Australian Yoga Journal – August 2019

63

august/september

2019

yogajournal.com.au

“She suffered through

constant fatigue and

insomnia...”

symptoms generally continue until a

year or more after her last period,

when the hormone levels gradually

stabilise. After menopause, the ovaries

produce less of the female hormones.

However, the body still needs some

estrogen to keep the bones healthy and

to prevent conditions like vaginal

dryness. The adrenal glands, which are

located above the kidneys, play an

important role in this by secreting low

levels of male hormones that are

converted by fat cells into estrogen.

Still, the body must adjust to a new,

much lower hormone level.

These natural physiological changes

and the havoc they can wreak for many

women prompted researchers in the

late 1960s to seek a solution for

common menopausal symptoms. The

treatment they ultimately proposed was

HRT. Their reasoning was that

problems stemming from declining

estrogen levels could simply be

eliminated if the missing hormones

were replaced. Scientists believed that

maintaining hormone levels similar to

what the body was used to would

provide relief.

HRT was a simple solution for

managing menopausal symptoms. But

since several major studies have shown

that HRT exposes women to serious

health risks, many women have begun

seeking more natural solutions. Those

who have turned to yoga for relief have

found that while asana may not directly

influence estrogen production, specific

postures can help control unpleasant

symptoms. Restorative postures in

particular can relax the nervous system

and may improve the functioning of the

endocrine system (especially the

hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, the

thyroid, and the parathyroid gland),

which helps the body adapt to

hormonal fluctuations.

Alleviating the

Symptoms of

Menopause

Yoga instructor Patricia Walden, 57,

knows firsthand how yoga can help

temper menopausal complaints. Like

many other women’s symptoms, hers

arrived like rain: first a sprinkle, then a

full-fledged storm. Hot flashes came

first, and then—for the next year—she

suffered through constant fatigue and

insomnia. She often awoke in the night

and stayed awake for up to three hours.

On the days when Walden had

intense symptoms, she found she

needed to modify her yoga routine.

She was accustomed to a vigorous

daily practice but discovered that

unsupported inversions, strenuous

poses, and backbends sometimes

made her symptoms worse. When

that happened, she turned to supported

and restorative poses to calm her nerves.

She still did inversions, but instead of an

unsupported Sirsasana (Headstand),

which sometimes brought on more hot

flashes, she would do Setu Bandha

Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) using

bolsters or Salamba Sarvangasana

(Supported Shoulderstand) with a chair.

With these modifications, Walden was

able to reap the benefits

of inversions—relief from anxiety and

irritability—without challenging or

heating her body.

As Walden’s symptoms diminished,

her conviction that yoga could be a

potent tool for easing the suffering

that accompanies hormonal shifts

deepened. She began to connect with

other women who were experiencing

similar difficulties and has since created

specific yoga sequences for women with

menopausal symptoms.

“I was interested in women’s issues

before,” says Walden, co-author

with Linda Sparrowe of The Woman’s

Book of Yoga and Health: A Lifelong

Guide to Wellness. “But after having

gone through menopause myself,

I am much more sensitive to it.”

A regular yoga practice can make a

world of difference in a woman’s

experience of menopause. And a

solid practice before this phase can

ease the transition, says Suza Francina,

author of Yoga and the Wisdom of

Menopause. “If you practice yoga before

menopause, then all the

poses that are especially useful for

coping with uncomfortable symptoms

are already familiar, and you can

reach for them like an old friend,”

she says. “If you are familiar with

restorative poses, then you have the best

63 menopause medicine at your disposal.”

august/september

2019

yogajournal.com.au

“Shesufferedthrough

constantfatigueand

insomnia...”

symptoms generally continue until a
year or more after her last period,
when the hormone levels gradually
stabilise. After menopause, the ovaries
produce less of the female hormones.
However, the body still needs some
estrogen to keep the bones healthy and
to prevent conditions like vaginal
dryness. The adrenal glands, which are
located above the kidneys, play an
important role in this by secreting low
levels of male hormones that are
converted by fat cells into estrogen.
Still, the body must adjust to a new,
much lower hormone level.
These natural physiological changes
and the havoc they can wreak for many
women prompted researchers in the
late 1960s to seek a solution for
common menopausal symptoms. The
treatment they ultimately proposed was
HRT. Their reasoning was that
problems stemming from declining
estrogen levels could simply be
eliminated if the missing hormones
were replaced. Scientists believed that
maintaining hormone levels similar to
what the body was used to would
provide relief.
HRT was a simple solution for
managing menopausal symptoms. But
since several major studies have shown
that HRT exposes women to serious
health risks, many women have begun
seeking more natural solutions. Those
who have turned to yoga for relief have
found that while asana may not directly
influence estrogen production, specific
postures can help control unpleasant
symptoms. Restorative postures in
particular can relax the nervous system
and may improve the functioning of the
endocrine system (especially the
hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, the
thyroid, and the parathyroid gland),
which helps the body adapt to
hormonal fluctuations.

Alleviating the

Symptoms of

Menopause

Yoga instructor Patricia Walden, 57,
knows firsthand how yoga can help
temper menopausal complaints. Like
many other women’s symptoms, hers
arrived like rain: first a sprinkle, then a
full-fledged storm. Hot flashes came
first, and then—for the next year—she
suffered through constant fatigue and

insomnia. She often awoke in the night

and stayed awake for up to three hours.

On the days when Walden had

intense symptoms, she found she

needed to modify her yoga routine.

She was accustomed to a vigorous

daily practice but discovered that

unsupported inversions, strenuous

poses, and backbends sometimes

made her symptoms worse. When

that happened, she turned to supported

and restorative poses to calm her nerves.

She still did inversions, but instead of an

unsupported Sirsasana (Headstand),

which sometimes brought on more hot

flashes, she would do Setu Bandha

Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) using

bolsters or Salamba Sarvangasana

(Supported Shoulderstand) with a chair.

With these modifications, Walden was

able to reap the benefits

of inversions—relief from anxiety and

irritability—without challenging or

heating her body.

As Walden’s symptoms diminished,

her conviction that yoga could be a

potent tool for easing the suffering

that accompanies hormonal shifts

deepened. She began to connect with

other women who were experiencing

similar difficulties and has since created

specific yoga sequences for women with

menopausal symptoms.

“I was interested in women’s issues

before,” says Walden, co-author

with Linda Sparrowe of The Woman’s

Book of Yoga and Health: A Lifelong

Guide to Wellness. “But after having

gone through menopause myself,

I am much more sensitive to it.”

A regular yoga practice can make a

world of difference in a woman’s

experience of menopause. And a

solid practice before this phase can

ease the transition, says Suza Francina,

author of Yoga and the Wisdom of

Menopause. “If you practice yoga before

menopause, then all the

poses that are especially useful for

coping with uncomfortable symptoms

are already familiar, and you can

reach for them like an old friend,”

she says. “If you are familiar with

restorative poses, then you have the best

menopause medicine at your disposal.”