Yoga for women

Yoga for women with a focus on menopause and PMS

A woman’s life unfolds in the three major physical stages that are determined by her reproductive system. The first one – in her childhood, before the onset of menses, she is in her “maiden” stage. The second one is after puberty; in her childbearing years. And the third one is during the years immediately preceding and following the last menstrual period, called menopausal years.

Premenstrual Syndrome “PMS is not a disease; it’s just a sign of an imbalance” Starting from your early 20s PMS or PreMenstrual Syndrome peaks and complex life issues (settling on a career, finding a life partner, creating a home) add pressures and emotional twists and turns. PMS is a condition that is associated with cramps, increasing emotional sensitivity, anxiety, and moodiness, in the absence of organic diseases, which regularly occur during the premenstruation period of each menstrual cycle. The reason why women have PMS is not yet understood. In general it happens because of hormonal imbalance; and the main recommendation is a change of a life style.

Managing PMS Not getting enough sleep, eating poorly, stress, and lack of exercise can burden a body already dealing with monthly hormonal fluctuations. Cutting down on sweets and caffeine as your cycle progresses, allowing yourself to sleep a bit more on the first days of menstruation, and doing gentle exercise, including yoga, all month long can help the body to manage PMS by itself. Research shows that yoga can relieve both psychological and physical symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. A safe, simple, and inexpensive intervention could be easily implemented as a complementary or alternative treatment, with benefit to many women. Yoga helps to alleviate PMS in a number of ways. On a physical level, yoga relaxes the nervous system, balances the endocrine system, increases the flow of blood and oxygen to the reproductive organs, and strengthens the muscles surrounding those organs. Psychologically, yoga works to ease stress and promote relaxation. It offers a woman the time—and often the permission—she needs to go inside, to listen to her body, and to respond to what she hears.

Menopause Menopause is a natural life event as important in the feminine life cycle as the menstruation and pregnancy. The word “menopause” is from the Greek words “mens” – month and “pausis” – stop. It usually happens sometime between the ages of 42 and 55, when you go from normal menses to none 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 disfunction. Estrogen replacement therapy is the most effective treatment, however it has been associated with an increased risk of breast and uterine cancer, thromboembolic heart disease and stroke.

How yoga can help? Yoga has been long time used as a therapy to improve many different diseases like bronchial asthma, hypertension, diabetes, obesity and others. The exact mechanism is not known. One of the theories is that yoga brings to balance the endocrine system. Many clinical studies have shown the positive effect of yoga on both the psychological and physiological state of women during the menopause period, including enhancement of self-esteem, reduction of depression and anxiety, improving hot flushes and night sweat, as well as improving memory, attention and concentration, quality of sleep and cardio-vascular diseases.

The yoga course for women This yoga course includes a short theory about the physiological and psychological changes in the women’s body during the PMS and menopause. The class also includes asanas (physical postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises), which will help you to relieve pre-menstrual and menopause symptoms; and ends with the deep relaxation Yoga Nidra. The course will help you to balance hormonal changes, alleviate stress, relieve anxiety, mood swings, fatigue and depression; strengthen muscles to support pelvic health; improve you physical and emotional well-being.
Language: Swedish or English, depending on students need.
If you are interested in this course, please either contact me or check our

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References:
1. Arias A., Steinberg K., Banga A., and Trestman R. Systematic Review of the Efficacy of Meditation Techniques as Treatments for Medical Illness. (2006) The Journal of Alternative and Complementary medicine Vol. 12, Nr 8, p. 817–832
2. Boerner H. Stay in Balance. The Yoga Journal
3. Francina S. Yoga and the Wisdom of Menopause. (2003)
4. Isaacs N. A Woman’s Lifeline. The Yoga Journal.
5. Lonsdorf N. The Ageless Woman: Natural Health and Beauty After 40 with Maharishi Ayurveda. (2004)
6. Sparrowe L. Menstrual Essentials. The Yoga Journal
7. Vaze N. and Joshi S. Yoga and menopausal transition. (2010) Journal of Mid-life health. Vol.1, Issue 2, p. 56-58