Your hormones may be a little chaotic these days.
I know mine are.
For me, I notice it in my cycle which has been unpredictable over the past few months.
I get heart palpitations every so often.
I get bloated more easily.
I’m more prone to gaining belly fat.
I feel more aches and pains in my joints.
And I had a few months of acid reflux.
Stress is definitely something that makes these things appear or get worse for me.
And although hot flashes haven’t yet been a thing, I know stress is culprit in those too.
But I feel really fortunate to know my body.
I know when it needs relief.
When I need to pause.
Get calm.
And yoga is a big part of how I learned that, and how I do that.
Yoga feels good… and that’s a good thing
Not just the postures, but the breathing and the meditation aspects of it, too.
Yoga has been studied and shown scientifically to calm the nervous system.
And for me, yoga class was the first time I learned about connecting my breath and body, and how to myself down.
Yoga also builds strength and gives me satisfaction when I hold myself in Warrior or Plank.
And I love the release I get when hanging in a forward fold.
Or lying down in savasana.
It all feels so good.
And feeling good is a good thing.
Feeling good isn’t a luxury.
It’s so important.
When your body feels good it means you’ve got what you need.
When it feels uncomfortable, out of control, or in pain, it means you’re not getting what you need.
Your body is a barometer
Your body tells you when something in your life isn’t working.
And in perimenopause, which is a time of transition, your body just magnifies any issues that are already there.
Just like having a baby magnifies any relationship issues.
Your lifestyle Issues become magnified in perimenopause.
So, if you’ve got a stressful job, or difficult relationships, or you overeat, or overdrink, your body will scream in perimenopause.
Hot flashes, migraines, reflux, joint pain, bloating, heavy periods!
That’s how your body screams.
It’s trying to get your attention.
And it’s up to you to listen.
Yes, you can try hormone therapy, but it doesn’t solve the root of what’s going on.
It just has the possibility of relieving certain symptoms.
But studies are showing that Yoga is an effective and powerful tool at relieving symptoms, too.
And at helping you resolve what’s at the root.
It actually connects your mind to your body, away from distraction.
And helps you realize that your body isn’t betraying you.
It’s just doing it’s job and speaking up.
Yoga helps you listen
When you spend your days consumed with ticking tasks off your list, you’re disconnected from yourself.
And that’s ok, as long as you also make time for connecting.
Yoga is one way to connect and check in with yourself.
It helps you pause and listen to what’s going on.
And yoga also been demonstrated ot help build muscle strength, bone mass, and balance.
All things we lose as we age.
And yoga just feels good.
It stretches, strengthens, relaxes, and calms.
I teach yoga because it does all this, and it’s done so much for me personally.
It’s definitely protected me from injury because it’s given me better posture, balance, flexibility, and strength.
And I believe it’s made me a lot less afraid of uncertainty because each time I practice, I connect with something much deeper and more expansive than just me.
And I know that It’s helped me release my issues with anxiety, and become a calmer, more present mother, partner, and coach.
Is yoga part of your perimenopause tool kit?
If you’ve never done it, or even if you have, I’d love you to join me for the spring session of Belly Fit Yoga starting on April 12th.
We meet online twice a week, 30 minutes on Tuesday mornings, and 60 minutes on Thursday evenings.
Don’t worry, you can turn your camera off.
And all classes are recorded, so you can do them even if you can’t make it live.
The style is Hatha, and it’s done with lots of instruction from me, so every level is welcome.
I guarantee you’ll feel better after each class.
And that will carry on into your day, and into your life.
A domino effect of goodness.
Keep moving forward,
Debbie
P.S. Join us for a new spring session of Belly Fit Yoga beginning April 12th. Here are the details: https://debbie-harbec.lpages.co/belly-fit-yoga-spring-2022
P.P.S. Yoga is free for my coaching clients! If you are a coaching client, or would like to be, I believe yoga is a great compliment to what we do in coaching. Just REPLY to this email if you’d like to find out more.