Yoga and Women’s Health

Women are incredibly versatile, dynamic and successful at work, home and in the community. They keep many balls in the air and are the glue that holds society together.

Yoga is a great way for women to balance their lives. The practice helps with hormonal changes, and is particularly beneficial for pregnant and postnatal women.

Adolescence

The adolescent stage is a period of profound physical, mental and emotional change. These tumultuous years shape the entire lifetime of young women. They are inundated with millions of impressions, called samskaras, that form the glasses through which they view the world. These impressions can be positive or negative but still strongly influence choices, habits and behaviors.

Practicing yoga during adolescence can help cultivate self-regulation, which is important for teenagers to manage impulse control and emotional challenges. This is because the brain continues to develop through adolescence, especially in its prefrontal cortex, which regulates impulsive behavior.

Yoga also offers teens a chance to practice body awareness and build confidence. A study found that yoga improved teen girls’ satisfaction with their body and reduced self-objectification.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a critical time for women’s health, and yoga can help them stay fit and healthy. The practice can also improve mental health and help with labour and delivery.

A 2021 study found that women who practised yoga in their first trimester experienced less pain during labor than those who didn’t. However, the researchers acknowledged that more research was needed.

Yoga is a great form of exercise for pregnant women, but it’s important to talk to your doctor before beginning a yoga program. It’s also best to avoid hot yoga, which can raise your body temperature too high and cause harm to the baby. Instead, try a gentle form of yoga such as hatha or restorative. This is safer and will allow you to relax.

Postnatal

Yoga is a well-known form of physical activity that can support women through the different stages of their lives. It can help reduce anxiety and build strength and flexibility, which is important during pregnancy. It also helps to promote an active lifestyle and is an effective way to relieve back pain.

Studies have found that postnatal yoga can improve maternal psychological wellbeing and the mother-infant relationship. Some studies have also found that women who practice yoga experience lower salivary cortisol levels following childbirth. One study found that women who participated in a postnatal yoga program had more natural deliveries and less emergency CS than the control group. These findings suggest that yoga may be an effective treatment for postpartum depression and other common perinatal problems.

Menopause

While the menopausal transition is a time of big changes for women, yoga can be an important part of the path to self-discovery and empowerment during this time. It can help to relieve the common physical symptoms of this change, such as hot flashes and joint and muscle aches. It can also balance moods and emotions like anxiety, irritability and fatigue.

Women often nd that yoga can help clear the cobwebs of fuzziness, which is common during times of great hormonal fluctuations, such as puberty, pregnancy or menopause. The practice of breathing techniques and gentle but deep-stretch poses can encourage a sense of clarity and refocus. This can also be helpful if you have trouble sleeping at night.

Pre-conception

Women are the backbone of society – competent, versatile and successful in their careers and caring at home. Yet, they often feel stretched and stressed and their physical well-being and emotional balance are often compromised.

Yoga helps rebalance the nervous and endocrine system, improves blood flow and stimulates the uterus to encourage healthy pregnancy. It also helps to reduce cortisol, a stress hormone linked to depression.

Pregnancy yoga is gentle and nourishing and promotes feminine wellness from a holistic perspective that integrates mind body emotions and spiritual dimensions of wellbeing. It is recommended by women’s holistic health experts such as Dr Christiane Northrup who says that blocked energy in the pelvic area causes fibroids, endometriosis and disease of the ovaries. It is safe to do at any stage of pregnancy and can be practised during the luteal phase as long as there are no complications with the pregnancy.