Reclaiming Our Roots: Yoga, Menopause & Midlife for South Asian Women

This International Yoga Day, we’re coming home to our bodies, our breath, and our heritage. If you’re a South Asian woman navigating midlife and menopause, this is your gentle nudge to return to something that’s always belonged to you.

A Sacred Practice in Our DNA

Yoga isn’t a trend. It’s our tradition. But somewhere along the way, many South Asian women – myself included – forgot that this ancient practice was ours. It was designed to hold us, heal us, and help us come home to ourselves.

When I first reconnected with yoga in midlife, I was battling brain fog, low moods, joint pain, and deep emotional shifts. I didn’t need something punishing – I needed something nourishing. And yoga gave me exactly that.

Why Yoga is a Powerful Practice for South Asian Women in Midlife

Culturally, we’ve been taught to endure silently. To put others first. To keep going, even when we’re running on empty.

Yoga teaches the opposite:
🌸 To pause. To feel. To listen.

Here’s how it supports us during menopause:

• Breathwork eases anxiety, especially in women who feel they must “keep it all together.”
• Movement opens stuck energy, especially around the hips and heart.
• Stillness offers clarity – something we rarely make space for in busy, family-centred lives.
• It connects us to our lineage – our grandmothers, our traditions, and our feminine wisdom.

Accessible Ways to Reclaim Yoga – Your Way

You don’t need fancy leggings or a perfect headstand. Here’s how to make yoga yours again:

1. Start with breath. Three deep breaths every morning can shift your energy.
2. Use YouTube or local classes. Look for teachers who honour the cultural roots of yoga.
3. Light a diya. Create a ritual – light incense, play calming music, and just be.
4. Speak your truth. Journaling after yoga can help you process what your body reveals.
5. Invite others. Midlife sisterhood is powerful. Share your journey, even if it’s imperfect.

Join our Midlife Circle – a safe, inclusive space for South Asian women to explore healing movement, breathwork, and soulful conversation.

From Silence to Sovereignty

We’re not just stretching on a mat. We’re reclaiming our voices, our energy, and our right to heal – on our terms.

Yoga doesn’t belong to the West. It doesn’t belong to the perfect or the flexible. It belongs to us. It’s time we welcomed it back into our homes, our bodies, and our lives.

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