Does yoga help balance the hormonal changes?
A woman’s physical well-being during the menopausal years depends on the healthy functioning of her endocrine (hormone-producing) glands. With all the focus in the media on hormone replacement, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that if all our other glands are functioning well they will, in most cases, continue to produce all the hormones a woman needs for the rest of her life. Yoga helps modulate mood swings and reduce depression and anxiety by helping to balance a woman’s changing hormones. Many of the symptoms commonly associated with menopause, such as irritability, depression, and various aches and pains, are intensified by the inability to cope with stress. The adrenal hormones help us tolerate many of the stresses and burdens of life. However, many women—possibly even the vast majority—enter menopause with their adrenals already exhausted from years of juggling the responsibilities of family and work outside the home. If life has been chronically stressful or if you have been
