A large part of our body functions are controlled by hormones. Through targeted yoga exercises, we can balance our hormone levels - and thus, for example, alleviate menopausal symptoms or promote fertility.
What is meant by hormone yoga?
Hormone Yoga is an energetic form of Hatha Yoga with Kundalini elements. It involves breathing techniques and yoga postures that stimulate hormonal glands in the body. This allows an imbalance in the hormonal balance to be balanced out or at least reduced.
What can I expect from Hormone Yoga?
If you have practiced other forms of yoga, you will recognize a lot of things about hormone yoga. But the exercises are carried out with a different focus: the focus of the practice is directing energy through the combination of postures, breathing work and directing consciousness.
Hormone yoga works on several levels and can be supportive for different issues: unfulfilled desire to have children, menstrual cycle problems and PMS or during menopause.
Who developed Hormone Yoga?
The Brazilian Dinah Rodrigues developed hormonal yoga therapy in 1992 after she had gone through menopause without any symptoms thanks to her years of Hatha Yoga practice. In 1993, she was able to prove in a scientific study that hormone yoga can help restore the hormonal balance of our body.
Hormone Yoga: How does it work and who is it suitable for?
In principle, all people who suffer from symptoms due to unbalanced hormone levels can achieve improvement through hormone yoga. It is particularly recommended for women aged around 35 and over, as this is when natural hormone production begins to decline.
However, there are also contraindications: women with cancer, fibroids, endometriosis, high blood pressure, hyperthyroidism or inflammation should under no circumstances practice hormone yoga. This activating practice is also discouraged during menstruation. There are also other health problems where increasing estrogen levels can have a negative impact.
Since the hormonal system influences so many areas of the body, you should always first check with a doctor whether these types of exercises are suitable.
How does hormone yoga work?
As chemical messengers, hormones regulate breathing, blood pressure, our metabolism, appetite, the sleep-wake rhythm and sexual function. If natural hormone production is too low due to increasing age or other causes, we can counteract this with hormone yoga. The exercises are based on the principle of energy control and have a direct effect on the hormonal glands and organs .
The activating breathing techniques Bhastrika and Ujjayi quickly release a lot of heat and energy in the body, which is then consciously directed to the ovaries and the thyroid .
Relaxation is considered to play a particularly important role in hormone yoga, as stress negatively affects the production of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone.
How effective is hormone yoga?
The hormonal system not only works differently depending on our age, but also reacts to changing living conditions. Stress is a big factor here and can noticeably throw the hormonal balance out of balance.
The exercises themselves have a very good effect on the hormonal glands due to the targeted energy control and stimulation. With regular practice, hormone production can be increased by up to 200%.
The effect of relaxation that yoga practice brings on a physical and mental level should not be underestimated. Relief from symptoms can often be noticed within a week. Practiced over a longer period of time, hormone yoga can significantly improve women's well-being.
Is Hormone Yoga specifically for menopausal women?
Dinah Rodrigues developed hormone yoga specifically to help women prepare for menopause and go through it with less pain. But it's not just menopausal women who benefit from exercise. Even if you have an irregular cycle or an unfulfilled desire to have children, hormone yoga can be an effective method to help the body return to healthy function.
What complaints does hormone yoga help against?
For younger women who suffer from menstrual pain, PMS or other cycle disorders, hormone yoga can be a good alternative to synthetic hormone supplements. These complaints are often caused by a hormonal imbalance, for example an excess of estrogen.
If you want to have children, hormone yoga supports the activation of the ovaries and can thus increase the likelihood of pregnancy.
Hormone yoga is best known in connection with classic menopausal symptoms. With regular practice, these can often be alleviated within a short period of time.
Hormone yoga during menopause
When should you start hormone yoga?
If women are already going through menopause and are struggling with symptoms, they can relieve them quickly and naturally through hormone yoga. It is even better to start exercising before menopause so that no symptoms arise in the first place.
A daily practice of around 30 minutes over a longer period of time is enough to feel the effect.
Yoga during menopause: What symptoms does menopause bring with it?
When menopausal symptoms are mentioned, most people think of hot flashes and insomnia. Hair loss, headaches and joint problems are also common. But the symptoms do not only occur on a physical level. Many women also suffer from mood swings, restlessness, listlessness and depression on a psychological level. The hormonal changes in the body can cause them to become mentally unbalanced and not recognize themselves.
Hormone yoga if you want to have children
In order to find out whether hormone yoga can help you with an unfulfilled desire to have children, it is important to first find out why pregnancy does not occur. The reasons for this can be very diverse: from stress, to cycle fluctuations, to health problems with the ovaries. If the desired pregnancy does not occur due to a hormonal imbalance, hormone yoga can be one of several effective remedies. But it's worth starting in several places at the same time.
Hormone yoga: exercises
Hormone yoga involves practicing a fixed sequence of exercises that are specifically selected and coordinated to stimulate hormone production.
Which exercises belong to the hormone yoga?
The hormone yoga exercises mainly include those that stimulate the ovaries, the thyroid and the pituitary gland. The exercises are held more statically while breathing using the Bhastrika breathing technique or Ujjayi.
Which yoga exercises help against period pain?
There are various causes of period pain, but most are caused by the contraction of the muscles in the uterus. To relieve this pain, gentle hip openers such as the seated or lying butterfly (Baddha Konasana), the deep lunge (Anjaneyasana), and Shavasana with a rolled blanket under the knees are suitable.
What exercises are included in a typical hormone yoga class?
Hormone yoga combines some classic asanas with four basic techniques to specifically direct energy in the body:
-
Bhastrika Pranayama:
Bhastrika breathing is a powerful breathing exercise that activates a lot of energy (prana) in the body and generates internal heat. To do this, the stomach is arched forward like a bellows when inhaling and actively retracted again when exhaling. This massages the ovaries.
-
Ujjayi Pranayama:
The glottis narrows, allowing the flow of breath to be channeled and audible. This technique calms, helps with concentration and massages the thyroid.
-
Mula Bandha:
The muscles of the pelvic floor create a kind of closure on the underside of the body in order to consciously keep the energy in the body.
-
Tibetan energy direction:
While holding your breath, the tip of your tongue is pressed to the upper palate and your concentration is directed at the tip of your nose. This involves visualizing the direction of energy to the ovaries or the thyroid.
The following asanas belong to the Hormone Yoga exercise series:
Exercises for the ovaries
- Lunge
- Deep Squat (Malasana)
- Half Dove (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)
- Head-to-Knee Position (Janu Sirsasana)
- Half Twist Seat (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
Exercises for the thyroid
- Shoulder Bridge (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
- Fish (Matsyasana)
- Shoulder Stand (Sarvangasana)
Relaxation is one of the most important aspects of hormone yoga. Therefore, you should always end your practice with Shavasana. To do this, lie on your back for at least 5 minutes and allow yourself to let go
Hormone yoga: experiences and goals
Hormone yoga is primarily intended to restore the balance of the hormonal balance in the body. As a result, cycle or menopausal symptoms can be alleviated. In some cases, practice can also help you fulfill your desire to have children.
Are there many testimonials?
When researching on the Internet, you can find many personal stories, such as Hormone Yoga
Women could help with their complaints or their previously unfulfilled desire to have children. But there are now also scientific studies on the topic. The publications often address the question of what natural alternatives there are to hormone replacement therapy after it was discovered that it can promote cancer.
Despite the different needs, hormone yoga is an effective support for many women. It is crucial not only to do the physical exercises every day, but also to be mentally present and direct the energy into the appropriate areas of the body.
Image Links: Header Image: ©fizkes