Welcome.
This meditation is intended for those times when you are experiencing the anxious overwhelm and heat of a hot flash during your menopause transition.
Hot flashes and night sweats can leave you awake and bothered.
They can leave you overheated with your mind racing.
Studies show that engaging in mindfulness practices can support and reduce the symptoms associated with your menopause transition.
So let's begin.
Find your most comfortable position.
This could be lying in your bed.
On your yoga mat.
Or seated in your most comfortable chair.
Wherever this is,
You cannot get this wrong.
This is your practice.
Get comfortable in your space.
Let your body soften.
Care to let all of your thoughts drift away.
Feel your body ground into the cool space below.
Relax.
Let go.
Feel your body cooling down.
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
Two.
Three.
Four.
And out through your nose.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
Inhale.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Exhale.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
Inhale.
Two.
Three.
Two.
Three.
Two.
One.
Continue breathing this way with longer exhales than inhales,
Moving your body from sympathetic nervous system to parasympathetic nervous system.
This will allow you to rest.
Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly.
Relax your forehead.
Allow all the muscles in your face to soften.
Release your jaw.
Let your tongue fall from the roof of your mouth.
Notice the natural rhythm of your breath without trying to force or control it.
Let all of the tension in your neck release.
Allow your shoulders to drop.
Allow your back body to release.
Inhale.
Naturally,
Gently,
Until your lungs feel completely filled.
Feel your chest and your belly expand.
Slowly exhale,
Letting any tension and stress drift away.
Feel your body cooling down.
Imagine your stress floating away.
As you breathe in and out,
Imagine the sounds of cool,
Rushing water.
In your mind's eye,
See yourself walking barefoot in a cool,
Green forest.
Feel the earth under your feet.
Take time to see and feel your surroundings.
As you walk through the forest,
You can hear the water.
Walk towards this water.
Feel the connection.
As you walk on the forest path,
Sense the air change as you near the water.
Notice how the air becomes cooler.
The light around you becomes brighter.
Savor the sparkling freshness of the air here in front of the water.
Let the mist from the water settle on your skin.
On your path,
You now see this waterfall.
Seat yourself on the rock directly facing the water at the edge.
The multiple rushes of the water send small waves towards the shore.
Watch the waves come and recede.
Come and recede in an endless pattern.
Shift your gaze to where the water falls into the pool at the base of the waterfall.
You can see the bubbles form.
Some are large,
Some are small.
Watch as the bubbles merge together to form a foam that floats and dissipates as it approaches the shore,
Carried by the current.
Inhale the cool,
Crisp energy of the water.
Exhale any remaining stress.
Feel completely relaxed,
Filled with the cooling energy of the water.
Focus each exhale as each molecule of breath leaves your body to disappear into the mist.
Exhale slowly.
Enjoy this moment,
Watching the bubbles form and dissipate.
See yourself slowly stand up.
Begin to walk to the water's edge.
You breathe deeply as the water touches your feet and you slowly walk into the cool water.
The water is cool to your touch.
Your fingers trace the water around you.
Let the water soothe your mind and relax your body.
You walk until you are hip-deep in the pool below the waterfall.
Breathe in,
Savor this energy.
As you walk closer to the water,
Water splashes and falls on your head,
Your neck,
Shoulders,
And chest.
Feel how this water washes all of your tension away.
Sense how each drop of this water feels different,
How each has traveled a different path to reach you.
Visualize how the water falls from the top of the waterfall and crashes to the rocks below,
Gathering and flowing into the pool where you stand.
The light of the sun reflects on the water.
Breathe in and out.
The sun is setting.
The air gets cooler.
Your skin feels cooler.
Your body is at ease.
It's time to begin your journey back.
Pause to enjoy one last slow look.
Savor this feeling of calm that you have created.
As you walk out of the water formed by this waterfall,
Feel cool,
Calm,
And quiet.
Your mind is at peace.
Your body is relaxed.
Your mind is crystal clear.
Consider the movement of the trees.
See the birds trace graceful arcs through the sunlight near the flowers.
Your mind is at peace.
Your body is completely relaxed.
As you breathe in,
Remember how completely in control you are of this feeling.
As each step takes you down the path back to where we began,
Pause,
Save this moment,
And know that you can return to it.
Bring yourself back to my voice.
Begin to wiggle your fingers and toes.
Rotate ankles and wrists,
And shift your arms and legs.
Bring yourself back into the space that you were in,
And know that the hot flash has passed.
You are in control.
When you are ready,
You can move into your next comfortable position.
That might be a seated position so that you can move on with your day,
Or you might be rolling over into a deep and nourishing sleep.
Take all the time you need,
And as this meditation comes to an end,
Remember the time that you give yourself for mindfulness,
And meditation,
And rest is not only a gift to yourself,
But a gift to everyone around you.
Thank you for joining me today.
