MENOPAUSE heat or just British Summer 2026 ??

Scroll down for the Heart-Womb Breath

Dear Reader,

Its been a long hot summer and boy have we had to delve deep to manage our energy levels and daily life as temperatures soared over 30 degrees on this island.

A consistent theme within my groups has been menopause and summer heat. Many of my clients have found it hugely difficult to navigate symptoms recently due to the rollercoaster of hormones present and the extra stress of high temperatures in the environment- its a nightmare duo in our forties and fifties. Peri menopause, in particular, with its tireless mutation of symptoms and fluctuation of hormones.

In Chinese medicine, they talk of the Five Elements in nature as they relate to the human condition. This really comes into play during mid life transition. If we take each season and the element connected to it, we can understand why menopause can feel so utterly confusing and frustrating. (N.B. I discuss the five elements theory in yin yoga classes as we hold in various poses and bring awareness to the meridian lines and fascia).

Spring is represented by Wood: connected to liver and gall bladder function and on an energetic level to anger, frustration as well as giving us our driven and push through effort.

Summer is represented by Fire: connected to the heart and energetically to joy, connection, heat , restlessness and anxiety.

Late summer represented by Earth: connected to spleen and stomach. Energetically linked to worry and pensiveness, balanced. by grounding and calm.

Autumn represented by Metal: connected to the lungs and large Intestine. Energetically to the deep emotions of grief, boundaries, dry skin and letting go.

Winter represented by water: connected of course to the kidneys and the bones. Energetic level relates to feelings of fear, withdrawing and balanced by moving into wisdom and courage when balanced.

With menopause we can find ourselves riding the wave of all seasons at once. This can be deeply confusing, frustrating and difficult to navigate.

For instance, summer heat can be experienced in the chest, throat and head whilst it might feel like deep winter depletion in the bones, spring frustration in the Liver, autumn dryness in the skin, and late-summer worry in the belly.

This is why it can be advisable to change the routine, the style of exercise, depending on how you are feeling on any given day. We don't just treat a unique symptom we look to find flow in the whole system again.

Returning briefly to that Heat of Summer feeling:

The heat of this summer is very similar to the kind of heat a woman can feel in midlife.

A heat that rises into the chest and head. A heat that can make the heart race, the mind spin, the skin feel itchy and dry, the mouth dry and burning, the eyes itchy and sore. The symptoms are many and varied ................

............. with hot flushes only touching the surface. - vaginal dryness, itchy vulva, burning feet, night sweats, heart palpitations, itchy ears/eyes, dry skin, bladder sensitivity and horrid UTIs, brain fog, deep anxiety for no apparent reason, fear of nothing and everything, feeling wired and tired simultaneously, sleep that is totally disrupted. And I haven't even touched on the bleeding, intermittent heavy outpourings that are at best scary and debilitating, and worst, become a serious concern for some that need medical intervention.

This blog is for women in peri-menopause, menopause and post-menopause who feel as if they have failed somehow and this transition is not going well for them.

Start by understanding that your body is shedding an old way of being and entering a new phase. Its a bit like burning down the old house to build a newer, more defined model. All of the symptoms are your body giving you feedback about what is blocked and needs to flow, what is dry and needs to be nourished, where you need to set boundaries in your life and how you can instill a new regime of rest and retore into your daily life. You do not have to decode it perfectly. You only have to begin by responding with kindness and patience and dig deep for compassion when needed. Your body and mind will thank you for this!

The Heart-Womb Breath - (Bao Mai in Chinese Medicine)

I recommend this breathwork and share it in my menopause yoga classes where possible.

In Chinese Medicine, your Heart and Womb are intimately connected by a sacred vessel called the Bao Mai Channel – a bridge for blood, spirit, and emotional flow.

And modern science echoes this ancient wisdom

The vagus nerve – your body’s primary calming pathway – connects your brain, heart, and womb space. In fact, 80% of the vagus nerve messages travel from body to brain, not the other way around!

A Sacred Practice: Heart–Womb Breath

Take a moment to connect – your body already knows the way. This practice needs no equipment – only your presence.

1. Place your left hand on the centre of your chest, at the heart centre, and your right hand on your lower abdomen, over your womb space.

2. Visualise a gentle current of light or warmth flowing between your hands.

3. Begin to notice your breath.

4. Inhale: Feel the breath travel from womb space to heart – the creativity rises

5. Exhale: notice the breath move from heart to womb space – feel the nervous system accept and feel safe to drop down from the chest to the pelvic area.

6. Stay with this rhythm. The Inhale and the Exhale. After a few rounds - Allow the exhale breath to drop deeper into the perineum. Continue the loop from womb space to heart to womb space.

7. Ask yourself: How do I feel to have created this loving space within? Does it feel more grounded? More Calm? More spacious somehow?

8. Continue the practice for 3-5 minutes ...... or as long as feels good to you.

N.B. Think of anxiety as a house with all the lights on upstairs. The energy is in the head, eyes, jaw, throat, chest and heart. The lower floor feels empty. This breath allows you disperse the intensity of that light, to share it over the lower floors.

N.B.B. If you have had a hysterectomy, if you do not have a uterus, or if you don't resonate with the word womb, use “lower belly” or “lower abdomen" instead.

If you found this an interesting read and think you would like to connect with me and my work more fully, here are some ways we can work together:

1. Yoga Classes and Workshops – gentle, somatic, mind-body connection movement to release tension, regulate the nervous system, and create flow.

2. 1:1 Midlfe Coaching – these sessions are curated for your emotional clarity. To take away a new possibility and deeper awareness of self and how your life can be.

3. The Art of Slow Living – Weekly group portal - where we connect, discuss, move in yoga and breathe to support and soften any tension in the chest, pelvis, and diaphragm and keeps] the heart receptive.