Yoga for Womanhood, hormonal balance workshop, March 24th Auckland, Yoga Within interview
Who is the workshop for?
This workshop is for all women! All women spend their lives in a dance with forever changing hormones. This workshop is for women who wish to gain knowledge on how to make that dance feel free and enjoyable, rather than wildly out of control.
Hormonal imbalance is a common experience for many women, yet it is not often that we come together to learn and share practical, positive ways to address it. This workshop shows the power and beauty of what women can achieve when we do, and the results can be life changing.
What can women attending the workshop expect?
This workshop is a real treat! It is specifically designed to be a nourishing day out for women. A little oasis in their busy lives to connect with each other and themselves and gain inspiring knowledge about how to work with rather than battle against their hormones.
The day is a mixture of yoga practices, knowledge sharing, eating amazing food and connecting with other incredible women. The yoga practices are suitable for complete beginners through to more experienced yoginis, and a range of take home handouts are provided so learning and positive changes can continue well beyond the day.
What is hormonal imbalance in women and what does it look like?
Women’s bodies are incredible. They have the capacity to grow and sustain life and go through distinct cycles from puberty to menopause and beyond, initiated by the hormonal system. When the hormonal system is out of balance however, various symptoms arise such as painful period cramps, mood swings, headaches, sugar cravings, breast tenderness, weight gain or loss, hot flushes, anxiety, depression and loss of interest in sex.
These symptoms are the bodies way of signaling something isn’t right and that changes need to be made to support the body to find its balance once again.
How does yoga help balance hormones?
Yoga is a holistic science with a wide range of practices that help to increase wellbeing and create balance in every aspect of our lives. As well as postures, breathing practices, meditation and relaxations; diet, exposure to toxins, family history, exercise, age, lifestyle factors and other health issues are all taken into account when considering the best way balance the hormonal system.
Specific postures are used to stimulate the glands of the hormonal system, such as the thyroid, adrenals and ovaries, to increase their function and relieve painful period cramps. Breath practices, meditation and relaxations help to ease depression and anxiety, reduce stress, lower blood pressure and provide a quiet space within the busyness of life. The food and drink we put into our bodies everyday can have a very positive or negative impact on the body’s hormonal system. Knowledge of this and how to minimize the harm of the thousands of manmade chemicals that fill our everyday lives can have a very powerful impact on rebalancing a compromised hormonal system. Age, exercise, lifestyle factors and other health issues are also part of the big picture of hormonal health that is considered.
What experience do you have as a yoga teacher?
I have been practicing yoga for 23 years and am a 500 hour qualified yoga teacher. I have additional training in Pregnancy Yoga, supporting women through pregnancy and birth, Children’s Yoga, yoga anatomy and Yoga Nidra, a profound relaxation technique.
I have experience teaching beginner and intermediate classes, preconception and pregnancy yoga, workplace yoga, meditation, at festivals, yoga for people experiencing mental health issues and for students aged over 70.
I am also a woman with my own unique experience of the wonder of the women’s hormonal system. Since the age of 15, I have used yoga practices to support my hormonal balance through menstruation, preconception, pregnancy and breastfeeding. I have worked closely with other women, including medical professionals, to understand and learn about the positive and negative symptoms of menopause and the years beyond.
For more information about this workshop in Auckland on March 24th 2018, check out https://www.rebeccale