Welcome to this 10-minute voice practice.
Wherever you are in the world I'm so happy and honored to be your guide for this little pocket of time.
I created this practice to help you express and alchemize the parts of you experiencing anger,
Whether it comes in the form of irritation,
Frustration,
Rage or outright fury.
Menopause is a rite of passage,
A very normal transition designed for women to come into their power.
Even though it may be distressing and intense there's something deep at work,
Yet our society and medical systems send us the message that it's a problem to be fixed.
When were we ever taught or modeled that it's okay to be angry?
This practice is an opportunity to reclaim the suppressed fiery parts of you that long for a voice and bring them back into wholeness.
This is a space for the ugly and the messy and it's not a quick fix or a deep dive into the dark corners of the soul.
It's a gentle invitation into curiosity.
So can you meet yourself as you are and allow what wants to be expressed to come forward at the pace of your nervous system?
Begin by finding a comfortable seat.
Close your eyes if that feels okay and start to draw your focus in.
Notice what you notice without changing anything.
Feel your feet on the floor.
Lean back into your spine and let gravity take your weight.
Place your hands somewhere on your body that feels supportive.
Notice your breath and take a slow inhale through your nose and sigh it out.
Now we're going to sound the out-breath with a gentle hum.
So take another deep breath in through your nose and down into your belly and on the exhale allow a hum to emerge.
Slow and steady.
Feel it vibrate through your body.
Notice where it resonates.
Your chest,
Your throat,
Your face.
You might find in midlife that you're in a perpetual state of agitation.
This could look like an angry outburst,
Bickering with a loved one,
Simmering resentment or defensiveness.
Whatever you're experiencing right now it might feel overwhelming.
Let it be held by your hum.
No pushing or performing.
Just you exactly as you are.
You can't get this wrong.
As you take your next breath ask yourself,
What truth have I been suppressing?
Don't overthink it,
Just notice what arises.
Now ask,
Where does it live in my body and if it feels available place a hand there and sound your hum from that place.
Now imagine that beneath the agitation,
The frustration,
The hot flush,
There's a beautiful fierce fire.
Ask yourself,
What wants to be thrown onto the fire and alchemized in this season of my life?
Maybe it's expectations,
People-pleasing,
Resentment.
Imagine placing them on the fire one by one and as they burn,
Let your voice grow from a hum into an open mouth sound.
It might be a quiet whisper or a crackly shaky tone or it might be a growl,
A snarl or a wail.
Whatever sound comes out,
Can you meet it without judgment?
Let it carry what perhaps words can't name.
Now I'm going to invite you to rise up to standing and begin to add a little movement.
You might gently sway,
Drum or tap your chest up and down your whole body.
You might stomp your feet,
Shake.
Whatever you decide,
Let your body become part of the sound.
Rhythm can help move energy that's been stuck.
So as you move your body,
Notice what begins to stir inside you.
So many of us were taught to stay silent as little girls,
Told to be quiet,
Told not to be angry,
Told to smile and be sweet at all times.
Our feelings bypassed or dismissed.
Midlife is an invitation to take the power back and alchemise some of that unexpressed anger.
And maybe it's not just yours,
Maybe it's the anger of generations of women who were taught to live within systems that were never designed for them.
Keep breathing,
Keep moving,
Let your body lead you.
Your voice is your flame and your anger is your fuel.
Perhaps if you let it burn,
It could lead you towards something.
A knowing,
A resolve,
A moment of fuck this shit.
Or a moment of grief.
Slowly allow the sound to fade and the movement to soften.
Let the fire settle.
Place both hands on your heart.
Take a deep breath.
Notice the sensations in your body.
Perhaps a warmth,
A tingling,
A spaciousness.
Midlife is asking you to come home to yourself.
From the wasteland of survival,
To expression,
To liberation.
And you becoming more of who you already are.
Feel free to pause this practice wherever you need to spend more time and come back to it again and again when you need support during your transition through midlife.
But for now,
Give yourself a cross body squeeze,
Softly open your eyes and take a look at your surroundings.
Until next time.
