When was the last time you had a long-held belief overturned?

We have a habit of waging ‘war’ on things we don’t fully understand. It’s why I’m uneasy when I hear that type of language used around menopause symptoms, depression or loneliness.

Someone completely outside of the menopause space who inspires me to think differently is Professor Michael Shawn Fletcher an Australian indigenous ecologist. I personally some of his thinking dovetails with traditional oriental medicine and can apply to menopause

• The language we use creates an unhelpful illusion.
  I hear terms like ‘natural’ quite a bit. What the heck! Menopause is a natural life stage we don’t turn into a marketing ‘thingy' or a reason to bash those who make a decision to take HRT.

  And who said we can’t adopt natural approaches to menopause while being interested in Traditional Chinese Medicine or Ayurveda?
  The good news is that they’re not mutually exclusive. It’s fine to take HRT alongside these. From a TCM you could look at it as HRT addressing the symptoms whilst herbs, acupuncture and yang sheng techniques focus on addressing the root cause.

  That sounds like a well-balanced approach for many of us.

• That our system of calendars and living outside of nature’s rhythms don’t work with our personal ecosystems ( and not of the planet either).
  Living in harmony is a key aspect of how I work, applying the laws of Yang Sheng ‘nourishing life’ so that we adapt to different seasons and stages of life. Eating seasonal food grown closer to home and being prepared to adapt our activities to suit our health, age and lifestyle. Adopting daily routines like the ones in the TCM clock that relate to our circadian clock. I often use these principles as anchors, not a rule. After all, we aren’t living 2000 years ago.

  

• Pay attention with all your senses
  Our ability to better manage our menopause and create greater wellness doesn’t come from the outside. It comes from deep self-awareness referred to as interception i.e. the capacity to detect and interpret bodily cues.
  Movement-based practices like yoga, Qigong or Tai Chi draw attention to the mind-body relationship through the conscious integration of awareness, breath and movement.. and may help to strengthen our ability to recognise, interpret and effectively respond to menopause-related bodily cues.
  
  I’d love to know who inspires you to think differently about menopause.
  

  Where we are at?

  I’m dropping the procrastination (well I started small at the back end of 2022) and will be offering weekly Qigong classes and monthly workshops on Eventbrite. Check it out here

  

  Plus I am teaming up with one of most favourite people Andrea Balboni to deliver a sensual workshop based on Taoism and Tantra NURTURING THE EROTIC

  

  
  

  Listen to the new Thriving Thru Menopause podcast here or here

  

  
  

  I love hearing from people who are taking radical responsibility for their own health in menopause - together we share how to navigate this time better because no one has all the answers.

  C x