Lucy Holtom is a yoga teacher
Yoga is a practice that evolves and supports throughout all cycles of women’s lives.
Yoga is known for its immense variety of styles and practices which makes it a perfect practice which may help perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms. There is a practice for every day.
Some days we simply need soothing breath practices that help us to surrender to the waves of emotion and anxiety; restorative postures with props offering aid to support us when we’re in physical discomfort; for exhaustion and insomnia, relaxation methods are designed to nourish, to replenish and encourage rest.
Other days we have the fire and the energy to move with a strong and steady flow, bearing our body’s weight to strengthen our bones, increase our cardiovascular strength and tone our ever-changing body shape.
For these stages of life, yoga teaches us practices how to best support, or re-discover and understand, the geography of our pelvic floor; self-massage practices to re-connect, accept and love the skin we are in; meditations, whether still or co-ordinated with movement, help the fluctuations of moods and calm the chaos, creating space to reflect and enhance a greater sense of awareness.
Yoga practices reach into every part of the physical body to help create balance and stability, and in turn, help us to meet with balance in our mental and emotional worlds.
A yoga practice can be a sanctuary for perimenopausal and menopausal women when practicing within a community; like-minded women come together, connect over shared experiences and come to realise they are not alone.
A yoga practice goes beyond a physical workout. Yoga supports healing, transformation and empowers the practitioner on every level, throughout every stage of life.
Lorraine Sims
– Samantha Evans
