Harness the wisdom of menopause and beyond - through yoga and writing

Donna Southwell and Rachel Newsome

Menopause is an immense life event that can be approached as an important rite of passage for women as we cross the threshold into a new season. 

Not only does it usher in a complete hormonal shift but our brains also begin to change in a way that can connect us more deeply with our intuition. This means that menopause has the potential to provide the greatest opportunity for growth since adolescence. 

We are lucky nowadays that menopause is being talked about more openly and that, increasingly, there are health resources for the many women who suffer from very real and distressing symptoms. 

But there is still very little focus on how empowering this process can be for women as a time to realise our full potential, come into the full power of who we are, think about who we want to be and what we want to do with the next part of your life.

In this workshop we aim to start the process of harnessing the wisdom of the menopause through the complementary practices of yoga and writing in a supported, heart-centred space. 

In the yoga section of the workshop we will use yoga asana (posture) and breath to look at ways of managing with anxiety, insomnia, low self esteem, anger, tiredness as well as other symptoms you may experience. The practice will look at ways of keeping joints mobilised, building up strength, flexibility and balance as well as releasing deep held stress in the body. The session will be fun and accessible to anyone no matter what their level of experience, preparing the way, through opening up the body, to work more deeply.

We cannot separate body and mind - opening the body physically can help to open the mind and vice versa. With the morning yoga practice, including breath work, we allow the body to open up making space to move towards deeper work in reimagining the second half of our lives.

In the writing section we will be doing short, accessible writing exercises aimed at exploring the elders, ancestors and guides in our lives through the lens of the crone archetype with a view to harnessing ‘crone wisdom’ and identifying what qualities we would like to nurture in ourselves. No previous experience of writing needed, there is no pressure to share your writing although you may do so if you 

Donna - I have been teaching yoga for over 20 years and practising for many years more. In this time I have had to adapt my practice for menstruation, two pregnancies and after the births of both my children. I am now 51 - I feel that the peri menopause transition started at around 43, many subtle changes and many not so subtle. My practice has supported me throughout all these transitions although I have also had to deal with a lot of acceptance and letting go as my body has changed. 

I am now heading much closer towards menopause - it feels to be just round the corner. The biggest support for me has been journaling, cold water swimming, time spent outdoors in nature, breath work and, of course, my yoga practice. For me this age is when I’ve felt more ‘me’ than ever before, the most sure of who I am, the most liberated - I really do believe that at this age women have so much to offer, that this is when we are at our most powerful.

Rachel  - I am a writer and mentor with over eighteen years experience teaching creative arts subjects. As part of my own menopause journey I was fortunate enough to be able to leave a job that was no longer serving me in order to focus on doing a PhD in combining Jungian psychoanalysis with writing to facilitate creativity and promote well being. 

Now in my early fifties, I’ve now completed my PhD and I’m well on my way towards crossing the threshold of menopause. As I go through the challenging, sometimes painful, process of shedding an old skin and growing into a new one the practices of writing, yoga, meditation, cold water swimming, spending time in nature, with loved ones and with warm-hearted women are all helping me wake up to the freedom of becoming more attuned to the embodied wisdom of my intuition and I’m very much here for what comes next.