Self-Care Massage For Menopause
by Kate Codrington
When Mrs Menopause comes a-knocking at your door and calling your name she has a question to ask you
“What do you need?” She whispers.
If we continue drowning ourselves in our work or looking after children (why did I leave parenthood so late?!) partners, parents, our interests, and the 10,000 things on the to-do list without looking inwards to listen to the whispers, she starts to speak more clearly......
She speaks in flushes and bone aching tiredness, rages and dryness, and all the many infinite ways that menopause can get us.
Look inside
“Look inside” she urges.
“How do you need to nourish yourself right now?”
The peri-menopause is an inside job and we are called to change our focus from outside doing and results to inward listening and healing.
When we resist the call to move inward, we struggle because we cannot discern what it is we need.
Try it, go inward now, take a breath and ask yourself
“What do I need to nourish myself today?”
It could be rest. In my experience sofas loom large, beds look irresistible and sometimes I feel I could sleep standing up. Like being a teenager in reverse, the epic hormonal shifts require rest.
Also time alone. Kindness. Healing. Gentleness. Love. Care. Massage.
Womb Massage
We all have our own ways of refocusing inwards, yours might be painting or swimming or singing or sitting.
For me it’s massage - the queen of gentleness, healing, love and care, in particular; self-care womb massage. It's great at any time in a woman's life but in the peri-menopause it takes on a special quality.
Womb Listening
This is the time that the womb refines her role as the centre of creative power. Now that babies are not so much on the agenda, bringing your kindness, love and listening to your womb will deepen your experience of your unfurling new crone-self.
To hijack Mukunda Stiles' translation of the mantra OM Namah Sivaya
"With great respect and love I honour my womb, my inner teacher"
What better way than by stroking, soothing, loving her into juicy fullness?
We all have our own ways of refocusing inwards, yours might be painting or swimming or singing or sitting.
For me it’s massage - the queen of gentleness, healing, love and care, in particular; self-care womb massage. It's great at any time in a woman's life but in the peri-menopause it takes on a special quality.
Womb Listening
This is the time that the womb refines her role as the centre of creative power. Now that babies are not so much on the agenda, bringing your kindness, love and listening to your womb will deepen your experience of your unfurling new crone-self.
To hijack Mukunda Stiles' translation of the mantra OM Namah Sivaya
"With great respect and love I honour my womb, my inner teacher"
What better way than by stroking, soothing, loving her into juicy fullness?
Health
There are sound physiological reasons to massage your womb and belly. It will help to improve the circulation, lymph flow and tone in all of your digestive and reproductive organs which will help everything to work better and move into the right place. It’s easy for tight tissue caused by posture, surgery or accidents to hold your organs so tense that the flow of oxygenated blood is restricted.
Make you happy
Massaging your belly will make you happy! The colon, who does the vital job of removing toxins and waste from our bodies, has a secret, starring role. She also produces serotonin, the chemical responsible for mood balance, so as you massage you will improve the circulation and tone of the colon and increase serotonin levels. As anyone who’s suffered constipation will tell you, it definitely brings on ‘the glums’ and depression is associated with reduced serotonin.
Many women experience changes in bowel habits around the time of their bleed and this shows the intimate relationship between womb and colon.
According to Alex Korb in his book ‘The Upward Spiral’ where he writes about neuroscience and depression;
“The results are fairly clear that massage boosts your serotonin by as much as 30 percent. Massage also decreases stress hormones and raises dopamine levels, which helps you create new good habits … Massage reduces pain because the oxytocin system activates painkilling endorphins. Massage also improves sleep and reduces fatigue by increasing serotonin and dopamine and decreasing the stress hormone cortisol.”
Healthy
About 70% of our immune system resides in our guts and the good bacteria need strong, healthy organs to keep us well and fight off infections. So alongside good nutrition, massaging your belly helps to support your immune system because the circulation flows better and the oxygen can nourish the tissues in the gut. Feel your tummy now; what’s the temperature like down there? If your lower belly feels cold, your circulation could be better in that area. Your mum was right, tucking your vest in really IS important.
Womb health
If you have a perfectly healthy and aligned body, just 5% of blood gets to the womb. Tightness from poor posture or trauma in the lower abdomen means that the hormones and oxygen can’t get there as efficiently and the metabolic waste can’t be taken away. Tilted or hunched-up wombs can unfurl themselves with regular massage, allowing the ligaments to soften will help everything to relax and move into a better position, potentially easing up pain.
Symptoms like brown blood at the beginning or end of your period, constipation or diarrhea, headaches and pain can all be attributed to a misaligned womb.
When you have stiff shoulders, you would go get a massage. When you are in peri-menopause, massage your belly.
When Mrs Menopause knocks again, tell her you’re getting a massage.
There are sound physiological reasons to massage your womb and belly. It will help to improve the circulation, lymph flow and tone in all of your digestive and reproductive organs which will help everything to work better and move into the right place. It’s easy for tight tissue caused by posture, surgery or accidents to hold your organs so tense that the flow of oxygenated blood is restricted.
Make you happy
Massaging your belly will make you happy! The colon, who does the vital job of removing toxins and waste from our bodies, has a secret, starring role. She also produces serotonin, the chemical responsible for mood balance, so as you massage you will improve the circulation and tone of the colon and increase serotonin levels. As anyone who’s suffered constipation will tell you, it definitely brings on ‘the glums’ and depression is associated with reduced serotonin.
Many women experience changes in bowel habits around the time of their bleed and this shows the intimate relationship between womb and colon.
According to Alex Korb in his book ‘The Upward Spiral’ where he writes about neuroscience and depression;
“The results are fairly clear that massage boosts your serotonin by as much as 30 percent. Massage also decreases stress hormones and raises dopamine levels, which helps you create new good habits … Massage reduces pain because the oxytocin system activates painkilling endorphins. Massage also improves sleep and reduces fatigue by increasing serotonin and dopamine and decreasing the stress hormone cortisol.”
Healthy
About 70% of our immune system resides in our guts and the good bacteria need strong, healthy organs to keep us well and fight off infections. So alongside good nutrition, massaging your belly helps to support your immune system because the circulation flows better and the oxygen can nourish the tissues in the gut. Feel your tummy now; what’s the temperature like down there? If your lower belly feels cold, your circulation could be better in that area. Your mum was right, tucking your vest in really IS important.
Womb health
If you have a perfectly healthy and aligned body, just 5% of blood gets to the womb. Tightness from poor posture or trauma in the lower abdomen means that the hormones and oxygen can’t get there as efficiently and the metabolic waste can’t be taken away. Tilted or hunched-up wombs can unfurl themselves with regular massage, allowing the ligaments to soften will help everything to relax and move into a better position, potentially easing up pain.
Symptoms like brown blood at the beginning or end of your period, constipation or diarrhea, headaches and pain can all be attributed to a misaligned womb.
When you have stiff shoulders, you would go get a massage. When you are in peri-menopause, massage your belly.
When Mrs Menopause knocks again, tell her you’re getting a massage.
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Bio
Kate is the author of Second Spring the self-care guide to menopause. she runs online courses for therapists who want to expand their practice at Kate Codrington Online she’s also a massage therapist specializing in women's health in her private practice in Watford UK and teaches women self-help skills at Love Your Belly workshops. katecodrington.co.uk |
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