My Tattoo - Vijayalakshimi

I often get asked questions about my tattoo. It’s Hindi and the script spells out Vijayalakshimi, my middle name.

Vijaya means victory and in this form of the Goddess Lakshmi (there are eight) it symbolises victory in all aspects of life. Not just victories in battles or war, but also in life’s major and inner struggles. Life’s ups and downs. In images, Vijayalakshimi is seen sitting on a lotus or padma wearing a red sari with a discusor chakra, conch shell, sword, shield, noose/pasha and lotus. The discus or chakra represent the mind, the conch shell purity, brilliance and auspiciousness (often associated with sound of the universe om); the sword & shield symbolise a mother’s ability to protect her own child; the noose symbolises the soul and is the force through which the soul finds the path of truth and enlightenment; the lotus symbolises beauty and non-attachment (aparigraha).

She also has her right hand in abhaya mudra and her left hand in varada mudra. Abhaya mudra (raising your right hand to chest level with the palm facing forward) is used to dispel fear and develop courage. The first yama (moral discipline), that Patanjali writes of in the Yoga Sutras, is Ahimsa - non-violence. The stronger a person is, which includes their inner emotional and mental strength, the easier it is to live a life of non-violence. Varada mudra (pointing the left hand downward and turning the palm to face forwards) signifies compassion, charity and sincerity whilst expressing the connection between giving and forgiveness. Someone who gives will be forgiven, someone who fogives will be richly blessed. Forgiveness always also means being able to forgive yourself.

Practising these together I use a mantra:

‘I acknowledge the goodness in all living beings as well as myself and forgive myself and all living beings for unkind action and unkind words’

Yoga to support the menopause

It was November 2016 and I had just spent the weekend on a yoga retreat. I was sitting with a friend on the Sunday evening on our journey home and we were discussing how our menstrual cycles had changed. I had turned 40 earlier that year, the change had been sudden and quite dramatic. Once a month it have started to feel like the flood gates had opened for two days and my friend was having the same experience. It didn’t occur to me then, that this was the beginning of my perimenopause journey.

 Then 18 months ago I began to ache all over. Joint and muscle pain which was not related to the exercise I was doing or the days I was more sedentary. As it continued, I started to wonder if it was a form of arthritis. Alongside these symptoms, I would sometimes have a feeling over being overwhelmed, low mood and often suffered with brain fog or memory loss. Another change was bloating and digestive issues, I had always had a relatively health diet as a vegetarian and something else had changed. As a yoga teacher I felt I was in tune with my body and knew it well. This myriad of symptoms was off putting, as I began to investigate, everything pointed to symptoms of the menopause.

 Every individual cell in a woman’s body contains an oestrogen receptor. So, as oestrogen levels start to fluctuate in perimenopause, it affects the whole body. Oestrogen helps to regulate mood, body temperature, maintains memory and menstrual cycle, lubricates the vagina and protects the arteries. Progesterone and testosterone levels also begin to fall at this time, affecting menstrual cycle, sex dive, bone growth and strength as well as muscle mass.

 Managing my symptoms took trial and error.  Ensuring I had a daily yoga practice which sometimes meant 5 minutes of breathing or 10 minutes in relaxation was imperative. Hatha, restorative and yin yoga is most beneficial at this stage in a woman’s life. I found turmeric helped with joint and muscle pain and began to add it to as many dishes as possible. I changed my eating habits, only eating from 10am until no later than 8pm, to allow my body more time for digestion (This can be adapted to a woman’s lifestyle and the hours they work). I started to make sauerkraut to support that process as well, during the fermentation process it produces probiotics which aid digestion. Also, I began writing a diary to ascertain what foods affected my digestion as well as recording my sleep and generally wellbeing. I began to make the connections between refined carbohydrates, caffeine and alcohol with my mood and how I was feeling. Alcohol definitely didn’t help aching joints and a regular bedtime and wake time became a key component to feeling ‘better’. A diary or journal could take the form of drawings, bullet points or voice memos on your phone. The Balance app designed by Newson Health is an easy one to use to track symptoms and your cycle.

 Many women describe the need to retreat, to go and hide away from the world as they venture through perimenopause. If you look back historically, women would reach the menopause (medically defined as 12 months with no periods)  and would not live much longer. These days women have 20 – 40 years post menopause, therefore finding support is imperative. However, as women we are often the carers; looking after ourselves tends to be at the bottom our list. Finding and making time for ourselves can often be a luxury however carving out a little bit of time for ourselves for self-care is necassary we navigate the menopause years.

 Most recently I’ve been getting up earlier in the morning to ensure I get 15-30 minutes of peace before the day starts. This is when I make it to my yoga mat and often simply lie there supported by some props. Finding 5 minutes in your day can be beneficial whether that become a walk round the block or some time to meditate or consciously breathe. Something I discovered recently is that when women come together oxytocin and serotonin (happy hormones) are released. Connecting with friends to talk is also advantageous. Difficult in covid times but a phone call or video call can have the same effects. I found a 20 minute brisk walk each day also helped when I was feeling lethargic or fatigued and this can be an ideal time to ‘talk & walk’ with a friend.

 Each woman’s experience is unique, as the combination of symptoms is unique. NICE guidelines recommend that each woman should be treated individually according to her symptoms. These can include headaches, migranes, dizziness, anxiety, poor memory, low mood, irritability, mood swings, insomnia, bloating, weight gain, digestion problems, hot flushes, night sweats, palpitations, pain and/or enlargement of breasts, dry skin, itching, sore joints, stiffness, osteoporosis, back pain, incontinence, hair dryness / thinning, shorter or longer menstrual cycles, bleeding between periods, vaginal atrophy, vaginal dryness and painful sexual intercourse.

Yoga helps to support so many menopause symptoms including bone health which is imperative as the risk of osteoporosis is higher with the reduction of oestrogen. Forward folds (i.e uttanasana) stimulate the endocrine glands and allow the mind to become calm, stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. Baddha Konasana (bound angle pose) strengthens the bladder and uterus easing perimenopausal symptoms. Supported Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog) with a bolster or brick under the forehead helps to relieve hot flushes, as do salamba sarvangasana (supported shoulder stand) and halasana (plough). Back bends stimulate the thyroid and adrenal glands, improve circulation in the pancreas and relieve pelvic congestion (i.e dhanurasana/bow pose). The list is endless and with some homemade props out of pillows, cushions and books, many are easy to practise at home. The props allow the body to soften into the asana, assisting the nervous system and offering support which is something all women need to feel during this time. A sense of being held, helped and aided through this transition.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) received adverse publicity after a WHI study was published which is now recognised as flawed. Dr Louise Newson explains why that initial study was flawed in her paper published in 2016, Best practice for HRT: unpicking the evidence, for the British Journal of General Practice. The study was not representative of all women, the various stages of the menopause and it was conducted using a form of HRT no longer used. There has since been a WHI apology published as it has been the cause for many women not taking HRT and thereby not benefiting from it. However, there are still women that HRT will be contraindicated for and so it is essential to speak to your GP about your options.

There is no one way ‘fits all’. Yoga, making subtle changes to your diet to improve nutrition, reducing stress, using herbal remedies and taking supplements can all have beneficial effects. Most importantly ensure you see a trained professional when investigating natural or herbal remedies.

I still have long journey ahead; I am under no illusion that I may have to change my plan of action before I reach the menopause, as I experience new symptoms. Being informed has definitely made me feel ‘armed’. Knowledge really is power when it comes to your menopause journey. Bringing women together to share their experiences and enable a sense of camaraderie is important. This was emphasised on my #menopauseyoga teacher training as 24 yoga teachers came together to further their yoga knowledge. We were all at various stages of our menopause journey, by sharing our experiences and what was or had supported our symptoms, we were able to support and help each other .

I’m grateful for my personal yoga practice and after hosting my first Menopause Yoga Workshop at the weekend, know I can facilitate more connections and hopefully support many other groups of women. I’m looking forward to hosting more Menopause Yoga Workshops and classes soon and collaborating with other healthcare professionals to bring women together to support one another.  

“Women need women. We need to be able to put down our burdens and fall apart, and we can do this with other women. When men aren’t around, liberation takes place. Competition diminishes, and we feel supported in whatever we’re going through.

Transformation occurs when women sit with one another for any length of time. Throughout history, we have done this - in sewing circles, menstrual huts, even on playgrounds. These days, we’re so busy being superwomen we rarely make time for girlfriends. There’s so much value in gathering to talk, laugh, and cry.

Menopause is a time for women to speak, not to shut down. As we get in touch with our internal power, we have much more to say. Dr Christine Northrup describes it this way: ‘As these hormone-driven changes affect the brain, they give woman a sharper eye for inequity and injustice, and a voice that insists on speaking up about them....They uncover hidden wisdom - and the courage to speak it. As the vision-obscuring veil created by reproductive hormones begins to lift, a woman’s youthful fire and spirit are often rekindled, together with long-sublimtade desires and creative drives. Midlife fuels those drives with a volcanic energy that demands an outlet.’

Amen, The end of menses is a rite of passage, and we should celebrate it”

— Colleen Saidman Yee, Yoga for Life

 ASANA to safely try at home:

Balasana (child’s pose) with your forehead resting on some height - bolster/stacked pillows/chair

Viparita Karani (legs up the wall) lying on the floor and using a wall or chair to support your legs. You may also choose to have some height under your hips/pelvis

Savasana (corpse pose) supported using a bolster or rolled up blanket under the knees and a weighty blanket over you for relaxation. 

Pause To Breathe

Breathing efficiently strengthens our lungs, increases our lung capacity, supports a healthier heart and a stronger diaphragm, can alleviate the symptoms of asthma, calms the nervous system which results in a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate.

As James Nestor writes in his book Breath ‘we’ve become a culture of overeaters, we’ve also become a culture of overbreathers. Most of us breathe too much, and up to a quarter of the modern population suffers from more serious chronic overbreathing.’

If we have ‘good’ respiration we can have optimal health. There is not one way of breathing and there is no right way to breathe, however there are efficient ways to breathe to support the mind and the body. The majority of us overbreathe, consciously breathing encourages our breath to lengthen, so there is a greater chance for the necessary gas exchange to take place in the lung tissue.

The most efficient way to breathe is through our nose, our mouths are there for when we need them, when we’re talking or have a blocked nose with a cold or an allergy. The blood vessels in the nose warm our breath, as we inhale, so it is ready for our lungs to receive and the hairs in our nose (cilia) filter the air to remove harmful pollutants and particles. There are breathing techniques and pranayama (breathing exercises) where we use our mouth to inhale and/ore exhale.

Breathing is function we can control. Slowing our breath, consciously breathing allows us to access the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is the branch of the nervous system that carries out the vital functions of the heart, lungs, circulatory system, and glandular system. These are functions we can not control however this branch of the nervous system also splits into the parasympathetic nervous system (rest & digest) and the sympathetic nervous system (fright & flight). Slowing our breath down enables us to control and communicate with the rest & digest side (the parasympathetic nervous system). In yoga, our breath is often described as prana, life force or the vital force. Breathing is the main form of pranic activity in the body. The main way to work with prana is through pranayama (breathing techniques and exercises). If we can learn to control and manipulate our breath, we can control and manipulate our mind, overall health and wellbeing.

I was fortunate to be able attend a Donna Farhi workshop when she was in Edinburgh in May 2018. The Breathing Book, one of her many publications, became a constant source of reflection and guided my breathing practice when I embarked on my yoga foundation course in 2016 with Yoga Scotland. She writes:

‘Breathing is one of the simplest things in the world. We breathe in, we breathe out. When we breathe with real freedom, we neither gasp for nor hold on to the breath out. Given the simplicity of breathing, one would think it was the easiest thing to do in the world. However, if it were truly so easy there would be few unhappy or unhealthy people in the world. To become a welcome vessel for the breath is to live life without trying to control, grasp, or push away. Ad how easy is this? The process of breathing is the most accurate metaphor we have for the way that we personally approach life, how we live our lives, and how we react to the inevitable changes that life brings us.’

Exploring the breath and deep feeling can feel unnerving. It can make us feel vulnerable as we working with the chest and the heart. This is an area we naturally want to protect; when we’re upset our breath changes. If you have ever been really upset to the point of sobbing you’ll be familiar with the way the body begins to gasp for air and the lungs mimic the sobbing. When we are worried, stressed or anxious we tend to breathe high up in the chest. We hold onto grief, emotions, trauma, old thoughts and memories in our heart centres and also our hips and pelvic area. So we must ensure we explore our breath and its possibilities gently without forcing or rushing it. It can take time to feel ready to go deeper; deeper with the breath and therefore deeper into the mind and body.

In yoga, our breath is often described as ‘prana’ - life force or the vital force. Breathing is the main form of pranic activity in the body. The main way to work with prana is through pranayama (breathing techniques and exercises). If we can learn to control and manipulate our breath, we can control and manipulate our mind, overall health and wellbeing.

When practising breathing it’s imperative to have a straight spine to support the lungs. The hips need to be level with or higher than the knees. By raising the pelvis (either sitting on a chair, on the floor with yoga blocks or a couple of cushions) the knees will drop in relation to the iliac crest and as a result the spine is better supported and more upright. Simple mindful breathing techniques to begin will bring your awareness to the breathe in the body. Placing you hands on your belly and using the sense of touch to guide the breath. It is always advisable to practise pranayama or more complex breathing techniques with the guidance of an experienced teacher.

Breathing practices and efficient breathing aid sleep and enhance our mental state. Our emotions and our breath are connected; once we learn to consciously breathe and control our mind we reap the benefits psychological as well as physically.

As Max Strom writes in A Life Worth Breathing:

‘The vehicle we travel in must be kept in order. Otherwise travel becomes difficult and painful and then impossible.’

My #pausetobreathe classes are running over the next three weeks on Mondays and Fridays at 7am. Take 20 minutes to ground yourself and set your breath up for the day ahead.

How yoga supports the lymphatic system and as a result our immune system

The lymphatic system can be divided into two parts the lymphatic vessels which the lymph (a watery, fluid component) moves through, and the lymph nodes and organs. The lymphatic organs include the thymus , tonsils and spleen. The movement of our skeletal muscles through our asana practise encourages the movement of lymph fluid. This fluid helps transport toxins and pathogens to the lymph nodes and organs, which is then filtered, removing any unwanted foreign particles or bacteria, before it returns to the bloodstream.

So, by supporting the stimulation of the lymph system and the movement of lymph fluid through our asana practise, we are helping our immune system defend against microbes, virus’ and bacteria. It also removes damaged or dead cells from our system. The lymph nodes that act as filters are mainly concentrated around the throat, armpits and groin.

Inversions in particular help support and stimulate the lymph nodes found around the throat and armpit (in the adenoids, tonsils and thymus): Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (bridge), Uttanasana (standing forward fold), Prasarita Padottanasana (wide legged forward fold), Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog), Halasana (plough), Salamba Sirsasana (headstand).

Twists help us stimulate the lymph nodes found in the spleen: Parivrtta Trikonasana (revolved triangle), Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (revolved side angle), variations of Maricyasana and Jathara Parivartanasana (supine revolved spinal twist)

Our breathing is also a facilitator of lymphatic function as the lymphatic system does not have a ‘pump’ like the heart for the circulatory system. Deep diaphragmatic breathing like when we practise makrasana (crocodile) is essential to supporting the circulation of lymph.

With all this in mind, it’s imperative to wear the correct bra (not underwired) and clothing when practising yoga. Anything too tight will restrict movement physically and internally. As your mind and body flow through the shapes you create in asana, become aware of the flow and movement internally that is occurring, supporting your health, wellbeing and immune system.

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