MENOPAUSE POEMS: Rose Hips

Rose hips

In yoga class, surrounded by three walls of mirrors

I cannot avoid seeing my hips

49-year-old bulging handles

their wideness sinks at the wrong spot.

The truth about my hips: I find them

sturdy looking, square front on

but sideways they spread like sponges, abundant

woman fat, spread thickly like butter on sliced bread

or a baguette bulging in the oven.

Bone on bone cracks,

when I raise my legs, lying flat.

Soak those achy, creaky, un-oiled hinges

in salt foam waves,

And let my rose hips rise

like Aphrodite out of the sea.

@JenniferBoire

The Healing H'art

"Go, not knowing where; bring, not knowing what, the path is long, the way unknown, the (s)hero knows not how to arrive there by herself - Russian fairy tale To collaborate with the Unknown, the unseen, to speak with whatever Voice I hear within, to add to the gift of humanity what only you can, and build a pathway home to your deeper self. Not writing to please or satisfy but to express what I find deep within,, to go below the surface fears, the doubts that I am not good enough, the worries that others will judge it worthless

Enter into communtion with the Muse, theh source, meet the art that seeks me, in Presence. Stop thinking and let the words flow freely, even if it makes no sense, until the answer arrives. flow like the water, not ice, not fixed, but fluid. (reading Marry Your Muse, by Jan Phillips) http://www.janphillips.com/ I am on a healing journey, using my healing h'art, as the background or tool.

Offering a retreat this weekend Breathing down your bones (see Facebook page Women's Retreat) and working on the marriage of yoga and writing today with Brigitte, yoga instructor. Releasing the desire to be 'known', to be somebody. Just letting go to the calling of the heart - to be in presence, to be healed in every moment. To ask the question, and receive the healing love as answer.

It calls me to go deeper into the body, into the breath, and feel what I feel. To explore in the yoga poses, the held bones, the deeper breath, the held emotions.  What is underneath?

If my body is the pen, what does it want to write?
let me know what you think about this,

musemother/jenn

Yoga, Cancer and Calm

Not only does staying calm help me get through the hectic back-to-school days, but staying calm is good for your health. The link below is to a Globe and Mail article from Thursday Sept 3

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/

Scientists and researchers in Calgary are studying the effects of yoga on cancer survivors. The program is called Yoga Thrive and has proved to be an ideal practice for diminishing the side effects associated with chemotherapy : fatigue, nausea and depression.

Kripalu Yoga Center in Massachusetts has also teamed up with doctors to integrate alternative healing practices into their medical practice. It turns out that yoga and healthy living are good partners.

There are several good articles on the Kripalu website, but here is one called The Future of Medicine: http://www.kripalu.org/article/267 which explains how blindsided doctors get when we focus only on the symptoms and not on the underlying causes.

Yoga and meditation are not only about stress reduction and finding calm. They are tools for growing your awareness, your conscious choices, your way of living in the world.

Choose harmony, choose the path of least resistance, choose health.

nameste,
musemother

Compassionate Breath

Be still my heart, wherever I am, I am at home with you.
Zulu Chant

Kuan Yin is a buddhist goddess, whose name means She-Who Hearkens to the Cries of the World. As you practice this breath, think of yourself as the embodiment of Compassion.

Begin by sitting on a chair or cushion on the floor with your eyes closed.

Inhale deepy and sigh Ahh as you exhale. Do this 2 more times.

Place your hands over your heart, one on top of the other.

Feel the drumbeat of your pulse and let yourself become absorbed in its rhythm.

Connect to the energy of your heart and imagine it spreading thorugh your body, your arms, legs, torso, head.

Imagine this loving heart energy filling up every cell. Each time you inhale, gather loving heart energy into your heart and palsm.

With every exhalation, spread the energy to all your cells.

Inhaling, collect this healing gift in your heart.

Exhaling, radiate it out to surround yur body with its protection power.

Feel it encompass your whole being, all the way down to your sitting bones.

On the exhale, let the energy flood any parts of your body that feel uncomfortable or tight.

Send your Compassion-infused breath to all parts of you.

From a deep inner smile, let a slight smile light your face.

When you feel complete, return your hands back in your lap.

Notice the connection between your hands and loving heart een when they aren't touching.

Inhale and exhale with a sigh 3 more times.

Now, notice how you feel. Allow your eyes to open very slowly.


Enjoy the day,
nameste
Musemother

ps this exercise is adapted from Yoga for your Spiritual Muscles by Rachel Schaeffer

Menopause - the Yogini's Wisdom Way

I have kept a copy of this article - Menopause the Yoga Way - since 1996. Must have been saving it for a future date - that's almost ten years ago. I was peri-menopausal then, and now I haven't had a period in 2 1/2 years.

This morning in Yoga class, I was lying on my mat during relaxation pose, and just before briefly drifting off to sleep, I remembered the article, and looked up the benefits yoga can bring to a tired middle-aged body.

"Many prominent yoga teachers agree that the practice of yoga not only alleviates the disruptive physical aspects of the menopausal years, but facilitates a spiritual alignment that inspires women to accept and nourish this inevitable change of life. Menopause, they say, can be profoundly empowering if encountered as a spiritual adventure and opportunity." (from article by Ellen Sander, Yoga Journal Issue 126 Feb 1996)

I am not quite a yogini yet, but I'm interested in whatever offers empowerment. I have practiced gentle yoga for over 10 years and still feel like a beginner. Beginner's mind is what the Zen teachers tell us we need to have, so I guess I'm in the right place. With yoga, I am still a baby, even if my body has turned 52 years old. Yoga is a godsend for my aching joints, stiffening hips and bursitic shoulders, as long as I don't overdo it. That's why I stick to the gentle yoga, not the vigorous ashtanga varieties.

If you're interested in a natural approach to menopause, you might check out the benefits from yoga postures: it's been proven to balance the endocrine system, and smooth out hormonal and glandular changes. Postures such as shoulder stands and forward bends have a calming, cooling effect to counter hot flashes and bring fresh oxygen to your blood. (downward dog, half-dog pose, corpse pose are also mentioned) Joint mobility increases with the gentle stretching of yoga, and yogic breathing and focused meditation can tone and soothe the nervous system. Yoga asanas can lower blood pressure and heart rate, release muscular tension, improve sleep and reduce fatigue. Susun Weed, quoted in the above-mentioned article, suggests menopausal women could benefit from an hour or more of yoga or t'ai chi a week. It is also an excellent weight bearing exercise to help prevent osteoporosis, and stops height loss by ensuring the disc spaces between vertebrae remain supple.

Susun Weed also recommends women in peri-menopause gain up to a pound a year, as a natural protection against thinning bones (you store excess estrogen in your fat cells). Imagine being comfortable with a little more roundness on your figure!

As for me, after my hour-long class this morning, I felt rested, relaxed and calm, my normal restless, anxious state soothed, my head clear and focussed, ready to embark on another busy day of errands, appointments and web site editing (a volunteer job I am currently doing for wordsofpeace.ca, soon to go live).

It made me want to spread the good news - that being grounded in the breath and moving with the body in yoga is an easy antidote to menopausal symptoms. Again, the menopausal message is all about self-care:

"When a child is going through puberty, we're patient with her. In menopause you have to be patient with yourself. Women should realize this change is normal and natural and give ourselves some time to be quiet. It's a time to relook at your life. your life is going to be totally different. You're not as involved with your family: you need to be more involved with taking of yourself." (Yoga Journal article).

So lovely ladies, love yourself, love your bones, love your round curves, your dolphin thighs, your menopausal bellies. Help yourself to a little soft space to breathe in.

What I wish for you as I head off to France for five days of overeating and drinking wine: peace in the belly, as well as peace in the heart :)

luv
musemother