Yoga for menopause: 10 calming practices that can help

Physical WellbeingWomen's Health

Jul 3

Written By Calm Editorial Team

Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA

Using yoga for menopause symptoms like hot flashes, anxiety, and sleep issues can be a game-changer. Explore the different types to try, as well as 10 tips to get started.

Menopause doesn’t always arrive quietly. You might be totally fine one day, and then the next, your sleep, mood, body temperature, and maybe even your sense of self, start to shift. Sweating through a work meeting or crying over a dog food commercial seemingly out of the blue, anyone?

Symptoms of menopause can include everything from hot flashes and hormone shifts to mental fog, fractured sleep, and uninvited anxiety. It can be a rocky road, and sometimes, what you need most is a gentle place to land. That’s where yoga and mindfulness come in.

Yoga, especially when practiced with care, can offer real relief and soothe a jittery nervous system. Connecting with your breath and body can help you find calm, even when your body doesn’t feel entirely like yours anymore. Here’s how to use yoga for menopause to meet you exactly where you are.

What is yoga for menopause?

Yoga for menopause simply refers to using yoga principles to support your body and mind during hormonal shifts. Unlike fitness-focused yoga, this style is slower, softer, and more centered on rest, breath, and emotional balance.

This is why you’ll often see a combination of breathwork, gentle movement, and supported poses using pillows or blankets, as opposed to flexibility or strength-based practices. Here, the goal is to meet your body with kindness, not critique.

How yoga can help ease menopause symptoms

Menopause brings a wave of changes that can feel disorienting physically, emotionally, and mentally. The symptoms can be layered and unpredictable, from hot flashes and disrupted sleep to anxiety, joint pain, and brain fog. And while yoga isn’t a replacement for medical care, it can offer gentle, research-backed ways to support your wellbeing throughout the transition.

Certain breathing techniques, like cooling breath or alternate nostril breathing, might help regulate your temperature through hot flashes. Restorative yoga and yoga nidra are especially helpful for sleep, letting your body move out of stress mode and into a state of rest.

In terms of mental health, breathwork and slow movement aim to calm the nervous system and support mood-regulating hormones, helping to ease irritability, anxiety, and emotional overwhelm. Yoga also keeps you moving in a low-impact, sustainable way, which can reduce joint stiffness and improve circulation as your estrogen levels decline.

But maybe most importantly, yoga creates space to reconnect with yourself. It encourages presence over perfection, and during a time when your body and identity might feel unfamiliar, this is the kind of support that can be transformative.

5 types of yoga to do for menopause

Don’t worry — You don’t need to twist yourself into a pretzel to get the benefits of yoga. These practices are soft and still, designed to meet your body exactly where it is — and yes, that includes aching joints, hot flashes, emotional spirals, and all.

Below are five types of yoga that can be especially helpful during menopause, and you don’t have to pick just one type. Think of these styles as tools in your wellbeing toolkit, and mix and match based on what you need that day. Some days call for stillness, while others ask for gentle strength. All of it counts.

1. Restorative yoga

Think of this type of yoga as a long, cozy exhale. Restorative yoga uses props, such as pillows, blankets, and bolsters to fully support your body in each pose. You might spend 5-10 minutes in a single posture, with no stretching or straining, as the goal is deep rest and a nervous system reset.

Why it helps: It’s calming for the mind, can reduce cortisol levels, and help counteract anxiety, insomnia, and emotional fatigue.

2. Yin yoga

Yin yoga targets the connective tissues (think ligaments, fascia, and joints) through long, passive holds. It’s still and slow, but the act of sitting with yourself in each pose can also feel intense at times. This is why people often say that yin yoga brings emotional release, which can feel especially important during this season of change. (Learn more about the 11 benefits of yoga for women.)

Why it helps: It’s great for joint stiffness, hormonal mood swings, and that vague sense of restlessness that sometimes hits for no reason at all.

3. Hatha yoga

Hatha is the gentle, slower-paced cousin of the more athletic vinyasa classes. It focuses on basic postures, mindful transitions, and breath awareness. If you’re new to yoga or feeling physically off-balance, Hatha is a safe and accessible entry point.

Why it helps: Hatha can build strength and balance without overwhelming the body, and offers enough structure to ground you without the pressure to perform.

4. Yoga nidra

Often called “yogic sleep,” yoga nidra is a guided meditation typically practiced while lying down. You’re led through a sequence of visualizations, body scans, and breath cues. It can be even more restful than a nap, and it’s ideal if you don’t have a lot of time.

Why it helps: It’s a powerful tool for sleep support, nervous system regulation, and easing mental load. If your brain won’t shut off at night, this practice can help.

5. Pranayama (breathwork)

Breath is a core part of every yoga practice, but you don’t need to use a mat or even move your body to benefit from breathwork. Pranayama techniques like alternate nostril breathing (nadi shodhana) or cooling breath (sitali) can be practiced anytime, anywhere.

Why it helps: It regulates temperature, soothes hot flashes, and creates a sense of spaciousness in the body and mind. Pranayama can also provide on-the-spot symptom relief.

How to get started with yoga for menopause: 10 mindful tips

Starting (or restarting) a yoga practice during menopause doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or time-consuming. The best way to get started is with whatever feels best to you, making sure to have compassion for your body and everything it’s going through.

Here are 10 judgment-free tips to help you make yoga work for you during menopause.

1. Start where you are

You don’t need to roll out a mat or change into leggings to start. Instead, work on a few seated stretches in your living room, or do some gentle twists in bed before sleep. After all, one of the most supportive things about yoga is its flexibility. It meets you exactly where you are.

2. Keep it short and sweet

Consistency matters more than duration: A 10-minute session three times a week can be more beneficial than a single long class, as long as you keep doing it. It can also be surprisingly affordable, since there are so many free yoga nidra audios, short YouTube sessions, and apps that make it easier to sneak yoga into your day. (Learn how to develop new habits mindfully.)

💙 Start with this simple Nurturing Yourself mindful movement practice with Mel Mah.

3. Use all the props

Pile on all the props, including blankets, bolsters, blocks, and cushions. Menopause can make your body more sensitive to pressure, inflammation, and overstretching, so props help support your joints, reduce strain, and make your poses feel more luxurious than effortful.

If you don’t have any props, you can even improvise by using a couch cushion, a rolled towel, or a stack of books.

4. Focus on how it feels, not how it looks

If a pose feels painful, awkward, or just wrong, you have full permission to skip it. And if lying on your back feels grounding, stay there. It’s about body trust, not visual aesthetics.

💙 Learn how to tune into your body with this Body Scan meditation with Tamara Levitt.

5. Practice when symptoms show up

Yoga can be incredibly responsive to your body’s moment-to-moment needs, so use specific tools to target your symptoms.

For instance, if you woke up in a foggy haze, try a few energizing sun breaths. If there’s a hot flash coming on, make sure to pause for a cooling breath. Go into a child's pose when you’re overwhelmed.

Small, simple moments will help you in real time, and it’s one of the biggest benefits of yoga.

6. Embrace slowness

Choosing stillness might feel unnatural to you, but it’ll help you more than you know. If you allow yourself to lie down and breathe for just 15 minutes, you may be able to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and regulate your hormonal chaos.

7. Use your breath as an anchor

Breathwork alone is incredibly powerful. Try the 4-7-8 breathing before bed, or alternate nostril breathing in the morning to balance your energy. These small practices can have a big impact on anxiety, mood swings, and even hot flashes.

💙 Stress less with the SOS Breathwork session with Chibs Okereke.

8. Build a ritual

Create tiny rituals that make your practice feel like a gift to yourself. For instance, light a candle before breathwork, put on calming music, or unroll your mat in your favorite sunny corner. If doing yoga feels good, you’re more likely to return to it.

💙 Learn how to turn your everyday moments into rituals during the Power of Ritual session with Casper Ter Kuile.

9. Silence your inner critic

Menopause can stir up body image issues, self-doubt, and frustration, while yoga is exactly the opposite — a practice of self-compassion. If you can’t get a pose or feel too drained one day to practice, try not to beat yourself up. You deserve gentleness, especially during this time.

10. Find a community

If practicing alone feels hard, look for a community to keep you motivated and inspired. You could try some online classes geared toward menopause, or ask a friend to try an in-person class with you. Connection, either digital or in-person, can make this practice feel less isolating.

Yoga for menopause FAQs

What’s the best type of yoga for menopause?

The best type of yoga for menopause is the one that feels doable and supportive for your body, mood, and energy levels on any given day. That said, many people find restorative yoga and yin yoga especially helpful.

These styles emphasize stillness, deep rest, and nervous system regulation, all of which can be incredibly soothing when hormones are in flux.

Can yoga really help with hot flashes and sleep problems?

While yoga isn’t a medical treatment for hot flashes or insomnia, it can be a powerful tool for reducing their intensity and impact. Practices that focus on breathwork and relaxation, like yoga nidra or cooling breath, can help manage body temperature and lower stress hormones. This may reduce how often or how severely hot flashes occur.

Similarly, incorporating even short sessions of gentle yoga into your evening routine can calm the nervous system and improve sleep quality over time. Think of it less as a cure and more as a way to create a calmer internal environment that’s more conducive to rest and recovery.

Are there any mental health benefits of doing yoga for menopause?

Yes. The emotional rollercoaster of menopause — anxiety, mood swings, irritability, and grief — is real, and yoga can offer a steadying anchor when everything feels untethered. Breathwork and mindful movement have been shown to reduce stress, elevate mood, and increase emotional resilience.

Yoga also cultivates self-awareness and body acceptance, so it can help you feel more grounded during a time when your identity and physical experience may be shifting. You can then be with your experience in a way that’s kind, curious, and nonjudgmental.

Is there a specific yoga routine for menopause symptoms?

There’s no single routine that works for everyone because menopause doesn’t look the same for everyone. But depending on your symptoms, you could look for sequences that have been tailored to cater to common menopause symptoms like joint pain, fatigue, and anxiety.

A typical routine might include grounding poses, like child’s pose or legs-up-the-wall, paired with calming breathwork and long, restorative rest at the end. If you’re not sure where to start, look for beginner-friendly classes online labeled “restorative,” “yin,” or, “menopause support.” Even a handful of go-to poses you enjoy can become your personal routine.

How often should I do yoga during menopause?

Instead of focusing on a random number, find a rhythm that feels sustainable for you. For some, that might mean a daily 10-minute breathwork session. For others, a longer practice once or twice a week is plenty.

It’s also okay to shift in and out of practicing, since your needs will shift as your symptoms and schedule change. Rather than aiming for a perfect routine, aim for regular touchpoints with your body and breath, since consistency matters more than intensity.

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Calm Editorial Team