Use Yoga Techniques to Help Relieve PMS and Menopause

Every month women's bodies go through a radical change in preparation for possible pregnancy. As the hormones shift their delicate balance, these changes are experienced as physical and emotional feelings. For some, these monthly changes bring several days of discomfort and stress; for others, it is a minor inconvenience. But no woman can ignore this regular change happening in her body and mind. Other enormous changes occur at menopause, sometime around are 50, when a woman's reproductive system slows down and eventually stops. Some women sail right through these years with little or no discomfort, while other seem to get bogged down in uncomfortable and often unwelcome sensations as their body adjusts to a new chemical balance.

Yoga is ideally suited for helping you adjust to change - hormonal or otherwise. By reinforcing positive change through relaxation, steadiness, flexibility, and other qualities, Yoga helps you enjoy the many inevitable changes that occur at different times in your life instead of resisting them.

Yoga can help to alleviate or eliminate many of the sometimes-uncomfortable physical and emotional feelings associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and menopause.

The Yoga routine for PMS includes gentle stretches that release muscle tension, ease lower back stiffness, regulate breathing and improve circulation. Breathing techniques are very important during this time to build concentration and strength. Irritability, depression and moodiness can be greatly eased by regular meditation, which will help to stabilize the emotions.

Yoga also can directly alleviate many of the most troublesome symptoms of menopause. Although all Yoga exercises affect the body's chemistry, many exercises specifically stimulate the glandular and reproductive systems, resulting in a more balanced adjustment of body chemistry. The gentle weight-bearing exercises in the special menopause routine will help to strengthen bones. Yoga also improves circulation, helps to balance metabolism, prevents memory loss and builds a steadiness of mind that evens out many of the emotional ups and downs that many women experience.

1. From the American Y O G A Association, The nations's preeminent Yoga school, providing nonprofit, nonreligious education for 25 years.
The American Yoga Association * 513 S. Orange Avenue * Sarasota, FL 34236