Embracing Wellness: Yoga and Functional Training for Perimenopause and Menopause

As women approach and enter the stages of perimenopause and menopause, the physical and emotional changes can be overwhelming. This transitional period often brings symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings, sleep disturbances, and weight gain. While these changes are a natural part of ageing, they can be challenging to navigate. Embracing a holistic wellness approach, such as the integrative programs offered by Asana Tribe Yoga, can significantly improve the quality of life during this time.

The Power of Yoga and Functional Training

Yoga, known for its profound benefits in promoting relaxation and flexibility, combined with functional training, which focuses on improving strength and mobility, offers a powerful remedy for the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. This combination can enhance physical fitness and weight training, alleviate stress, and improve overall well-being.

Yoga helps in:

• Reducing stress and anxiety through breathwork and meditation.

• Improving flexibility and balance, which can decline with age.

• Enhancing sleep quality, crucial for managing menopausal symptoms.

Functional Training focuses on:

• Strengthening muscles to support bones, is crucial as the risk of osteoporosis increases.

• Enhancing cardiovascular health, which can be affected by hormonal changes.

• Improving mobility and functional movements, making daily activities easier and more enjoyable.

• Working with weights, resistant bands and bodyweight exercises to increase your strength and overall fitness.

Asana Tribe Yoga's Integrative Approach

At Asana Tribe Yoga, we understand that every woman's journey through perimenopause and menopause is unique. That's why we offer personalized training plans that integrate yoga, breathwork, meditation, and fitness coaching, providing a comprehensive approach to wellness.

Personalized Evaluation

Our process begins with a thorough evaluation of your training and wellness goals. During this initial assessment, we take the time to understand your specific symptoms, fitness levels, lifestyle, and personal preferences. This personalized approach ensures that the program we design is tailored to meet your individual needs.

Bespoke Sessions

Based on your evaluation, we create bespoke sessions that combine the best of yoga and functional training. These sessions are designed to help you achieve your wellness goals, whether it’s reducing stress, improving sleep, gaining strength, or enhancing flexibility. Each session incorporates:

• Yoga Asanas (Postures): Tailored to your flexibility and strength levels.

• Breathwork (Pranayama): Techniques to help manage stress and improve lung capacity.

• Meditation: Guided practices to promote mental clarity, goal-setting and emotional balance.

• Functional Training: Exercises with bodyweight and equipment that enhance muscle strength, joint health, and overall physical resilience to prevent issues such as osteoporosis.
  

• Ongoing Tracking and Adjustments: Achieving wellness is an ongoing journey. At Asana Tribe Yoga, we believe in continuous support and adaptation. We track your progress regularly to ensure that your goals are being met. This includes:

• Monitoring improvements in strength, flexibility, and overall fitness.

• Assessing changes in symptoms and overall well-being.

• Adjusting the training plan as needed to align with new goals or to address any emerging challenges.

Through feedback and personalised planning, we help you stay on track and progress towards your wellness and fitness goals.

Join the Tribe for a Holistic Wellness Journey

Navigating perimenopause and menopause can be smoother and more empowering with the right support and practices. Asana Tribe Yoga offers a sanctuary where you can embrace this phase of life with confidence and vitality. Our integrative approach ensures you receive the physical, mental, and emotional support needed to thrive during these years.

Embark on your wellness journey with Asana Tribe Yoga, where personalized care and holistic practices come together to nurture your body, mind, and spirit.

Embrace the change with strength, flexibility, and a peaceful mind. Join us today and discover the transformative power of yoga and functional training tailored just for you.

Book a free 30-minute discovery call to see how you can benefit from a personalised training program!

Is Yoga For Men?

Exploring Its History and Benefits for Male Practitioners

Yoga dates back thousands of years, has often been associated with a predominantly female practice in contemporary Western culture. However, delving into the history of yoga reveals a tradition deeply rooted in masculinity and strength. From its inception in ancient India to its modern-day global popularity, yoga has always welcomed practitioners of all genders. So, is yoga for men? Let's explore this question by examining the history of yoga and the myriad benefits it offers male practitioners.

The Historical Perspective

Yoga originated in ancient India, where it was primarily practised by male ascetics seeking spiritual enlightenment and physical prowess. The earliest yogis were men who dedicated their lives to mastering the mind and body through rigorous discipline and meditation. They developed various yoga techniques to achieve heightened states of consciousness and tap into inner strength.

One of the foundational texts of yoga, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, compiled around 400 CE, outlines the philosophy and practices of yoga. Its teachings were predominantly aimed at male practitioners striving for self-realization and liberation from suffering.

Throughout history, renowned yogis and gurus, such as Swami Vivekananda and Paramahansa Yogananda, were instrumental in popularizing yoga both in India and the West. They emphasized the transformative power of yoga to cultivate physical vitality, mental clarity, and spiritual growth, appealing to men seeking holistic well-being.

The Modern Perception

In recent decades, yoga has experienced a significant surge in popularity worldwide, transcending cultural and gender boundaries. However, despite its inclusive nature, there remains a lingering misconception that yoga is primarily for women. This perception may stem from the portrayal of yoga in mainstream media, often depicting it as a gentle and passive practice unsuitable for men.

Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. Yoga offers a diverse range of styles and practices to suit individuals of all ages, fitness levels, and gender identities. Whether it's the dynamic flow of Vinyasa, the strength-building poses of Hatha, or the meditative stillness of Yin, there's a yoga practice tailored to meet the unique needs of men.

Benefits of Yoga for Men

1. Physical Strength and Flexibility: Many men are drawn to yoga for its ability to improve muscular strength, flexibility, and endurance. Yoga poses, or asanas, target various muscle groups, helping men develop a balanced and resilient physique.

2. Stress Reduction and Mental Well-being: In today's fast-paced world, men face immense pressure to perform and succeed in their careers and personal lives. Yoga provides a sanctuary for men to unwind, de-stress, and cultivate mental resilience through mindful breathing and meditation.

3. Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation: Yoga can be a valuable complement to other forms of physical activity such as CrossFit and cycling, helping men prevent injuries and recover from sports-related or work-related strains. By promoting proper alignment and body awareness, yoga reduces the risk of common injuries and enhances overall athletic performance.

4. Emotional Intelligence and Self-awareness: Yoga encourages men to cultivate greater self-awareness and emotional intelligence by exploring their thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment. This heightened awareness fosters healthier relationships, effective communication, and greater emotional resilience.
   

Conclusion

In conclusion, yoga is unequivocally for men, as it has been for countless generations throughout history. Its rich tradition and diverse practices offer a holistic path to physical vitality, mental clarity, and spiritual awakening. By embracing yoga as an integral part of their wellness routine, men can unlock their full potential and lead fulfilling lives grounded in balance, strength, and inner peace. So, to all the men out there wondering if yoga is for them – the answer is a resounding yes.

Whether you're a seasoned yogi or a curious beginner, the transformative benefits of yoga await you on the mat. It's time to dispel the myths, break down the barriers, and reclaim yoga as a practice for all. After all, the true essence of yoga transcends gender, inviting every individual to awaken their fullest potential and live life to its fullest.

Injury Recovery through Yoga

I remember the frustration of being injured, having torn my rotator cuff and having suffered chronic tendinitis for years to the point where I could not even lift my arm to get dressed or brush my hair. Multiple trips to the physiotherapists, traumatologists led to more frustration, with doctors telling me that I should rest and that the only exercise I could do was walking. For a person who had been active all throughout her life, this was a nightmare.

I remember the feeling of frustration. with the body I inhabited, loathing how I had become trapped in this situation where I saw no escape and didn't know whether I would ever be able to have a life without this constant dull, aching pain.

Determined to build strength despite my condition, I learned to do yoga and exercises at home. Focusing on abdominals and legs and any exercises that did not rely on my shoulders or arms. Exercise and yoga classes in studios were no longer an option, as trainers were unwilling or unable to adapt their classes to my injury. But I persisted through very slow progress with resistance bands and light weights to build strength slowly in my shoulder and arms, adapting the exercises so that I would not load the wrists or arms.

If you are struggling through injury recovery, yoga can be a powerful tool to help you throughout this process. Perhaps, you cannot join a group class, but private one-to-one sessions with an experienced professional can help you gain the confidence and overcome the fear of working through an injury. Here, we will look at how a yoga practice can guide you through one of the most frustrating and difficult periods of your life: injury.

Acceptance and self love

One of the important things that I learnt through yoga was acceptance, acceptance of my body and where I was at in my practice. Having never been an overly flexible person, I was always the student in class who felt like I was never good enough, until I learned that yoga is an individual practice and to leave everything outside the mat, forgoing competition and comparison. Yoga is not about the ego and comparing yourself with others, but working with your own body and your own limitations. Perhaps today you don't feel as strong as yesterday, or you feel more flexible, yoga is meeting your body where it is at and treating your body with respect and love. How does this pose feel in my body today? How do I feel after the practice? These are points to focus on when working through an injury.

This too shall pass

Life is a state of impermanence. We go through periods of sickness and become well, we go through periods of sadness and then feel happy, everything is a constantly evolving, temporary state. Through yoga and acceptance, you can also rest assured that what you are experiencing now shall pass. Frustration at not being able to do a pose is transformed into ease when you master the pose. Everything that was difficult once can also become accessible. Instead of berating yourself and focusing on your injury, you can find wonder in the body's power to heal from illness and injury. Think of all the times when you've felt ill and how you never thought you would get better, or perhaps a time when you sprained a wrist or ankle, or broke a bone, and your body healed from that, even though it may have taken a little bit of time.

Of course, there are illnesses that are chronic, and we do not recover from, but we can be compassionate with our body and have the confidence that there are bad days and good days, and we can always work with wherever we are at the present moment.

One of my favourite poems that helped me throughout my recovery journey was written by Nikita Gill:

"Please be gentle with your body.

It loves you more than anyone or anything in this world.

It fixes every cut, every wound, every broken bone, and fights off so many illnesses, sometimes without you even knowing about it.

Even when you punish it, it is still there for you, struggling to keep you alive, to keep you breathing.

Your body is an ocean full of love.

So, please be kind to it.

It's doing the very best it can."

Modify, modify, modify

The secret to an exercise or yoga routine while you are recovering is to modify, modify, modify. Wrist pain in a plank, you can make fists and load the weight on your knuckles, come down onto your knees to reduce the weight on your arms, come to a forearm plank or throw out any of these wrist bearing poses altogether and come to dolphin pose. If you're at the beginning of your strength building journey of recovery, the wall is a fantastic tool to help reduce the amount of weight you are loading into your arms and wrists. This is a mere example of one common injury: wrists. There are countless adaptations and modifications for knee, shoulder injuries.

Yoga is an accessible practice with endless ways to adapt it for accessibility. It is not only for the flexible, you may be surprised, but adaptive yoga can be done by everyone, even if you are differently abled. A fantastic book by Dianne Bondy called Yoga for Everyone is an inclusive and inspiring book that truly conveys the true message of yoga, that it is a practice that anyone can benefit from and anyone can do.

Remember, our best friends in yoga are blocks, straps, knee pads and any other props that will help make your practice more easeful, as well as giving yourself the permission to rest and opt out of any part of your practice.

Breathe in, breathe out

The breath is a powerful tool that is harnessed in yoga through the practice of Pranayama. The breath is the only bodily function we can truly control, we can slow the breath, reduce our heart rate and calm the mind, stimulating the parasympathetic system to rest and recover. Focusing on your breath during meditation and yoga is a powerful method to work through any physical pain in your body. You can imagine with your exhalation sending this feeling of release to any areas of pain and tightness, releasing the breath with an open mouth and visualise letting go of the pain. The breath will be your ally in finding depth in postures, but it is also a signal from your body for when you need to pull out from a pose, because it is becoming ragged or uneven. The breath will be your indicator into how deep into a pose you should go today, and is a way to bring your focus away from pain or discomfort and into a rhythm of inhalation and exhalation.

Body awareness is an essential practice to cultivate as it can educate you of the difference between pain and discomfort, something that we have lost touch with in our everyday lives. If you experience sharp pain that stops whenever you pull out of the pose, it is a sign that you are not pushing your limits, but causing possible damage. With chronic pain, it is recommended to be aware of where the line crosses from discomfort to sharp and unpleasant pain, which is a sensation that has no place in a yoga practice.

When we understand that we need to meet our body where it is at, wherever that may be now, we will be able to grow and begin to recover from injury, with the loving acceptance, kindness, and compassion our bodies truly deserve.

Have you experienced an injury and healed through yoga? What has been your experience? If you would like to reach out to me and find out more about healing the body through yoga, feel free to reach me at asanatribeyogaspain@gmail.com

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, and this article is based on my personal experiences of recovery through yoga, it is always important to consult a medical professional before beginning your yoga journey. Yoga is not a complete cure for any injury or illness and should always be accompanied by the advice of a medical professional if you are suffering from a chronic or acute injury or illness.