Yoga & Breathwork for menopause
Following on from our previous article Holistic solutions for menopause relief we continue to explore different alternatives for improving menopause symptoms. It’s good to understand the different options available and find what works best for you. It’s your body and your choice.
A combination of different holistic practices and small nutrition and lifestyle changes can make a big impact on your menopause in addition to helping to support a long healthy life.
In this article I’m joined by Nicky Dye to learn more about Yoga and Breathwork for menopause:
Meet Nicky our Yoga and Breathwork expert:
Hello, I’m Nicky. I’m a Menopause Yoga teacher and would like to share some helpful insights, tips and tools with you.
Nicky Dye, Creator Director of Claygate Yoga Clinic.
Website: www.claygateyogaclinic.co.uk
YOGA FOR MENOPAUSE
About eight in ten women in the UK will experience menopause symptoms (NHS, 2018), some more extreme than others. These are due to hormonal fluctuations and the decline of oestrogen.
With regular yoga practice, symptoms may improve along with physical strength which is beneficial for their future bone, brain and heart health, however yoga cannot replace hormones that are in decline.
Yoga embraces the whole human being - physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and soul, and provides us with an opportunity for self-insight and empowerment.
Styles of Yoga
There are many different styles of yoga from still, long-held poses to fast, powerful dynamic sequences. I encourage people to try out a few classes and see which style they prefer, and which teachers they resonate with. I find a combination of the following styles really helpful during the menopause transition.
Restorative Yoga - max out on comfort, with blankets, cushions and eye pillows. Poses are held for a long time, often with calming music or a guided relaxation, prose or poetry. This style is great when you need to recharge your batteries and take your foot off the pedal. Bliss.
Yin Yoga is all about the stretch! After a gentle warm-up and some breathwork, you can expect to hold single stretches for 3-5 minutes each. Yin targets the connective tissues and focuses on organ meridians to improve the flow of qi and release pain and discomfort.
Strala Yoga is inspired by Tai Chi and Eastern Medicine and focuses on reducing stress and finding ease. It is really helpful for connecting to oneself and improving awareness of sensations and symptoms so that you can take remedial action early if, for example, you feel a hot flush, anger or anxiety rising up.
Similar styles are Hatha and Vinyasa Flow. I would avoid power yoga, such as ashtanga, or hot yoga, as they tend to exacerbate symptoms related to heat and anxiety.
Menopause Yoga is ideal, or simply finding a class with like-minded or similar stage/age women. Let’s take an example of a class for soothing rage and irritability.
The class would start with breathwork and intention to let off steam, and include poses which focus on the hips, thighs, groin, jaw, chest and arms, such as Lunges, Goddess and Downward Facing Dog and a Moon Salutation, which is a sequence of cooling poses. Towards the end of the class, you can expect a restorative pose such as Hero (to stretch out the quads) and a long relaxation including a visualisation, prose or poetry. Many women feel re-balanced and at peace after a yoga class.
A wonderful aspect of coming together for yoga with women who are also experiencing menopausal symptoms is that it provides a safe and supportive space for us to share our experiences, and to realise that what we may be experiencing is completely normal. I often see women exchanging phone numbers at the end of a yoga workshop so that they can continue to support each other. We’re in this together.
BREATHWORK FOR MENOPAUSE
There are many different breathing techniques, which are useful during the menopause transition. Our breath is directly connected to our heart rate and nervous system state. Human beings are unusual in that we can consciously control our breath and thereby regulate our emotional and physical states.
Breathing difficulties have been proven to increase through the menopause transition1. Hormonal fluctuations in perimenopause and extended periods of high progesterone in menopause can lead to shortness of breath, reduced exercise tolerance and fatigue, and sleep-disordered breathing, such as sleep apnea.
You can use your breath to feel calmer, more energised, more focused, more sleepy and to ease menopausal symptoms.
To begin, I recommend noticing the quality of your breath, so that you can be more conscious of physical sensations and emotional states that rise up due to hormonal fluctuations in menopause. Is it fast or slow, deep or shallow, smooth or jagged? The more you befriend your breath and become aware of its natural fluctuations, the easier it is to consciously return to a calmer state.
Here are some ways you can use your breath to ease menopausal symptoms.
For stress and hot flushes, try Belly Breathing, (also known as Diaphragmatic Breath), allowing the belly to rise and expand as you breathe in and draw back and contract as you breath out. As you do so, the belly relaxes, which then creates more space for the diaphragm to lower and space for the lungs to expand more fully. You’re no longer holding on to tension in the body.
For rage and irritability, I like Lion’s Breath; scrunch up your face and fists as you inhale, then stick out your tongue, open your eyes and fingers wide and roar “HA” out! You’ve just stretched your face muscles, relaxed the lower jaw and let some steam out.
Culturally, women can feel uneasy about expressing anger and what we need to say is less likely to be heard if we are verbally aggressive. However, if we do 5-10 rounds of Lion’s Breath first, we can proceed with a more productive conversation and we also avoid any shame from upsetting others.
Emotions can ride high or appear out of nowhere from 0 to 100 during menopause. This gentle “ujjayi” technique is useful for anxiety, overwhelm, insomnia, fatigue, and brain fog; inhale through the nose, exhale with a soft haaaa sound to self soothe; picture a gentle wave lapping the shore and drawing back to the ocean.
As anxious thoughts are manifested as nervous energy in the physical body, I would recommend moving the body with the breath to release tension, such as through Yoga, Tai Chi or Qigong, which focus on breath body connection.
The earlier you are aware of sensations and changes in the breath, the sooner you can act to reduce those symptoms in frequency and duration.
Good luck and let me know how you get on.
1 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5266663/
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You can get in touch for a free Five Element Health Consultation. Simply email nicky@claygateyogaclinic.co.uk and request a callback. Claygate Yoga Clinic offers 6 and 12 week Health Support Programmes, which may include yoga, mindfulness and meditation, lifestyle advice, trauma and tension release (TRE), massage and sleep therapy. We’re here to help you feel happier and healthier.
See Part 1 of this article - Hypnotherapy and Acupuncture for Menopause. Plus, part 3 - nutrition and lifestyle for menopause is coming soon …. Come back on 14th October to learn more
