Yoga & Menopause - Your Pathway to Wisdom

I feel so passionate about helping women who are struggling with peri menopause and menopause. Thats why I decided to run workshops and give talks. Giving you hope, help and guidance.

I don’t know how I would have through the peri menopause without help, and believe me I needed it. I am hoping to ease you through yours.

I have some very funny stories to share but that does not undermine how tough it is for lots of women. We can so get through this together and yes, with yoga you’ll find your way

Let me help you.

Yoga and Menopause: Your Pathway to Wisdom

October 14th, 2020Annie Hayes-Pantony

Let me introduce myself: I am Annie Hayes Pantony, a yoga teacher and actress, I’m still waiting for my lucky break with acting, but at the moment this is more important. I am starting to write my first book, anyone who knows me will be shocked…

I’m writing this blog first, because I honestly couldn’t bear you going through this stage of your life thinking there is something wrong with you. Now I don’t know you, maybe there is something wrong with you but I’m going to tell you what is not! 

I’m 52 and I am in the full swing of menopause, which I am so happy about, I mean what’s the alternative? Exactly!

I can’t say it was always easy, in fact honestly I thought I was going mad. I couldn’t work out if I was depressed or why else I was having mood swings, daily. Hot flashes, night sweats, foggy brain. Why is my hair falling out but growing out of my chin? It was horrible.

What changed?  I turned to and trusted my yoga.

When I reached the perimenopause I had absolutely no idea what was going on. How did I reach 45 and not have any idea what the hell my body was going to do go through. Seriously No Idea!  I’d heard the word mentioned or maybe whispered, but never explained. I didn’t even know we all get it.

My sister Fran is only a few years older than me and we only started talking about it because she turned purple while we were having a coffee one afternoon. I mean full on deep purple, Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka purple. Yep… A hot flash. Now, I hadn’t hit this stage yet, I didn’t even know it was a symptom of anything. 

My own journey

When did it all begin? For me it was 45, in fact it was actually on my birthday. I went out for dinner with my sister,two of my brothers,  and their partners. I was single at the time, a real life Bridget Jones. It was a lovely restaurant that we’d been to often. The staff are great. They came with our menus. I’m straight in, I was hungry. After a few moments and a quick peak around the table at everyone.

 “Fran can you read this, have they changed the lighting or the font size? Pat? Kevin? Seriously can any of you actually read this?“

“Yep” all three of them replied.

“You can’t! How? The writing’s far too small, has it got darker in here?”

Now at this stage I didn’t believe them. I honestly thought they were winding me up. But nope. Pat hands me his reading glasses…

“Wow I can see.” Pat is not a miracle worker, I clearly had lost my eyesight overnight, in what felt like overnight. I mean this was quick. I’d briefly been cabincrew for BA, not on my right path, I admit that, but I had a full medical at 42 and my vision was 20/20, I’m talking PERFECT.

Hang on, how? Really? Already? Happy Birthday to me yay! 

So off to Specsavers, and who did I bump into? Everybody. Sorry, I love that joke.  

You know when they put the test in front of you and you get excited that you can read the massive capital A at the top and the next two, possibly three lines. It was at this point I kind of forgot it was not a quiz or guessing game, as the optician pointed to the next row… “Ummm is it,  an O or maybe a D. Umm is the next one… Is it an N or an M?”

“Please Mrs. Hayes what can you see?”

“I don’t know.” 

After what felt like I’d failed a very simple test, I was left feeling devastated. Am I going blind? The optician had gorgeous funky glasses on her beautiful young pretty face. The problem I had was, I’m not young and I have a very small slim face, I’ve never even found a pair of sunglasses to suit me. It took days, no, weeks to choose a pair.

So that was my beginning of what felt like the end.

But NO! It was actually the beginning of this wonderful new stage of my life.

Yoga for menopause

I love running my Yoga for Menopause Workshops, last year I felt blessed to have the opportunity to run it in Dahab Egypt at The Coral Coast Hotel. It feels wonderful to help so many women from all parts of the world.

What is very clear to see is that hardly any of the women know exactly what is going on.

If we had more knowledge about it, then maybe we would be able to cope better. It wouldn’t be so scary.

The fact of the matter is, the rage you feel when you can’t get a lid off a jar is real, the hysterical crying because you couldn’t reverse the car into a space that is big enough for a bus is real.  So is the utter feeling of loneliness, frustration, confusion, insomnia, and anger. It’s all real.

Please, please, please, do not feel alone.

For some reason women can feel embarrassed to even say the word menopause.

MENOPAUSE! MENOPAUSE! MENOPAUSE! MENOPAUSE! I want you to shout out! I’m riding this menopause!

Ladies we are not crazy… well maybe I am a little bit. We are however, going through something that is so natural. We cannot stop it, but we can certainly own it.

I teach and meet many women every day, some on my zoom, some on my workshops and I’m happy to say that the ladies I have had the pleasure to teach have all adopted my outlook and have learned to laugh or at least be able to talk about it

Yoga is not a magic pill but it is definitely a tool. “I can’t do yoga” I hear you say.

I’m not talking about holding your big toe, extending your leg in the air whilst balancing on one foot, unless of course this is in your practice.

It could simply be lying on the floor with your legs up the wall. This pose is wonderful for calming the mind,  and is also great when you wake up in the night with hot sweats, along with slow conscious breathing.

I know this can be an emotional journey and so can  coming to terms with getting older be… There I’ve said it. Embrace it!

Yoga can help you know that you’re not alone. You are still amazing. Yoga offers stillness when the rest of your world feels hectic. Any woman regardless of fitness can find relief and comfort in yoga.

You can use your practice to stay cool and calm whilst keeping your nervous system balanced.

I welcome you to become part of a growing community of strong women who take control! The menopause does not define us. I am not the menopause. It is not an illness, it is an amazing change that is happening in a woman’s body.

Congratulations for reaching the beginning of the best years of your life.

Our Pathway to wisdom.

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