Menopause cafés and yoga sessions are creating safe spaces where women can openly share their experiences, connect with others and find support during a significant stage of life.
By encouraging honest conversations, reducing isolation and promoting physical and emotional wellbeing, these initiatives are helping challenge the stigma surrounding menopause.
Asian Voice spoke to a few people about how such spaces are empowering women, building connections and reminding them that they do not have to navigate this journey alone.
“We really need is permission to slow down, rest and reconnect”
Georgina Donnelly, founder of Menopause Yoga Club said, “I know from my own experience that perimenopause can leave you feeling as though you’ve lost a part of yourself. Your sleep changes, your confidence can take a knock, your emotions can feel unfamiliar, and your body doesn’t always feel like your own. You can be juggling work, family and everyday life while quietly wondering why you no longer feel quite like you. I felt there was a real gap in the support available to women going through perimenopause and menopause. Although yoga has so much to offer our wellbeing, I don’t think enough focus is placed on how it can specifically support women through this stage of life. We often hear about pushing ourselves harder, but sometimes what we really need is permission to slow down, rest and reconnect with ourselves.
“This is where I believe Yin yoga and Yoga Nidra can be particularly valuable. Yin encourages us to slow down, release tension and become more mindful of our bodies, while Yoga Nidra offers deep guided relaxation, giving us space to rest, unwind and restore. Both can be wonderful tools for supporting our overall wellbeing during what can be a challenging and often overwhelming time. I created Menopause Yoga Club to bring women together in a safe, welcoming space where we can talk openly, share experiences, ask questions and feel understood without judgement. My aim is to create a community where women can support, connect and restore, finding reassurance in shared experiences, building meaningful connections and discovering ways to nurture their physical and emotional wellbeing. For me, it’s about more than yoga. It’s about helping women feel heard, understood and empowered to navigate this transition, reconnect with themselves and realise they don’t have to go through it alone,” she added.
Rani Melrose, who attends the Menopause Café in Perth, Scotland says: “Menopause can be a really challenging time for women, with people experiencing a range of difficult symptoms, and one of the best ways to navigate that is to open up and share your experiences with others. That’s why I got involved in Menopause Café. It creates spaces where people talk about menopause but one of the specific aims is to reduce the stigma and shame that still surrounds menopause, especially at work. “For me, it’s that feeling of community - there are other people like me who I can talk to. “There’s a lot of laughing too - I think it’s a lovely place to speak about menopause and not be judged.”
Rachel Weiss, founder of Menopause Café charity, added: “In South Asian communities, people often don’t talk about their menopause symptoms, so they miss out on useful information. There is a sense of shame and that women’s health issues should not be talked about, but endured. Many women suffer in silence, when vaginal oestrogen or a change of diet could ease their symptoms.”
