Yoga for Perimenopause: 6 Poses to Balance Body and Mind

Perimenopause, or the menopausal transition, is a phase that can begin several years before menopause (Menopause is the period after a woman no longer has a period for 12 months). It often comes with symptoms like irregular menstrual cycles, hot flashes, fatigue, and mood swings. You might also experience more difficulty losing weight, acne—yes, it’s like a second adolescence!—insomnia, or brain fog. Behind these perimenopause symptoms are, you guessed it: hormones!

Yoga, by acting on the endocrine glands and nervous system, helps you regain physical and emotional balance during this time of change. In this article are six yoga poses specifically chosen to support you through perimenopause, and we’ll also explore complementary approaches like therapeutic herbal teas or shamanic and somatic healing for holistic support.

Why Yoga During Perimenopause?

Perimenopause is marked by a gradual decline in female hormones, especially estrogen and progesterone. As the ovaries reduce their activity, hormonal changes can cause symptoms such as:

Irregular menstrual cycles
Hot flashes
Acne
Mood swings and irritability
Persistent fatigue
Insomnia or sleep disturbances
Low libido
Poor concentration, memory lapses
Brain fog
Feeling down or depressed
Difficulty losing weight
Weight gain, especially around the belly
Hair loss…

Quite a fun list! Fortunately, yoga is here to help! Yoga gently works on:

Hormones: Certain poses stimulate the endocrine glands, helping to regulate imbalances.
Stress: Conscious breathing and movement reduce cortisol, the stress hormone.
Circulation: Stretching, bending, and twisting promote better oxygenation of the organs.

💡 Did you know? Studies show that yoga can naturally increase estrogen and progesterone levels, improving quality of life during this transition.

So, roll out your mat! Here are 6 yoga poses to relieve perimenopause symptoms and support you on this journey to a new phase of life.

Warrior 2 Pose (Virabhadrasana 2) to Regain Confidence

Benefits of Warrior 2 Pose during Perimenopause:

Strengthens the legs
Opens the hips
Boosts self-confidence
Tones the abdomen and back
Strengthens the arms

How to Do Virabhadrasana 2:

Stand with your legs wide apart, one foot turned forward and the back foot at a 90-degree angle or slightly inward.
Bend your front knee and straighten your back leg.
Direct your tailbone toward the floor while keeping your front knee above your ankle.
Extend your arms horizontally, shoulders relaxed.
Gaze forward, beyond your front fingers.
Breathe deeply for 2-5 breaths.
Repeat on the other side.

Variation: Reduce the distance between your feet if you feel tension in your hips or knees.

For more details on Warrior 2 Pose, read this article.

Triangle Pose (Utthita Trikonasana) to Stimulate the Ovaries

Benefits of Triangle Pose during Perimenopause:

Stretches the sides of the body
Stimulates the ovaries
Reduces stress
Tones the oblique and transverse abdominals, responsible for a slim waist.

How to Do Utthita Trikonasana:

Stand with your legs wide apart, one foot turned forward and the back foot at a 90-degree angle or slightly inward.
Extend your torso forward, place one hand on your ankle or the floor.
Rotate your torso toward the ceiling from your navel.
Keep your torso long and shoulders away from your ears.
Extend your other arm toward the sky and lift your gaze.
Hold the pose for 2-5 breaths.
Switch sides.

Variation: Place your hand on a block or the seat of a chair if the floor is too far away.

Goddess Pose (Utkata Konasana) for the Perimenopausal Goddess You Are

Benefits of Goddess Pose during Perimenopause:

Strengthens the pelvis and thighs
Stimulates the reproductive organs
Improves blood circulation
Helps connect with the 2nd Chakra, the center of creativity, emotion, and sexuality.

How to Do Utkata Konasana:

Goddess Pose Utkata Konasana Yes Yoga Sophie

Stand with your feet wide apart and toes turned outward.
Bend your knees outward, keeping your shoulders above your hips (do not lean forward).
Extend your arms in a cactus position or join your palms in front of your chest.
Breathe deeply for 2-5 cycles.

Tip: To keep your shoulders above your hips, direct your tailbone toward the floor and engage your abdominals.

Butterfly Pose (Baddha Konasana) to Relieve Painful Periods

Benefits of Baddha Konasana for Perimenopause:

Stimulates the pelvic organs
Relieves painful periods
Promotes relaxation.

How to Do Baddha Konasana (Butterfly or Cobbler’s Pose):

Butterfly or Cobbler's Pose Yes Yoga Sophie

Sit on the front of your sit bones, join the soles of your feet, and let your knees open like butterfly wings.
Hold your feet or ankles with your hands.
Breathe deeply for 1 to 2 minutes.

Tip: Place cushions or blocks under your knees for more comfort.

💡 Need personalized perimenopause support?
Perimenopause is a unique experience for every woman. To go further, discover the Yoga & Herbal Tea Program designed to support your hormonal and emotional balance with gentle practices and delicious herbal tea recipes.
Or, if you feel stuck with recurring heaviness or want to regain lightness and joy, explore Shamanic and Somatic Healing for an energetic and somatic approach to navigate this transition with support, and to become even more the woman you are.

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana) to Stimulate the Adrenal Glands

Benefits of Cobra Pose during Perimenopause:

Strengthens the back
Opens the chest
Stimulates the adrenal glands
Improves mood!

How to Do Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose):

How to do Cobra Pose Bhujangasana Yes Yoga Be Well

Lie on your stomach, place your hands on either side of your ribcage.
Extend your torso forward and, pressing into your hands, lift your chest as if trying to lift your navel off the floor.
Press your feet into the floor and direct your tailbone downward.
Keep your shoulders away from your ears.
Stay in the pose for 2 to 5 breaths.

Variation: Keep your elbows slightly bent or move your hands forward on the mat for a lower, gentler version on the lower back.

For more on Cobra Pose, check out this article on Bhujangasana

Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose (Viparita Karani) to Reduce Fatigue

Benefits of Viparita Karani for Perimenopause:

Calms the nervous system
Reduces fatigue and insomnia.

How to Do Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose):

Lie on your back with your hips as close to the wall as possible, place your legs vertically against the wall
Extend your arms to the sides, palms facing up, and breathe deeply for 5 to 10 minutes.

Tip: Use a cushion or bolster under your hips for an even more relaxing effect (avoid using a bolster during menstruation).

Yoga Sequence Advice for Navigating Perimenopause with Serenity

With these 6 yoga poses, you have the tools to start your own special perimenopause practice!

You can do the sequence in the order of this article:

1- Virabhadrasana 2, Warrior 2 Pose
2- Utthita Trikonasana, Extended Triangle Pose
3- Utkata Konasana, Goddess Pose or Fierce Angle Pose (yes, “Utkata” means “fierce, difficult, strong”!)
4- Baddha Konasana, Butterfly Pose, Cobbler’s Pose, or Bound Angle Pose
5- Bhujangasana, Cobra Pose
6- Viparita Karani, Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose

Or you can regularly integrate these poses into your usual sequences.

Adapt your Practice to You and Your Perimenopause Experience

Listen to your body: Adapt the poses to your energy level of the day, and use props like blocks if needed
Be regular: 10 to 15 minutes a day is enough to feel the benefits of yoga during perimenopause
Breathe deeply to calm the nervous system and circulate energy.

Yoga and Complementary Approaches for a Positive Perimenopause

Yoga is a powerful tool, and it can be complemented by other approaches for holistic support:

Discover the Yoga & Herbal Tea Coaching: I develop a personalized program of yoga poses, pranayama exercises, and meditations combined with therapeutic herbal tea recipes tailored to your needs. Learn more.

Shamanic and Somatic Healing: To release emotional blockages and regain deep grounding. Particularly recommended during life transitions—including perimenopause! Discover the sessions.

Yoga for Perimenopause: Support for a Transition Period

Perimenopause is a time of transformation that can be experienced with curiosity, greater comfort, and a little more peace, with the right resources and tools. Yoga offers a holistic approach to accompany these changes with compassion, and also gives you power to take charge of your own body and health and regain confidence in yourself.

What poses help you during this phase? Feel free to share with me by message or on Instagram #yesyoga_sophie your practices that support your perimenopause journey.

And if you need personalized support: discover Yoga & Herbal Tea Programs or Shamanic and Somatic Healing to better manage perimenopause symptoms or release blockages you are (finally!) ready to let go of—now is the time!

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Yoga for your period: Queen’s Pose

How to practice yoga during your period? Today we’ll do Queen’s Pose, one of the best yoga poses to do during your menstrual cycle. Queen’s Pose helps relax, recharge your batteries and honor your monthly flow. Ready for royalty? Here we go:

Why practice yoga differently during your period?

Menses are part of Apana Vayu, the “eliminating or downward breath.”

When practicing yoga during the Moon Flow, the invitation is to respect their natural elimination function. We do this by avoiding postures that go against the downward movement (like upside-down poses), and by making our practice more gentle.

More on how to adapt your yoga practice during your period in this article: When the period flows: yoga or no yoga?

And now, here’s the number one posture that ticks all the boxes: Queen’s Pose!

What is Queen’s Pose in yoga?

A Pose Fit for Queens: Supta Baddha Konasana, Reclined Bound Angle Pose or Butterfly Posture

Let’s first set the record straight. Queen’s pose is not a classic asana name! In fact, in classical yoga, the pose considered to be the Queen of Asanas is Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana or Salamba Sarvangasana), and the King of Asanas is Head Stand or Sirsasana.

But Queen’s Pose has so many benefits when you are on your menstrual cycle that it deserves the royal title. And you deserve to be the Queen of yourself!

The pose’s Sanskrit name is Supta Badha Konasana, or Reclined Bound Angle Pose. You may also be familiar with another name for this asana: Reclined Butterfly Pose.

How to do Supine Bound Angle Pose or Queen’s Pose?

Supta Baddha Konasana with bolster — Queen’s Pose – with bolster

Queen’s Pose can be done with or without a bolster. But for extra cushy comfort, I highly recommend a bolster, like in the picture.

So let’s do it! Here are the steps for Supta Baddha Konasana, Supine or Reclined Bound Angle Pose:

Sit on the floor (or on folded blankets)

Place a bolster lengthwise behind you.

For added comfort, you can place a folded blanket behind your head.

Place the soles of your feet together (they do not have to touch completely)

Release your thighs and knees to the sides

Using your hands, lie your back down on the bolster

Place 2 yoga blocks as supports under your thighs or knees if it feels tight inside your thigh

Stay for a few minutes, or up to 10 or 15mn.

If you’d rather do Queen’s Pose without a bolster, here’s how you can set up with a blanket rolled under your neck:

To come back:

Bring your knees together with your hands

Turn on your side and come back to sit

What are the benefits of Queen’s Pose, Reclined Bound Angle Pose?

Queen’s Pose, or Reclined Butterfly has many benefits:

It relaxes the lower abdomen.

It encourages deep breathing.

By relaxing the inner thighs and by extension the pelvic floor and the lower abdomen, the pose also helps relax the organs which work more during the menstrual cycle.

As it is a supine or reclined posture, it helps to relax the entire body, and invites us to prolong the moment of relaxation, because it is so good!

And beyond the physical benefits, Supta Baddha Konasana, Queen’s Pose, teaches us to take care of ourselves during the flow phase of the menstrual cycle.
This is a key moment during which we may feel more tired, but also more open to introspection and intuition. This is very important too!

Not 100% comfortable when in the pose? Below are tips for doing Queen’s Pose, hum… well… like a Queen!

Best tips for Supta Baddha Konasana

1. Lower back or sacrum are sensitive:

Move your buttocks away from the bolster

Or sit on a folded blanket

2. Inner thighs feel tight:

Place 1 folded blanket or yoga block under each thigh to support the leg.

Supta Baddha Konasana with blocks under the thighs

3. Pain or tension in the neck pain in Supta Baddha Konasana:

Place a folded blanket under your head, on the end of the bolster, like a pillow

4. To help your body relax

Try covering your eyes with an eye pillow or an eye mask.
Both help to soothe the body and mind by blocking out light. The eye pillow also adds a nice grounding weight on the eye area, helping soften and relax the eyes.

Contraindications of Supta Baddha Konasana

Are you injured in your knees, pelvis or inner thighs? You may think Queen’s Pose is better avoided. But before you ditch the pose completely, try yoga props as support. Props are your friends: don’t skimp on them!

Try the tips listed above :

Place yoga blocks or as many folded blankets as needed under the thighs to reduce tension in the inner thighs.
Use folded blankets under the buttocks to relieve low back tension, or under the head, to relieve neck tension.

Most often than not, Queen’s Pose is accessible to everyone, with the appropriate supports.

And, if despite the tips and yogic accessories, Queen’s Pose is painful for you, it’s also OK to stop!

In conclusion, the next time you’re on your flow, bring on Queen’s Pose.

The Queen of the Inner Worlds awaits! This is her prescription: do one Queen’s Pose, Supta Baddha Konasana daily when on your period, especially for the first few days.

And you may even want to keep it up every other day of the month to rest and recharge your batteries!

When the period flows : Yoga or no Yoga?

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Yoga and menstruation: When the Flow is on, to Yoga or not to Yoga, that is the question. Keep up the same practice or shake it up for this time of the month? How to honor your moons – and your feminine! – with yoga? Let’s see what flows best with the moony-moons.

Yoga or no yoga during your period?

If you practice Astanga Yoga, there’s no secret. Astanga Yoga’s rule is: no practice during menstruation!

Yep, you’re off! Astanga Yoga is vigorous and puts a lot of emphasis on Muladara Bandha (Pelvic Lock) and Uddiyana Bandha (Abdominal Lock). These locks cause Prana to go UP into the body instead of letting it go DOWN.

If you’d rather keep up the practice during your period, just adapt it! Go for a different flow (pun intended), a more Yin, restorative, internal practice. In short, 2 words : self-care!

How to practice yoga during your period? What postures to avoid?

I love that yoga gives us the possibility to adapt the practice and honor our moon cycle. In doing so, we recognize their place in our lives and in the natural cycles of the Earth and we nourish ourselves.

Here are the main ideas for going with the Flow:

1- Relax the belly and the uterus

How to relax the belly and uterus?

Avoid active twists in the lower abdomen, such as Marichyasana C (sage Marichi’s pose), Parivritta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose) or Parivritta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle Pose). Go for less intense twists (like the easy variation of Marichyasana C instead of the classic version).

Go easy on the ab work: Plank, Chaturanga Dandasana, Navasana (Boat Pose), and arms balances (these poses usually involve engaging the deep abdominal muscles) like Bakasana (Crane/ Crow Pose), Eka Pada Koundinyasana (the “Flying Splits) and variants.

Instead, opt for poses that help relax the belly, like Balasana or Adho Mukha Virasana (Child’s Posture), gentle forward folds like Pascimottanasana, and supine postures like Savasana.
Here’s yoga for menstruation in a nutshell: when you’re flowy, go easy and soften your belly!

2- Go with the direction of your menstrual flow

How to honor the direction of the menstrual flow ?

So, our periods flow … downwards, right? When the moons are on, we do our best not the go against gravity. That means no inversions – poses where the pelvis is higher than the heart, and poses with legs up in the air. This means Sirsasana (Headstand), Salambar Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) and other inversions will have to wait a few days.

Some yoginis avoid Adho Mukha Svanasana, (Downward Facing Dog) on the first couple of days of menstruation (because the pelvis is higher than the heart). Others do not (because Downward Facing Dog stretches the lower back and stomach and this can relieve menstrual pain). The best is to see what works for you.

We also honor the downward menstrual flow by avoiding Uddiyana Bandha (Abdominal Lock), which very actively lifts the uterus. In the same way, go easy on Kriyas (purification exercises) like Nauli Kriya (Belly Churning) during the first days.

Self-Care during your period

Yoga is not just about pushing the limits with increasingly difficult postures. Yoga is also, foremost, an art of self-care. So when the moons come knocking, do yoga the way it supports you best.

I’m sure you know how to take care of yourself! Here are some yoga ideas for inspiration:

Change your yoga routine when you bleed!

If you go to class, maybe go for a gentle class instead of a very active one. Think Yin Yoga or Restorative Yoga. If you are an experienced yogini, it could be a great time to attend a beginners’ class rather than your regular one.

Practice twists and abdominal strengthening poses gently, replace inversions by supine or seated poses. Ask! Your teacher can suggest alternative poses that go with his/her sequence.

Or choose a kirtan (chanting), gentle pranayama, or meditation class. This is a great time of the month to discover other ways of practicing yoga!

Practice a “special moons” menstruation yoga sequence

Are there specific yoga sequence to support menstruation? Yes! I’ll post a mini sequence for home practice soon.

In the meantime, here’s the Queen of all Period Poses! Supta Baddha Konasana, Supine Butterfly Pose (or Supine Bound Angle Pose) helps relax the stomach, uterus, ovaries, and overall induced deep relaxation. Now who’s the Queen?

Supta Baddha Konasana, Bound Angle Pose — Supta Baddha Konasana – Reclined Bound Angle Pose – your best friend during your period!

Check out Pranayama (yogic breath exercises) that are a great way to honor yourself and your period.

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