Yoga positions for menopause

For most women going through menopause, it’s not exactly the most pleasant experience. Not everyone experiences the ‘change’ the same way, but what is commonly experienced is an array of symptoms can seriously disrupt day-to-day activities. These symptoms can range from hot flashes, aches and discomfort to mood swings, difficulty during sex and weight gain. Without a doubt, the best way to ease yourself through the transition is to pay close attention to your body and adjust your habits accordingly.

One of the most wholesome and effective ways to help your body manage menopause is through yoga. Yes, according to researchers, the symptoms of menopause can be limited by introducing yoga into your regular routine. The research showed stress reduction therapies such as yoga and massage majorly decreased the aggressiveness of all symptoms related to menopause. In fact, they were so positive about the results, that they claimed these therapies could be an effective alternative to hormone replacement treatment. That good huh? I believe it!

Professional Yoga Therapist, Kat Tillinghast with West Coast Yoga & Sports Therapy, have a step-by-step video to help guide you through each and every position. One of the main problems that Kat combats through yoga is imbalances within the body, whether it be chronic pain or emotional issues. Her video introduces breathing techniques and specific positions that aim to balance out the agitated symptoms related with hormonal imbalances. She explains that you don’t necessarily have to be menopausal to benefit from this practice. Basically, all women of all ages should have a go, as it’s calming and balancing for the endocrine system.

Kat writes:

“Menopause and periomenopuse can be a very very difficult time for many women. We don’t exactly know why, but the current generation of women in this phase of life are experiencing more symptoms and beginning the change on an average of ten years earlier than their mothers. With this in mind, there are many things women can do to “survive” this phase of life. Yoga therapy helps and can even completely alleviate all or most of the symptoms caused by hormone influx or imbalance.

The poses in this video are specifically targeting different glands of the endocrine system, which control the hormones. Most of these glands are associated with the hypothalamus, in our brains! Childs pose and Janu Sirsasana help with pituitary circulation, Downward Dog stimulates all of the glands of the endocrine system, shoulder stand balances the thyroid and the list goes on…”

Become diploma-certified with our online yoga course

At The School of Natural Health Sciences we are passionate about living a balanced lifestyle. We believe that spreading holistic knowledge breeds healthy habits, and that’s exactly how we’ve come to attain our 57 holistic therapy courses from Holistic Massage Therapy to Child Psychology to Yoga. Yoga has become one of our most popular courses – not surprising seeing as it is a fundamental in holistic self-care, and also in high-demand throughout the health industry.

What to expect from our Yoga course

This course covers the basic benefits for obtaining relaxation through the principle of yoga. You will be enlightened by the techniques, and postures, together with stretching exercises, that will tone the body and enhance the mind. The course includes a detailed routine, which is easy to follow, bringing the benefits of relieving stress and clearing the mind. It is a stand alone course, aimed at students who wish to obtain ‘competence in practising and teaching yoga.’

A diploma correspondence course of 11 lessons includes:

• The yoga principle
• Basic postures
• Warm up & relaxation techniques
• Seated postures: The right angle, the disciple, easy posture, siamese, etc
• Kneeling postures: The diamond, japanese, thunder bolt.
• Leg postures and stretches
• Breathing, nose, relaxed/easy breathing, ribcage breathing, top breathing, the breathing umbrella, deep breathing and the throat sound.
• Breath retention, rhythmic breathing, balanced breathing, square breathing, alternate nostril breathing
• The breathing sequence, cleansing breaths, standing ha breath
• Seated cleansing breath – prana
• Basic stretch, the forward droop, the backward arch, standing warm-up routine, spinal rolls, the rolling ball, simple sideways rolls, prone lifts
• Body Movement, bottom shuffle, the scissors, the bear walk, salute to the sun, tree vrksasana, wide leg stretch, standing head to knee pose, warrior pose 1 and 2, sideways leg stretch, triangle, gate, camel, forward bend, forward bend over one leg, cobra, locust, the bow, dog, leg raising, head stand etc.