Mindfulness For
Menopause
3 Session Course
November - February 2023
Mindfulness Techniques to Relieve Menopausal Symptoms
Part A
Part B
Part C
- Sunday January 1st
- 10.00am – 12.00 pm
Mindfulness Walk and Stretch and Breathe
- Thursday November 16th
- 6.30-8.00pm
- Thursday 23rd November
- 6.30 – 8.00 pm
Mindful Eating and Management of Emotions
The Facts about Menopause
Approximately 40% of postmenopausal women report that among other symptoms of menopause, their hot flashes and night sweats negatively affect their quality of life by interfering with their work, leisure, mood, concentration, sleep and sexual activity. Clinical Research is proving more and more that Mindfulness training can greatly support women to reduce both physical and emotional symptoms.
The MBSR Mindfulness training programme (described below) helps you to recognise and discriminate more accurately between the experiences of thoughts, emotions, and sensations, and consequently develop a helpful non-reactive awareness of these.
MBSR has been shown to be effective in supporting women in coping with a wide range of symptom-related challenges including reduced sleep disturbance, perceived stress, anxiety and panic. Changes in hot flash intensity (hot flash frequency × severity) were noticed and monitored which greatly impacted in the overall health and well-being of the women.
Menopause and Mindfulness
- Mindfulness focuses on the present moment
- Studies show it can help with menopause symptoms
- Bringing attention to thoughts, sensations and emotions help them to be released
- Mindfulness has a positive impact on depression, irritabilty and anxiety
- It takes you away from the mind and into the body where you to feel safe and grounded
Minfulness Tools and Tecnhiques
The Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Programme – MBSR – Jon Kabbat – Zinn
Mindfulness techniques, of which there are 6 fundamental techniques in the MBSR Programme (Mindfulness Based Stress Programme) are gentle and easy to learn, adopt and practice.
Once you have learned and practised these techniques a few times practising each one of the techniques for 10 or 15 minutes a day is all you need to do to achieve your desired goal.
Here are the 6 basic tools that you will learn :
- Sitting Meditation – Managing thoughts
- Body Scan – Deep physical relaxation
- Mindful Eating – mindful awareness for healthy eating
- Mindfulness Walking – being present
- Stretch and Breathe Mindfully – moving mindfully
- Managing emotions as they arise
About Me - Your Mindfulness Guide and Teacher
The best way to learn Mindfulness Techniques is with a Mindfulness/Yoga Teacher who has much experience and expertise in this field.
I have a deep love for nature and much of my own mindfulness practice is in natural surroundings, meditation, walking, contemplations and rest.
I have been teaching Yoga for over 20 years and trained in the MBSR programme 9 years ago. I created an 8 session programme and I have been running this as workshops since then and also working with people on a 1-2-1 basis.
How Mindfulness can relieve Menopausal Symptoms
Emotions and the menopause: mood swings, anxiety and depression
If you are struggling with emotional changes during your menopausal stage, this can be very frightening. Your behaviour can be characterised by ‘irrational’ mood swings, panic attacks, snappiness, short temper, irritation, crying and impatience. Your personality can change and you may struggle to feel balanced and stable in yourself.
Finding a way to spend time with yourself during these difficult moments and do simple mindfulness exercises to calm your mind and nervous system can be of huge benefit. Mindfulness tools help you to manage your emotions and feel more in control and yourself again by simply learning how to allow them to be present without judgement or resistance.
Hot flushes, night sweats and sleep deprivation
One of the most troublesome symptoms you may be suffering with is the hot flushes both at night and day. This can be embarrassing, uncomfortable and unpredictable. Our psychological reactions to this, if left untreated can last for years causing us to lose our self-confidence, motivation, drive and even a change in personality.
Psychological distance is created through mindfulness as you become aware that you are not your thoughts. Thoughts are generated through fear and emotions about a particular situation. When you learn to focus your attention away from your thoughts it reduces the urgency of them, enabling you to observe, appraise and be less reactive to the event that is distressing you in both your internal and external environment.
Managing Your thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations
Regular practice of the Mindfulness tools and techniques help you to realise that you are not your body or your mind or emotions. Actually what you begin to learn and experience is that you are totally in control of them. The process is so simple that most people doubt it when they first experience it.
We live such busy lives and there are constant distractions around us. We find ourselves drifting into constant external stimulus.
Mindfulness guides you back to yourself, your true nature, mind, body and soul. So that whenever the outer circumstances affect your inner peace and state of natural balance, Mindfulness gently guides back.
Mindfulness For Menopause
The Mindfulness For Menopause Programme is divided into 3 parts, Part A, B and C as shown below.
You can book a single part of the programme separately. There is no sequence to the programme, you can learn the tools separately.
Part A
the Mindfulness Walk which is in- person.
Part B and C
are live zoom sessions.
Mindfulness Course Testimonials
For me, Suzy’s mindfulness courses have been beneficial in many ways. I have learnt lots of different techniques which can help improve day to day life. Being more mindful or more aware of the ‘here and now’ has helped me to re- focus the mind when I’ve been in stressful work situations. It has helped put certain ‘perceived’ feelings and thoughts into perspective and allowed me to concentrate on the task at hand. Also, learning not to judge yourself ( at least not too harshly!) is quite refreshing!
~ Sarah B October 2020 ~
Since joining Suzy’s mindfulness group sessions, I’ve learned a great deal about myself, and am now more able to control the thoughts in my head, take time out and relax. Suzy has taught me some invaluable techniques to cope with anxiety and stress which I incorporate into my daily routine, and regular attendance at the mindfulness sessions helps to reinforce the learning.
~ Deborah G. May 2023 ~
Part A is the Mindful Walk in nature in a beautiful, natural country environment.
Please CLICK HERE for more information about the Winter/Spring Mindfulness Walks.
- A 30 minute walk in nature
- Stretch and Breathe exercises
Mindfulness Part B
Part B teaches you how to bring the body back into a state of calm and balance.
- Sitting Meditation - Managing thoughts
- Body Scan - Deep physical relaxation
Mindfulness Part C
Part C focuses on Mindfulness Eating and managing of emotions.
- Mindful Eating Exercise
- Techniques to manage emotions as they arise
Upcoming dates :
- Sunday February 1st
- 10..00am – 12.00 pm
Upcoming dates :
- Thursday November 16th
- 6.30 – 8.00pm
Upcoming dates :
- Thursday 23rd November
- 6.30 – 8.00 pm
