions, helps lower blood pressure
and feels wonderful on your back.
How to Practice: Sit on your heels with your knees on the floor, about hip-width apart. Place a
bolster or two folded blankets in front of you and lean forward until your torso and head are
completely supported. Turn your head to one side. Give yourself several minutes to relax and
feel the soothing effect of the pose. Remember to breathe softly, slowly, and truly "hug" your
bolster. Allow yourself to sink into the bolster, relax and let go. Turn your head the opposite way
before sitting up.

Supported Downward Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Downward Facing Dog Pose inverts the internal organs and increases blood flow to the brain,
helping to counteract lapses in memory that can occur at moments of hormonal fluctuation. This
pose helps lift and tone your uterus, improves circulation to your pelvis and strengthens the
pelvic floor. It is a key pose for easing hot flashes. A weight bearing pose for the upper body, it
strengthens the bones in the hands, wrists, arms and shoulders, thus helping to prevent
osteoporosis. Resting your head on a bolster or folded blankets, as illustrated, makes the pose
more restful.
How to Practice: From Supported Childs Pose, come to your hands and knees. Bring your knees
back in line with your hips and place your hands on either side of the front edge of the bolster.
Position your feet hip width apart, curl your toes under, press your hands firmly into the mat
and, on an exhalation, straighten your legs so that your body forms the shape of a dog
stretching. When you come down, separate your knees and come back to Supported Childs Pose.

Supported Bridge Pose-The "Menopausal Bridge Pos" (Setu Bandha

Sarvangasana)
Supported Bridge Pose is restful for the heart and may help balance blood pressure and hormonal
secretions. This pose has a calming effect on the mind and nervous system and is recommended
for relieving mood swings, hot flashes and tension headaches. Placing your head lower than the
rest of your body with the chest open is soothing and refreshing, and removes lethargy and
depression.
Supported Bridge Pose helps regulate and balance blood pressure. Women are more prone to
elevated blood pressure when the protective effect of estrogen is withdrawn. As you stay in the
pose, feel the effect deep inside the whole belly area. The effect of dropping the belly, uterus
and ovaries in the pelvic bowl helps to balance the hormonal secretions and thus helps ease the
hormonal fluctuations of menopause.
How to Practice: Place one bolster or stack of folded blankets horizontally and another vertically,
forming a T shape. Position yourself near the end of the vertical bolster so that when you lie
down your head is near the far end. Slowly slide off the end until the back of your head and
shoulders rest flat on the floor. Your feet should rest comfortably on the horizontal bolster.
Stay in Supported Bridge Pose for 5 minutes or longer. When you feel ready to come out, bend
your knees, slowly turn to your and sit up. Turn around, face the bolster and briefly go back into
Supported Childs Pose.

Supported Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose -The Great Rejuvenator (Viparita

Karani)
Few things are easier and more refreshing, especially after standing upright for long periods of
time, then simply lying on your back and elevating your legs up a wall or other surface. This is a

safe and soothing way for women new to Yoga to become accustomed to inverting their body.
Practice this daily if your legs and feet swell easily, or if you have varicose veins.
This is a key pose for replenishing your adrenal reserves. During the year that my periods
stopped, especially on hot days when the heat added to a sense of fatigue, I practiced Supported
Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose for at least fifteen to twenty minutes every day, often much longer.
How to Practice: Place a bolster or two folded blankets about 2 inches away from the wall. Sit
sideways on the bolster so your right hip and side are touching the wall. With the bolster under
your bottom, lower yourself back, using the support of your elbows and forearms, and swivel
around to take your right leg and then your left leg up the wall. Stay in the pose for 10 minutes
or longer. If you are tired, it is natural to fall asleep in this pose. When you are ready to come
out, bend your knees, turn to your side, and relax on the floor for a few more breaths before you
slowly sit up.