The Linchpin Habit That Might Be Holding the Weight

Menopause takes the fall for a lot.

Weight gain. Foggy thinking. Emotional volatility.
And yes, hormonal shifts are real. But sometimes, what we call “menopausal symptoms” are

Photo by Fuu J on Unsplash

the cumulative effect of years of subtle habits catching up with us.

There’s one habit in particular—quiet, often overlooked—that I’ve seen change everything when tended to with care:

Your breath.

Not the breath you forget about while multitasking or holding your jaw tight.
But the breath that you initiate.
The one that invites your nervous system to downshift, your belly to soften, your body to feel safe again.

---

In Ayurveda, breath isn’t just a tool—it’s a bridge.
It connects the physical with the emotional.
The mind with the spirit.
The inner world with how we move through the outer one.

That’s why I call it a linchpin habit—a practice that, when nurtured, makes other positive changes more accessible.

Here’s why breath matters so deeply in the menopausal years:

1. It shifts you out of fat-storing mode.

When the nervous system is stuck in overdrive, cortisol goes up. And with it, your body’s tendency to store fat, especially around the middle. Conscious breathing nudges your system back into parasympathetic mode—“rest and digest.” This is where healing, metabolic efficiency, and deeper nourishment can happen.

2. It brings up what’s been buried (and that’s a good thing).

Start breathing deeply, and you might find yourself… feeling things. Breath is a truth-teller. It unlocks emotional and energetic tension that’s been stored in the tissues. It can unearth grief, frustration, even forgotten joy. This isn’t a sign to stop—it’s a sign something real is rejoining the conversation.

3. It anchors you in the in-between.

Menopause is a threshold—a time when the old ways no longer work, and the new ones haven’t fully landed. Breath gives you an anchor in this liminal space. A way to return to yourself when everything else is shifting.

---

This is more than a wellness tip.

It’s an invitation to reclaim your energy and metabolism—not through force, but through attunement.

Start small. Try this:

• Inhale slowly through your nose (count to 4)

• Pause gently at the top

• Exhale longer than you inhale (6–8 count)

• Repeat for 3–5 minutes

• Notice how you feel

That’s it.

You don’t have to fix everything. You just have to listen.

And the breath—your breath—is how you begin.