When the Body Speaks: Beyond Symptoms, Into Meaning.

​A holistic workshop on exploring symptoms, meaning, and the deeper transition

Most menopause conversations focus on which hormones decline, what the symptoms are, what to do: mainly about HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) or which other supplements to take, and how to make symptoms stop. This lecture asks a different question: What is really happening, and why? “Menopause: When the Body Speaks- Beyond Symptoms, Beyond Hot Flashes, and Into Meaning” invites you to zoom out and see menopause not as a list of symptoms, but as a complex, intelligent life process involving the body, psyche, identity, sexuality, relationships, and culture. This is not about suppressing symptoms or pushing through. It is about listening, understanding, and allowing meaning to emerge from what the body is expressing.

What Makes This Lecture Different

Many menopause events offer:
• symptom lists
• medical explanations only
• quick fixes
• “what to take” solutions

​This lecture goes deeper. Rather than asking, “How do I get rid of this?” we ask, “What is my body asking of me now?” Menopause is explored as a life stage, not a failure. The body as a communicator, not a problem to fix.

“At her first bleed, a woman meets her power
During her bleeding years, she practices it,
At menopause, she becomes it.” 

Indigenous Teaching

What We Will Explore

Menopause as a life stage
The menstrual cycle as a reflection of life itself. Menopause as its natural unfolding, not a breakdown.

Symptoms & Meaning
More than 30 menopausal symptoms, and why they deserve space, not suppression. From symptom management to deeper understanding.

Hot & Cold Flashes
Hot, cold, and the body’s intelligence. Sweating as regulation and release, not embarrassment.

Shame, Sexuality & Intimacy
Changes in desire, dryness, pain, avoidance, and silence. What happens in the vulva and vaginal tissues? How intimacy can be renegotiated, with yourself and with a partner.

Lifestyle & Cause-Effect
Sleep, food, stress, movement, sexuality, how they shape the menopausal experience. Why quick fixes often aren’t the answer.

Hormone Therapy
Making informed, conscious choices rather than fear-based decisions. When support is helpful, and when it may silence deeper listening.

Menopause at Work & in Society
Why silence increases suffering. Finding language, voice and dignity. Lived experience is woven throughout the lecture, opening space for reflection, recognition, and shared understanding.

What You Will Take With You

• A deeper understanding of the transition stage you are in
• Greater trust in your body’s intelligence
• Language to speak about menopause without shame
• Confidence to make informed choices
• Practical tools to feel supported in daily life
Most importantly:
Permission to stand in truth, rather than silence.

Who This Lecture Is For

This lecture is for anyone born with ovaries, whether you are:
• approaching perimenopause – yes 30+
• in the midst of change- 40’
• postmenopausal and seeking understanding- 40’50’ 60’
• supporting a partner or loved one
While it often resonates most strongly with women aged 35–60, all are welcome.

Facilitator/Speaker Bio:

Oda is a Holistic Health Therapist specializing in Eastern alternative medicine. She has worked closely with women for the past 15 years, assisting with births as a doula and offering healing modalities such as Watsu, Shiatsu, and Chi Nei Tsang. Her experience includes educating women about life-changing events through private sessions, group courses, and women’s circles. As she celebrated her 50th birthday, she expanded her role as an educator. She recently began teaching postgraduate shiatsu practitioners on “The Extra Wonder Meridians,” which support the menopausal transition, as well as giving lectures to groups and companies about the importance of including menopause in the corporate agenda. She is also a mother of two teenage boys and a life partner.

​“At her first bleed, a woman meets her power
During her bleeding years, she practices it,
At menopause, she becomes it.” 

Indigenous Teaching