When we reach our late 30s and early 40s, our bodies and minds begin to transition, and we can experience intense physical and psychological turbulence. Yoga practices and Ayurveda lifestyle changes offer tremendous support in navigating this natural wave of change.

While this transformation is not easy, it’s significant because we are undergoing an initiatory process. We are birthing a new self: our Wise Woman.

• Be introduced to how the program works
  
• Learn about what’s happening physically and emotionally to our bodies and minds during menopause
• Discover the Western medical model perspective on menopause and learn about HRT
• Uncover how Ayurveda views menopause and how the doshas create the foundation for the program
• Receive a brief overview Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective of menopause from the yin yoga tradition
• Explore alternative narratives of menopause , for example, a seasonal view
• Connect yoga philosophy to menopause (Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the Koshas, Chakras, and Vayus)
• Learn about nutritional support for menopause with Mel Bald qualified perimenopause nutritionist.

Focus Area One: Summer to autumn, early to late peri-menopause, Vata, kidney/bladder, stomach/spleen meridian lines; symptoms: anxiety, overwhelm. fatigue, poor sleep.

Many women reach menopause in a state of exhaustion and physical depletion because our culture doesn’t respect this sacred feminine transition.

In module one, you’ll learn the science behind how our hormones change, the shift in our nervous system, and how to adapt yoga practices and harness Ayurveda lifestyle modifications to help women experiencing anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, and overwhelm.

• Experience a grounding yoga practice for Focus Area One (Vata)
• Presentations:
  • What’s happening to our bodies and minds at menopause?
  • Explore seasonal and uplifting feminine narratives of menopause and lunar charting the Wise Woman way
  • Discover the changes in the nervous system at menopause, how stress impacts our hormones including the vagus nerve and Polyvagal theory
• Deconstruct the practice and learn how to create yoga  classes to balance Vata including asana labs and teaching practicums
• Discover language gardens where we build word banks for introducing our menopause-informed classes and to help us write marketing copy
• Explore the benefits of restorative yoga and the importance of including restorative yoga in your sequences.
• Learn about the structure we use for a Wise Woman’s circle and start to practice hosting a Wise Woman circle for Focus Area One

Focus Area Two: Autumn to early winter, late peri-menopause to early menopause, Pitta, liver/gall bladder meridian lines; symptoms: hot flushes, night sweats, irritability, mood swings, anger, menopause rage and brain fog.

For many women, our bodies announce menopause with hot flushes, strong emotions, and shifting moods as we begin to navigate the cauldron of change within.

In module two, you’ll learn the science behind hot flushes, night sweats, menopause rage, irritability and brain fog and which specialised yoga practices can support you and your students.

• Experience a cooling Focus Area Two practice (pitta)
• Presentations:
  • Learn about the physiology of hot flushes and strategies to support students physically and emotionally.
  • Gain insight into how women’s brains change and understand why women experience brain fog, irritability, and forgetfulness and what we can do to look after our brain health
• Discover which specific yoga practices, pranayama and kriya  can help release heat and/or hot emotions, and cool the fire (Pitta)
• Learn to build yoga sequences that cool the body and hot emotions, reduce pitta, and nourish the liver and gall bladder meridians.
• Understand the benefits of yoga Nidra for menopause
• Practice hosting an activity for a Wise woman circle for Focus Area Two

Focus Area Three: Early winter – late winter, early to late menopause, Kapha, heart/small intestine, lung/large intestine meridian lines; symptoms: low mood and energy, lethargy, lack of motivation, sadness and depression.

Menopause is a profound journey and on the path some women experience periods of low energy and mood, grief and sadness. Navigating this with kindness and compassion is essential to help women embrace their Second Spring.

You’ll learn which specialised yoga practices can support Focus Area Three: low energy and mood, lethargy, lack of motivation, grief, sadness and depression. We look at how to cue for pelvic floor health at menopause.

• Experience an uplifting practice designed to address Focus Area three signs (Kapha)
• Presentations:
  • Learn about the profound changes in  the changes in women’s cardiovascular and how yoga can help.
  • Discover the way our lungs change and which pranayama practices can gift women vitality and energy as they age
  • Understand the changes in pelvic floor health at menopause and how to support women with prolapse.
• Experience a specialised prolapse sequence as we learn about changes in the pelvic floor and yoni
• Build a library of prolapse friendly core work to include in your classes and keep women with prolapse protected
• Enjoy webinars and yoga practices that support pelvic floor health from physiotherapist Lisa Fitzpatrick’s (online platform)
• Practice hosting a Wise Woman circle for Focus Area Three

Focus Area Four: Late winter to early spring, late menopause – early post menopause and beyond, Vata, kidney/bladder meridian lines; symptoms: muscle weakness (sacropenia), achy joints and muscles, low bone density (osteopenia and osteoporosis)

Revolution is here, and it’s time to step up and claim your crown, queen. As we expand beyond the nurturing roles of family and career, we gain a deeper understanding of our connections to both the community and the universe. Menopause is a beautiful distillation of all that makes you unique. Now is the moment to embrace the promise of renewal and fully embody your Wise Woman.

You’ll discover the science behind the transformations in your muscles and bones, exploring how yoga practices enhance muscle and bone strength while alleviating discomfort in your muscles and joints, and understand the importance of complementing your yoga routine with weight-bearing and resistance exercises.

• Experience a strengthening and empowering  practice for Focus Area Four (Vata)
• Presentations:
  • Understand changes in women’s muscles and the best ways to build muscle through menopause and beyond
  • Learn about inflammation at menopause and how to care for achy muscles and joints
  • Discover what’s happening to our bones and learn how to work with students with osteopenia and osteoporosis in a class setting
• Learn and consider how to modify sequences to create bone-safe transitions and namaskars for students with osteoporosis.
• Honour our journeys with a rite of passage closing circle

This program is led by Margot Porter, a certified Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider and a senior teacher with Yoga Australia. It is an accredited training recognized by both Yoga Alliance in the USA and Yoga Australia. Upon successful completion of the assessment task, you will earn 40 points of Continuing Professional Development.

Yes, you need to have completed your RYT-200 because Yoga for Menopause Wellbeing is advanced training,  We approach developing classes from a therapeutic or an energy-shifting perspective to address symptoms of menopause transformation and educate women about the changes in their bodies and minds, therefore I assume you know how to instruct poses and pranayama practices. It involves a fair amount of specialised knowledge and skill-based learning, and the common denominator is you have completed basic yoga teacher training.

The training is open to any teacher who has completed a minimum of RYT-200 yoga teacher training and has taught for at least six months. You don’t need to be teaching now but you must be confident in planning classes.

Absolutely.  This training is for all teachers who want to support menopausal women in their classes. With this training, you’ll learn how comfortably share information about menopause, how it affects a woman’s body and yoga practice.  You’ll learn to seamlessly incorporate relevant menopause knowledge, how yoga can support women and offer modifications for common signs into your general class. You’ll also learn the skills to deliver a specific Yoga for Menopause Wellbeing class and how to create an inspiring menopause workshop.

You have access to the online materials for one year.  This is a potent space for growth in the program when coupled with personal practice. Watching the presentations and creating classes using the class guidelines is a great way to really absorb the teachings.

Time is allocated within the structure of the training for you to seek clarity and complete your assessment tasks. If not completed over the duration of the month long course, you’ll have 3 months to complete your assessment. The assessment ask will take around 2-hours to complete.