Yoga for Menopausal Symptom Relief
Good news for sufferers of hot flashes and night sweats. Yoga for Menopause. Peri- and postmenopausal women who practice yoga increase flexibility and improve their quality of life, according to a study conducted at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in Pomona (52nd Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine).
Researchers recruited six women, ages 44–62, to take a 1-hour yoga class twice a week for 8 weeks and to practice a home exercise program on days they were not in class. Participants in the yoga for menopause study did an Iyengar sequence of poses designed to address menstrual disorders, menopause and pregnancy.
“Five of the six women who participated in the yoga program had an increase in low-back flexibility, and five out of six had reduced menopause symptoms,” said M. Alysia Mastrangelo, PhD, PT, lead author of the study. While this yoga for menopause study was too small to yield more generalized conclusions, the results provide further evidence that yoga can improve quality of life without harmful side effects.
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
