The Graceful Change

Menopause can be a trying time for women, but with a healthy yoga practice, stress about hormone replacement therapy doesn't have to be part of the picture.

By Trisha Gura

Walden suggests incorporating more cooling and restorative poses. Any gripping or tension in the body can make hot flashes worse, so using props such as bolsters, blankets, and blocks to help support the whole body is a good idea. Placing the head on a bolster or chair during forward bends, for example, helps calm the brain and relax the nerves. Supported reclining poses can also help promote complete relaxation. Supta Baddha Konasana and Supta Virasana, for instance, allow the abdomen to soften and any tightness in the chest and belly to release; Ardha Halasana (Half Plow Pose) with the legs resting on a chair calms jittery nerves.

Anxiety, irritability, and insomnia. During perimenopause, estrogen spikes (or progesterone plummets), causing anxiety, nervousness, and irritability. Adrenal glands that are exhausted and overtaxed can also produce bouts of anxiety and intense irritability. (Many alternative healers believe that the adrenals can wear themselves out by constantly responding to stress, a poor diet, and lack of sleep.)

When a person is under stress, the sympathetic nervous system responds by accelerating the heart rate, slowing down the muscles of the digestive tract, and increasing blood circulation to the brain to fight the stressor.

Once the stress dissipates, the parasympathetic nervous system responds by doing just the opposite--slowing the heart rate back to normal, stimulating the smooth muscles of the digestive tract, and bringing the body's systems back into balance.

When the body is under continual stress, the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenals--which manufacture stress-fighting hormones along with the male hormones that get converted into estrogen--can get stuck in overdrive.

Walden says forward bends, such as Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) and Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend)--in both cases with the head resting on a bolster or blankets--can help reduce irritability and mental tension, because bending forward and shutting out external distractions and stimuli can soothe the mind and reduce the effects of stress. The nervous system then receives the signal that all is well, and the adrenals and sympathetic nervous system stop working so hard.

If insomnia is a problem, inversions can sometimes help, because they ground the body's energy and burn off excess anxiety. When followed by restorative postures, they encourage a deep state of rest.

Fatigue. Of all the symptoms women complain about during perimenopause, fatigue is second only to hot flashes. Plunging progesterone could be the culprit, especially if the fatigue is coupled with depression and lethargy; if a woman feels inexplicably weary for days or weeks on end, depleted adrenal glands could be part of the problem.

Either way, Walden suggests gentle supported backbends, because they encourage the chest and the heart to open and often bring renewed energy, determination, and joy. One of her favorites for this is Supta Baddha Konasana. A deeply restorative posture, it can instill feelings of safety and nourishment. It also opens the chest, improves respiration and circulation, and helps lift the spirits while completely supporting the body.

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