For Marie Bushey, a 63-year-old yoga teacher and practitioner from Massachusetts, one of the most striking aspects of her menopause journey was the shift in her mental state. “My mind became incredibly busy,” she shared. “Yoga helped me find calm and improved my sleep.” Bushey’s experience isn’t just luck—it’s backed by science. A recent review in Maturitas analyzed yoga’s effects on menopausal women, and the results from thirteen randomized studies were clear: yoga works.

The review looked at data from 1,306 menopausal women—some did yoga, some had no treatment, and others participated in health education or different exercises. The yoga groups practiced various styles, such as Hatha, Iyengar, mindfulness-based yoga, yoga therapy, Tibetan yoga, and Integral yoga.

No matter the approach, women who practiced yoga saw a reduction in menopause symptoms. The study revealed that yoga outperformed no treatment and health education in easing overall symptoms. It also proved more effective than other exercises for vasomotor issues like hot flashes and night sweats.

Improvements spanned four key areas: psychological, physical, vasomotor, and urogenital. Yoga alleviated joint pain, sleep troubles, night sweats, and anxiety. Even better, there were no major negative side effects linked to yoga.

Dr. Sara Gottfried, an expert in women’s hormones and aging, explained that yoga works so well for menopause because it resets the stress response system—the same system that regulates hormones.

“It makes perfect sense that yoga helps with menopause’s physical and emotional symptoms,” Gottfried said. “It’s a proven, holistic way to rebalance the hormonal control system—the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.”

Since menopause is deeply connected to hormonal shifts, resetting stress can truly transform this transition. The study’s authors noted that yoga doesn’t just tackle one or two symptoms—it helps across the board. They concluded, “This review suggests yoga improves all menopausal symptoms (not just psychological ones) compared to no intervention, and it’s at least as effective as other exercises.”

For Marie Bushey, yoga’s power lies in helping women reclaim control.

“Menopause can make you feel like so much is slipping from your grasp,” she said. “When my students leave class, they’ve done something just for themselves—they’ve taken back control. Yoga, after all, is the practice of self-care.”

If the evidence has you curious, Bushey recommends experimenting with different yoga styles to find your match.

“Try a few classes of each style before deciding,” she advised. “Sometimes it takes a couple of sessions to really feel the benefits.”

Choose a class based on your fitness level, personality, and menopause symptoms. Want something active and fitness-focused? Vinyasa or hot yoga might suit you—though if hot flashes are an issue, these may not be ideal. Prefer slow movement, gentle stretches, and stress relief? Dealing with anxiety? Restorative or gentle yoga could be your best bet.

How has yoga influenced your menopause experience? What tips would you give women considering yoga for menopause relief?