Yoga

Yoga is a set of movements, held positions and breathing done slowly, usually on a mat. The Pakistan Menopause Society's 2026 recommendations list it in Table 6, under flexibility and balance, as practice for flexibility, balance and mental relaxation.

So in the guidelines it sits with exercise. The NHS website lists it in three places at once: as a muscle-strengthening activity, as a flexibility exercise, and among the leg-strengthening exercises that can help prevent falls.

Why it comes up so often in these years is the overlap. The NHS website says strength and flexibility exercise can help increase muscle strength, maintain bone density, improve balance and reduce joint pain, and that muscle-strengthening activity slows the loss of bone and muscle that comes with age. It also says health professionals believe better flexibility can improve posture and reduce aches and pains.

The Pakistan Menopause Society names limited physical exercise among the main challenges for menopause care in Pakistan (4.1). Yoga is one of the gentler ways in.

The Pakistan Menopause Society

Table 6 of the recommendations lists four kinds of activity: moderate aerobic activity such as brisk walking, strength or resistance training, weight-bearing exercise for the bones, and flexibility and balance work, with yoga as its example. It says regular physical activity has evidence behind it for the heart, bones, mood, sleep and stress, and improves muscle strength and flexibility.

The same recommendations list mindfulness, which often comes with a yoga class, separately, and call it practical, low-cost and culturally adaptable (4.2.4.2).

The NHS

The NHS menopause pages suggest relaxing activities such as yoga, tai chi or meditation, alongside regular exercise. They list finding ways to reduce stress among the ways to ease hot flushes and night sweats.

The NHS strength and flexibility page names stretching, tai chi and pilates as flexibility exercises alongside yoga. If yoga is not for you, those do a similar job.

The European Menopause and Andropause Society

The European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) is more cautious about the flushes. Its 2026 sheet on exercise says the evidence on exercise for hot flushes is mixed, and puts the weight on stronger bones and fewer falls.

Where yoga fits

Yoga covers flexibility and balance well, and some strength. It does not replace the rest. The Pakistan Menopause Society lists aerobic activity, strength training and weight-bearing exercise as their own rows, and the NHS menopause advice focuses on weight-bearing exercise for the bones.

Ask your doctor or a physiotherapist before you start if you have osteoporosis or a past fracture, back or joint problems, high blood pressure, or have had recent surgery. Some positions may need changing for you. A good teacher will ask about these too.

If a position causes pain, stop. Pain is information, not something to push through.

Some women hesitate over yoga because they see it as tied to another religion's practice, and wonder whether it fits with their own faith. The Pakistan Menopause Society lists it as exercise. Whether a particular class or practice sits right with your faith is a question for a qualified scholar, not for us. If you would rather not, stretching, pilates and tai chi are the other flexibility options the NHS lists, and mindfulness and meditation has its own page.

For many women, the practical barrier is a space. A mat on the bedroom floor, a free video at home, or a women-only class are all ways around it.