Mónica Salvarani
The Resilient Spirit
“In Traditional Chinese Medicine the view of menopause is the decline of the Qi, the invisible force, the life energy. We have two Qi types: the inherited one from our parents, and the one received at birth from our first contact with air through the lungs, and also from food.”
The Qi is collected in the Kidneys, which function like a big storage centre. The Kidneys are the center of the body’s Yin and Yang and, as we age, the balance between the two diminishes. Menopause is a consequence of Yin deficiency.
The Kidney Yin network basically manages all the liquids in the body. It is like the sap of a tree that supplies fluids to the tissues, ovaries, hormones, bones, brain, pubic and head hair, fluids like sexual secretions, the moisture of the skin … etc. It is the feminine, the calmness, the cool.
As a consequence of the diminishing force of Yin, the Yang, which is hot, luminous active, and masculine, becomes stronger and hyperactive and brings sweating, hot flashes, headaches, nervousness, loss of natural lubrication, and sleepless nights.
But we can always challenge ourselves to take a different, unconventional approach to this moment of “Change”, because it is just a collection of physical symptoms. Instead we can see it as an opportunity to transform our bodies and minds and even our careers, to set new goals, study and specialize in other fields, encourage other women to not just adapt to this phase, but to use this extra Yang energy to sow the seeds that will transform our future.
So, I defined this my “second spring” because I feel unreasonable like a teenager, excited, uncontrollable, wild, because the life expectancy of a woman after menopause is about 30 to 40 years. If the Qi in the Kidneys, the water element, diminishes this means that we have to wake up every morning and take care of it. This garden, this tree needs moisture … don’t let it dry. If Movement in general is medicine, correct movements, specific practices, acupressure can perform miracles to maintain equilibrium in the water element. As a Yin Yoga teacher, and a student of TCM, I give you below one acupressure point to help your hot flashes, and one posture to activate the flow of the Qi in the kidney meridian.
Mónica Salvarini.
Aging. Menopause. Mental Wellbeing. Spiritual.
