Embracing Menopause: A Path to Peace & Power
The Baby Boomers are hitting 50, and in a big way! In the next 10 to 15 years, about 45 million American women will go through menopause. When thousands of people voice concerns about social or political issues, it’s news. When millions of women are going through menopause at the same time, it’s a sociological hot flash! What might be the effects of such an unprecedented shift? Hang on, guys, it’s a country of menopausal women on the move!
As a generation, we've always done things our way. Experimenting, pushing the edges, and demanding social changes. The entire US economy, seeing dollar signs spinning from our sheer numbers, catered to our desires and needs. From Gerber's Baby Food to the first hot cars, Corvettes and Thunderbirds, our generation has steered major business and economic decisions. Now, how will the menopause phenomenon be addressed in our culture? How do you view yourself as you move to this phase of maturity? We need to really think about what it all means and how we want it to be.
Recently, I saw an ad in a prominent newspaper which targets the "senior" population. Its headline blazed across the top of the page. It implied that estrogen loss caused physical, mental, and psychological degeneration. The ad also implied that the "findings" were the results of a study conducted by a research institute specializing in women's health. A closer look at the ad revealed that there was no actual study completed to support the frightening implications described, and that the ad was actually run by a major drug company which manufactures estrogen replacement drugs.
Are we to believe that menopause is a disease which needs to be treated with pharmaceuticals? Are we willing to give our power away to the fear of the loss of our beauty, sexuality and our value as creative women?
I don't buy it! We'll decide what menopause means, and our generation of women will do it in our unique way. The physical changes associated with menopause are not a disease, but a natural transition from the child-bearing years to the closure of that time of life. It’s just as natural as the onset of menstruation. In fact, we may look on menopause as a blessing, as freedom from the ups and downs of our hormonal cycles, the end of menstrual cramps, the end of tampons! We can focus our energy and become more creative, more empowered, wiser and more deeply beautiful.
All over the world, native cultures honor and celebrate this stage of life. Some Native American cultures call those women who have completed their last moon cycle "women of wisdom," a position of power and respect. As we begin to take our position as the "elder women," as the women who have experienced life, given birth, raised children, created careers, and have gained wisdom from our journeys, we can also take responsibility for how we approach and process our menopause experience.
Now we'll stop looking at fashion magazines to determine our external value. We'll inwardly honor ourselves and create a new concept of beauty and power. It’s time to bury the Barbie doll image of beauty and claim a deeper, more spiritual definition of our inner beauty expressed outwardly. Enough of the "blond" jokes, we can wear our silver hair as our crowning glory. Laugh lines on our faces reveal our joy; frown lines reveal our intensity. It’s all a matter of perspective, we can create an attitude of honoring who we are.
Honoring ourselves means taking care of ourselves. We can appreciate menopause as our special time for physical, emotional, and spiritual reassessment. We can take responsibility for how we want to live the rest of our lives and honor who we are.
While there is certainly a time when extra psychological, hormonal, and spiritual support is invaluable, there is also an invaluable gift to us from India - a rejuvenating, relaxing, energizing, revitalizing "Fountain of Youth" called Yoga. With Yoga, we can balance our energies physically, emotionally, and spiritually as we go through menopause.
Yoga balances the endocrine system which controls your body's production of hormones and it calms the nervous system, reducing stress and aggravation of hot flashes. Yoga is a weight-bearing exercise which strengthens your bones and prevents osteoporosis. It can massage the reproductive organs, relieve pelvic congestion and headaches, boost the immune system, reduce fatigue, and even out mood swings. Deep breathing oxygenates the blood, which cleanses the organs and respiratory system and nourishes the nervous system. Yoga creates more strength and flexibility in your body, calms your mind and creates a more centered feeling in your heart. Yoga soothes, balances, and rejuvenates all our parts, bringing us to wholeness, allowing us to shine.
Just an hour of Yoga three times a week is enough to make a difference. If you can make a commitment to yourself to take two or three classes a week for a month, then assess how you feel, you'll surely notice the difference. The benefits of a Yoga practice have been demonstrated over 5000 years...and Yoga works… if you do it!
Susan Winter Ward, an internationally recognized yoga instructor, author, and video producer, is the creator of Yoga for the Young at HeartTM, an informative and inspiring collection of CDRom programs, videos, audio tapes, books and television programs, as well as exciting vacation retreats. She has appeared on the cover of Yoga Journal as well as other national publications, and has been featured in and written articles for a variety of national periodicals. Her accessible instructional yoga products are available at www.yogaheart.com or 800-558-YOGA (9642).
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