Befriending the Body

The Benefits of Mindful Movement in Menopause

“Sometimes quieting our minds helps us to quiet our bodies; sometimes we must quiet our bodies first before we can find the way to a really quiet mind.”

Annie Payson Call, from Nerves and Common Sense (1909)

If you're navigating perimenopause or early post-menopause and experiencing anxiety, mood swings, or just feeling a bit off balance, you’re not alone. There’s a powerful tool you can use to find calm and stability: mindful movement.

Research shows that practices like yoga and qigong can help you reconnect with your body, boost emotional resilience, and ease the stress and anxiety so many women face during this transition.

Focusing on grounding and body-based mindfulness increases interoceptive awareness, which is the ability to tune into how your body feels and responds to the world around you. Through movement, we are invited to notice our tendencies – how the mind pulls us into distraction, and how the body tenses in response to stress. This awareness is so crucial for managing emotions, lowering stress, and alleviating symptoms of anxiety and depression (Mehling et al., 2009; Farb et al., 2013;).

These practices also foster presence, which is linked to improved mood and less rumination (Grossman et al.,2004). Moreover, mindful movement practices are associated with lower levels of physiological stress markers, such as cortisol, heart rate, and blood pressure, leading to overall stress reduction (Maté, 2011).

With the unique pressures perimenopausal and menopausal women face today, finding ways to release stress is more important than ever. These practices actively engage the parasympathetic nervous system, helping your body and mind relax, sleep better, and even shift how you experience pain—leading to a more balanced, joyful life.

Another reason I’m a strong advocate for mindful movements is that they can be a doorway to stillness, often more accessible than seated meditation. In the messy middle of menopause where finding moments of stillness is certainly challenging each embodied posture becomes a meditation; a reminder that within the dynamic and ever-changing, there is also the unmoving, the spacious, the calm presence of being.

And with each movement, we are invited return to the present moment – to our own inner experience, to the space of stillness that exists underneath the surface of activity. Mindful movements can bridge the gap between seated meditation and daily life providing a more alive, active and engaged mindfulness.

I’m thrilled to invite you to the Power of Menopause Summit, where I’ll be sharing how Qigong can be a transformative part of your menopause journey. Alongside a group of incredible practitioners we’ll explore how you can embrace this life phase with more grace, ease, and vitality. 🌟

The best part? It’s FREE! 🙌

🗓 When? Oct 18-20 a 3-day event filled with valuable insights and practices
💖 Why? Because you deserve to feel empowered and connected to your body through every stage of life.

Hope to see you there! 💫✨

Clarissa xo