The transitional phase of perimenopause marks the beginning of the end of a woman’s reproductive years. It typically occurs in women in their 40s and can last several years before menopause actually begins. During this phase of life, women may experience an array of symptoms, such as hot flashes, unbelievable mood swings, sleep disturbances, and changes in menstrual cycles. While these symptoms can be challenging, many women are finding relief through yoga.
The following blog post is a guest post written by Dr. Rani Burlew, a clinical psychologist and yoga therapist. Dr. Burlew has worked with women in psychotherapy for over 20 years, and throughout that time she’s also been a pranayama, asana, and meditation practitioner and teacher. In this post she discusses the benefits of yoga and how it can help alleviate discomfort during perimenopause.
Understanding Perimenopause
Before discussing the advantages of yoga, it is necessary first to comprehend what perimenopause is and to know how it influences women. Perimenopause comprises declining estrogen levels and the hormonal variances that lead up to the commencement of menopause. Then, these variances can have some very distinctive physical and emotional effects on women. Consider some of the common disturbances of perimenopause:
- Hot Flashes: These feelings of intense warmth can catch a woman by surprise. Often, a hot flash is accompanied by a profuse sweat and an immediate reddening of the skin. But, as Health.com says, “some women (myself included) have hot flashes that feel more like a slow burn,” so your mileage may vary.
- Night Sweats: “Some women experience night sweats, which are hot flashes that occur during sleep. These can lead to some really disturbed sleep patterns, especially if you don’t have a partner to blame for the tossing and turning that’s happening on the other side of the bed.”
- Mood Swings: The
The Role of Yoga in Symptom Relief
Yoga is an ancient practice that integrates postures, a certain way of breathing, and meditation to produce physical and mental well-being. It is not a religion; rather, it is a way of focusing the mind that can be used by anyone, regardless of his or her belief system. It has many health benefits that have been verified by scientific studies. Some of these benefits are listed below. - Stress Reduction: Yo- ga helps promote relaxation and mindfulness, which reduces the level of stress someone is experiencing.
- Improved Sleep Quality: There are certain forms of yoga that are especially good for promoting sleep.
- Enhanced Mood: Traditionally, Yo- ga has been linked to a variety of improved conditions around the mind and emotions.
- Increased Flexibility and Strength: The physical postures of Yoga can help maintain (or even improve) flexibility and strength; that may be declining in this transitional phase.
- Hormonal Balance: Some small studies suggest that the practice of Yoga might help balance hormones.
Specific Yoga Practices for Perimenopause
Although any yoga type holds potential, some styles and practices might be especially rewarding for women navigating perimenopause. If you’re looking to your mat as a source of refuge, here are some practices that could yield benefits—containing both body and breath—that might just help you better deal with what this stage of life is throwing your way.
- Restorative Yoga
Yoga that restores focuses on relaxation and gentle stretching. It has you holding poses for a long time, supported by the kinds of props usually found in an art studio (think: clay, a potter’s wheel, and a big slab of marble). This practice can help quiet the nervous system, cut down on stress, and stimulate deep relaxation (it might even put you to sleep, in a good way). And those benefits make restorative yoga a handy program for women who are freaking out or can’t unwind enough to sleep. - Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga is a mild kind of yoga that stresses bodily positions and breath control. It may aid in developing suppleness, enhancing strength, and correcting imbalance, whilst also instilling a sense of calm. The classes of Hatha yoga usually combine a wide variety of poses—both standing and sitting—rendering them likely the most democratic of all yoga classes. - Yin Yoga
Yin yoga is the practice of taking passive postures and holding them for a concentrated length of time, usually three to five minutes. In these poses, the practitioner must access parts of the body that require deeper stretches, like the connective tissues—which, in the faster-paced, more intense forms of yoga, are often neglected. By holding these postures for longer durations, you allow your muscles to relax and your connective tissues to lengthen. - Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini yoga integrates physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditative practices to raise the power of primal energy within the body. This ancient science and art for living can help bring our ebbs and flows back into better balance since it works on all three of our primary energy systems—mind, body, and spirit. At its core, Kundalini yoga is shakti yoga. - Mindfulness Meditation
Including mindfulness meditation in a yoga practice can amplify what is already a potent natural remedy. Yoga, by nature, is nurturing. It calms the nervous system and opens the heart (and hamstrings). It enables the practitioner to be present with whatever is coming up physically and mentally, which is a huge part of the healing process, because it sets the stage for working through or with whatever needs to be worked through or with.
Tips for Practicing Yoga During Perimenopause
If you’re just starting with yoga or trying to sharpen your practice during perimenopause, keep the following in mind:
- Listen to Your Body: Pay close attention to how your body responds to each pose. If a pose feels even a bit off, don’t be a hero—modify it, or skip it, and honor your body’s wish not to do it.
- Focus on Breath: Use the incoming and outgoing breath to mark the beginning and end of each pose, turning your attentionto your breath at these “pose markers” helps enhances your relaxation response associated with yoga and turns down the “stress switch” in your brain.
- Stay Consistent: Your goal here isn’t to show up for 90 minutes of “yoga sweat”. You might practice for 10 minutes, some days for only 5, and on other days, you get to 20 minutes. The goal isn’t an endurance test, it’s to befriend the yoga mat in whatever way you can, as often as you can.
- Join a Class: Yoga practiced alone can be a powerful tool for self-care. When you practice with others, you’re cultivating connection with a community; that can be a powerful aspect of self-care. Moreover, practicing with guidance from an instructor keeps you safer and can make your practice more successful.
- Practice Self-Compassion: Allow yourself the grace to experience whatever is coming up. Pose on the mat today may not be the pose you do when you rejoin your practice after a period of absence.
Personal Testimonials
Relief from perimenopausal symptoms can be found in yoga, and its practice has become a common go-to remedy among the relief-seeking. Not only do women rave about the relief they find in yoga; they have even taken to writing testimonials to endorse its efficacy. Here are several of those testimonials:
Sarah, 47: “I started practicing yoga during perimenopause, and it has been a game-changer for me. The hot flashes have become less frequent, and I feel more in control of my emotions. I love the sense of community in my yoga class.”
Linda, 52: “Yoga has helped me manage my anxiety and improve my sleep. I never thought I could find such peace during this chaotic time in my life. The restorative classes are my favorite!”
Emily, 45: “I was skeptical about yoga at first, but after a few weeks, I noticed a significant reduction in my mood swings. The breathing exercises have also helped me cope with stress. I wish I had started sooner!”
Conclusion
For many women, the time leading up to menopause can be quite demanding. But there’s a silver lining: “It’s an opportunity to reassess your life, your priorities, and what’s really important to you both mentally and physically,” says Betsy Kase, M.A., a clinical psychologist and certified yoga instructor. You might, for instance, feel tempted to sleep more or less (a.k.a. hot flashes, sleep problems, and general moodiness). You might also be more easily fatigued or aware of your body’s endurance (or lack thereof) during physical activities. Because of the anatomical and hormonal changes ongoing in this phase of life, you might also have concerns about your overall health (or any number of specific health issues) that weren’t on your radar before. Hearing all this, you might be wondering where yoga fits into the scheme of things.