Perimenopause Micro Rest; Body Scan With Gentle Affirmations

If you are going through perimenopause or menopause, high quality rest is an important piece of the puzzle with profound benefits for body and mind. This guided bodyscan or Non Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) practice, supports you to find relaxation in a relatively short space of time. Also included are a series of gentle yet empowering affirmations to help you to open to trusting in yourself and your menopause process. You'll then be guided gently back into movement so you can get back to your day nourished and refreshed.

Transcript

Welcome to this short relaxation designed so that you can take some time out of your day to rest and nourish yourself. If you're in perimenopause, High quality rest is an important piece of the puzzle with profound benefits for body and mind. On a soul level, The menopause transition can be viewed as an inner autumn and winter. That has the potential to pare us back to the essence of who we are before we emerge into the springtime of postmenopause life. And just as nature rests deeply in autumn and winter, So we need to rest during our menopause transition. I'm Melanie, A bodyworker, Shadow worker and menopause guide, And I'll be supporting you today to invite relaxation and softness into different areas of the body so that you can find rest even in a relatively short amount of time. I'll also include a few gentle affirmations to help you open to trusting in yourself and your menopause process. So let's begin by finding a way to sit or lie down so that you can feel as comfortable and supported as possible. You can allow your gaze to soften or your eyes to close if you haven't already done so. And begin to turn your attention inward. Notice everywhere that your body is held by the support beneath you. Allowing yourself to settle into that support just a little bit more If you need to have a stretch out or wriggle around you can. Sometimes we need to move before we can find stillness. So just follow what your body needs in every moment. And whether you're moving or in stillness taking a moment to notice your breathing the in-breath and the out-breath. Not needing to change anything. Just allowing the breath to be however it needs to be. And as you allow the breath to breathe itself in and out Bringing your awareness down through the body now right the way down into your toes Feeling your toes for a moment and allowing your toes to become heavy. Sense of the flesh and the bones being drawn down towards the earth beneath you allowing this heaviness to spread through the whole of the feet into the heels. The ankles. Body and bones dropping down. The lower legs now, Allowing a feeling of heaviness. The knees. The upper neck Everything softening, Becoming heavy and dropping down. The hips, The pelvis. This whole area dropping down into the support beneath you. Relaxing in the lower back in the belly. The chest and the upper back. The shoulders becoming heavy, Dropping down. Bones and flesh of the arms softening becoming heavy The elbows, The forearms and the wrists. The bones of the hands. The fingers. Everything's softening, Becoming heavy. And the upper chest the throat the next softening. Allowing the muscles in the jaw and cheeks to soften dropping down towards the earth beneath you. The skin of the face smoothing out the bones in the cheeks, The brows the eyes and the muscles around them. The whole head softening. Dropping down becoming heavy Maybe even a sense that the brain, Like a big muscle, Can soften, Relax. Let go. Everything dropping down into the support beneath you The whole body soft, Heavy, Supported. And taking a few breaths here simply allowing in breath and out breath. Allowing any feelings or sensations of aliveness or warmth, Softness or expansion. Just resting here for a moment. Nothing to do. No right or wrong way of being. Just as you are trusting body and breath. This time for you. Time for stillness. Time for rest. You may wish to repeat the following affirmations or if you prefer you can simply listen and allow the words to wash over you I know that nature needs its times of letting go, Rest and renewal. Before starting a new cycle. I know that I am part of nature and I too need my times of letting go, Rest and renewal. I open. To trusting in my menopause process as a natural and wise time of letting go, Rest and renewal. And even if the people and systems around me don't understand and respect this natural and wise process that I am in. I can choose to offer myself understanding and respect. I choose today and always to offer myself understanding and respect. I choose, Today and always, To offer myself love. So if you wish you can stay here in stillness for a little longer and if you need to come back to your day now you can. Just starting to bring some gentle movement back into the body Perhaps the fingers and toes want to have a little wriggle or a stretch out. And just easing the body gently back into movement. Allowing the eyes to slowly open if they aren't already and taking in the colours and shapes of the light from your surroundings. Hearing the sound of my voice. The sound of the music fading away. Any sounds in the place where you are and when you're ready you can slowly get up listening to how your body wants to move all the way and taking any feelings of relaxation, Refreshment or aliveness with you into the rest of your day Thank you for taking this time today to honour yourself and to honour your menopause process. My belief is that the world needs more of the qualities that we're called into in perimenopause and menopause. And I hold the belief that every time we rest, It's a gift for ourselves. A gift for the people around us and a gift for the world. Until next time. Go gently. Go well.