Costa Rica is one of the most bio-diverse regions in the world. It is home to over 12,000 species of plants, 1,200 species of butterflies, 800 species of birds, 400 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 200 species of mammals. However, there was only one person on my yoga retreat to Costa Rica with an extra pack of birth control pills.
I had packed mosquito spray, Imodium, and Ben-gay, but didn’t foresee my pre-traumatic hot flash syndrome. All I could think about was 10-days without air conditioning accompanied by 80% jungle humidity and hot flashes.
Like a Betty Ford dropout, this was my second failed attempt to kick my synthetic HRT habit. I wanted to experience this yoga retreat pill free, meat free, GMO free, and in an organic state of body.
I knew that major studies linked HRT to an increased risk of breast cancer, heart disease, strokes, and more. Nevertheless, I cast away my Kumbaya attitude when Jan offered me her extra pills. I ripped them open with my teeth like a stray dog tearing into a bag of trash lined with a chicken carcass.
Vinyasa flow would feel like Bikram yoga on the rainforest floor. My internal sweat faucet would be flowing freely doing yoga and Tai Chi three times day without any assistance from Midlife Mother Nature.
Strike Tree Pose to Put Out the Fire
However, the Universe provides. For every yin there is a yang. So though a woman’s skin temperature rises six degrees during a hot flash, yoga has been proven to reduce hot flashes and menopausal symptoms by 31%, according to a University of California study.
Hot flashes and night sweats occur when fluctuating estrogen levels confuse the hypothalamus, setting off a cascade of cooling mechanisms, including perspiration. Yoga helps reduce the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Yoga also improves sleep quality: Harvard researchers find that yogis fell asleep 30% faster and woke 35% less often than non-yogis.
Upon request my yoga instructor at the Goddess Garden taught me three yoga poses known to reduce and prevent hot flashes.
1. Warrior One – Because it opens your body up at all points to increase air flow and because it puts you in a position of power , Warrior I reduces stress and is a great asana for menopausal women.
2. Tree Pose – Tree pose allows you to ground yourself and get rooted therefore helping you put out the fire or pitta dosha that comes uninvited along with menopause.
3. Corpse Pose – Corpse pose is an easy way to relax all the muscles in your body and find peace of mind by letting go.
I returned to the states in a pura vida state of mind or in Tica talk, “Knowing it’s all good.” Hot, cold, or warm.
Jan Elbert and Brenda Clevenger strike tree pose to ease hot flashes through yoga.
Life is a sensory experience. I’m grateful to feel everything so fully. However, thanks to my yoga practice, I’m feeling 31% less self-generated heat.
Pura vida!
Oh my gosh! I felt your inner pain ... and I apologize for the fact that when I got to the part about setting your hair on fire, I laughed. I'm so glad you weren't hurt, and hair grows back. Perhaps a new hair-do would not only rectify the situation 
There is no such thing as a legal separation in my state..The only way I can get husband out of the house is to force him out..He refuses to leave..I would have to file for divorce and get temporary orders including a restraining order..
I feel so
doggiediva - I live in Florida which is a no fault divorce state. Everything that was accumulated during a marriage has to be divvied up 50/50. Unfortunately, he has nothing but the house to offer you. Because of your health situation he may not be e
Are you back off the HRT and the yoga poses doing it for you?
I’m weaning myself off of them as we speak (taking them every other day, every third day). I hope this is not TMI (too much information) but since the trip I have used them for their true purpose (birth control). Yes I’m peri-menopausal, single, and dating exclusively. For the sake of my health, I’m going clean and going condom. And yes, yoga 4x a week works wonders on bringing me balance, focus, sound sleep, and energy. Wish me luck. Thanks for your interest.
Oh and I forgot to mention, I’m carrying Coldfront in my purse. This is not a commercial as I don’t sell them, but one of my blog readers, Susie Hadas, invented this neat, all natural pack of gel packs that stay cold all day in a little eye glass-sized carrying case that you pop from the freezer to you purse each day. Every time you feel a flash coming on, you just take a gel pack out and dap it on your head, chest, under arm for instant relief. I even use them for attending outdoor concerts and getting in my baking hot car in the summer for instant relief. Her web site is called personally cool.com. check it out. They work wonders with no fear of synthetic side affects, etc.
I am a yoga instructor and I applaud your braveness and determination. I have not practiced in the jungles of Costa Rica; the closest I came was recently. I have just moved locations and the first night was in 95 degrees with no AC. Thankfully I teach restorative yoga but it was brutal!
As for HRT, I also am against anything artificial but in recent years one problem leading to another has forced me to do prometrium for 15 days a month and my GYN just added estrace twice a week for painful dryness and chronic infections. I’m 57 and so I am hoping I won’t have that much longer to go. As soon as I can, I’ll wean off but take your blessings where you can. Why suffer?
I’m so grateful for modern medicine, which affords us so much wellness and therefore comfort that women in previous centuries were not blessed to have access to. I’m all for taking medicines that are safe and allow us the comforts, feeling, pleasures, health we experienced prior to menopause. I am sorry to hear of your discomforts down below and hope your GYN can get you back on track. No woman deserves the duress of dryness or infections.
I also think it’s important to help your body heal itself through yoga, prayer, healing foods (whole, organic). Now that we can talk openly about all this stuff and have great specialist who will actually listen, we’ve come a long way baby. Good luck with your new yoga location, practice, and health!
Thank you, Thank you! For a long time I was made to feel like less than a good natural health person by even considering HRT. But my body and my marriage are well worth it!