Welcome to this short breathing practice for women dealing with hormonal changes.
Perimenopause can have a pronounced effect on our nervous system and can show up as irritability,
Moodiness,
Deep sadness,
Stress,
Lack of sleep.
This means that just getting through each day with a cool and even demeanor is so much more of a challenge.
Estrogen enhances serotonin function and progesterone plays a role in enhancing the effects of GABA,
A neurotransmitter that helps the body relax and keeps us calm.
With this change in mood enhancing neurotransmitters,
You might be feeling grumpy and less friendly towards others right now,
But you might also be directing that bad mood right back onto yourself.
So right here,
Right now,
You are going to take a moment to remember that you are an amazing woman who has accomplished so much and you are so deserving of love.
You may feel you are being pulled in every direction right now,
But there's always a little moment in the day for you and that's what you're doing now.
So well done.
So start by placing your hands on your heart,
Taking a few slow breaths in and out,
And just acknowledge this moment of quiet surrender and dedication to yourself.
Take a deep breath in now and let it go with a big sigh.
The sighs are where the magic happens.
Sometimes we'll follow an instruction or on our own initiative exhale fully,
But this might be just coming from the lungs.
You're going to try to let go of all your being.
If your hands are still at your heart,
You can put them wherever they're most comfortable.
And we'll start by trying to imagine a moment where you exerted yourself,
Either physically or mentally,
Or both,
In order to accomplish a goal.
And then there was a moment where you could finally relax and let go.
Maybe it was handing in a final term paper or meeting a deadline.
Maybe it was running a marathon,
Getting some really good news.
Just take a moment and connect to that sensation of relief.
And now we're going to take a big inhale and fill up the belly for two,
Three,
Four.
Hold it there a moment.
Connect again to that time in your life.
And now exhale slowly,
Making any noise you want.
Feel the shoulders melting down.
And then breathe at a comfortable pace.
And we'll do that again.
So filling up the belly for two,
Three,
Four.
Hold it there.
Connect again to that sense of relief.
And now exhale as long as you want.
Let it all go.
And breathe normally again.
And we're going to do that one more time.
So inhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four.
And exhale.
Let it all out.
Let it resonate deeply into each cell of the body.
That simple act of exhaling fully out of the lungs will help the nervous system shift out of that stress state and into a parasympathetic state of rest and digest.
This is where the energy can recharge.
You can accelerate and deepen that process by making it a full body and mind experience like you just practiced.
Every single symptom of perimenopause and menopause is exacerbated by stress.
So this basic technique of really letting go a little more than usual on the exhale can help to regulate us at a time when we are struggling to find center.
Inhaling is known to be the sympathetic or stress part of the breath,
Because when we are breathing correctly,
Our heart rate speeds up ever so slightly on that inhale.
And then on the exhale,
The heart rate should slow down.
I like to imagine that on each inhale,
The body is asking the question,
Am I safe?
And ideally,
On each exhale,
The breath is answering,
You are safe.
So with that in mind,
You're going to take 10 breaths on your own time,
Following what we just did of inhaling for four beats,
Holding for four beats,
And then exhaling for as long as you want,
Just letting it all go.
So on that exhale,
I want you to quietly remind yourself that you are safe.
You can mouth those words or just say them in your head,
Whichever.
You might find it hard to take time for yourself.
You might feel you have so many demands calling your attention right now.
The fact is,
You always have time to reach.
So just recognize the power in that breath,
The power to change your body,
To change your symptoms.
So throughout your day,
Remember to exhale,
Let the whole body join in the process.
You've got this.
