Menopause Support

Kauai Rainbow Over OceanMenopause is a time when women honor the passing of the Mother and go into another phase. IT IS AN INITIATION INTO THE DIVINE FEMININE–to that compassionate, nurturing being that you are. It is about having a personal relationship with your cycle- whatever phase you are in.

It is a time of Nurturing and Empowerment. Empowered about your own body. It is about embracing the changes in you and your body.

We will be learning self-care techniques. self-care addresses Herbal, Nutritional, Spiritual and Emotional Support. As well as Massage and Ayurveda.

What goes beyond the life of the Mother Image?

The Blood at this time is about Cellular Regeneration–having babies- the blood is to nourish the child in the womb. Menopause is about moving from the need to nourish the womb. We move to the chambers of the heart and the cycles of the Moon. The blood flow shifts energetically to the heart where we find the integration of the male and female, the Magdalen / Christ energy. We begin to balance the feminine and masculine qualities that we all are.

The blood itself has a vibration. The blood is reacting to the vibration around it. The blood carries oxygen to all parts of the body.

When you take away the bleeding you no longer have the vibration of the blood in the womb. Rather you are moving to the vibration of the heart- aligned with the graceful strength and dreamtime practices of the Shaman, at home in our bodies.

We go from our attention being from the waist down to the waist up- and this carries you to a new way of being. The blood in the heart is the vibration of what you truly are–and you can have fun! There is a different kind of vibration in the blood that is now driving us.

Menopause is where the true beauty of woman comes out because the blood is coming up into your heart where your heart sings! It is the place of rejuvenation. It is where you begin to be beautiful, if we are really living from the inside out. When we are mature enough to move the image of the cycles of the moon to the heart, you will get images of what truly nourishes you and what you are here to do. Reaching maturity, going into menopause, is about nourishing one’s self in a different way. It is about building chi. A time to move into your chi, your power!

What will you do now without the driving force of the body?

What are we rushing to?

You are still going through cycles even without the bleeding. Go into the study of the cycles of the moon.

Full Moon-New Moon

We are moving into a whole new template of the body. Menopause is often approached with dread. Women have expressed many worries: Will I grow a mustache, will I look older sooner, will I lose my sex drive- or worse will my man lose interest in me?

You are reluctant to go to a life without being able to have children. What many people don’t realize is that menopause can start very early in some women, in their 30’s. So many of the beautiful woman that you see may be going through or have already gone through Menopause. On the other hand, some woman continue to menstruate into their 50’s.

There are many advantages to Menopause:

  1. You don’t have the bleeding and pain of Menstruation
  2. Contraception ceases to be an issue
  3. If you have experienced migraines or PMS due to hormonal changes, this will disappear
  4. One’s love life doesn’t change except that the fear of pregnancy is gone- and now it is possible to enjoy sex more- perhaps more often. In maturity women are no longer having to bleed. Their time is finally for themselves and their internal and external beauty. A time for reflection. Their caregiving is now for themselves instead of giving to others

Menopause does not need to be the beginning of some inevitable decline. The process is gradual and it takes place over several years. It is often men Not women, who sink into old age. Where while the woman still wants to enjoy sex, he finds getting an erection more and more difficult (although this is not a physiological inevitability, but it can be a reflection of his attitude).

It is most important that women do not allow the attitude of our culture to affect their self-confidence. In our western culture, attitudes toward older men and women are more negative than in other cultures. In India and Japan there is no word for Menopause. They revere their elders. The western media is very youth oriented, and it is easy to pick up the subtle and not so subtle messages of the media and advertising industry.

EXPECTATIONS of what you think you are supposed to be.

These are the thought that are making menopausal symptoms more intense. The beliefs and fears of society, our families and friends, are ideas that we take on, many times unknowingly- and they stay with us – usually building a wall that blocks our relationship with ourselves later on. It can be so subtle that we don’t notice it. An example of this might be: How women talk about child birth and the fear that it instills about the pain. When with deep breathing techniques, acupuncture and hypnosis, birth can be a much less painful and frightening experience. It is the same with Menopause.

It is not normal to have menopausal symptom. We are empowering women to take control of their health and their bodies.

No one wants to talk about getting older. Our belief systems about getting older are one of the thoughts that are holding us back from the beauty of maturity. We can now be sexually free and proud of it. There is no more fear of pregnancy. We get to really open up all the layers of our feminine journey when we recognize the positiveness of recognizing our own cycle.

If You Dread Menopause, You Will Dread Your Life

Getting out of FEAR that you are going to gain weight when you go into menopause. Stop looking at 20 year olds as an image to compare yourself to. Perhaps you have been sedentary in your life and job- Since we are beginning to live from the inside out. It’s time to look at how you live- Perhaps you aren’t supposed to be sedentary.

Looking at your Life:

  • Is this the life I want?
  • What nourishes me instead of the blood?
  • What makes my heart sing?
  • What do I want my life to look like?
  • What can I do to change my life or the way I have been reacting to my life?

Disability is a Mindset

It doesn’t mean I have to slow down or stop doing things I love to do

What are the choices I have to choose from?

Many times we make decisions based on not enough information. We may regret it later- the fact that we didn’t go out and ask if there are any other possibilities, choices. Today we are looking at different possibilities with the experience of Menopause.

The blood is a different vibration driving us. When we are mature enough to move to the images of what nourishes you and what you are here to do. An example of maturity might be this: When we go to our 5 year Reunion from High School. You are so proud of yourself. You might even be showing off who you are, even more than you really are. It is the pressure and stress of having to be what people think you should be. By the time you have your 20th reunion something has happened to you. Something that relaxes you in your body so you stop comparing yourself to anyone, especially young people.

When you are young and you do something childish you are called immature. When you were asked your age you would say “I’m 15 and a half.” When you are older and more mature you never say “I am 40 and a half.” So the desired way to be when we are young is mature. Reaching maturity, going into menopause, is about nourishing one’s self in a different way. It is about building chi, a time to move into your chi, your power!

Your body is naturally moving you out of one cycle and into another.

If you had hard times with your period, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are going to have a hard time with menopause. Check with your physician or Naturopath for more information on hormone replacement therapy (there is new information available on an on-going basis).

Mostly our symptoms have to do with what we have been conditioned to believe.

Important Things To Do:

  • Nourish and tonify your entire hormonal System- ovaries, adrenals, thyroid, pancreas, pineal and pituitary glands.- Use mineral rich herbal infusions to keep glands strong
  • Increase the number and amount of calcium rich foods you consume; calcium in the diet protects you from Osteoporosis, heart disease and emotional swings
  • Experiment with phytoestrogenic herbs; they can help you smooth your change and are beneficial in the early years of menopause
  • Find some regular physical activity to fall in love with-even gentle exercise, done regularly, helps maintain peak bone mass, strengthens the cardiovascular system and insures deep sleep. Start now!
  • Gain up to a pound a year for ten years. Thin woman can have a more difficult time with symptoms; at least stop dieting

Plan Your Time Away For Yourself

Take time for solitude- Relax and enjoy your hot flashes- Ride them like waves or use your mind to turn them down. Honor what you are going through:

  • Spend time with a journal; Visions and dreams are particularly vivid and intense in the menopausal years
  • Experiment w/ eggs, meat and butter in your diet; Some women find these foods decrease menopausal symptoms and improve overall health
  • Eat more vegetables, fruits, meats, grains and lentils; Protein is important for health and longevity, but eating it every day may weaken your bones as well as your heart
  • Move, dance, walk, stretch, go, inquire, keep active; The essence of vitality is change; Now that you are going thru the Change, don’t stop! Break the taboos and the rules; Learn something new, like drumming or pumping iron
  • Nourish yourself w/ every bite; aging increases our need for many nutrients while reducing our digestive ability
  • Learn about herbs and herbal infusions
  • Start using organic foods
  • Replace using white flour products; Try yogurt and fresh fruit instead of ice cream (Susan Weeds)

Healing the Pain of the Past: Belief systems

We all have different conditioning in our minds of what feminine and masculine characteristics are. Some women may say, “I don’t want to be part male.” That is not what we mean.

Some male characteristics and male roles:

  • Creative
  • Active
  • Rugged
  • Strong
  • Dominant
  • Bigger Egos
  • Crude
  • Spontaneous
  • Independent
  • Less Verbal
  • More Precise
  • Competitive
  • Sadistic
  • Noisy
  • Selfish
  • Dominant
  • Militaristic
  • Rigid
  • Vulgar
  • Taking out the trash
  • Mowing the lawn
  • Bringing home the bacon
  • Leaders
  • Bread Winner

It is not about taking on male roles but about BALANCING the male characteristics that are a part of us.

Feminine characteristics and female roles:

  • At Home
  • Kitchen
  • Emotional
  • Listening
  • Small & Petite
  • Weak
  • Submissive
  • More Sympathetic
  • Sensitive
  • Gentle
  • Receptive
  • Barefoot & Pregnant
  • Sexy
  • Quieter
  • Nurturing
  • Attached
  • More Verbal
  • Better Listener
  • More Social
  • Multi-tasking
  • More Vulnerable
  • More Intuitive
  • Submissive
  • Needy
  • Jealous
  • Gossipy
  • Nagging
  • Moody
  • Vain

If a woman has issues with men, many times she will not want to integrate her “male” self. It is important to release the triggers that keep us from being balanced–release those pieces–the blocks. These blocks are based on our BELIEF systems. Our belief systems have been influenced and inspired by our families, society, our friends–and hardly ever have we created them ourselves. We have “taken” them on in order to live in our world. Do we still like these personality traits that we took on?

We can move up from the womb into the heart without distress. We do this by breaking down our belief systems. We are trying to be AUTHENTIC–authentically ourselves–but what does it mean to be authentic? We are choosing to re-focus our lives. This will profoundly transform our loving relationships. We do not have to be stuck with the roles we took on. We can always become more fully the love that we want to be. We do this by re-choosing and learning new techniques to assist us in re-making ourselves. There are many amazing personal growth techniques available. We will learn a new way of loving ourselves and in doing so change the way we love others.

 

Taj has created a line of Hawaiian Flower, Shell, Gem & Sound Elixirs- essences from the mountains of Kokee to the beaches of Hanalei. Nourishing Essential Oil Blends support you on your healing journey.