healthcare, health outcomes, disparities, racism and other traumas. Meditation is crucial to empowering Black women to better handle life’s challenges.
Which techniques work best for managing menopause symptoms?
Thanks to COVID-19, the world came to a screeching halt and the practice of meditation became popular.
Several forms of non-religious meditation exist that allow novices to try solo sessions or join instruction-led sessions.
And there are many websites, podcasts and Black-women-specific spaces that offer meditative experiences.
RELATED: 9 Steps To Great Health After Menopause
Depending on your level of comfort or knowledge, these five meditation techniques can be implemented to manage symptoms of menopause:
- Mindfulness meditation – is effective and easy to add to your morning routine. You take a seated position on a cushion or yoga mat and practice deep breathing while also paying attention to thoughts, feelings and emotions that arise practicing acceptance and non-judgment. Ten to Fifteen minutes a day can help you feel lighter.
- Breath-work – is simple and the most relaxing. While practicing this meditation, one focuses on their breathing and counting their breaths. Three to five minutes is all that’s required to give you the relief you need.
- Yoga – this is a form of meditation that combines movement with deep breathing exercises and can include some mantras. It’s one of the most widely used methods of meditation in the modern world. You can engage in a 15 – 30-minute solo practice if you’re familiar with the language and techniques or you can find classes online or in your city that offers certified instructor-led sessions for beginners and experienced practitioners.
- Transcendental meditation – for those who love mantras and affirmations, this form of meditation is heavily based on these techniques. In a seated position, the practitioner focuses on spiritual or life goals to repeat for at least three minutes each session. For example, “I am producing healthy and abundant outcomes in every area of my life.” You can be as creative as you want.
- Chakra meditation – this form of meditation is for those who are more experienced and practice clearing energy within their bodies. In this method, the practitioner focuses on a single chakra or “energy zone” within the body and gives it a specific mantra. There are seven chakra centers in the body starting from the top to the bottom: crown (head), third-eye, throat, heart, solar plexus, sacral and the root chakras.
Other types of meditations are also available.
If you’re looking for shared experiences and advice, check out Black Girls Guide to Surviving Menopause podcast. Or you can find an online community like Black Zen, a BIPOC-centered space dedicated to improving the health and well-being of black and brown communities.