When dealing with hot flashes and hormonal shifts, try a yoga-for-menopause pose to relieve symptoms.

Practice this Asana/pose for a 7 day self challenge and practice mindfully or intentionally for 5 to 10 minutes daily. Your body will start craving it and it will become habitual.

On days when Menopausal symptoms are intense your body will remind you to practice Yoga to assist in alleviating them.

The poses will become an integral part of your self-care routine.

Healing Meditation for Menopause:

# During the Asana practice Close eyes and Meditate focusing your intent, your relaxation, your breathing your healing energy to the pelvic region.

# Imagine a bright white light filling your pelvic region and then filling your entire body.

# Use positive compassionate thoughts about your pelvis and your entire body for example:

“My pelvic region, my whole body and my hormones are in perfect harmony”

“My body, my mind and my soul are in perfect harmony”

“My body is strong and flexible during change”

“I accept change. My body accepts change. My mind accepts change”

Add your own mantras, thoughts, prayers during your practice.

Bridge Pose

Bridge Pose can be whatever you need—energizing, rejuvenating, or luxuriously restorative.

(SET-too BAHN-dah)
setu = dam, dike, or bridge
bandha = lock

Benefits

Stretches the chest, neck, and spine
Calms the brain and helps alleviate stress and mild depression
Stimulates abdominal organs, lungs, and thyroid
Rejuvenates tired legs
Improves digestion
Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
Relieves menstrual discomfort when done supported
Reduces anxiety, fatigue, backache, headache, and insomnia
Therapeutic for asthma, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and sinusitis

Bridge Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

Lie supine on the floor, and if necessary, place a thickly folded blanket under your shoulders to protect your neck. Bend your knees and set your feet on the floor, heels as close to the sitting bones as possible.

Step 2

Exhale and, pressing your inner feet and arms actively into the floor, push your tailbone upward toward the pubis, firming (but not hardening) the buttocks, and lift the buttocks off the floor. Keep your thighs and inner feet parallel. Clasp the hands below your pelvis and extend through the arms to help you stay on the tops of your shoulders.

Step 3

Lift your buttocks until the thighs are about parallel to the floor. Keep your knees directly over the heels, but push them forward, away from the hips, and lengthen the tailbone toward the backs of the knees. Lift the pubis toward the navel.

Step 4

Lift your chin slightly away from the sternum and, firming the shoulder blades against your back, press the top of the sternum toward the chin. Firm the outer arms, broaden the shoulder blades, and try to lift the space between them at the base of the neck (where it’s resting on the blanket) up into the torso.

Step 5

You can go up and down slowly using the breath in the beginning to warm up the spine and legs.

Breathe in UP

Breathe out DOWN

After a few raises or when you are ready then Stay in the pose anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Release with an exhalation, rolling the spine slowly down onto the floor.

Pose Information

Sanskrit Name

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

Pose Level

Contraindications and Cautions

Neck injury: avoid this pose unless you are practicing under the supervision of an experienced teacher.

Modifications and Props

If you have difficulty supporting the lift of the pelvis in this pose after taking it away from the floor, slide a block or bolster under your sacrum and rest the pelvis on this support.

Deepen the Pose

Once in the pose, lift your heels off the floor and push your tailbone up, a little closer to the pubis. Then from the lift of the tail, stretch the heels back to the floor again.