May 14, 202111 min read

How yoga supports us around menopause and beyond

ABOUT MENOPAUSE TRANSITION

The word menopause comes from Greek 'meno' meaning month and 'pausis' to stop.

Perimeans 'around the edges' and perimenopause as a stage can last for ten years. Late perimenopuse is when you’ve skipped three cycles in a row and you’re possibly also experiencing symptoms such as hot flushes and changes in cognitive function.

Being in menopause tends to mean no periods for a year. If you menstruate after 11 months then still peri.

The road to skipped period and hot flush back to hot flush and skipped period to full on menopause can take years and each woman's transition is unique in symptoms and timescale. The average age is 51 but some women begin around 40 and others as late as 58.

The menopause transition more accurately is the phase in a woman's life when changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian function eventually result in the cessation of the monthly period.

The menopause is over when there have been no periods for 1-2 years and the hormones have balanced out – can be up to 4 years after the last monthly cycle and you very often don't know it's over until you look back with the wisdom of hindsight.

Many “horror stories” and myths about this stage in our life come from a book published in the 1960s sponsored by a HRT drug company. Menopause is a time of uncertainty, things change and there isn't a map to help us navigate. So many myths abound and, until fairly recently, often symptoms were dismissed as made up. Despite increasing facts and scientific studies menopause is a great mystery – it’s more than a “change” - it's a transition. There are some shit bits and unwelcome discomforts, there may be challenges and emotional confusion but transitions also bring opportunities for emotional and spiritual growth and we can choose how we frame this time of change. Every new beginning and each letting go requires courage and faith. In other cultures this stage of life is welcomed as an initiation where we become the wise women of our tribe.

Sirena Pellarolo, a midlife midwife, states “Menopause is a process of distillation that reveals our core, our essential self devoid of those internalized “shoulds” that society usually bombards women with. I deeply believe that the transformative portal of menopause—if we do it consciously and paying attention to our deepest desires—, can take us to a fulfilling and empowered second half of our lives. After having worked with dozens of midlife women over the past several years, I have found this to be the most effective and sustainable approach, one that I first tested on myself.”

How we frame and view this transition in our mind will manifest in the body. We know through our yoga practice that the mind and body are connected but so often we numb out and are in a state of disconnect. How we perceive menopause in our mind will manifest in the body and in Christiane Northrup’s book Goddesses never age she talks of menopause and how it’s is viewed in a wider cultural context. In Peru the term for hot flushes translates as “shame” whereas in Japan hot flushes and menopause are seen as a second spring where a woman goes deeper into her wisdom. The inflammation Peruvian women experience with hot flushes is far higher than it is for Japanese women because of the negative association. In the !Kung tribe in Africa there’s no word for hot flush and as she enters menopause a woman’s status in the tribe increases. Could this then be an opportunity to reframe beliefs around menopause?

Pellarolo asks “What if, by deeply reconnecting with our bodies and inner landscapes, we would come to terms with those at times frightening menopause symptoms as important physical signs of meta-physical imbalances that are at the root of this transformation? Would it be empowering for women to experience the hot flashes, the night sweats, the debilitating insomnia, mood swings and irritability as part of the alchemy of menopause? What if, like so many ancestral communities, we celebrated menopause and embraced it as a transformative rebirthing process towards a fulfilling second half of a woman’s life? Would the collective consciousness be lifted with this owning of everyone’s wellbeing?

Would this reframing mitigate the fear, the confusion, the shame that many women experience when entering this portal? Would this way of experiencing menopause support women in reclaiming their power to walk in confidence—even in the throes of a hot flush—, knowing that they are supported by a community that understands this cycle as a rite of passage, a retrieval of their authenticity, maybe relinquished during their younger years?”

Arming ourselves with information can help us to navigate this uncharted territory with strength and grace.

SIDE EFFECTS OF MENOPAUSE TRANSITION

HOT FLUSHES

Known as vasometer symptoms - a product of how the brain regulates heat by causing blood vessels to either constrict or dilate. Happen day or night and some women don't experience them at all. Studies have shown how women respond to these symptoms can affect them - if we are extra sensitive or prone to anxiety or depression they can be experienced for longer and with more intensity so keeping calm and accepting that, whilst annoying they are normal, will help. It is so important that we are extra vigilant in taking care of our emotional and mental health.

BRAIN FOG

Studies show that menopause can affect focus and concentration and, as with all menopause side effects, stress is going to make things worse.

SLEEP ISSUES

Just under half of menopause women report problems with sleep around this time which feeds into brain fog, vasomotor symptoms and stress. Yoga and meditation can help switch us into the parasympathetic nervous system before bedtime which can facilitate a deep sleep. We need to ensure we set rules around switching off technology, avoiding caffeine and not working too late before bed replacing bad habits with relaxing rituals. The menopause transition will be more bearable when we're not sleep deprived

DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS

Around this transition women are more likely to experience psychological distress and more negative moods than at other times in life. Partly caused by hormonal changes but also through poor sleep and other effects. If a history of depression, then more at risk, so good practices to support mental and emotional health and reducing stress are of paramount importance.

SEX AND INTIMACY

Changes in our reproductive system can also lead to changes in sexual health, how you feel about sex and your body. Low libido, vaginal dryness and pain are all side effects too although research shows years of sexual satisfaction resuming after menopause.

HORMONAL CHANGES

Hormones are chemical messengers in the body that guide the functions of our organs and must be balanced for us to feel well in our bodies.. Key role is played by hypothalamus and pituitary gland in the lower section of the brain. The hypothalamus controls and integrates parts of the nervous system and many bodily functions such as temperature, sleep and appetite.

Around the age of 35 the body starts producing less eostrogen which is a major buffer against stress Pre menopause our bodies are buoyed up with oestrogen which keeps everything running. When we are young and headstrong, forging ahead in a career, it is convenient to have higher levels of the sex hormone oestrogen but as we age this diminishes which means we have less yin (oestrogen) to balance stress. It is so important now that we have either reduced our external or internal stressors or learned how to deal with them. Stress plays havoc on our oestrogen reserves which can drain us and exacerbate all the symptoms of menopause. Oestrogen is also produced elsewhere in the body (liver, kidney adrenals) but stress can drain these sources too. Adding more oestrogen via HRTwithout dealing with the cause of it (stress) is like pouring water into a bucket filled with holes.

The main problem is that we arrive at menopause and we have drained our reserves of oestrogen. As our ovaries produce less sex hormones our adrenals are supposed to kick in and produce the hormones we need but if they are already depleted after producing stress hormones to manage our stressful lives 20 years previously they will be wiped out and unable to deliver our post menopausal hormonal requirements. In western medicine this can translate as high or low cortisol levels, deficiency of sex hormones, thyroid problems, adrenal burn out and numerous other imbalances. Adrenal fatigue is so damaging at menopause and will make all the side effects much worse so it is of vital importance that we support the health of our liver, kidneys and adrenals . From an Eastern perspective we say we haven’t enough yin to continue into the next stage of life. If yin is deficient we cannot nourish ourselves to stay cool, grounded, calm or lubricated. Hot flashes are a good indicator of hormonal imbalance. 80% of menopausal women will experience at least one and the more intense and frequent they’re the more out of balance the hormones. If our hormonal balance is thrown off by a history of over work and excess stress then diet, lifestyle and stress management can help rebalance us. Practices such as good breathing (pranayama), slower yoga practices along with yoga nidra and learning to say no are so important now as we simply cannot tolerate or handle stress at all.

MAKING CHANGES AND STEPPING INTO OUR AGE OF WISDOM

We are not the woman we were in our twenties and thirties and this isn’t the problem – the problem arises when we don’t adjust our behaviours to reflect this new reality. Saying no to what doesn’t serve us and eating nutritious food is vital to our well-being. Excess stress is worsened by poor diet and inappropriate lifestyle. If we continue to employ our “full steam ahead” approach we may have always relied on previously at peri and menopause it just won’t work and we will be physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually tired.

Menopause is the great unmasker – a natural passage – but any unresolved issues and bad habits will rise to the surface. Alcohol, poor diet and cigarettes have a greater toll on our bodies at this time and our tolerance will plummet – more colds and flu, issues with cholesterol, poor sleep and adrenal burnout all leading to more serious illness. If we refuse to change what is problematic in our lifestyle we will get sick. Around menopause anything that hasn’t been resolved will come back to haunt you now is the time to sort your shit out – the same hormonal fireworks are firing as in teenage years so this is a potent time for questioning the way things are and personal growth.Many discomforts around menopause are to do with an ageing body and can be eased with a yoga practice.

Christiane Northrup states “a life devoid of sleep, movement and nourishing food will drain you and this has to be addressed at menopause”.

It’s really important to recognise that it’s okay not to know what’s going on but equally recognise and accept that you can’t just “power through” as you always have as now is the time we need to soften. Yoga can really nourish the body at this time – a slow practice will build more prana – do less but do it well is the new mantra for this time of change.

In Ayurvedic medicine like increases like so we don’t want to build more emotional and internal heat. Balance is important now so if you’re still practising hot, dynamic styles of yoga or exercise ensure that you include softer restorative, yin and meditative practices too. Choose practices that nourish and support you.

You may feel that the body is unreliable at this time, a sense of the body “letting you down” so nurture your body with good nutrition, massage and oils and you may need to allow time to mourn, possibly experiencing a sense of loss. Whatever emotions that come up at this time it’s important to let them rise, without judgement, instead of pushing them down. Welcome everything in as it arises, meditation can help with this, then you can let them go.

Yoga and meditation will help you stay grounded and nourished throughout as you consider what needs to go and what you need to hold onto.

To age well we need to sleep well, exercise, eat well, avoid being angry and manage stress. A yoga practice underpins all of these factors. When we move out our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) into parasympathetic (rest and digest), which we do through a nourishing yoga practice, then our immunity is boosted and our quality of sleep is enhanced. When we learn to pause between our crazy thoughts and slow down we make better choices that support rather than undermine our health.

Yoga supports healthy bones at a time we are more vulnerable to a loss in bone density and osteoporosis. Studies show when we are in the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) chronic inflammation which accelerates the ageing process is more likely. A yoga practice can support us physically at menopause, strengthening our bones, supporting our endocrine system thus regulating hormones, helping us to sleep more soundly and enabling us to hold space for the experience of uncertainty, irregularity and lack of rhythm that arises.

In perimenopause and menopause the number one hormone to be concerned about is not oestrogen or progesterone but cortisol and it’s partner adrenaline. Both hormones serve a purpose but if they are not cleared from the system they will lower immunity and energy which leads to thinner skin and bones ,weight gain and sets the stage for poor health. Our adrenals and kidneys become so important at this stage as we draw upon them and so often they are depleted. A yin yoga practice can address especially skilfully practising a practice at home that includes poses that work on the liver and kidney meridians.

When too much cortisol is produced our hormones get out of balance - we crave sugar - typically 3pm-4pm when our cortisol levels peak. If we reach for sugar and coffee as a pick me up then we are further stimulating the adrenals. Time for viperati karani (legs up the wall pose) instead of a latte and a biscuit!

The Perfect Cup

It is time for me to see the flaws of myself

and stop being alarmed

It is time for me to halt my drive for perfection

and to accept my blemishes

It is time for me to receive slowly evolving growth

the kind that comes in God’s own good time

and pays no heed to my panicky pushing

It is time for me to embrace my humanness

to love my incompleteness

It is time for me to cherish the unwanted

to welcome the unknown

to treasure the unfulfilled

If I wait to be perfect before I love myself

I will always be unsatisfied and ungrateful

If I wait until all the flaws, chips, and cracks disappear

I will be the cup that stands on the shelf

and is never used

By Joyce Rupp

References and further reading

Cameron Diaz (2016) The longevity book : live stronger, live better, the art of ageing well.

Christine Northrup (2015) Goddesses never age

Claudia Turske (2010) Hormone Balance through Yoga.

Claudia Welch (2011) Balance your hormones, balance your life.

Sirena Pellarolo (2016) What if we reframed menopause?

Suza Francina (2003) Yoga and the Wisdom of Menopause.