the oceantree | Meeting Menopause

How do we have the open conversations needed to bring menopause out of the shadows and raise awareness?

What can we do to get in touch with our inner wisdom and engage with the changes we are experiencing in a positive way?

How do we follow our own story when there is so much noise telling us what to be and how to feel?

This weekend retreat will use storytelling, simple physical practices and facilitation techniques to come together in a community in order to connect and learn from each other and to explore a deeper sense of self.

The retreat will be led by Fiona Bibby (Integral coach, facilitator and qualified yoga teacher) and Sarah Sutcliffe (Storyteller and facilitator).

What Happens to us during menopause?

Many of us find ourselves challenged and bewildered by both the psychological and physical changes that arrive with the approach of the menopause.

We have a feeling that we don’t quite “fit” in our own skin anymore. And with a cultural backdrop that seems to have only negative things to say about the menopause this can be a lonely place to be.

And yet menopause is a completely normal ,healthy and even exciting process of transition that impacts every woman. It can be a dynamic gateway to change; to a more authentic you.

“Menopause is an ending and a beginning, a time in which a woman deeply examines

who she is, what she has done and who she now wants to be.”

Alexandra Pope

What are we going to do?
- Orient ourselves in the different stages of menopause and see where we are on the journey
- Take time to tap into what really matters to us by bringing awareness to different ways to connect with ourselves (using storytelling, physical exercises, facilitation, walks in nature)
- Explore our emotional landscape, our deeper sense of self to find new possibilities and insights.
- Be empowered and inspired to remember, reclaim and to be the author of our own stories. Stories that have often been disowned or forgotten.
- Create a space, to enable feminine values of connection, cooperation and compassion.

How are we going to do it?

Over the weekend we will :
- Enjoy gentle physical practices (including simple yoga and Qi Gong that require no previous experience) both to relax our minds and bodies and to bring awareness to our state of mind.
- Explore the traditional story “Seal Skin Soul Skin” (from Women Who Run with The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes); a story about a woman who has lost touch with her soul and her journey to reclaim it. This story will provide us with a framework to help us reconnect with who we really are.
- Engage in activities and exercises that help us understand stages of the process of Menopause and what can be helpful for us at each stage
- Walk and learning from nature.
- Support each other by listening and finding shared meaning, connection and empowerment.

Who is it for?

Women who want to explore more about menopause and what it can bring, whether you are in the middle of it, it is ahead of you or behind you.

For more about our guiding principles for all our work click here.

For more about the feminine at work project click here.

Giving Back

A percentage of all payments goes to the Giving Back fund to pay for Retreat places for those who are working in the not for profit sector, are on low income or in other situations that mean they would struggle to pay for a Retreat or Personal/professional development courses.

We thank you for this contribution.

Any enquiries