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Can Pilates and yoga help with menopause symptoms?
Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated
The short answer
Yes, according to physiotherapist Philippa Butler on Ep. 134 of The WarriorBabe Show. She says there isn't one menopause symptom that doesn't respond to movement. Pilates offers mindful, core-focused work that helps manage stress, and yoga adds breathing practices aimed at the nervous system. She sees both as partners to strength training, not replacements for it.
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Philippa on Pilates as a mindful practice that helps women manage stress
Plays from 9:04 · Ep. 134: Do Pilates and Yoga Help With Menopause Symptoms?
Why yoga's breathing practices can work on the nervous system
Plays from 10:27 · Ep. 134: Do Pilates and Yoga Help With Menopause Symptoms?
How to fit Pilates and yoga into a week built around strength training
Plays from 27:26 · Ep. 134: Do Pilates and Yoga Help With Menopause Symptoms?
The full answer
On Ep. 134, Nikkiey talks with Philippa Butler, a physiotherapist and Pilates and yoga teacher with over 30 years of experience. Philippa's view is that movement touches nearly every part of menopause, including muscle, bone, mood, vaginal atrophy and even eye health. That is her perspective as a movement professional. If a symptom is bothering you, keep your doctor in the loop too.
The two practices do different jobs. Philippa describes Pilates as a deeply mindful practice. You are so focused on the mind-body connection that you can't think about anything else, which she says can help women manage stress. Its breathing pattern, in through the nose and out like blowing through a straw, helps power up the core. Yoga, she explains, has a wider range of breathing techniques that can work on the central nervous system in different ways. She also points out that a yoga session is devoted to lengthening muscles, while reformer Pilates is more strenuous because of the spring resistance and usually saves stretching for the end.
Philippa doesn't present either one as a replacement for lifting. If you strength train four days a week, she suggests adding one day of Pilates and one day of yoga. Her own balanced week looks like this:
- One Pilates session
- One yoga session
- Two or three strength sessions
- Some zone 2 cardio for heart health
If you have tried one type of exercise and still felt stuck, the problem may not be you. It may be that the mix was off. Strength work builds the foundation, and Pilates and yoga add stress relief, core work, breathing and mobility.
From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.
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45 minDo Pilates and Yoga Help With Menopause Symptoms?
With Philippa Butler