Feminine hormones define everything about a woman, her heath, her appearance, her thoughts, her behaviour & how she looks & feels! Women’s hormonal health has become a global feminine health concern in last few years and one out of every four women may complain of the symptoms of hormonal imbalance including menstrual disorders, PMS, fibroids, PCOD, irregular periods, difficulty losing weight, feeling emotionally off, tiredness, bloating, anxiety, acne, hair loss, ovarian cysts, irritability, mood swings, bulging belly, skin breakouts, aging skin, hot flashes, insomnia, migraine, sagging skin and loss of youthfulness. While a lot of women many seek medical assistance for these symptoms, the symptoms arising out of hormonal imbalance can only be reversed or healed by bringing about balance in the endocrine & nervous system.
Yoga for feminine hormones is a preventive approach to practicing yoga and avoiding the build-up of health conditions caused by the low hormone level, such as osteoporosis and heart health conditions.
Hormonal Yoga works on reactivating the glands for efficient functioning, and the practice involves asana practice combined with pranayamas and energy practices to fuel hormonal health at a deeper level.
Stress management receives a special attention in hormonal yoga as it is scientifically proven that stress is very harmful to the production of estrogen and progesterone, the two most important female hormones. Practices including breathwork and deep relaxation practices like Yoga Nidra deeply help combat stress impact effectively.
Areas of Focus for Feminine Hormonal Balance
v Parasympathetic Nervous System: Activating parasympathetic response of the body is a state in which all functions of the body perform at its peak capacity including endocrine glands that naturally brings about balance in hormonal health. This can be achieved by deep breathing practices and deep relaxation practices.
v Brain, Pituitary Gland & Nervous System: Brain is the master controller of the body that sends out signals to the pituitary gland which is the master controller of the hormonal system in the body. Nervous system sends out this communication of balance or distress to the brain, based on which the brain directs the pituitary gland to behave a certain way and the cycle of balanced or imbalanced hormones begins that point on. Balancing these three systems with pranayama, meditations and yoga asana practices that include inversions helps improve internal communication, that naturally improves the hormonal health.
v Endocrine system for hormonal balance of stress & sex hormones: Stress can completely off-balance sex hormones (feminine hormones) estrogen & progesterone. It is important to bring down the stress levels to bring balance in these feminine hormones. Practices like pranayama soothe the nervous system and the nervous system sends out calming signals to the brain with breath manipulation.
v Pelvic Floor: Pelvic floor exercises with focus on kegel approach can support activation of pelvic floor muscles & improve supply of blood to the pelvis & reproductive organs. This nourishes & strengthens the reproductive organs including uterus & kidneys and helps improve the production & flow of feminine hormones supporting feminine hormonal health.
v Kidneys & Adrenals: Healthy kidneys and less taxed adrenal glands highly support feminine health. Back bends, pranayama practices, meditation, stimulate kidneys & detoxify them and supply blood to the adrenals to help flush out excess cortisol (stress hormone) from the blood. This helps reduce stress levels and strengthen the kidneys.
Benefits of Hormonal Yoga
- Helps regularize irregular monthly cycle
- Reduces the occurrence of PCOD, fibroid & cyst conditions
- Helps reduce fatigue, weight and high blood sugar levels
- Improves reproductive health, improves fertility, & delays menopause
- Improves metabolism and calms the nervous system
- Stimulates the production of endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin, the feel-good hormones
- Leads to rejuvenated, flexible body with firm, smooth skin
- Reduces PMS symptoms
- Provides relief from nasty women’s health symptoms including hot flashes, mood swings, sweating, and insomnia
Improves energy levels drastically