Welcome to this feather-like breathing practice for compassionate menopause.
Take a moment to settle whether you're seated or lying.
I invite you to place your hands over your heart and just slowly get a sense of the body breathing.
Take your time to settle,
There's no rush.
Just become aware of your body breathing,
The inflow and the outflow,
The sensation at your nostrils.
Let your breath and body settle in its own time.
Feel the contact of the crown beneath you,
Allow it to support you,
Feeling the rise and fall of your belly,
Perhaps a bit of movement under your hands.
And when you feel ready,
We're going to settle into feather-like breathing.
If you're familiar with Buteyko,
It's a style of breathing where it's super light,
The belly is rising and falling but very subtly,
Barely there.
And I like to call it feather-like breathing because I invite you to imagine you have a feather underneath your nostrils and you're trying not to disturb it.
To visualize that feather now,
Just resting there,
And as you breathe you're trying not to disturb the feather.
And this encourages the breath to slow down,
So the idea is that we breathe about 10% less than normal.
If this becomes challenging at any time,
Just return to a more regular breathing practice.
Otherwise,
Stay with this feather-like breathing.
Awareness of breathing with your diaphragm.
So notice the belly rising on the inhale very gently.
And gently falling on the exhale.
I invite you now to bring attention to your heart space underneath your hands.
The heart space is compassionate,
Loving and kind.
I invite you to breathe through that space.
Breathe through your compassionate heart space.
Perhaps even getting a subtle sense of your heart beating.
Body,
Breath,
Heart.
Have a sense of holding yourself gently.
And perhaps asking,
What do I need?
Remember,
Your experience of menopause is yours and yours alone.
It can be wonderful to connect to others who are having similar experiences.
But remember,
Your experience is yours.
And only you know how you feel and what you need.
So I invite you to breathe into that space and ask yourself,
What do I need?
This may feel strange.
We often give to others and forget our own needs.
It can perhaps feel uncomfortable.
We're a little alien to turn attention to ourselves and offer kindness and compassion.
But over time and with more practice,
This can become to feel more natural.
I invite you now to say internally,
I am not my menopause.
I am not my symptoms.
It can become very easy to become attached to our experiences.
And this can sometimes cause overwhelm and worry.
And can we practice becoming a non-judgmental and compassionate witness?
Allowing emotions and sensations to arise in a safe space.
To breathe and unfold.
To listen,
Slow down and connect.
To let yourself know that you are heard and you are walking the path together.
And when we practice this,
When we practice this sense of non-attachment,
We are able to find space in that moment.
Perhaps some space from our experience.
Space from our thoughts and our worries and uncomfortable sensations.
So come back to noticing your breath,
Your feather-like breath.
Gently breathing in and out.
And approach what arises with compassion and a sense of gentle holding.
Take time now to check in with your body and gently start to ease away from the thinking mind.
Let's begin at the head and the neck.
Perhaps notice any tension in these spaces around your jaw.
Are your teeth clenched?
Is your tongue pressed to the roof of your mouth?
And find a softness through these areas.
And then perhaps notice if there's any holding around your shoulders.
Are your hands making a fist?
If they are,
Gently release your fingers.
Soften your shoulders.
Can you feel your whole body resting all the way down the length of your legs to your toes?
Acknowledge yourself through touch.
Through the weight of your hands on your body.
And adjust your hand placement if needed for comfort.
Perhaps noticing any warmth.
Perhaps breathe warmth and compassion through your heart space.
Breathing it in and moving it through your whole body.
And perhaps say internally,
I hold myself gently.
If you notice any tension still residing,
Move your hand there.
Check there's no unnecessary tightening in your belly.
And consciously relax and breathe into wherever your hand is placed on your body.
Just sending your attention there and imagine the breath moving there and creating space.
Attend to any areas of tension or suffering.
This may be mental or physical.
And offer the following words of kindness.
You may wish to say this out loud or internally.
May I be safe.
May I be well and at ease.
May I be peaceful.
May I recognize my worthiness to receive love and compassion.
In this moment,
I am okay.
Attend to your breathing once more.
Barely there.
Soft and gentle.
Move through the rest of your day holding yourself within this compassionate and kind space.
Place your hands over your heart center at various times of the day to remind yourself of this.
I wish you well.
Thank you for joining me.
Namaste.
