Effectiveness of Yoga on Menopausal Symptoms and the Quality of Life of women in a selected area of Mangaluru.

Menopause is a biological occurrence in the process of aging in every woman. The term Menopause comes from the old Greek phrase ‘menopause’ (meno means month and pause means stop), which means ‘cessation of monthly bleeding.’ Most common among them are appearance of hot flashes, vaginal dryness, weakening of the bladder muscles, which leads to urine leakage when sneezing, coughing, laughing, or running, lack of sleep, lack of energy, and memory problems and in some cases due to the loss of estrogen that leads in the reducing bone density which could cause osteoporosis and heart disease, putting on  weight, the fluctuation of blood pressure, and diabetes are a few degenerative process of aging. The yoga that aims to improve the balance of body and mind and increase the quality of life among the individuals who regularly practice the yoga (asanas). These asanas are practiced as a physical exercise in the rhythmic postures, the controlling of inhalation and exhalation of breathing technique (pranayama) and contemplative form of meditation (dhyana). These yoga exercises are employed as healing means to achieve positive health outcomes and manage the physical and psychological pain and through that treat some of the diseases. There is large number of women who find it difficult to overcome most of the symptoms of Menopause. Living with such symptoms leads to reduced self-esteem and self-image among women.  The practice of yoga as exercise and meditation could be used to overcome some of these symptoms. These exercises may provide a source of overcoming some of the symptoms and that would enhance self-esteem and self-image. The study would also focus on simple yogic practices which help people to forget the psychological and social pressure and concentrate on themselves. That in the course of the time would reduce anxiety and depression.