Regular slow Hatha Yoga reliably helps with the most common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause: disrupted sleep, joint stiffness, mood instability and the intensity of hot flushes. The effect is gradual rather than immediate, and it works through the nervous system, not the hormones directly. Weekly classes run across Norwich and mid-Norfolk at Blossom Yoga in mixed groups paced to suit midlife bodies. This post explains what the practice looks like and how to get started.
When a student comes to class in their late forties or early fifties, the first thing I say, quietly, is: welcome. You are not broken. Your body is doing something it was always going to do, and it is doing it on its own schedule.
Menopause is not a problem to be solved through yoga. But yoga, steady, unhurried, carefully sequenced, is one of the kindest companions you can bring to these years.
What students actually notice
The research on yoga and menopause is promising but cautious. What I see week after week in the hall is more specific, and more mundane:
- Sleep gets better, eventually. Not overnight. But a consistent evening practice with some forward folds, long exhales and a proper savasana tends to bring sleep back, a bit.
- The hot flushes stop running the day. They may still come. They tend to feel less like a siege.
- The joints move more freely. Especially hips and shoulders, which is where so many women stiffen first during this transition.
- Mood steadies. Not in a dramatic way. In a “I can face Wednesday evening” way.
What a Blossom Yoga class for midlife women looks like
My classes are mixed; I don’t run a menopause-specific class because, honestly, the practice that helps most women through this phase is the same practice that helps most humans at most phases: slow, traditional, careful Hatha Yoga.
A typical evening class at Barnham Broom will include:
- A long warm-up that meets the body where it is
- Standing poses held long enough for the legs to work but not so long that the nervous system tightens
- Twists: gentle, not wrenching
- Hip-openers, almost always
- A carefully supported savasana
If you’re navigating particularly disrupted sleep, come to the morning class instead. If you’re navigating a week of heavy fatigue, stay in child’s pose for the first ten minutes and nobody will bat an eyelid.
What to wear, what to bring, what to expect
You don’t need anything special. Loose clothing you can move in. A water bottle if you’d like. Mats, blocks, bolsters and blankets are ready. The first class is unhurried; arrive ten minutes early, let me know if anything is particularly tender this week, and I’ll take it from there.
Getting started
My weekly Hatha Yoga classes run at Barnham Broom Village Hall, Cringleford, Sprowston and Garvestone, all within easy reach of Norwich. If you’d prefer something quieter still, my Women’s Circle and seasonal retreats are held in small, held groups.
If in doubt, drop me a line. I’ll find the right class for where you are.