Epic Mini: Heart Centering Work for Menopause

Welcome to another soothing solo episode where your host Mary will guide you through a powerful heart chakra balancing meditation. In this episode, we focus on the Gemini season and its benefits as an air sign. We will also focus on the Anahata chakra, our heart center - which is also an air element - to cultivate love, compassion, and emotional healing.

Key Takeaways:

• Stop setting high standards for yourself. Try to be present
• Use the energy of Gemini, ruled by Mercury - the planet of communication and intellect
• Gemini season, whether a born under this sun sign or not, is a time to tap into our curiosity, inner wisdom, and to get curious about ourselves
• Community and communication are at the forefront this season encouraging women to share stories of their journey so they do not feel alone and can validate their journey with a ease and confidence
• The heart chakra is essential for emotional balance and deep connections with others
• Regular practice of heart chakra balancing can help in healing past wounds and fostering a more loving and compassionate outlook on life

To explore more meditations to cultivate self compassion, check out my Finding Self Love Meditation

Transcript

Speaker: 0:00

Hello, my lovely listeners. We are back with another weekly episode. This week, a mini episode, a monologue with just me sharing some facts, some details, some stories. I'm a little bit later than a week, more like 10, 11 days. and I was getting very frustrated and overwhelmed with that feeling that I let you all down. It was self imposed standard. I wanted to keep true to my words. Keeping weekly episodes, but sometimes, you know, life, life happens, we get busy. And I was observing in the moment how frustrated I was getting and how it was spilling over into my life, into my attitude, just to get a podcast out the door. And I'm so stringent on myself. I don't know. Do you find yourself doing that as well? We have these standards that we impose on ourselves. And if we don't live up to those standards, we're, uh, Less than worthy. And then we put this unnecessary pressure on ourselves. It doesn't come from anybody else. Now, this is ingrained in us as women, perhaps, just to live by the standard that sometimes is totally unrealistic. And that is one of the points that I wanted to make, having this episode this week, and it was to explore the Gemini season and that Gemini energy and how we can use it to our advantage, and what little messages can really help us with observing so that we. can self regulate when it comes to overwhelm. I know I think our mantra as all menopausal women should be, I don't do overwhelm. that alone will stop us in our tracks, take a deep breath, regain our composure, just be present and live in the moment and not have all these unnecessary expectations on ourselves. So the point here is that with the Gemini energy. And you don't have to be a Gemini to reap all the benefits of the Gemini season. I happen to be a Gemini. I celebrated a 55th birthday this week, a big milestone. Wow. Which is one of the reasons why I couldn't get an episode out the door. Last week was another significant milestone. I retired from corporate work so that I can dedicate myself fully. 100 percent to doing what I love the most that gives me purpose and that is working with other women. Doula means women who serve Serving others brings me joy. We all have a passion and I was fortunate enough to plan my life and my investments such that I could enjoy Freedom 55. Does anybody remember that? Freedom 55 financial? So it was worth celebrating And then it quickly followed with a birthday celebration, being whisked off to the spa, dinner with friends. It was epic. I am so internally grateful. And I got to the point where I had to let the podcast episode released this week, Go! That expectation, I couldn't meet it. And I knew that if I tried too hard, I would miss out. on being present and celebrating and enjoying these milestones in my life. And so bringing it back full circle to the Gemini season. Well, when the sun moved into Gemini on May 20th, it marked the beginning of the third zodiac sign of the season, but also a season of air and lightness. Gemini is an air sign. So there's, there's a lightness to it, a cooling, much like the yin. energy, it's nurturing, and it's airy, and it's also associated with the heart chakra, the fourth chakra, which is a bridge between the lower chakras of matter and the higher chakras of spirit. So with this episode, I was wanting to provide another little meditation that goes with the heart chakra and heart centering opening and balancing because The Mother's Day Meditation. Well, it was met with some resounding success, many compliments. tells me that you, the listeners, like to tap into your spiritual well being. And hey, like I say in my trailer, we are a mental, physical, energetic, and spiritual whole. person. And so those four areas of who we are need to be tapped into and finding balance. So Going back to the Gemini energy, qualities of Gemini are intellect and learning. communication and connection with others or community. So this is a great time to become curious, ask questions, and not just external but internally, get curious about what's going on in your body. So when you work with me as a doula, I have my clients symptom track their cycles and whether you're cycling or not. It's a great time to also observe. food sensitivities or track your sleep, journaling, for example. An excellent way to become really observant and then write down the things that you're experiencing and track it. Another Gemini trait is sociability and networking. Great communicators, I guess that's why me as a Gemini, I love to share stories on my podcast and share information from expert guests in the field of women's health and then create a sense of community through my listeners. So the Gemini season, reminds us that it is an opportunity in our midlife transition to get out and network with others, friends, or in virtual communities, share. It helps validate what you're going through so that you never have to feel alone. Menopause is overwhelming and it can be quite isolating. So heed the advice of the Gemini season and Step outside your comfort zone if it's necessary and be in the community with others. This is so significant for healing during menopause as well. Women are meant to be in community. We look back at our ancestry and a lot of Indigenous cultures and they gather and collect in circles, a sense of community. It's empowering. So I encourage you to do that. You can also check out my Facebook group, Personal Universal. This is a place you can share your thoughts and your ideas. In a post COVID world, Facebook groups have grown exponentially and it's, it serves a purpose, has been very effective and allowing people to come to a community that might not be readily available to them otherwise. the next trait. of the Gemini and the Gemini season I want to talk about is communication, which in itself goes hand in hand with community, gathering together and talking. Talk therapy is one of the most effective ways for managing menopause. A lot of things do come up in the menopause years and menopause tends to bring out the To the surface, things that we haven't dealt with in the past and in therapy work, talk therapy is an excellent way to bring those issues to the forefront and start unpacking them. Many times, menopausal women just want to get things off their chest It just makes you feel So much better because it's been a release, but this can be very emotionally challenging for many and going to those places those hard places that the menopause Transition reminds us that they're there and we need to deal with them requires a lot of Self compassion and this is so apropos to the air element of the heart chakra. There is a reason why air aligns with Gemini as well as the heart chakra because as much as Gemini wants us to be in the community of others or to do some self exploration and some communication, it takes a lot of self love to go to those places and walk that walk that we might not want to. And that is why I wanted to offer To you, a beautiful heart centering meditation. And I'm also including in the show notes, a self love meditation link. This is something that I had created quite some time ago When I took my traumatic brain injury, yoga teacher training. We learned so much about trauma work and self love. And so, this is my gift to you, my birthday gift that I wanted to get out so badly on my birthday. But it never happened. I've had to practice my own self love and forgiveness. It's just a quick fix. Whether you have five minutes or just a minute or two, honestly taking some deep breaths is just enough to stop us, allow us to be present and to get us out of that Sympathetic Nervous Drive. It keeps us at that heightened state of awareness and anxiety. Keeps the cortisol levels elevated. Enough said on that. So, let's begin Find yourself in a comfortable seated position. Close down your eyes or soften your gaze. And take a few deep breaths in through the nose. Feeling your lungs expand fully. And exhaling slowly through the mouth. Letting go of any tension or stress. That you may still be holding on to. take a few more deep cleansing breaths at your own pace, inhaling through the nose, feeling the expansion in your heart center and loud, audible exhales, releasing tension, surrendering to the moment, grounding yourself and feeling yourself supported. By the floor beneath you, maybe it's a chair, your yoga mat, and a pillow. Wherever you may be, just surrender to your surroundings. Now bring your attention to your heart center located in the middle of your chest and visualize a vibrant green light glowing at your heart center. Maybe it's the color of fresh lush greenery, an emerald crystal. Whatever that color of green may be, this color green represents the Gemini season and your heart center. And now with each inhale, imagine this green light growing brighter and more radiant. And with each exhale, release any negativity. any hurt, any doubt, or any resentment that might be blocking your heart chakra. Just invite these negative energies to dissolve into the air and completely disappearing. Take as much time with your breath to allow this negative energy to just dissipate. Whatever emotions it may stir up, invite it. And rather than resisting, welcome it. Can you observe how you are feeling in this moment? Can you allow yourself to disassociate with anything that might be tying you to this emotion? Continue to invite yourself to just observe. the more you can just observe, The easier it is to just let it go, it doesn't own you. And you're not tied to this negativity. Believe that once it's released, it's gone. And now silently, in your mind's eye, or you can say out loud, the following affirmation. I am open to love. I forgive myself and others. I am worthy of love and compassion. I appreciate all that I do and all that I am. In my heart center, I hold gratitude for all that I've accomplished and everything that brought me to where I am here today in this moment. As you continue to breathe deeply, imagine this green glowing light expanding beyond your chest, filling your entire body with its healing energy. Feel the warmth and the comfort it brings, wrapping you in a cocoon of love and acceptance. Visualize the green light extending beyond your body, connecting you with the world around you. Imagine sending out waves of love and compassion to everyone and everything in your life. And see these waves touching others and coming back to you, creating a continuous flow of giving and receiving love. If any thoughts or emotions arise, simply acknowledge them without judgment and gently bring your focus back to your heart center and the radiant green glowing light. Spend a few moments in this state of open heartedness, immersed in the peaceful and balanced energy of your heart chakra. Now take a long, slow, deep inhale through the nose, feeling the fullness of your ribcage expand to the side. And a long, slow, audible exhale through the mouth, allowing any last tension. To release from the body. And when you're ready, slowly bring your attention, your awareness back to the room. Feel the surface beneath you. Tune in to the sounds around you. You can even begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes. Reconnecting your mind and body and spirit. And take one final deep breath in and as you exhale slowly begin to open your eyes Bringing with you a sense of love balance and harmony And carry this balanced heart chakra with you throughout your day knowing you are worthy of love and compassion and You have the capacity to give and receive love freely Love and light my listeners. Until next time.