Step into you Peri Power

Question.

What if all the symptoms you’re experiencing during your perimenopausal years are a sign, a signal, an offering from the universe to take a look at your life and make a change?

You might be thinking, crippling anxiety, painful breasts, heart palpitations and rage don’t feel like a calling Heather.

Stay with me.

This could be your bodies way of saying it’s time to look after yourself more. And that rage? Maybe it’s your power. Maybe the anxiety is telling you that there are elements of your life that must change, again, your power. Now is the time to listen to your body, listen to your heart and make those changes, step into your power.

But what exactly does that look like? We’ll it’s different for all of us. So I’ll share what it looked like for me.

Firstly it meant learning about perimenopause. I trained with Sally Parkes and Rachel Boon in Menoyoga®. This was ground breaking for me. I learnt so much about what was going on in my body and what I could do physically and in terms of the food I consumed to help myself.

Secondly it meant reading, almost everything I could find on this subject. From personal stories, to books about HRT, the brain and those which took a much more spiritual approach to this life transition. I read it all. Some books made me cry, some made me so angry and others I just put about 1000 sticky notes in. My top perimenopause books and why — Deaville Yoga

Thirdly I taught, I shared and I connected with a wonderful group of women to support them through their perimenopause journey’s . And trust me when I say, their support taught me so much too.

Then came action, me stepping into my power.

1. I started saying no to things. If it wasn’t a full bodies yes, it was a no. I needed to rest, do what I loved and keep my energy for myself and my family.

2. I started tracking my period and my moods and symptoms (there’s loads of aps out there you can do this with) and this was great because I saw patterns and could plan my work/life around that (mostly, you know the perimenopause eh!)

3. I stopped drinking, first alcohol, then caffeine. If this is something you’re toying with check out this podcast: What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain & Health - Huberman Lab

4. I tried HRT. Unfortunately it didn’t work for me. My body reacted badly and I had to stop, but I’m glad I tried it as I’ve seen it help so many women Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) - NHS

5. I started to grow my rest practice, using 20 minute yoga nidra’s daily to get some real deep rest: Yoga Nidra 22min | Guided Relaxation Meditation - YouTube

6. And I read a lot of books around happiness, which has lead to a deep interest in Buddhism and meditation.

7. And I always came back to my yoga practice, trying each time to make it what I needed. Sometimes gentle, sometime transformative, sometimes silly and sometimes all about stepping into my power as a perimenopausal queen. Yoga for Perimenopause Power | 15 min Class - YouTube

You’re journey will be different from mine, but I hope that in sharing mine yours will be easier.

Lets grow Happier, Older and Wiser together ladies.

Love and hugs as always, Heather*

6 Essential oils to support your perimenopause

As a yoga teacher and an aromatherapist I’m a big fan of taking a holistic approach to all stages of life. And one way you can do this is with essential oils.

Firstly, lets go over some safety.

1. Don’t take essential oils internally.

2. Don’t use the oil neat on your skin, always dilute with a carrier oil, rapeseed oil from the kitchen will do, I use sweet almond oil.

3. Check oils for contraindications and if you are on any medication please check with your Dr if it’s safe to use essential oils.

The best way to experience the wonderful benefits of essential oils is aromatically, through inhalation (unless your having a massage that is - bliss!)

And the simplest way to do this is by dropping one drop of essential oil onto a cotton pad and taking a few deep breaths. You can also diffuse essential oils and there is a great range of diffusers on the market.

So, what essential oils will support you during your perimenopause? I could list loads, but I’m going to keep it simple with 6.

1. Bergamot. This is a lovely citrus oil, it’s uplifting and energising so great to reach for if you’re feeling low and tired.

2. Rose. This oil is for me the oil of self love. It opens our hearts so that we can put ourselves at the center of all we do and why. It helps us connect to what our heart has to tell us at this time of transformation.

3. Vetiver. This oil is the queen of sleep and for anyone whose struggled with their sleep during perimenopause this could be a great oil for you to try. It’s a very grassy in smell so I often recommend you use one drop of vetiver and pair it with a floral oil like geranium or lavender to sweeten it.

4. Rosemary. Great for concentration and brain fog. When I need to focus this is the oil I reach for.

5. Roman Chamomile. A really soothing and calming essential oil, this has become a regular go to for me. I find it helps release heat and tension from the body and mind. In turn helping me connect to my inner voice and wisdom.

6. Rosewood. This is a more unusual oil and is wonderful for protecting your energy, or aura. This can be great for when you need to preserve your energy for yourself or want to protect your energy from negative outside influences.

Other oils I regularly use and share with my perimenopause yoga students are Clary Sage, Frankincense, Benzoin, Lemon, Tea Tree and Sandalwood. I love combining essential oils with my yoga practice, I find it deepens and enriches my experience of both.

If you’re looking to buy essential oils I’d recommend you head to the ATC Membership List : Aromatherapy Trade Council and check out whose on there. Personally I use Base Formula and Neal’s Yard, I’m not affiliated to either.

I have some lovely free essential oils classes which you can access here: Energising Yoga Class w/ Lemon & Peppermint Essential Oils | 20 min | Beginner suitable | Uplifting - YouTube there not perimenopause specific, but were filmed during my perimenopause journey.

I hope this has been useful and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Lets grow Happier, Older and Wiser together ladies.

Love and hugs as always, Heather*

Perimenopause Power

Wahoooooh! Well, if the title didn’t get your attention then I hope the energy of my whoop did.

It’s taken me years to find the grove of my perimenopause power and I want to share with you today what it is I’ve learnt and you find your perimenopausal power.

You may be questioning my use of the word power, especially if your struggling like I did with numerous perimenopause symptoms and getting through the day feels like a struggle, but bare with me and keep reading, I promise you’ll find some gold.

MY TOP PERI POWER TIPS:

1. The power of NO. Oh my gosh, say no as much as you can (I’m not kidding). This is a time when you need to rest and really focus on what feels good and right for you. Don’t want to go to the ptfa meeting. DON’T. Don’t want to go for drinks on Friday night. DONT. Don’t want to be pulled here there and everywhere by commitments. DONT. Just start saying no, say, thanks so much for the invitation but it’s a no from me this time, or I’m afraid I can’t help out because I’m busy. I know this can feel scary as you might worry that you won’t get invited again (FOMO calling) but you will, trust me and if you don’t then the invitation wasn’t from true friends. Remember, if it’s not a full bodied YES during perimenopause, then it’s a flat out NO!!!!!!!

2. Say YES to what you want to do. As women we’re kick ass at putting others first, so don’t worry about that for a movement. It’s time to put yourself first. Say YES to the things you love, whatever they may be. Do more of them. More girly nights in, more sauna’s and swims, more yoga, more walking, more reading, more naps in the afternoon. More yes yes yes to what you want and love to do. This is so soothing for your souls and will reduce your stress levels (helping ease those peri symptoms) and boost your enjoyment of YOUR life. Trust me, do it now. Cancel something your not looking forward to and book something you are!

3. DO LESS. You are going through a huge transition and having a jam packed life does not leave any space for your body, brain and being to do that. You need time doing nothing. Honestly if I could persuade you to do one thing today it would be to do less. You are not superhuman, so stop trying to be. You’re a beautiful woman who needs rest just as much as everyone else. You’re going through a huge transition and you need downtime for that to happen. The emotions that arise at this time need space to be sat with and listened too and you can only listen to your inner wisdom when you have the time to sit and do nothing.

4. EMPOWER YOURSELF. That’s what my blog is all about really, I want you to learn more about what’s going on during perimenopause and find tools that support you through this incredible, if sometimes challenging, transition. And you can do this by reading books about this subject, check out My top perimenopause books. Learning about the Hormonal changes during Perimenopause and how they affect you at different times during your cycle. What you can do to support yourself and your friends during this transition, like ways to improve your sleep Top 6 tips - Perimenopause and Sleep and how Yoga can help you today 3 reasons why you should practice yoga during Perimenopause.

Start right now.

1. Cancel something

2. Book something lovely in

3. Stare into space for a bit

4. And then order that perimenopause book

Lets grow Happier, Older and Wiser together ladies.

Love and hugs as always, Heather*