Yoga for Menopause: The Big Picture

by Nina

Lake at Sunset by Melina Meza

Today I thought I’d collect all the posts we have on menopause so far into a single post. That way, newer readers will get a good idea of the material on this topic that’s already available and long-time readers don’t have to use the search function to find the relevant articles. 

With the exception of the post on hot flashes, Shari and I wrote all the posts on menopause. After all, we’re the two YFHA staff members who have been/are going through through the experience personally, and between the two of us, we experienced different problems and symptoms. (The reason neither of us wrote about hot flashes was because even though we had them—or at least I certainly did—we didn’t know any effective yoga solutions to recommend.)

Now for The Big Picture! Here's a list of all the topics related to perimenopause and menopause that we've address on the blog so far. If you feel we've left out anything you'd like us to address, leave a comment on this post or drop me a line via the Contact Us page.

Overview

Shari started our series with an overview of menopause in her post Yoga for Menopause: An Overview, in which she defines menopause and describes the three stages: perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause.

Joint Problems

Shari wrote about joint problems, something both she and I have been experiencing, in her post Yoga for Menopause: Joint Problems. In this post, she discusses arthralgia, the term for menopausal joint problems, and addresses four aspects of using yoga to cope with these problems: pain management, range of motion, muscle strengthening, and acceptance.

Headaches

I wrote about headaches, something my sister-in-law experienced in a seriously debilitating form, in my post Yoga for Menopause: Headaches. In that post, I included links to Baxter’s general posts on headaches, both tension headaches and migraines. I also discussed the relationship between diet and headaches, and provided some tips for changing your diet (if certain foods seems like a trigger for headaches).

Hot Flashes

Guest writer, Beth Gibbs, who is a certified yoga therapist through Integrative Yoga Therapy, wrote our post on hot flashes Yoga for Menopause: Managing Hot Flashes. In this post, she provides background about how yoga can help reduce hot flashes in general and provides two different techniques that can help you head off a hot flash as it is starting.


Fatigue

This was my major symptom during perimenopause, so I had a lot of experience with using asana to both rest and stimulate myself to counteract the effects of what I called a “fatigue attack.” See Yoga for Menopause: Fatigue for information about the combination of restorative and stimulating poses you can use to combat fatigue.

Frozen Shoulder

Although many of us haven’t even heard of frozen shoulder until we get one, this is actually a common problem during menopause and one that I’m all too familiar with. In my post Yoga and Menopause: Frozen Shoulders I discuss what frozen shoulder is, describe the three stages (painful stage, frozen stage, and thawing stage) and recommend yoga practices for each of the stages. 

Insomnia

Because we already had a number of posts on this topic for the general audience and didn’t feel that there were different solutions for menopausal-based insomnia, we didn’t write a specific post on insomnia during menopause. So if this is a problem you’re having, start by reading my post 5 Tips for Better Sleep 5 Tips for Better Sleep. This post provides an overview of the basic yoga solutions for insomnia and provides links to other articles on our blog for details.

Depression

Because we didn’t feel that there were different solutions for menopausal-based depression, we didn’t write a specific post on depression during menopause. So if this is a problem you’re having, start by reading my post Tamasic and Rajasic Depression. This post provides an overview of the basic yoga solutions for depression. You can also see Balancing Your Emotional Body with Counter-Poses for suggestions. (I’m starting to realize there’s a bit of a gap here, so I should probably write an overview article on depression in the future, and maybe even write a few sequences….)

Acceptance

The very first post that appeared on our blog on the topic of menopause was my response to a question from a reader. Friday Q&A: Menopause. In this post, I emphasized how valuable the yogic practice of “acceptance” was while going through menopause. I still believe this is essential.

Wisdom from Judith Lasater

During our researches, Shari turned to one of her own teachers, Judith Lasater, for advice about yoga and menopause. See Judith Lasater on Yoga and Aging for Judith’s answer to the question “As you went through peri-menopause and menopause, how did you change your personal practice to address your symptoms and adapt to your changing body?”

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