Menopause Support Course

This 8 week Menopause Support Course course aims at wellness for women who are approaching, experiencing, or emerging from their menopause transition. For most women, changes begin to occur from your late thirties in the Late Reproductive Stage and can continue well into your fifties.

Are you experiencing any of these symptoms?

• Your cycle has become irregular
• You have zero to low energy
• You feel anxious and don’t understand why
• You have unexplained joint pain
• You're having hot flushes or night sweats
• You’re tossing and turning through the night or waking too early
• Your brain feels foggy and you struggle to concentrate
• You’ve been steadily gaining weight and nothing you do helps
• Your digestion has changed for no reason
• Your mood is up and down and you feel like you want to withdraw from the world

If the answer is yes to any of these, you may be in perimenopause, or the years which lead up to your period stopping completely. While your doctor can help you medicate for symptoms if you are struggling, it has been shown that women who are connected and educated about their menopause have an easier transition time. We offer you a rich and diverse toolkit to get informed and implement effective strategies to ride the waves of your menopause years with grace and strength.

Key areas covered: Nutrition, Movement, Exercise, Mindfulness, Meditation, Hypnotherapy, Life-coaching, Community.

“If your goal is greater health and happiness, the most important thing you can do is to curate a social network of healthy, happy friends who care about you”

This sentiment is at the heart of this course. We know that long-lasting, healthy habits are maintained when those closest to you are on the same journey. So, if you’re ready to take back control and start learning how to support your health then read on to find out how you can become a member of this inclusive community.

This 8 week menopause wellness course is designed to nurture a sense of belonging to enable easy, empathetic, useful discussion with women who are experiencing similar issues to you.

The course structure allows the space for you to completely individualise and tailor recommendations for you to take back control of your health and make informed, empowered choices regarding your lifestyle, diet and fitness.

We aim to provide you with a sense of belonging when you are stepping into a different phase of your life, which can feel frightening and as if you have lost yourself.

This course is hosted by Morven Hamilton (Menopause yoga, mindfulness, health and wellbeing coaching) and Zillah Smart (nutritional therapy, welllness coaching), with guest teachers Erica Tijssen (hypnotherapy, life-coaching)

COURSE DATES

ONLINE: 7 - 8.30pm  March 12th, 19th, 26th April 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th

IN-PERSON: 10am - 4pm Shipham Village Hall, Somerset

COST

The full cost is £350, which includes 7 x 90 min Zoom sessions and a retreat day in Somerset. You can opt to pay a £50 deposit and three instalments of £50. 

OFFER: If you book together with a friend, you attend for £300 each. 

We aim to make this course affordable to anyone who wants to attend. If you are unable to meet the cost but you feel that you need this course, please contact Morven at info@yogabynature.org to discuss a subsidised place. 

COURSE FEATURES 

COURSE STRUCTURE:

8 x weekly Zoom sessions Tuesdays 7 - 8.30pm

1 x In-person Day Retreat in Somerset 10 am - 4pm

The course will be primarily online, with an all-day in-person event around the midway point of the course.

Our community will be a group of up to ten women and the course tutors.

ONLINE MEETINGS:

Each week, there will be a key host or a guest teacher who will share useful information and/or lead a group practice, and be available to ask any questions you may have. We will talk about our wins for the week, changes that we have started to implement and areas of concern. 

There will be some discussion as a whole group, in small groups and in pairs. You won't be expected to speak in the whole group unless you want to, and you'll have plenty of time to discuss any issues you wish to either in smaller groups or one to one with one of the tutors. You won't be expected to share anything or do anything that makes you feel at all uncomfortable.

RETREAT DAY:

We will gather together in-person on 7th April 2024 at Shipham Village Hall, Somerset  for a day of rest, nourishment and deep relaxation. You will meet the tutors and enjoy a whole day of nutritious movement for health in midlife and beyond, delicous food for menopause balance, nutrition talks with Zillah and a deep, healing relaxation with gongs and singing bowls. This is a chance to connect with your community and spend time with like-minded women.

What you will learn

To address energy levels, weight management, anxiety, brain fog, restful sleep and digestion, you’ll learn how to balance your hormones through some key pillars:

• Identification of stressors with strategies and coping techniques to manage them
• Blood sugar management strategies to get your key hormones working for you and not against you
• Learn what your appropriate protein intake is to give your body the tools it needs to leave you feeling energised
• Use specific and targeted foods to tap into your hormones at particular points in the day and month to support your hormone health
• Movement for pain management, healthy sleep, balanced energy and a calm nervous system

How to feel energised throughout the day:

• Banishing the afternoon slump or feelings that you can’t function without that first cup of coffee or shower
• Learn how to prioritise your sleep and put in place some strategies to get you sleeping through the night, leaving you feeling refreshed in the morning
• Menopause Yoga, a complete body-mind practice which can ease symptoms, reduce pain and help you maintain muscle, brain and bone health from mid-life onwards
• The three types of necessary movement and how to incorporate them safely into your routine
• Health concerns for the mid-life body and how to address them with achievable exercise goals
• Mindfulness techniques to manage difficult emotions and promote healthy rest and sleep
• Easy meditations to help balance the hormones we can affect

How to support your digestion for skin and hair health, through movement and nutrition:

• Supporting your digestion means that what you eat is actually being absorbed and is useable by your body and is therefore important for all functions
• Supporting digestion can have a profound effect on hormone health, skin and hair quality

Learn how to achieve a weight which is maintainable and appropriate for you, working with your hormones, and not against them:

• Ensure your meals and snacks are appropriately balanced
• A NO DIET approach to feeling your best embracing the notion that eating well doesn’t need to be boring or hard work
• Banish the afternoon slump or feelings that you can’t function without that first cup of coffee or shower
• Learn how to prioritise your sleep and put in place some strategies to get you sleeping through the night, leaving you feeling refreshed in the morning
• Learn to eat and move for brain health, addressing difficulty concentrating, anxiety and fluctuating mood
• Improve mental clarity by using simple nutrition hacks to get key foods into your daily diet
• Befriend your body through body awareness and self-compassion, so you intuitively know what your body needs
• Guided meditation and gratitude practices to promote feelings of wellbeing

Course content:

Nutritional therapy led by Zillah along with a recipe specific to the topic covered each session.

Each session is designed to equip you with the knowledge, tools and tips you need to start tackling your troublesome symptoms.

Menopause Yoga sessions led by Morven - yoga to minimise symptoms and keep muscle, brain, bone and digestion healthy through the changes. During the sessions Morven will share valuable information about what your changing body needs regarding movement and relaxation.  Weekly guided meditation and gratitude practices to instil wellbeing at the core

Two sessions with hypnotherapist and life coach Erica Tijssen, who will guide you towards positive outcomes for your health and wellbeing, and help you to overcome self-limiting beliefs.

Yoga Nidra sessions led by Morven. Yoga nidra is widely used by women in their menopause transition and anecdotal evidence states that it has helped women to sleep better and reduced hot flushes and night sweats. Deep relaxation has been shown to reduce stress hormone cortisol and promote feel-good oxytocin which has a positive effect on sex hormone production and menopause symptoms.

Weekly troubleshooting and problem-solving as a group, which is vitally important to make habits which last the test of time. Together we will create goals and strategies, and support each other as we find out what works for us and what doesn't.

What else is included?

• A group WhatsApp where you’ll encourage, motivate and learn together throughout the week and have access to Zillah and Morven for ongoing troubleshooting and support to keep you on track.
• Support videos with nuggets of useful info and short yoga "snacks" to keep you going
• Lifetime access to The Step Into Abundance video library so that you can continue your wellness journey beyond the course.
• Ongoing mentorship from Zillah and Morven even after the course has finished to encourage accountability, companionship and a sense of community as you continue your wellness journey at home.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

Morven and Zillah are so passionate about this course providing you with meaningful change at this important phase of your life that they will be extending their mentorship beyond the 8 week programme and inviting you to attend a reunion session 3 months following the end of the programme. This session is intended for you to catch up with your community, talk through the highs and lows of your journey and look to the future with more helpful tips and advice from the group. Dates for the reunion will be set as a group on the course.