Resource Centre for Menopause

Be Yourself, Feel Good:
Enjoy your “Second Spring!”

Here are Tips and Resources to Help Alleviate Symptoms, Relax your Mind and your Body, and Make your “Second Spring” a Meaningful and Joyful Journey.

QIGONG

QIGONG

QiGong is both relaxing and invigorating.

It is an ancient form of practice for physical, mental and spiritual health from China, that is extremely relevant to our modern world: the slow movements and breathing practices can be done by everyone, and have been shown to slow down aging, alleviate women’s health symptoms, relax tension, and improve internal organs function.

A daily practice, even for as little as 15 min. can significantly change the way you feel.

Morning, lunch, afternoon, evening, when is the best time? The best time is the time that works for you and your schedule! A morning practice can set the tone for a calm and energized day, an afternoon practice can help you rejuvenate to go on for many more hours, and an evening practice (choosing a more calming one) can help you say good bye to insomnia.

Balancing Heaven and Earth

This is a perfect introduction to QiGong: easy to follow, calming and energizing. I have been practicing it regularly for over 20 years.
It was designed to help us move slowly and breathe deeply. Just let the movements guide the breath, breathing in with opening or expansive movements, breathing out with closing movements. There is also a philosophy behind this QiGong, inviting us to reflect on the different aspects of our nature: a material body like Earth qualities (represented by the bottom of our body), an immaterial consciousness compared to Heaven qualities (represented by the top of our body), and a motive energy or life force that makes us Human Beings (represented by the middle of our body).

Eight Pieces of Brocade

I chose this QiGong after reading recent science articles showing that menopausal women doing it regularly saw their symptoms improve.
This video is a good place to start to guide your practice, until I eventually record a version focused on our “Second Spring” needs.
It is a set of 8 moves, named after the sensation it can develop, like a precious feeling of silken qualities, soft, smooth, flowing, durable. It is a very old QiGong, and the legend goes that a general called Yue Fei had his soldiers practice it to get stronger, and recover faster from injuries.

Eight Pieces of Brocade

Like with any old and traditional practices, various interpretations and styles abound. This is a video of the same QiGong, practiced in a different style. I am doing it differently, without long pauses, and especially avoiding deep neck extensions. But I like the aesthetics of this video a lot.

STRETCH & RELAX!

STRETCH & RELAX!

Take it easy with simple stretches and relaxing practices. You do not need to be flexible, nor do you need to be a Zen master! These are simple, and can always be adjusted to your abilities. For instance, all practices done sitting on the floor can be done sitting on a chair.
Get comfortable, and relax!

Meridian Stretches

I used to have a lot of trouble sleeping. In fact, I discovered acupuncture when I was close to a burn-out, stressed and not sleeping, and it got me back to sleeping like a baby!

I have used this series of 6 stretches a lot, just before bed, and found that the quality of my sleep was significantly better. Some people prefer doing it first thing in the morning. Try and see for yourself!

There are 12 acupuncture meridians, each with its left and its right branch. They are grouped in 6 pairs, one Yin, and one Yang meridian. They connect body parts together, and they provide an outside expression and entry for therapy for the Internal Organs. There is no need to be flexible to do these. When you stay within your zone of comfort, you get all the benefits. You can sit on a chair if being on the floor is not for you.
This is a complete system for health, making the body looser, more relaxed, and balancing your Internal Organs.

Acupressure for Sleep

I added this video, even though we have not been doing this in class. I initially designed this sequence to benefit the eyes, but quickly realized that it is very calming!
It uses self massage of acu-pressure points that are used to calm the mind and the body, and bring peace to our heart. There is also a massage of the ears. The ear lobes have a very rich innervation and are very close to the brain. Ear acupuncture is amazing for deep nervous tension, depression, and is widely used for addiction.
You can try this sequence just before bed, if sleeping is an issue.

GREAT BOOKS!

GREAT BOOKS!

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”

Stephen King

Below are a few suggestions of books that I like picking up from my shelves and enjoy skimming through again and again. I also added some articles that helped me prepare this program.

Great Reads!

  • Xhiolan Zhao was a surgeon in China, who now practices Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine (TCM) in Toronto. She helped thousands of women with their health issues. This book presents the principles and wisdom of TCM in a way that is relevant, interesting, personable, and easy to understand, using her own experience, and that of her patients. A great read about TCM views of lifestyle, and the ways women can empower themselves, and feel at their best.

  • Another great book from Xiaolan Zhao. She discusses how external beauty is actually a relfection of inner beauty. This book is full of wisdom, ideas, stories, and practical tips to work from the depth, not the surface, to feel good and look good.

  • A great book, very well documented, nicely illustrated, that covers all aspects of sleep, from medical conditions to your sleep environment, external disturbances such as a snoring partner, internal disturbances such as your own spinning mind, etc. A mine of interesting information, tips, and practical solution such as meditation, massage, herbs etc.

  • Breathing practices have a profound effect on all aspects of our well being. This books is based on the principles of Yoga philosophy and ancient medical traditions from India. Another mine of interesting information, and guided practices focusing on various aspects of the body, mind and energy.

  • An article by Dr. Bernard Shannon, that you can read by clicking on this link.

    It provides a good review of how TCM explains health, and the imbalances that can occur during menopause.

    A note about the way this article speaks about the risks of hormone therapy for menopause: it refers to a study from 2002 that was stopped mid way because the risks of treatment outweighed the benefits. However, there have been advancements in the treatment protocols since, and this does not reflect the current state of hormone therapy.

  • This Spanish study showed that practicing QiGong regularly resulted in a significant improvement of menopausal symptoms, and a better quality of life.

    A key component of the QiGong exercises from this study is the Eight Pieces of Brocade, which is why I chose to include it in our program.

    The article can be found by following this link.

  • This article from CBC can be found following this link.

    “Women who have had troubling health experiences say perimenopause and menopause should be recognized and treated faster because it would reduce needless suffering. Four women share their stories and offer ideas about what should change in the health-care system to improve the experience for others.”

REFLECT

REFLECT

“I have enjoyed greatly the second blooming... suddenly you find - at the age of 50, say - that a whole new life has opened before you.”

Agatha Christie

Wisdom of the Second Spring

  • Menopause may come with a long list of challenges, from debilitating symptoms, to work stressors, and challenges from the kids moving into adulthood and the parents into their senior years.

    We have accumulated enough experience and wisdom to embrace existence for its beauty. With conscious attention, we can go with the flow, rather than fight what is.

    We can look at each situation: if there is a solution then let’s work on it, feeling good about what we are doing; if it is not something for us to solve, then we don’t need to ruminate or be uptight about it, nor worry about what others may think, we can let go, accept reality, and move on.

    When we work with what is, moment after moment, without struggle, we make the best out of each aspect of life.

    Life is like the breath, constantly flowing, in a way that we can deliberately make smooth and free.

  • “Women observe subconsciously a thousand little details, without knowing that they are doing so. Their subconscious mind adds these little things together—and they call the result intuition.”
    ― Agatha Christie

    Accumulated experience gives us a foundation for wisdom, and the ability to feel or know what is right before we can rationalize why. But such intuition comes from years of observing, thinking, comparing what works and what does not.

    It’s easy to be deceived by how things look from the outside, and to fall into the trap of illusions, materialism, or superficial views from others.
    When we use introspection on an ongoing basis, and clarify our core values, we can follow our heart and trust our inner strength to show us ways that are right for us.

  • “What matters to you the most?
    Through the process of selecting what brings you joy and letting go of what does not, you develop your capacity to choose, to make decisions, and to take action, and this in turn develops your self confidence.”
    ― from the book Marie Kindo’s Kurashi at Home

    There is a saying in Traditional Chinese Medicine: “Where the Mind Goes, Qi Goes.” Our intent moves our energy, our life force, which is what TCM calls Qi. This applies to physiological process (similar to mind over matter), as well as to our life in general. With a clear sense of purpose and direction, we can move mountains! Or simply get things to move in the direction that suits us, keeping our heart pure, and doing what feels right.

    While doing that, we also need to go with the flow, and relax in order to allow things to happen.

    Intent is powerful when we are not uptight nor rigid, but stay flexible, accepting, without struggle.