A workshop on the Initiation of Menopause.
About 12 years ago while at a training with one of my teachers, Nancy Gilgoff (who was in her late 60s at the time) I tentatively raised my hand during a Q&A, and asked:
"Can you tell me about how you managed during menopause? What happened to you, to your body? How did you navigate it?"
Nancy's eyes lit up, and she immediately answered, in a voice ringing with confidence and joy,
"Do NOT fear this change! It is NATURAL - and it is beautiful! You become the Wise Woman Elder!!"
Her words set me on to a path that helped me manage my menopause sensibly - and without anxiety. Now, over a decade later, and finally, joyfully menopausal, I've come to believe 2023 is going to be the year of the Menopausal Woman!
I have invested time, study and energy in learning about this amazing period of our lives, and invite you to join me for a workshop on some of the things I've discovered,
Embodying the Wise Woman
Sunday April 16, 2023
1-4:30pm
This workshop will be held in-person at the Playhouse, 112 Thayer Hill Road, Worthington, MA
AND on Zoom for distance learners.
It does not matter how old you are, if you feel you are far from menopause, know or suspect you are perimenopausal, or even past menopause: the things we will learn together in this workshop are a means to explore and care for bodies of all ages!
This process for women is inevitable, yet is best viewed as NOT a cause for anxiety or grief, NOR something that needs to be “fixed”--but rather, an entirely natural and beautiful process—an initition--into the very kind of human being that is so vastly needed in our day and age. The kind of human that is embodied by the loving, truthful, discerning, sexy and fearless feminine power of the Wise Woman—a power that for far too long has been denied, avoided and derided through the myopic conditioning of patriarchal misinformation, fear and rejection.
We'll explore:
-teachings from non-colonial, indigenous knowledge systems about the special, inherently spiritual and powerful female body;
-mythological tellings that radically "flip the script" on oppressive, misogynist cultural beliefs and help free us from misconceptions about women's empowerment and the female body;
-asana practices, pranayama techniques, and a beautiful, simple chant to do every day that help balance, strengthen and empower - before, during and after this transition;
-nourishing daily practice rituals of self care (dinacharya) from the wisdom of Ayurveda, which cultivate greater ease and balance in our lives—and help us embrace and find acceptance and joy in ourselves, no matter what our age.
About 12 years ago while at a training with one of my teachers, Nancy Gilgoff (who was in her late 60s at the time) I tentatively raised my hand during a Q&A, and asked:
"Can you tell me about how you managed during menopause? What happened to you, to your body? How did you navigate it?"
Nancy's eyes lit up, and she immediately answered, in a voice ringing with confidence and joy,
"Do NOT fear this change! It is NATURAL - and it is beautiful! You become the Wise Woman Elder!!"
Her words set me on to a path that helped me manage my menopause sensibly - and without anxiety. Now, over a decade later, and finally, joyfully menopausal, I've come to believe 2023 is going to be the year of the Menopausal Woman!
I have invested time, study and energy in learning about this amazing period of our lives, and invite you to join me for a workshop on some of the things I've discovered,
Embodying the Wise Woman
Sunday April 16, 2023
1-4:30pm
This workshop will be held in-person at the Playhouse, 112 Thayer Hill Road, Worthington, MA
AND on Zoom for distance learners.
It does not matter how old you are, if you feel you are far from menopause, know or suspect you are perimenopausal, or even past menopause: the things we will learn together in this workshop are a means to explore and care for bodies of all ages!
- We'll discuss some of the issues and concerns that plague and stress women as they enter this "time of life";
- I'll share alternative traditional views as well as as well as more sensible, less condemning beliefs about female bodies, from the recent explosion of menopause knowledge;
- You'll learn the rest of Nancy's wonderful, powerful teaching about menopause, one that transforms anxieties about this time into curiosity, strength and hope;
- I'll offfer a more grounded, beneficial and alternative perspective on both menstruation and menopause, and a sensible means to navigating this amazing evolution of the body and mind, too.
This process for women is inevitable, yet is best viewed as NOT a cause for anxiety or grief, NOR something that needs to be “fixed”--but rather, an entirely natural and beautiful process—an initition--into the very kind of human being that is so vastly needed in our day and age. The kind of human that is embodied by the loving, truthful, discerning, sexy and fearless feminine power of the Wise Woman—a power that for far too long has been denied, avoided and derided through the myopic conditioning of patriarchal misinformation, fear and rejection.
We'll explore:
-teachings from non-colonial, indigenous knowledge systems about the special, inherently spiritual and powerful female body;
-mythological tellings that radically "flip the script" on oppressive, misogynist cultural beliefs and help free us from misconceptions about women's empowerment and the female body;
-asana practices, pranayama techniques, and a beautiful, simple chant to do every day that help balance, strengthen and empower - before, during and after this transition;
-nourishing daily practice rituals of self care (dinacharya) from the wisdom of Ayurveda, which cultivate greater ease and balance in our lives—and help us embrace and find acceptance and joy in ourselves, no matter what our age.
You'll also receive:
-Your own Ayurvedic self-care/dinacharya starter kit;
-healthy and simple Ayurvedic recipes designed to support both better digestion and sounder sleep,
-a handout of all these practices of daily self-care, plus a bibliography of resources (books and online media) for your own continued exploration of your initiation into the Wise Woman!
There will be time and space for discussion and questions and two short breaks. (For those of you seeking more long-form discussion and sharing of your own experiences and story, consider participating in the four part sharing circle, Menopause in Sisterhood, I'm helping to facilitate, starting in late January.)
PRE-REGISTRATION is required; NO drop-ins, please!
5 students minimum, 12 maximum.
$45-$65 sliding scale, paid via cash, check in person or:
Venmo @Michelle-Ryan-57
Paypal: michelleryanyoga@gmail.com
(You may pay all at once, or with a $25 nonrefundable minimum deposit to simply hold your space, in person with me on Saturdays, OR via Venmo or Paypal.)
FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME WITH QUESTIONS OR TO HOLD YOUR SPACE!
-Your own Ayurvedic self-care/dinacharya starter kit;
-healthy and simple Ayurvedic recipes designed to support both better digestion and sounder sleep,
-a handout of all these practices of daily self-care, plus a bibliography of resources (books and online media) for your own continued exploration of your initiation into the Wise Woman!
There will be time and space for discussion and questions and two short breaks. (For those of you seeking more long-form discussion and sharing of your own experiences and story, consider participating in the four part sharing circle, Menopause in Sisterhood, I'm helping to facilitate, starting in late January.)
PRE-REGISTRATION is required; NO drop-ins, please!
5 students minimum, 12 maximum.
$45-$65 sliding scale, paid via cash, check in person or:
Venmo @Michelle-Ryan-57
Paypal: michelleryanyoga@gmail.com
(You may pay all at once, or with a $25 nonrefundable minimum deposit to simply hold your space, in person with me on Saturdays, OR via Venmo or Paypal.)
FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME WITH QUESTIONS OR TO HOLD YOUR SPACE!