Best Yoga Poses for Menopause to Relieve Symptoms

It can be beneficial to use yoga poses for menopause symptoms like stress reduction and pain relief. Consider the signs of menopause that your body generally experiences: frequent stomach and digestive system upsets, off-kilter emotions, fuzzy thinking, and even difficulties during sleep.

Along with menopause changes, your body may also go through aging-related changes like muscle loss and deteriorating joints. Through certain yoga poses for menopause, you may target the relief of all of this.

How are Yoga Poses for Menopause Helpful?

Menopause is a transformation, not a disease. It's the entrance to your years of wisdom. At an average age of 51, a woman officially enters menopause after going a full year without having her period. However, the perimenopause roller coaster can start up to 8 years sooner.

Anxiety levels rise and sleep quality declines as progesterone, a natural sedative produced by the body, levels drop. PMS might worsen and periods become less regular. Many women experience "brain fog" or mild memory issues, which are probably caused by declining levels of estradiol, an estrogen-derived hormone.

Yoga poses for menopause are all about maintaining composure. Maintaining a healthy neurological system is important, as it uses postures to keep your muscles strong without overheating.

In addition to relieving the physical discomfort of menopause, yoga can also lessen its mental side effects.

To relax the body, restorative yoga poses must be held for longer than in traditional yoga, frequently with the assistance of props like folded blankets. The nervous system is calmed by these positions.

Best Yoga Poses for Menopause

Here are some of the best yoga poses for menopause symptoms:

1) Lunge pose

Breathlessness and a reduction in lung function are two signs of menopause. By stretching your psoas muscles, which in turn releases tension in your body and your breath, this position aids in the management of these symptoms.

See the instructions for the lunge pose below:

• Begin by getting down on your knees.
• Step your left foot forward and between your hands, aligning the heel of your foot with the heels of both hands.
• Keep your hands on your hips while maintaining an erect posture for your torso. Make sure your knee is stacked and directly over your ankle by checking twice.
• Hold the movement for a few seconds while relaxing your shoulders and looking straight ahead.
• As your right hip flexor begins to stretch, bend your knee even more.
• Switch your legs while opening your chest and inhaling deeply.

2) Seated wide-angle pose

By elevating and toning the uterus, a seated wide-angle pose helps relieve menopausal symptoms. Additionally, it is one of the best yoga poses for menopause as it improves circulation and extends the hamstrings, which are frequently the cause of lower back pain during the menopause.

Instructions:

• Support your hips with a block, a towel or blanket folded, or both.
• In front of you, extend your legs.
• Legs should be extended to the right and left, respectively.
• Maintain proper spinal alignment by sitting up straight.
• Till your hands can rest on the ground, gently bend over from the waist.

3) Reclining bound angle pose

Moving the feet towards the groins while in the reclining bound angle posture improves blood flow to the pelvis and stimulates the pelvic muscles. Therefore, practicing the reclining bound angle pose as part of a yoga poses for menopause works wonders and significantly reduces physical pain.

Here’s how to do it:

• Place your legs out straight on the floor while keeping your arms at your sides.
• Kneel on the floor with your knees bent at the joint of your feet.
• Lie on your back, bringing your heels to your pelvis.
• With your palms facing up, keep your arms by your sides on the ground.
• Hold the position while taking deep breaths for around five minutes.

4) Boat pose

One of the finest yoga poses for menopause is the boat pose. It focuses on your core muscles and strengthens your adductor and hip flexor muscles.

Instructions:

• Legs outstretched in front of you, sit down on the floor.
• Raise through the top of the sternum as you place your hands firmly on the floor, just behind your hips.
• Exhale, bend your knees and lift your thighs 45 degrees off the ground while keeping your knees bent.
• Raise your toes just above eye level while slowly straightening your knees.
• Maintain your shoulders, back, and spine straight, chest open, and both arms in front of and parallel to the floor to your legs.
• Hold this posture for 15-20 breaths.

5) Sphinx pose

Sphinx posture is an ideal yoga pose for menopause. It acts like a chest opener that encourages vigor, vitality, and joy.

Instructions:

• Legs extended, arms by sides, and lying on your stomach.
• Your palms should be level on the floor as you tuck your elbows beneath your shoulders.
• To relieve tightness in your low back and glutes, press your pelvis into the ground.
• As you lift your chest, push it forward.
• Look straight ahead while maintaining a straight neck and spine.

Conclusion

The experiences of individual women vary during the menopausal phase. The changeover is rather seamless for some people. Others may find it very difficult to maintain their "sanity." Women experience continual weariness, exhaustion, and stress. So, it's better to start making efforts to improve your health and reduce your stress as a woman approaches her late forties to early fifties.