“Menopause is considered The Second Spring, a renaissance. A woman’s transition out of her childbearing years is celebrated as the beginning of a very special era.

Menopause is akin to a renaissance, marking a shift in energy that restores focus inward - to the heart and personal or spiritual development. Although this transition is associated with symptoms that can be destabilizing, Chinese culture encourages us to approach with faith in our capacity for a graceful aging process. The cultivation of balance in preparation for this transition enhances the possibilities of a more harmonious experience.

As a woman’s body relinquishes fertility on a physiological level, other parts of her are able to become fertile. During reproductive years, the heart supplies blood to the womb in order to nourish the possibility of new life; it then continues its downward flow as it is released through menstruation. During menopause; however, blood flows “backward” from the uterus to the Heart, where Spirit resides. 

This abundance of Qi to the Heart resources the Spirit, bestowing a myriad of gifts, including heightened intuition, wisdom distilled from one's experiences, courage and fearlessness, self-awareness, and confidence rooted in authentic expression. 

Menopause is one of our many innate regulatory mechanisms that’s intended to facilitate and restore balance through the contrast transitions that characterize life on Earth. Indeed, menopause supports the conversation of Qi and Blood, actually moderating the aging process for women. Nonetheless, the hormonal changes that occur during this time can be challenging and the body undergoes a tremendous recalibration process. When we focus on nurturing our own processes of regulation and therefore adaptability, we truly embrace an understanding of vibrant health, which depends upon resiliency in the face of change.  

- IG post by Roots and Bones, a business located in northern California owned by Alyssa Melody - an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist.