Author: Randeep Singh / go to all articles on Yoga cure
Yoga for Menopause:
“Men” in Greek stands for Month and pause means stoppage or ending of something. Thus menopause is the ending or stopping of something monthly.
In case of women it’s the monthly menstrual cycle that comes to an end after a certain age, (approx. 50 years) and menopause is the name given to the last phase of this natural process. Yoga for menopause helps one comfortably pass through some not very comfortable symptoms that show up in this phase.
Unlike men, women find themselves standing face to face with a sudden spike in the ageing process after menopause. Men on the other hand age gradually and can thus hold their bearing while embracing the natural wear and tear of the body with time.
As an anti-process to puberty, where the body goes under physical and mental transformation triggered by a slew of hormones suddenly oozing in from nowhere, menopause, also triggered by the decrease in the same hormones, is the cessation of the monthly menstrual cycle which had started at puberty. Menopause is also the signal to the end of a women’s ability to bear a child.
The two female sex hormones are the progesterone and the estrogen. While the role of progesterone is more after the fertilization of the egg released from the ovaries has taken place, estrogen is responsible for the physical changes a females goes through during puberty.
This involves increase in the size of the breast, thickening of the lining of the vagina and the uterus, new hair growth around the genitals and distribution of the weight around specific body areas like the hips, and the beginning of the menstrual cycle where once every month the unfertilized egg along with the contents of the extra lining of the uterus in preparation for pregnancy are discharged from the body.
Yoga Poses to relieve menopause symptoms
The hormonal changes which start at menopause are responsible for a number of physical and psychological symptoms in women. The decreased levels of estrogen can induce irritability, anxiety and depression in some women. Insomnia and lack of confidence and self-esteem are some other possible negative impacts of the receding levels of estrogen within the female’s body at menopause.
On the physical level most women dread the thinning of the skin, weathering off of the external body structure, shrinkage of uterus and fat from the body, forming of the wrinkles, loss of minerals from the bones, sagging breasts, hot flashes, night sweats, headache, giddiness and joint pains.
Not all these symptoms manifests themselves in all women at the same time, some women are lucky enough to not experience any discomfort during menopause, whereas a lot do go through the traumatic symptoms of the receding fertility of the female.
Yoga poses for menopause help with regulating the fluctuating levels of the hormones at this time. Yoga stretches and movement positively impact the endocrine system of the body through its effect on the nervous system via the muscles.
Yoga has been found to be the most natural way of treating menopause symptoms as it simultaneously works on the body, mind and the energy (Prana) complex. Yoga pranayama help treat menopause symptoms by regulating the breath which in turn relieves the stress held up in the chains of the nerve channels within the body. Nerves are the most sensitive and first in line to receive any stress emanating from the mind before it could reach other parts of the body.
The pain relieving benefits of the yoga poses in general and particularly of the yoga poses for menopause are universally known. The rhythmic extension and contraction of the muscles synchronized with the breath have been found to produce a kind of numbness to pain within the brain.
All kinds of pain associated with menopause like the neck pain, the back pain and considerably relieved with Yoga. Experienced Yoga trainers can help relieve the body pain after just one yoga session of yoga poses for menopause.
Yoga poses to relieve menopausal discomfort reduces the instances of night sweats by controlling the blood pressure which generally spikes up during menopause. Yoga meditation has been found to be directly linked to the production of melatonin, the hormone which regulates the cycle of sleep.
Practicing meditation regularly helps by improving the sleep patterns in post-menopausal women. Yoga practice improves blood circulation, specifically under the skin taking care of menopause related skin issues like wrinkles, dry and dull skin, and atrophy of the skin around the genitals.
Yoga is a holistic approach to all the emotional and physical problems of Man. It is natural, cost effective and comes with zero side effects. In general yoga re-energizes and detoxifies every cell of the body leading to the feeling of enhanced mood and revamped confidence.
Yoga poses to relieve menopausal discomfort
Other Informative Articles….