Menopause is not a deficiency. It is not a disease.

Menopause is not a disease. It is a natural transition a woman's life. And although it is generally viewed in a negative way, this doesn't have to be so. Western society tends to value youth and external beauty and this is thought to add emotional stress to the changing body, which can then make the physical symptoms worse. The emotional stress of perhaps feeling that one's body and mind will soon deteriorate with age and cease to be attractive or be a valued member of society is understandably going to make the transition harder. Some eastern societies embrace older women as sages and healers. Women are expected to remain strong and active, growing wiser with the years. As a result, these women look forward to and celebrate their newfound sense of freedom and their respect within the community. And, not surprisingly, they suffer fewer psychophysiological symptoms and report having an uneventful menopause.

Many prominent yoga teachers agree that menopause can be profoundly empowering if encountered as a spiritual adventure and opportunity. The cycles of our bodies can teach us as much as scripture, sutras or teachers. As alternative medicine and Eastern philosophy become more popular in the West, teachers, therapists, homeopaths, counselors and even doctors are recommending more natural approaches, including yoga, to manage the menopausal years.

It seems also that diet and lifestyle can play an important role during menopause. So the practice of yoga, along with other exercises and a healthy diet low in animal products, fats, sugars and salt may ease the uncomfortable symptoms that can come with menopause.

Hot Flushes

Scientists are still not sure exactly what causes hot flushes - perhaps the most universal symptom of the menopausal years. The most widely accepted theory is that these sudden and dramatic increases in body temperature occur when your body's temperature control system, located in the hypothalamus, goes awry due to hormonal imbalances. During a hot flush, your pulse speeds up, you may breakout in a sweat, and a wave of heat spreads from the centre of your body toward your skin, increasing your skin temperature by as much as seven degrees. A regular yoga practice can alleviate these symptoms.

Yoga has been proven to balance the endocrine system, smoothing out the hormonal and glandular changes that take place during the menopausal phase. In particular, inverted poses such as legs up the wall pose, half shoulder stand and downward-facing dog are particularly noted for their calming and balancing effect on the endocrine and nervous system.

Mood Swings and Depression

In menopause women are going through hormonal changes that cause mood swings and depression. By being patient with themselves, women can realize that this change is normal and natural. Menopause is the time re-look at your life and take more care of yourself.

While all yoga poses work to alleviate stress, forward bends are noted for their soothing, calming effects on the mind and nervous system. Forward bends stretch the spine gently and encourage surrender and relaxation. They also place gentle pressure on the abdomen and uterus, squeezing the blood from the abdominal organs. When you come out of the pose, the organs - including the ovaries - are bathed in fresh, oxygenated blood, enhancing their functioning.

Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) stretches the back, calms the brain, and "removes depression."

A more vigorous yoga routine can help with depression. Talk to your teacher about the Salute to the Sun series or the Five Tibetans.

The yogic practice of alternate nostril breathing is also great for calming the mind, emotions and nervous system and reducing feelings of depression.

Helping the Adrenals - fatigue, low libido and general well-being

Not only can yoga help menopausal women cope with fear and anxiety, but it can also address the underlying hormonal changes that produce these and many other menopausal symptoms. While ovarian production of androgenic hormones, which are associated with sexual response, libido and a general sense of well-being decreases during menopause, production of these hormones actually increases by other sources, such as the adrenal gland, pineal gland, muscles and brain. And while the ovaries stop producing progesterone and estrogen at menopause, estrogen continues to be manufactured by a number of other organs, particularly the adrenal glands and the kidneys. But often, due to stressful living and poor eating habits, the adrenals are prematurely worn out in many women by the time they reach the age of menopause. A stressful lifestyle, coupled with a lack of effective exercise and poor nutrition depletes the adrenals and cause symptoms similar to those associated with menopause - depression, mood swings, lowered sex drive and fatigue.

The following are good yoga poses that stimulate the adrenals and kidneys and help to balance estrogen in the body:

• Locust Pose (also of great benefit with any menstrual problems)

• Twists

• Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)

Vaginal Dryness and Urinary Problems

Decreasing levels of estrogen lead to changes in the tissues of the vagina and the urethra. As menopause begins, the vaginal and urethral linings become drier, thinner and less flexible. Blood supply to that area decreases, the vagina shrinks, and cervical mucous diminishes. For some women these changes can lead to more frequent vaginal infections and more frequent urination. Some women experience urinary problems due to weakness of the pelvic floor, which tends to become prolapsed during the menopausal years.

To counter these difficulties you could try a yoga technique such as Moolabandha. (Download YogaHealth Information Sheet on Moolabandha here.)

Osteoporosis and Brittle Bones

Osteoporosis is the progressive thinning of bones that is generally associated with postmenopausal women (and also with men the same age). Recent research, however, demonstrates that this gradual loss of bone density actually begins years before menopause, sometimes as early as 25 years of age.

By the time a woman reaches menopause, estrogen is no longer plentiful enough to help support bone metabolism, and loss of bone mass accelerates. Risk of osteoporosis is increased by smoking and by a diet high in salt protein, caffeine and alcohol. Stress also plays a role in osteoporosis. Thus the stress-reducing benefits of a regular, long-term yoga practice can help prevent osteoporosis.

Weight-bearing exercise is also crucial to helping both women and men avoid osteoporosis. While exercises like walking or Tai chi bear weight through the legs, yoga is one of the few exercise systems in which weight is borne through the arms and upper body, causing bones to become both stronger and thicker. Downward-Facing Dog Pose strengthens bones by bearing weight through both the upper and lower body. (Information Sheet on Osteoporosis is available here)

DOWNWARD DOG

Weight Fluctuation

Women almost universally complain of weight gain during the menopausal years. Some premenopausal weight gain is nature’s protection for thinning bones.

Since yoga stimulates the muscles, bones and endocrine system, it tends to balance your metabolism and allows the natural intelligence of your body to determine your appetite and physical contour. Your body softens and rounds with age to protect your bones, creating a new context for feminine beauty as you move out of your childbearing years.

Weight gain is not a problem, so you need not take any remedial measures unless you are approaching clinical obesity. You will not become or remain obese if you maintain a regular practice of yoga.

Aches, Pains and Irritability

Aches, pains, and irritability are not unique to menopause. Nonetheless, these stress-related symptoms are almost always discussed under the rubric of menopausal symptoms. Regardless of their origin, the practice of yoga can reduce the mental and physical stress that sometimes accompanies menopause. Relaxation postures such as the classic Shavasana (Corpse Pose) are simple ways to ease menopausal aches and pains. To gain more pronounced benefits try practicing a relaxation technique such as yoga nidra. (Ask your instructor for a CD).

REST POSE (Savasana)

Insomnia

Insomnia is another common complaint for many women during menopause. Hormonal fluctuations cause mood swings and anxiety and general changes in the nervous system that cause insomnia. Plus hot flushes at night can keep you awake.

Inversions, alternate nostril breathing and yoga nidra can all be of benefit. Yoga nidra is particularly useful, because during the practice your body gets the deep rest it needs, even if you do not get the usual amount of sleep. (Download Yoga Health information sheet on insomnia here.)

Attitude and Outlook

A regular yoga practice can help not just with the specific symptoms of menopause, but also with the attitude we have toward it. A yoga program that offers substantial measure of meditation and pranayama (breathing techniques) in addition to asana encourages you to develop an empowered, detached state of mind in which you can evaluate yourself and your world without judgment. This is particularly nourishing during the menopausal years, when a woman is not regarded highly by the society, which values youthful beauty. Instead, yoga practice can open the doors to an entirely new world for a menopausal woman - maybe the most powerful time of her life.