Hormone problems? No — something is going wrong in your life.
Weight gain or sudden weight loss, trouble falling asleep at night or drowsiness in the middle of the working day, chronic fatigue, premenstrual syndrome, severe hot flushes — all these are signs that our hormones are out of balance. There is too much of some and too little of others, and they behave any way they please. Chaos is not welcome in our society, and so, as its dutiful members, we set about restoring order and balance at once. But what if it is not your hormones that need your attention at all? To put the whole endocrine system in order, first look at the life you are living.
Everything in our world is dual. And everything consists of two forces — yin and yang, creation and destruction, light and darkness. Hormones can also be divided, broadly, into two types:
· cooling and nourishing — oestrogen and progesterone,
· stimulating and stress-related — cortisol and adrenaline.
For all the elements of the endocrine system to work correctly and be in harmony with one another, the first requirement is to find, and learn to maintain, a balance between two qualities of life — activity and rest.
The mix of hormones in the body changes with the context of your life — your thoughts, emotions and actions. Your whole hormonal profile depends on what you do and how you do it, and how you feel while doing it. That is why instead of looking for an answer to the question of which hormones have got out of control, better ask yourself what in your life, which area of it, is out of harmony. Take a look at how you live. Are you giving all your strength to work at your own expense? Are you caring for those close to you a little too energetically? Is there room in your life for joy? When was the last time you felt content and happy at all?
Hormones do not fail for no reason. It is impossible to stay in balance if you spend all day worrying about your future or your children’s, or if you often dwell on past hurts in an attempt to protect yourself from making another mistake. Even if these thoughts have no connection to reality (and they often do not), they affect your body.
Ask yourself one important question: “Do I feel truthful in what I am doing?” If so, then the problems inherent in human existence do not become stress — you move through life easily and confidently, and most likely your hormones are fine. If not, your body is almost certainly full of hidden tension. It appears when you are living a life other than the one you are called to.
When women with a diagnosis come to my Yoga Hormonal classes, it is important to establish straight away what kind of problem it is — physical, mental, emotional or spiritual.
In my practice I see many women gripped by an idea of social success, often imposed by society or by their parents. And that idea of success has nothing to do with what these women actually want for themselves. I also see women who always put other people’s needs and wishes above their own — they live by “I must”, and often cannot cope, because these “debts” only multiply and are never repaid. There are also women gripped by the idea of spiritual growth. They often leave their families, sometimes their children, and roam the world in search of enlightenment, while in truth they are living through deep emotional pain. And that pain is so strong that it keeps driving them to flee.
In our classes I teach women to slow down and not to hurry. You need to give yourself time, to listen and feel what you truly want. But it turns out that for many people even asking themselves that question is very frightening. If that is true of you too, then you are not living the life you want — you are too busy in areas where you have no wish to be. Yes, living in agreement with yourself takes a certain courage. And it will certainly come to you once you recognise your true needs.
Asking yourself this question can be practised as a first step towards wholeness, to develop and strengthen the connection with your inner voice. In the morning, make time, sit in silence and ask yourself: “Is this right for me?” And listen to the answer.
If the answer is “yes”, will you have the courage to do it?
If the answer is “no”, will you have the courage not to do it?
If there is no answer, will you have the courage to do nothing until the answer becomes clear?
In our society today it takes courage to do nothing, or to wait until you understand what actually needs doing. More often than not, people undertake anything at all simply for the sake of acting.
Can you slow down enough to hear your inner voice? The good news is that this skill can be developed.
Once you stop staging your inner show of mutually contradictory thoughts, emotions, questions and answers every time, you will be able to relax. You will no longer need to rush about — you will do only what is right for you.
Take your journal and find free time and a space where nothing and no one will distract you. Write down everything that comes to mind in answer to these questions:
1. When I am whole and simply feel good, what is that like?
2. Can I accept whatever arises from moment to moment?
3. Do I have a place or an inner state I can return to and relax in, be alone with myself, do things without worrying what others will think?
There is another approach to establishing a connection with yourself — working backwards. Stop doing the small things you find distasteful. Anything that does not match the person you want to be — out of your life with it. Do not rush to fill the gaps that open up in your time and space. Simply observe them; you will certainly see something important there.
Notice what you react to too emotionally. Whatever irritates you or makes you lose your temper — let those things go from your life. That is how the journey back to yourself begins.
Once you establish a connection with yourself, your thoughts and emotions will change, and your hormones will follow. Once you achieve wholeness in your life, your hormonal problems will go too.
