Menopause is the natural biological process wherein a woman ceases to experience a menstrual period, and is often accompanied by a variety of physical and emotional symptoms brought on by hormonal changes within the body. Some yogis believe that common menopause symptoms can be controlled and transformed through kundalini yoga, a practice style that blends meditation, movement and breathing techniques to move energy within the body and expand consciousness. While doctors do recommend yoga as a beneficial practice for menopausal women, kundalini is a specifically spiritual branch of yoga and should not be pursued as a form of medical treatment.
Menopause symptoms
Official medical definition pinpoints menopause as occurring 12 months after a woman's last period; but since there is no determinant onset age or duration for this process, every woman will manifest unique symptoms and understanding of the physical and emotional changes that take place during this time. Perimenopause is the period during which a woman will begin experiencing such symptoms. These are often compared to those associated with PMS and pregnancy and may include irregular periods, vaginal dryness, hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings, weight gain, hair loss and decreases in breast fullness.
Kundalini Yoga
The practice of kundalini yoga is rooted in the tantric yoga tradition and incorporates movement exercises, meditations, chanting and dynamic breathing into a spiritual practice designed to awaken and raise kundalini -- the traditionally defined serpent power or life force collected at the base of the spine -- throughout the seven chakras. When practitioners of kundalini yoga succeed in raising kundalini from the root chakra to the seventh or crown chakra, they claim to experience an expanded, higher form of consciousness.
Theoretical benefits
Susun S. Weed, author of several herbal medicine and holistic women's health books including "New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way: Alternative Approaches for Women 30-90," writes that there are many similarities between symptoms of menopause and the process of awakening kundalini. Weed explains that, according to women's folklore, kundalini energy is coiled in the uterus rather than at the base of the spine. This makes the energy especially difficult to control during menopause, and results in typical perimenopausal symptoms. According to kundalini yogic philosophy, "if the energy centers triggered by kundalini are resistant to being activated, symptoms may get worse instead of remising," but "when menopausal symptoms are understood as energy movement (or lack of it), women feel more at ease" and can use their symptoms "as a way to pinpoint areas that need special nourishment." Ultimately, once kundalini is able to move freely throughout the seven chakras, "symptoms subside, and overall energy increases."
Considerations
Yoga is a medically recognized strategy for managing perimenopausal symptoms. Preliminary studies have shown that the postures, breathing exercises and meditations performed within a regular yoga practice may help decrease hot flashes, and natural relaxation techniques and exercise are an important part of overall stress reduction and mood stabilization. In conjunction with a regular yoga practice, theories like those put forth by Weed are in keeping with kundalini yoga teachings and may help some women cope with symptoms of menopause. Spiritual yoga practices are not intended to replace medical advice or treatment, however, and should only be undertaken on a personally determined basis.
