Understanding Perimenopause
Perimenopause — the years leading up to menopause — is a natural but often confusing transition. It can begin as early as your 40s and last several years, as the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen. For many women, this time brings physical, emotional, and mental changes that can feel unpredictable:
- Hot flushes and night sweats
- Irregular cycles
- Fatigue or low energy
- Weight gain, especially around the middle
- Mood swings and anxiety
- Trouble sleeping
- Brain fog or forgetfulness
While these shifts are part of the body’s natural rhythm, they can leave women feeling unsteady, both physically and mentally. Yoga offers an accessible, holistic way to support yourself through this season.
The Role of Yoga in Perimenopause
Yoga helps regulate the nervous system, balance hormones, and cultivate self-awareness — all of which are key during perimenopause. It’s not just about stretching; yoga is a science of mind-body integration that can help women reconnect with themselves when everything feels like it’s changing.
Here’s how yoga can help.
- Balances the Nervous System and Reduces Stress
- Perimenopause often amplifies the effects of stress, making symptoms like anxiety, irritability, and poor sleep worse. Yoga postures (asana), breathing techniques (pranayama), and mindfulness practices calm the sympathetic nervous system (the “fight or flight” response) and activate the parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” mode).
- Try:
- Gentle forward folds or supported restorative poses to settle the nervous system
- Slow, steady breathing with a pause after the exhalation to quiet the mind
- Yoga Nidra or guided relaxation before bed
- Supports Hormonal Health
- Certain yoga postures stimulate the endocrine glands, including the thyroid, adrenal glands, and ovaries, helping promote hormonal balance. While yoga can’t stop hormonal fluctuations, it allows the body to respond with more resilience.
- Try:
- Supported bridge pose or gentle backbends to open the chest and energise the thyroid
- Seated twists to aid digestion and liver function (essential for hormone metabolism)
- Legs up the wall for adrenal restoration
- Improves Sleep and Energy
- Fluctuating hormones can disrupt sleep and drain energy levels. Evening yoga routines focused on restorative poses, mindful breathing, and guided meditation can help prepare the body for deeper rest.
- Morning practice can also gently energise without the stress of high-intensity exercise.
- Try:
- A short morning flow with cat-cow, gentle sun salutations, or standing stretches
- Evening restorative sequence with supported child’s pose and savasana
- Reduces Hot Flushes and Improves Circulation
- Yoga’s emphasis on mindful breathing and body awareness can help reduce the intensity of hot flushes. Cooling breath techniques like Sheetali (cooling breath) or simply taking slow, conscious breaths through the nose help regulate internal temperature and emotional response.
- Try:
- Practising in a cool, well-ventilated space
- Avoiding vigorous inversions or strong heat-building flows if prone to hot flushes
- Builds Strength and Supports Bone Health
- As estrogen levels decline, women are at greater risk of bone loss. Weight-bearing yoga postures build muscle tone, improve balance, and support bone density — especially important during and after perimenopause.
- Try:
- Standing poses like Warrior II, Tree, and Chair pose
- Balance postures to improve stability and prevent falls
- Gentle resistance work (like KettleflowYOGA® or yoga with light weights) for functional strength
- Enhances Emotional Wellbeing and Self-Compassion
- Perimenopause can bring unexpected emotions — sadness, irritability, or even a sense of loss. Yoga invites you to pause, observe, and reconnect with the inner self beneath the changing body and mind.
- This mindful awareness cultivates acceptance, helping you respond rather than react, and to move through this season with grace and confidence.
- Encourages Community and Connection
- Yoga classes, whether in a studio, online, or in small groups, offer a sense of community. For many women, this connection is vital. Sharing space with others on a similar journey helps normalise the experience and reminds you that you’re not alone.
A Gentle Reminder
Perimenopause is not an illness to be fixed but a transition to be supported. Through consistent yoga practice — on and off the mat — you can nurture balance, strength, and serenity in this new phase of life.
As one of the key teachings of yoga reminds us: “The practice is not about becoming something new, but remembering who you already are.”
Ready to Begin?
If you’re navigating perimenopause and looking for practical ways to find calm, energy, and clarity, come along for a complimentary class or two. Fill in the contact box, or drop us an email, and we’ll get you booked in.