Yoga For Women

The body is your temple.. keep it clean for the soul to reside in..  -BKS Iyengar

Nature has recruited women for tough and multiple jobs. She has to play different roles from being – daughter, daughter-in-law, wife, mother, manager/ boss / colleague in her office and the list goes on. In all these roles she is expected to be “perfect”. She is the main pillar of her house. She needs to have conflicts-resolution skills, relationship management skills, counseling skills and be a multi-role player. It’s her responsibility to manage her own demanding career, nurture care for the close and extended family, balance household finances, handle household operations, be  the perfect hostess and at the same time be street smart, intelligent and interesting. 

Along with these responsibilities, her body too is going through different changes. When she is in her adolescence she has to deal with menstruation, the stigma and the awkwardness around it every month and get used to it. Then comes the phase of selection of a life partner and the anxiety and anxiousness of it all. Marriage comes next which asks of her to leave behind even her identity, her surname, creating a lot of mixed emotions. She sometimes struggles to get pregnant and has to endure scientific Pregnancy. Then comes delivery, breastfeeding and raising her child. These are the most life changing events of her life. She has to cope with changes in her body, hormonal changes and at the same time be 24×7 present and available for the child. During this she cannot neglect her marriage and her husband too. If the marriage does not work out, she has to be strong to face the world and still be hopeful for the future. Remarriage can bring out fear and insecurities. But she still goes ahead and faces these too! All the while balancing her walk on the fragile rope of her career. 

Then comes ACT 2 and now she has to brace herself,  pausing her cycles and facing pre symptoms of this menopause. She no more enjoys things that once gave her joy. She has to even do the hard and quite daunting part of explaining all this to her partner. The pre and post menopause might leave her with a disease or two. Feeling lost she has to still find herself to take care of the grandkids and her now retired partner. If that would not have to be enough she has to brace up and stay strong for what fate might have, a devastating loss of her companion for life or beloved family members. Bearing the loneliness she has to still be part of her kids family. Overlooking her emotions she has to still share the household responsibilities.

To handle all this, women need to have 

Emotional strength: The need to achieve perfection on multiple fronts may cause pressure and turmoil. While the work environment demands equal capabilities and performance from her, there is no let-up on the expectations at home. Women need to make sure that they have the emotional energy to efficiently manage the demands of all the roles they juggle: daughter, sister, wife, daughter–in–law, mother, and the list goes on.

Women need to have Mental keenness: Each responsibility requires different kinds of capabilities; she needs to be able to give the best of her intellectual abilities and adapt them to the varied situations at hand.

Women need to have Physical fitness:  need to have the stamina to fulfill commitments at so many levels with the same kind of zeal.

And there is no shortcut to build this. Each day she has to strive hard without breaking. Each day she has to borrow hope. Each day she has to stay on top of her game. Each day she has to care for others, far more than she cares for herself. Each day she has to be as active as she can be.  

How to achieve all this?

By the means of Yoga .

Yoga has been healing people for generations. It has provided physical, mental and spiritual support to humans. Throughout these years and eras, the yogic science has served people from all age groups and genders equally. However, there are some asanas, breathing techniques, cleansing techniques, and some Bandhaa that are of immense benefits for women in particular. 

Women, according to Yogic philosophy are the manifestation of goddess Durga, are the source of life on the planet and the union of all kinds of energy. As women advance through multiple phases of life as described earlier from childhood to puberty and from motherhood to menopause, Yoga helps her deal with all these phases, changes and challenges coming into the life.

What is Yoga?

Today the word yoga is used as an alternative to a particular type of exercise technique. The understanding is mostly limited to physical postures, known as Asanas. But Yoga does not just mean Asanas. Yoga is a word from Sanskrit language which means to join, 2 or more things are needed to join. And when 2 or more objects are joined, then it becomes one object. Yoga is all about oneness, experience of oneness, feeling of harmony.

Yoga is a very vast topic. It is an original and ancient holistic art of living that includes physical, mental , moral and spiritual spheres. Originating in our own Indian subcontinent,  its mention is found in Patanjali’s  Yog Sutra and Bhagavad Gita. Here it is said that yoga means to ultimately join our soul with the supreme soul that is Parmatma. There are different ways to achieve this and depending upon these ways there are different types of yoga. There is Patanjal Yog or Ashtanga yog, Karma yog, Dynana yog, Hatha Yog, Bhakti yog, Rajyog, Prema-yoga and so on.. In many aspects Hatha yoga and Raj yoga are very close to Ashtanga Yog. Most of us know about Patanjal Yoga (Ashtanga Yog) and Hatha Yoga. These are said to be simple to enact, achieve and inculcate in our life compared to others. 

Patanjali defines Yoga as

“Yogah Chitta Vritti Nirodhah” 

Chitt – mind, Vritti – functioning of mind, Nirodha –control Yoga is to control the functioning of the mind. We have our thoughts, emotions, feelings and conditionings in the mind. To progress in life we need to control these vrittis which is a very difficult task. Yoga is the technique to control all these functions of the mind.

In  Bhagavad  Gita Lord Krishna defines yoga as 

“Samatvam Yoga Uchyate”

 – Samatva – balanced state, Uchyate – said to be

Yoga is a balanced state of the body and mind. Yoga is a balanced state of emotions. Yoga is a balanced state of thoughts and intellect. Yoga is a balanced state of behavior. We are excited in the situation of pleasure and we become sad when it is a negative situation. Yoga is to maintain equilibrium of the mind in any situation. This equanimity of mind is the ultimate objective of yoga.

As per Yoga Vashishtha, Guru of Lord Rama Sage Vashishtha defines yoga as 

“Yoga mana prashmana upayah”

 – mana means mind, prashmana means perfectly peaceful and silent, upay means remedy, cure

Yoga is a cure for the mind to become perfectly steady and peaceful. Our natural state of mind is peaceful and without any distractions, disturbances, difficulties and distress. Yoga is the path to reach this natural state.

Yoga’s approach is simple. If the mind is not controlled then the body will also not be under control. If the mind is not healthy then the body will not be healthy. Research has shown that every thought in the mind affects the brain, nervous system and all other organs in the body. Negative thoughts and emotions disturb the balance of the nervous system and all other organs. This is the cause of all diseases of the body and mind, so control of the mind is essential for physical and mental health.

Path of Yoga

A balanced lifestyle is essential for the harmony of mind and body. This lifestyle is connected with nature and therefore making our life more nature friendly is the positive way to health. Yoga is to harmonize the body and mind with nature and lifestyle in tune with nature.

This is an eight fold process which has asana as the third step. First comes Yam ( how to behave in society), Niyaam (how to conduct ourselves) , Asana (to build physical strength) , Pranayama (to control prana or vital energy behind the life activities, bringing stability to mind) , Pratyahara ( disconnecting mind from sensory organs, to stop the wandering mind from attraction and temptations of the material and worldly pleasures), Dharana (concentration) , Dhyan (meditation) and after attaining these seven steps last stage of Samadhi, the dormant energy in every human know as kundalini, awakes and one can obtain wonderful and transcendental powers. 

Not everyone wants to walk the Samadhi Path but walking in its direction, practicing dharna or going into the phase of dhyaan even for a few minutes can give tranquility. Practicing a few yogic practices yields good results. 

How to rejuvenate and energize and become New Women by Yoga

Generally, women have two extreme views about yoga. Some take it to be highly difficult, complex and beyond the reach while others look at it in a very light and casual manner and think it to be very simple. Both the views are faulty, consequently impractical and harmful. Therefore the need is to study and understand yoga in its true form before practicing or giving an opinion about it. Once a person understands yogashastra in its proper form and makes it part of the daily life they infallibly find yoga a highway to happiness and prosperity.

However, it becomes imperative to understand the right meaning of the words happiness and prosperity, joy and sorrow. It would be self-deception to see joy in material pleasures and feel sad upon not getting them first of all. It would be wrong to believe that material pleasures can give satisfaction or joy. For instance, a delicious dish would not give any joy to a person who is already full or is suffering from constipation. Secondly, the material pleasure instead of satisfying a person multiplies his dream and desires. The notion that getting more, brings more joy is the root cause of many problems . Because the failure of expectation leads to sorrow, hence in Bhagavad Gita Lord Sri Krishna said – 

“Karmanyevadhikaraste ma Phaleshu kadachan” 

Meaning – Go on doing your duties without expectation of gain. The absence of expectation, indeed generates in that person an impartial view towards the dualities such as joy and sorrow benefits and loss for the it can be said that developing such an impartial attitude towards the duality of life is yoga. 

In simple words, we need to focus on the present, do our work/job/responsibility (karma) with devotion. This is our right. Not to think or worry about the outcome. Be detached from the outcome. We don’t have any right on the outcome. And with this thought we have to submit all our karma to the supreme soul. This is a way to connect our soul to the supreme soul by means of Karmayog. 

Keeping this in mind, embark on this journey of yoga. Although it sounds a bit difficult and philosophical, it is easy to practice. For example, mother to a newborn does all her duties selflessly, nurtures and loves her child in the best possible way, leaving aside expectations. 

How to analyze if you need Yoga ? 

If the answer to the following questions are yes .. then you surely need Yoga 

• Are you never comfortable in your own skin? Always conscious of your body? 
• Do you feel awkward walking down the corridor alone or feel that there are eyes always watching you? 
• Do you get irritated by the monthly cycle of periods? Do you get cramps or have excess flow? 
• Are you unable to manage and balance home and work? 
• Do you feel low on energy by the time you get home?
• You can never seem to find any ‘me’ time?
• Are you always stressed, in anger or anxious?
• Do you feel you are not doing enough? 
• Are you too afraid to try new things? Does your mind talk you out of trying new things? 
• Are you living in a negative mindset?
• Does your mind diminish your confidence? Makes you feel responsible for the situation beyond your control area.? 
• Do you go from happy to sad within seconds? And when you are happy, you are extremely happy and when you are sad, you become so sad that you find it hard to snap out of it?
• Are your health problems causing a hindrance? 
• Do you always feel – Nagging aches, low energy levels, and inconsistent enthusiasm? 

These are indicators of stress. You manage to persevere through them with your unflagging commitment. You might feel guilty about taking time for yourself when you have so many people and responsibilities to take care of. So you keep postponing that vacation, that day of rest for yourself, that dance class that you wanted to sign up for..

But you need to invest in yourself.  For the long term, however, there is no other choice. You have to find ways to rejuvenate and energize yourself.

Let us look at the ways in which yoga helps women in all phases of life.  

Yoga and adolescent girls

According to research 70% of teenage girls who feel bad about their looks respond by withdrawing from life. They avoid school, cancel doctor visits and feel afraid to speak up in class. More than 90% of girls want to change at least one aspect of their appearance, with most of them picking body weight. Almost 25% would consider plastic surgery to fix perceived flaws, and 13% admit to having an eating disorder. Social media evokes ideals to girls which are often unattainable and unhealthy. 

Following are some of the benefits of Yoga for adolescent girls.

• Increases Flexibility

During adolescence, there are growth spurts. The bones tend to grow fast, and the muscles stay a little tighter. This makes it difficult to maintain flexibility in adolescence. Yoga helps with this. Muscle tightness is a real issue for adolescents. Tight muscles can lead to tension headaches and various body aches and pains. Increasing flexibility by yoga alleviates some of these health issues. As an added bonus, greater flexibility helps prevent sports-related injuries too.

• Promotes Better Posture

A lot of the alignment principles of yoga, like drawing your navel to your spine and lifting from the crown of your head, make you engage in proper posture. Many girls become “hunched over” from carrying heavy backpacks and spending massive amounts of time on computers (not just for social networking, but also for homework).Slumped shoulders and poor posture project a poor body image. Regular practice of asanas helps.

• Improves Body Image While Decreasing Self-Consciousness

It’s no secret that maintaining a positive body image can be quite a challenge for adolescent girls, who are going through extraordinary physical changes and learning to cope with hormonal fluctuations. This is a time when girls can feel ‘disembodied’. They feel pressure to have the perfect body and the perfect face. Getting in touch with their bodies through yoga just helps girls feel better. And that manifests itself out in the world. It becomes a positive cycle. That tends to decrease the self-consciousness that teens feel about their bodies.

• Reduces Stress

  Breathing in, then letting it go, this starts to relax them. Deep breathing is a common stress-relieving technique, useful for quieting the mind, promoting good sleep and calming the nerves. Yoga just takes this concept several steps further. 

Being excluded at lunch or doing poorly on a test or walking down a crowded hallway can be stressful. It takes a toll on their body and mind. The body tenses up, and the mind acts paranoid or shuts down. Yoga breaks down barriers and helps teens cope. The breathing that’s taught with yoga can be especially beneficial for teens with a chronic illness. Girls with illnesses such as diabetes and asthma can benefit from yoga as a complement to traditional medicine. Yoga is even used to help those who are fighting cancer. 

By encouraging teenage girls to practice yoga, you’ll be giving them tools for dealing with the ups and downs of their hectic lives. The overall fitness they get from yoga can decrease their anxiety when they are trying to figure out how to fit in with their families, their friends, their teachers and, basically, where they belong in this world.

Asanas for Teenage Girls

As per Ayush Mantralaya, here are some of the Asanas and breathing techniques for teenage girls. 

Yoga during menstruation

Yoga practice during menstruation is a controversial issue. There are those who say that no woman should practice yoga during her menstruation, others say practice everything. Some say practice inversions, others say avoid. Some say a strong practice is useful, others say to practice restorative asanas.

All women are different with regards to menstruation. Some may not have any side effects, low energy or feel at all different than they do during the rest of the month, while others have such extreme pain, mood swings, fatigue, bloating, irritability and so on that they have to stay in bed for the first few days. Because no woman is the same there are no set rules regarding what to practice during menstruation but there are some general guidelines that can help. 

Menstruation time is a time of heightened awareness and sensitivity.  Menstruation is a time to explore and look within. It is a time to nurture and heal the body and mind.

The way each woman looks at their menstruation greatly differs. Some women prefer to ignore it as much as possible, to pretend or detach themselves from what is going on.  Strength is good but we should also have the awareness of our bodies and give time to listen to them. Women should put in efforts to remain balanced and therefore cultivate inner strength.

Some associate guilt, uncleanliness or other negative emotions. These may have come up due to the culture one has grown up in, the views of one’s parents or some other events in life. Relaxation techniques such as yoga nidra can be very beneficial in clearing away these negativities and instead bringing acceptance and positivity of one’s self.

The main reason why women may choose not to practice may be due to the associated symptoms of menstruation. If a woman is having very extreme menstruation then even the thought of practicing will cause negative emotions. The best practice at this time is then Yoga nidra and some gentle pranayam such as bhramari, anulom vilom, ujjayi and deep breathing. Om Chanting will also be very beneficial.’

If we are not feeling too uncomfortable then a yoga practice can be useful to help alleviate any period pain or back pain, balance the emotions – mood swings, anxiety, anger, depression, irritability and gently open the pelvic region, relieving any congestion. Menstruation is a time to vary one’s yoga practice to look within and find peace and tranquility.

Asanas to Avoid 

In a yoga practice there are certain asanas that should be avoided during menstruation. The main type of asanas are inversions. These should be avoided throughout the menstruation. The reasoning for this is that when we practice inversions one type of prana, known as a apana, which normally flows in the downward direction from the manipura chakra (naval center) to mooladhara chakra (cervix), is reversed. This is useful to help increase the prana in the body and to help awaken the kundalini but when menstruating it goes against the natural flow. It can therefore stop or disturb the menstruation at this time and lead to other reproductive problems later on. Another reason is that during inversions the uterus is pulled towards the head and causes the broad ligaments to be over stretched which cause partial collapse of the veins, leaving open arteries to continue pumping blood. This can lead to vascular congestion and increased menstrual bleeding. 

Also, any very strong asanas, particularly strong backbends, twists, arm balances and standing positions that put a lot of stress on the abdominal and pelvic region should be avoided, especially if the woman is going through a lot of pain at the time. The reasoning for this is very logical. If the pelvic region is causing spasm and pain why cause more contraction and pressure to the area. Also these positions need more physical strength and exertion which can be lacking during this time and can be depleted further by the practice. Surya namaskar, when done slowly and gently, can be useful, however it should be avoided if there is a lot of pain or heavy bleeding.

Thirdly, bandhas should be avoided for similar reasons. On a pranic level they move the apana upwards instead of down and physically they add more contraction to an already tight region and in the case of uddiyana bandha increasing the heat which can lead to heavier bleeding. It’s all about listening to the body’s needs and accepting that this is a time of introversion, acceptance and balance.

Avoid fast breathing, Kapalbhati as they will increase the heat which may cause heavier bleeding and will also put excessive pressure on the abdominal region.

Asanas to practice

Do remember that it is not necessary that you have to practice asanas during your period. For the first two days you may have a break from asanas. That doesn’t mean you cannot practice other techniques such as pranayam, yoga nidra and meditation. All of these will have benefits. It is important that if you decide to practice that you should be aware of and listen to your body. Do not push or strain and instead do some more gentle poses but hold them a little longer. Generally it is good to practice positions that allow one to become more grounded, to alleviate any emotional disturbances and to gain inner strength.

Practice these positions to 50-60% of your capacity or with the support of cushions or bolsters. Do not strain or do strong forward bends. Gentle twisting positions can remove back pain, cramping and congestion.

Gentle backbends, especially when supported, can alleviate back pain and pelvic discomfort. 

Leg up the wall poses help to remove stagnant blood from the legs without lifting the pelvic region and help to open up the pelvic region. Legs can be straight up the wall or separated to a comfortable distance or with the soles of the feet together.

Yoga for the rest of the month to balance menstrual cycle

Many yoga techniques can be practiced throughout the month to help balance the hormones, the menstrual cycle and to prevent premenstrual syndrome, period pain, emotional disturbances and other associated symptoms of menstruation.

Yoga for New Mom’s 

We cannot expect women to be able to have 1 -2 hours of time to practice yoga as new mothers. It’s an expectation  that will only create frustration. Instead we must make the most of any available time we have.

Early motherhood is a time of many changes, where a mother has to adapt to life with a baby. It’s a challenging time and one that most women are not prepared for. When pregnant, most women can only think of the birth and not far past that. One of the biggest challenges is the lack of time. Being the carer for another person, putting others needs before oneself, being there to care, love and support another 24 hours a day is a big responsibility. Those early weeks have a strong effect on a baby. If she/he is not cared for and loved they will become insecure later in life. It is extremely necessary for them to be in a positive environment so that they will develop into happy, content and secure adults.

As a new mother one has to change and adjust to many things in one’s life. No more long uninterrupted sleeps, no more long relaxed baths, no quickly going out unplanned, no time for yoga whenever we feel like it. Instead we have a new baby to care for, to devote all our attention and love to. It’s a hard and difficult time but it’s also a wonderful, beautiful time. Yoga can help us to find the balance. If one takes time out to keep centered, balanced and calm and follows the yogic principles the effects will be passed on to the baby and they will grow up happier and more peaceful.

One of the hardest things to deal with in the early days is one’s baby crying. It takes time to learn and understand why one’s baby is crying. At these times one needs to try to keep themselves balanced emotionally, and to stay positive. Baby gets hungry, hot, cold, uncomfortable, it has its first experience of pain with wind or reflux. It takes time for a baby, just like the mother, to adjust to this new life. A baby has no other way to communicate. During the times when a baby is crying a lot one can start chanting Om, whilst holding the baby, will help both mother and child to re energize. It will center and calm the mother, so she can deal with the crying, and it will soothe the baby, as well as sending positive vibrations to help brain development. Pranayam can also be useful, as is bhramari and ujjay, whether sitting or standing. Deep breathing in combination with walking or rocking movements are also good. The pranayama will help to balance as well as increasing prana levels, our energy levels so that we can make the most of the day 

An undisturbed sleep, especially if women are breastfeeding, should not be expected to have for a long time after the birth of a child. Practicing Yoga Nidra can help to give us the rest we need. We can practice it when our baby goes to sleep. 

For some mothers, whose babies are feeding calmly and quietly they may even be able to do some meditation such as breath awareness, contemplative meditation or just be a witness to the thoughts that arise.

Some women may get postnatal depression or postpartum depression. Regular yoga practice during pregnancy can help to prevent this. When the baby is born taking a little time out for yoga practice, whether it is asanas, yoga nidra, pranayam or meditation will help prevent depression and if it occurs it will help to remove it. Yogic philosophy, being a witness and being aware of one’s emotions will help to deal with depression. Dealing with any emotions relating to the birth can help to prevent depression, allowing one to let go of the past and instead be aware of the present.

For post natal yoga, it’s best to check with one’s doctor before starting  more than very gentle movements. If a woman has had any tearing then any poses that stretch the area should be avoided. Gentle yoga practices can be started 6 weeks after birth if there are no complications and a normal yoga routine can be started after 3 months. If there was a caesarian then a minimum time of 8 weeks or until the wound has healed is recommended and a normal yoga routine after 6 months. However there are a few things that can be started from the beginning such as the Pawanmuktasana series one, which are gentle movements of all the joints and moola bandha.

Later one can practice stabilizing asanas that strengthen the abdomen, back and tone the uterus such as marjariasana, vyghrasan variations, leg movements, plank, downward dog, closed twists, uttanpadasana and cycling. There should be more of a focus on pelvic closing, unlike prenatally, when it was on pelvic opening. Chest opening asanas that help to balance the body from breastfeeding are very helpful to improve posture and release tension, examples include  backbends, gomukhasana, shoulder and arm movements. It should be remembered that one should follow the yogic principles of slow controlled movements and steady comfortable positions. If there is ever any pain or discomfort the asana or movement should be avoided.

Finally, another aspect that women can think about and cultivate is bhakti yoga. As mothers, women are practicing the ultimate bhakti yoga. Motherhood is an act of complete devotion, we can call it devotional yoga. So even if we do not have time to practice asanas and pranayama we can try to cultivate this devotional aspect throughout the day and night. Learning to adjust and be flexible, leaving expectations behind of what we expect ourselves to get done and even of how we expect our babies to be.

Yoga and menopausal transition

Etymologically, the origin of the word menopause lies in the Greek words, “meno” (menses, month) and “pause” (stop, cease). Clinically, natural menopause is diagnosed retrospectively after 12 consecutive months of amenorrhea. With increased life expectancy, today, women spend one-third of their life after menopause. More attention is needed towards peri- and post-menopausal symptoms, which can prove to be quite debilitating causing problems at home and the workplace.

Around 20% of the patients suffer from severe menopausal symptoms, 60% suffer from mild symptoms and 20% may have no symptoms at all.

Menopausal symptoms include mood changes, bloating, aches and pains, headaches, hot flushes, night sweats, tiredness, insomnia, weight gain, depression, irritability, forgetfulness, lack of concentration, urinary frequency, vaginal dryness and sexual problems. These symptoms vary in severity and character from women to women.

  Since estrogen deficiency is the cause of perimenopausal symptoms, estrogen replacement therapy (HRT) is the most effective treatment. However, HRT has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, uterine cancer, thromboembolic heart disease and stroke. Recent results from Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) and Heart and estrogen/progestin replacement study (HERS), demonstrated increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and breast malignancy amongst women taking hormone therapy. More women are becoming aware of the serious side-effects; hence the use of HRT for menopausal symptoms has decreased.

Yoga, utilized as a therapeutic tool to achieve positive health, control and cure diseases. The exact mechanism as to how Yoga helps in various disease states is not known. There could be neuro-hormonal pathways with a selective effect in each pathological situation. There have been multiple studies that have combined the many aspects of Yoga into a general Yoga session in order to investigate its effects on menopausal symptoms. Yoga, which serves as non-hormonal drug therapy and non-pharmacological measure , proves beneficial. Integrated approach to Yoga therapy can improve hot flushes and night sweats. There is increasing evidence suggesting that even the short-term practice of Yoga can decrease both psychological and physiological risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Studies conclude that our age old therapy, Yoga, is fairly effective in managing menopausal symptoms.

Asanas have an extraordinary capacity to overhaul, rejuvenate and bring the entire system into a state of balance. In different studies, the postures chosen are based on the effectiveness in relieving menopausal symptoms. The nature of these poses and the associated deeper and slower breathing patterns would physiologically reduce a woman’s oxygen consumption while stabilizing blood pressure and heart rate.

There have been multiple studies that have combined the many aspects of Yoga into general Yoga sessions in order to investigate its effects on menopausal symptoms. Menopausal women find it difficult to overcome the symptom of reduced self-esteem and self-image. Yoga can be used as a form of exercise to overcome this issue. Although no significant direct improvement was found in global or physical self-esteem, Yoga practices may provide a source of distraction from daily life and enhancement of self-esteem, helping women to focus on the simplicity of movement and forget about work responsibility and demands, and thus reduce anxiety, depression and thus reduce anxiety as well as depression.

The integrated approach of Yoga therapy can improve hot flushes and night sweats. It can also improve cognitive functions such as remote memory, mental balance, attention and concentration, delayed and immediate verbal retention and recognition test. A pilot study of a Hatha Yoga treatment for menopausal symptoms also showed improvement in menopausal symptoms except hot flushes. Even eight weeks of an integrated approach to yoga therapy resulted in better outcome as compared to physical activity in reducing climacteric symptoms, perceived stress and neuroticism in perimenopausal women.

The risk of cardio vascular disease (CVD) rises sharply with menopause likely due to the co-incident increase in insulin resistance and related atherogenic changes that together comprise the metabolic or insulin resistance syndrome, a cluster of metabolic and hemodynamic abnormalities strongly implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of CVD.

There is increasing evidence suggesting that even the short-term practice of Yoga can decrease both psychological and physiological risk factors for CVD and may reduce signs, complications and improve the prognosis of those with clinical or underlying disease. 

Meditation increases plasma melatonin levels and it seems that melatonin effectively improves sleep quality. Studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of Yoga in improving sleeping patterns suggesting its effective use in a clinical setting to combat symptoms of insomnia and other sleep disorders in post-menopausal women.

Thus, our age-old therapy, Yoga, a free-of-cost noninvasive method, is fairly effective and is strongly recommended to all women of menopausal age. Yoga does have the potential to provide physical, mental and emotional health benefits to those who practice it with proper guidance.

Yoga to increase bone mineral density

Osteoporosis and Osteopenia in women is seen twice as much as in men. The NHANES 2005 – 2008 study that evaluated the bone density of the hip and lumbar spine showed that the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis at either site was 38% and 4% for men compared with 61% and 16% for women, respectively. Osteoporosis is commonly encountered by postmenopausal women. 

Integrated yoga is a safe mode of physical activity which includes weight bearing as well as not weight bearing asanas, Pranayama, and suryanamaskar, all of which helps induce improvement in Bone Mineral Density (BMD) in postmenopausal osteoporotic females.

Yoga can stimulate the bones to retain calcium, provided the body gets enough calcium in the first place. It does this through weight bearing poses of yoga asanas that affect the spine, arms, shoulders, elbows, legs while encouraging a full range of motion. Weight bearing yoga training has shown a positive effect on the bone by reducing the bone resorption and hence preventing the risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. It also has a positive effect on improving the quality of life and balance.

Study proves that yoga enhances muscular strength and body flexibility. It is one of the few exercise systems in which weight is borne through the arms and upper body, causing bones to become thicker and stronger. Recent research has proved that yoga can alleviate some of the height loss associated with osteoporosis. Yoga can be used as alternative therapy to exercises. Performing asanas for an hour daily and holding each asana for 15-30secs each proved to be of immense importance.

Asanas to improve BMD

Why Yoga over Other ways ?

In yoga, body as well as mind both are considered. They are said to be interrelated and interactive. It is proven that the mind influences the body more than the body influences the mind. It means to control the working of the mind, restore stability to a highly unstable mind and health to a disease prone body. It is no exaggeration to say that a lot of happiness lies in having a controlled and stable mind and a well toned body. Both these states are obtainable through yoga therefore yoga is defined as a highway leading to happiness and prosperity . 

Yogashastra has a unique feature which distinguishes it from other sciences. It has thought of all the aspects of human life generally every science takes up one aspect of life and then expands and explicits it. But yogashastra has considered all parts of human life together and then develop the whole yogic system for a particular part of body while operating on that part will reap good effects on other body parts yogashastra has designed the whole yogic system in such a way that it concentrates on one and all parts of human body systematically providing for their all round progress. This makes Yogashastra superior. 

Yoga is not originally meant for treating disease or shortcomings.  But experiments and experience have concluded that yogic practices have the efficiency to cure many diseases.  

Yoga classes are dramatically low cost and less dangerous alternative to medication and laborate healthcare. The side effects of yoga include better posture, improved physical and mind balance, enhanced coordination, greater range of motion, higher strength, reduced levels of anxiety and better gait. Improved posture directly addresses spinal factors will all those documented benefits of yoga reduce the risk of falling which is the main cause for all death after 70s.  

And the best is age is no bar to start doing yoga. As mentioned in Hathapradipika, an ancient scripture

युवा वृद्धोऽतिवृद्धो वा व्याधितो दुर्बलोऽपि वा। 

अभ्यासात्सिध्यिमाप्नोति सर्वयोगेष्वतंद्रितः।।

It can be performed by young, old and too old, weak or any one with any ailment or having any disease. It is sure to give you results. 

My thoughts

Yoga is a way of life women should accept and live with till the very end. Life is not easy for us women. And circumstances and situations always keep testing us. How we act, how we react, our decisions, our choices are always under scrutiny. How to endure all this is taught by yoga. It teaches us how to control our emotions and gives proper channels to express ourselves. 

I have been doing Yogabhyas on and off since my childhood and since the past two years I am doing it on a regular basis. Reflecting on my journey, today I am very comfortable with who I am. My body became strong. And my mind too. I have positive thoughts and I have become aware of whatever negative thoughts I have. I have become more calm. I have applied the techniques of Yoga in my workplace too and it has given me positive results. 

In Bhagavad Gita it is said that 

Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self. 

We might have family, friends, relatives; yet we women need to be self-sufficient and self-reliant. Yoga provides strength and mentality for this. As Wayne Dye once said 

You cannot always control what goes on outside,

 but you can control what goes on inside you… 

This is what Yoga gears you up for.

Because above all

There might me lot of options

But there ain’t another ME…

Being a woman we all need to take an oath to give ourselves an hour of Yogabhyas. It’s ok if it may not be asanas, it can be breath work, cleansing techniques, Om chanting, Yog Nidra. But we need an hour on a daily basis. It’s not too much to ask and not too difficult to give. So let’s start from today! 

– Abha Deshmukh