3 strategies to reduce Menopause body pain

Have you noticed more aches and pains lately — stiff joints when you wake up, neck or shoulder tightness after a long day, or even old injuries that suddenly seem to have a voice again?

You’re not imagining it. You’re not going crazy. While this is a result of "aging", you don't just have to sit and take it like 'its meant to be'.

This is your body asking to be listened to — so it's time you start paying some attention.

In Perimenopause, estrogen levels fluctuate, and that affects everything from joint lubrication to inflammation. But it’s not just hormonal. This is also about the deeper layers of who you are — emotionally, energetically, and even spiritually.

Yogic view: Pain is not just physical — it's information.

In Ayurveda and yoga, we see pain as a form of blocked prana — life force that's not flowing freely.

Maybe you've been carrying the weight of being everything to everyone.

Maybe unspoken emotions have been stored in your hips, your back, your jaw.

Maybe you've been pushing through, not pausing enough to stretch, breathe, or just be.

The body starts to speak when we stop listening.

Here’s what I want you to know:

• That ache in your lower back? It could be your body's cry for support, for boundaries, for rest.

• The tightness in your neck and shoulders? Often a physical imprint of emotional strain, stress and mental overload.

• The tightness in your hips, emotions that you can't express, in the fear of being judged.

• The random pains that come and go? Your body re-calibrating, releasing, remembering.

  
  

This is not a punishment, it's a message.

It is an invitation to reflect on how you are navigating life. Ask yourself these tough questions:

How much time you are spending on your own self: self connection, sleep, nourishment?

How true you are to yourself?

The level of honesty in your communication?

And how open and free you are in your relationships!

All of these will give you an indication of how you experience and carry pain and what you can do about it. More on that below.

The Mind Blowing Science of pain!

Pain isn’t just in your body — it’s a signal from your brain

This fact about pain blew my mind! It took me sometime to get my head around this concept because the pain in the body feels so isolated, specific and in the physical part of the body when you are experiencing it. And this is a complete shift. So take some time to digest it.

Pain is a very complex experience. Because multiple factors impacts pain.

Injury, exhaustion, Sleep, Inflammation and even our perception and past experience of pain.

What we experience as physical pain is actually a signal from the brain, not just a problem in the body part that hurts. Your knee might ache, but the sensation of pain is your brain interpreting a threat — sometimes because of actual tissue damage, and sometimes simply because the nervous system is on high alert.

During perimenopause, it's even more complex because your brain’s ability to regulate those signals becomes more sensitive due to fluctuating estrogen.

Lack of or reduced estrogen, affects inflammation, tissue repair, and even how your brain processes discomfort. It’s why things hurt more than they used to — not because you’re falling apart, but because your system is working harder to maintain balance.

Yoga and Weight training

This is where weight training and yoga become powerful allies.

Weight training builds strength, improves bone density, and tells your brain, “I am safe. I am strong.” You need to focus on retaining and building muscle mass when you are in perimenopause because the muscle depletes rapidly or changes to fat again due to hormonal change.

Yoga, on the other hand, soothes the nervous system, improves mobility, and brings you back into relationship with your breath and body. Yoga strength postures can be the first step towards building resilience and muscle before you head to the gym to carry some heavy weights. When you learn to breathe mindfully in your yoga class, you can use that breath connecting while you are lifting weights making it a much more impactful weights session.

Together, Weight training and Yoga are a perfect combination. They help rewire your pain responses and build a resilient, responsive body — not just physically, but emotionally and energetically, too.

3 strategies to reduce Menopause body pain.

1. Move Daily — But Smarter, Not Harder

Choose intentional movement over intense workouts. Intense workouts can increase cortisol the stress hormone that has another layer of impact on the lowered estrogen.

A 40-minute strength session twice a week + 10 minutes of mobility-focused yoga daily can reduce joint pain and inflammation. Weight-bearing exercise builds bone and muscle — crucial when estrogen drops. Pair it with yoga to ease fascia tightness, improve circulation, and support your nervous system.

Are you just starting out on your fitness journey? WELL DONE! there should be no judgement on yourself here because there is no better time than NOW!

Yoga is a gentle way to introduce strength building to someone who has probably never been to the gym or finds it daunting to lift weights. Hatha yoga postures work on building strength whilst holding a pose working through the breath. This manages the stress responses of the body whilst also working on muscle mass.

2. Support Your Nervous System Before It Screams at You

Chronic stress amplifies pain signals — and so does poor sleep. When your nervous system is constantly on edge and your body isn’t getting enough restorative rest, pain becomes louder and harder to ignore. Prioritize deep rest as a non-negotiable.

• Aim for 7–8 hours of quality sleep. Your body does its best repair work at night, especially when hormones are in flux.

• Build micro-rest into your day: one minute of belly breathing between meetings, a short Yoga Nidra in the evening after you return home from work, or even five minutes with your legs up the wall can signal safety to your system. Rest isn't laziness — it’s medicine for your pain and hormones.

3. Eat to Reduce Inflammation and Soothe Hormonal Chaos

In perimenopause and menopause, your body is moving into the Vata phase of life — a time governed by air and space elements, which bring qualities of dryness, lightness, and instability. This makes the body more prone to joint pain, bloating, poor digestion, and scattered energy. Cold salads, smoothies, or raw foods can aggravate these symptoms. Instead, favor warm, grounding, and easy-to-digest meals to soothe Vata and reduce inflammation.

Think:

• Stewed apples with cinnamon

• Soups and dals with ghee and turmeric

• Roasted root vegetables and cooked greens

• Herbal teas with ginger, cumin, or fennel

Also, don’t skimp on protein. You can experience rapid muscle loss during this phase, and adequate protein helps reduce aches, support tissue repair, and stabilize blood sugar. Aim for 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (that’s about 80–100 grams daily for many women), spread across meals — especially a solid protein source at lunch, when digestion is strongest. Keep your dinners light, nourishing and warm, so that your body can focus on sleep rather than digestion.

Your plate is one of the most powerful tools you have to feel stronger and more stable — inside and out.

This is a sacred season of your life. Yes, it’s inconvenient. Yes, it’s uncomfortable. But with the right tools and support, this can be a turning point — not a breakdown.

Your pain is a messenger. Let’s listen together. Let’s heal from the inside out.

If you want to start your wellness journey or support what you are already doing, within a supportive community, I welcome you to the Moksha Community.

A sisterhood community for rediscovery, healing, and growth in midlife with a multifaceted ayurvedic and yogic approach to cultivate a daily practice that helps you rise into abundance and freedom. 

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Close your eyes and imagine this

🗸 Feeling strong, being calm and nervous system resilient within a week of practice.

🗸 Falling asleep and staying asleep for more than just a few hours.

🗸 Not waking up with anxiety at 3:00am and even if you do, learning techniques to put yourself back to sleep so that you wake up with 10x more energy.

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