Creative Responses to the Menopause
A new range of activities from the Whitworth’s Age-Friendly programme. All of our sessions are free, some sessions are taking place outdoors at the Whitworth, others take place online, via Zoom, please check each event for details. Please book your place in advance, see below for further information.
Yoga and Mindfulness for Menopause
Friday 27 January
10am - 12.30pm
Hormonal imbalance at menopause can create emotional imbalance, leading us to feel anxious, overwhelmed and irritable at times.
Join us for a yoga and mindfulness workshop that will help restore for a yoga and mindfulness workshop that will help restore equilibrium and ease.
As well as feeling more relaxed and replenished you will come away with some handy tools that will help in your everyday life.
The workshop is part of the Whitworth Art Gallery's Age Friendly Programme and is designed to support all stages of the menopause journey (perimenopause, menopause or post-menopausal). No prior experience of yoga is needed and all poses adapted so that they are accessible to all.
For more details and to sign up in the Eventbrite
PAST EVENTS
World Menopause Day – Tuesday 18 October
Join us on World menopause day
Creative Responses to the Menopause
Tuesday October 18 10.30am-12.30pm
Collage with Aysha Yilmaz
Paddle Fans with Helen Clare
Mindful Art with Steffie ElHassan
Tuesdy 18 October 2-4pm
Creative Writing with Helen Clare
We will also be hosting the following:
Friday 21 October 10am – 12:30pm
Yoga and Meditation with Sara Domville in the Grand Hall
Click here to book your place via our Eventbrite page
Saturday 22 October 12 – 4pm
Film Screening from The Whisper Sisters and REELMcr
Earlier this year the Whitworth Age Friendly Programme ran a monthly series, ‘Creative Responses to the Menopause’ The series included; Creative writing, Art Therapy, Yoga and Meditation, Herbal remedies and Dance and Movement.
We will be starting a new series of monthly workshops – updates will appear on this page.
For more information about ‘Creative Responses to the Menopause’ please contact Claire.Cowell@manchester.ac.uk
Find out more about World Menopause Awareness day
Menopause Yoga Workshop at the Whitworth
Thursday 8 September 6pm - 8pm
Friday 16 September, 10am-12.30pm
Booking is essential
Tickets, £5, £10 or £15
The theme will be balance and harmony and we will explore tools and techniques that help combat anxiety and overwhelm.
Menopause Yoga (MY) could help you manage symptoms of perimenopause and menopause through a specially adapted combination of yoga poses, breathing techniques, and meditation practices. This gentle yoga practice fosters body positivity and is accessible to everybody, whatever your size, shape, or ability. You can expect to feel stronger, calmer, and more self-confident, with more tools and resources to help you through this natural transition.
Creative responses to the Menopause – Menopause Messages
Throughout July and August – see dates below
FREE, booking is essential
Menopause Messages – a series of workshops to research the impact of creativity on menopause and the impact of menopause on creativity.
Menopause Messages – What is menopause telling you?
What would you like it to say?
What do you want to tell the world about menopause, peri-menopause, and your experience of it?
This series of workshops uses creative writing, text, and textile crafts to explore thoughts, feelings, and attitudes about the menopausal transition. We will find inspiration in the gallery to help us discover different ways to use text and textiles. All these workshops are suitable for beginners or those with more experience.
Click here to register for individual events
PAST EVENTS – Workshops details
Menopause Messages: Creative Writing
Wednesday 20 July
This workshop encourages the use of playful language to explore our feelings about the experience and challenges of perimenopause and menopause and how the transition can change our perspective on life and our sense of ourselves. We will create text that can be used in a variety of ways - poetry, prose, or art.
Menopause Messages: Fans
Wednesday 27 July
This workshop uses simple techniques to make fans out of paper or fabric and to emblazon them with our messages about menopause in pen, paint, stenciling, or stitching.
Menopause Messages: Clothing
Wednesday 3 August
This is an opportunity to share messages about menopause on our clothing – boldly, discretely, clearly, or cryptically – using embroidery, appliqué, fabric pens, or paint.
Please bring an item of clothing you want to decorate. If you want to use pens or paint, then cotton clothing works best.
Menopause Messages: Banners
Wednesday 10th August
Create a flag or banner to celebrate (or not) menopause or peri-menopause. How would you represent your experience in text, shape and colour? We will use a variety of techniques – including embroidery, appliqué, paints and pens, quilting and embellishing – to create your own personal banner.
Menopause Messages: Zine
Wednesday 17 August
Make your own folded zine out of paper or fabric, to explore and communicate your menopause story in text and image using pens, paints, appliqué, collage, print and embroidery.
Artist facilitator Biography
Helen Clare is a menopause educator and coach, and also a prize-winning poet and author of Mollusc (Comma 2004) and Entomology (Happenstance) who enjoys sharing her text on textiles.
For more information on the Age Friendly Programme and the Creative responses to Menopause – please click here to email Claire Cowell
Past Events
Past event | Menopause Yoga Workshop at the Whitworth
Friday 24 June 10am – 12.30pm
Are you experiencing hot flushes, night sweats, stress, anxiety, irritability, mood swings, insomnia, fatigue or lack of focus?
Menopause Yoga (MY) could help you manage symptoms of perimenopause and menopause through a specially adapted combination of yoga poses, breathing techniques and meditation practices.
This gentle yoga practice fosters body positivity and is accessible to everybody, whatever your size, shape or ability. You can expect to feel stronger, calmer and more self-confident, with more tools and resources to help you through this natural transition.
You'll enjoy the benefits of:
- Simple yoga stretches and breathing techniques to release tension held within the body, replenish your energy and calm your mind.
- Insights into the Eastern and Western science of what happens at menopause, how you can improve your hormone balance, reduce stress and anxiety and maintain a healthy body and mind.
- Sharing experiences and knowledge in the company of others going through the menopause.
- An opportunity to pause, rest and relax.
- A take-away tool kit of techniques to use at home.
Who is the workshop for?
This workshop is designed to support all stages of the menopause journey (perimenopause, menopause or post-menopausal). No prior experience of yoga is needed.
What is Menopause Yoga (MY)?
Inspired by the traditional Chinese concept of menopause as a Second Spring, Menopause yoga reframes the menopause transition as an opportunity for empowerment, health and healing.
MY has been created after years of research by fully qualified and experienced yoga teacher Petra Coveney who is also a member of the British Menopause Society.
About the workshop leader
Sara Domville is a KRI-certified Kundalini Yoga teacher, mindfulness teacher and wellbeing coach. She is also a specialist Menopause Yoga teacher accredited by British Wheel of Yoga and Yoga Alliance UK. Sara runs Boudicca Wellbeing, a social enterprise that supports women and other marginalised genders to lead healthy lives.
Past event |Menopause mark making
Friday 6 May 2022, 11am – 1.30pm
A workshop using drawing and mark-making to explore the impact of the menopause.
This workshop will introduce mark-making, using pastels, to explore the menopause timeline, mark the journey and reflect on what supports us.
This will be through a series of guided activities followed by small group reflections. No experience of working with pastels or art is necessary.
The workshop will be facilitated by therapeutic arts practitioner Steffie ElHassan.
Past event | Menopause Musings | Creative writing – at the Whitworth
A Creative writing workshop
Wednesday 9 March 2022, 2-4pm
Location: The Whitworth
The Age Friendly Whitworth Menopause Programme is launching its second series of Creative Responses to the Menopause with the first session launching during International Women's Week 2022. This first workshop is a creative writing, Menopause Musings, workshop and will take place in the Whitworth. Places are limited due to adhering to covid guidelines so book early to avoid disappointment.
For more information on the Creative Responses to the Menopause contact: Claire Cowell, Age Friendly Coordinator at claire.cowell@manchester.ac.uk.
This workshop encourages the use of playful language to explore our feelings about the experience and challenges of perimenopause and menopause and how the transition can change our perspective on life and our sense of ourselves. We will create text that can be used in a variety of ways – poetry, prose, or art.
Helen Clare is a menopause educator, advocate, and coach, and a prize-winning poet, author of Mollusc (Comma, 2004) and Entomology (Happenstance, 2014)
Further information
The Effing Menopause | Fun, frank, fact-based, feminist (on the Medium website).
Past event | Menopause Medicine – at the Whitworth
Natural herbs for menopause session
Tuesday 13 July 2021, 2-4pm
Location: the Whitworth's Art Garden and Garden Studio
An afternoon of herbal knowledge and hands-on herbal tea making.
Join us for the last in our Age Friendly series of Creative Responses to the Menopause.
The workshop will be in two parts:
In the first part, we will be joined by Barbara Wilkinson from The Herb Society, Barbara will take us through a potted history of herbs and their use and focus on a selection of herbs, and how they can be used for various menopausal symptoms. Firstly how to identify them and then how to use them.
The second part of the session will be a hands-on activity with the Whitworth resident GROW facilitator, Liz Cole. Liz will provide a selection of herbs for menopause which we will make into tea and try.
The workshop will take place in the Whitworth Art Garden and Garden Studio, these open-air spaces are located close to the gallery's Parkside entrance. Please use the Denmark Road entrance to Whitworth Park and the gallery's Parkside entrance.
GROW is a project that promotes the benefits of engaging in horticultural activities to improve the mental wellbeing of an individual. Find out more about GROW here.
Past event | Menopause Moves – Online
A dance workshop with Magdalen Bartlett-Luambia
Wednesday 8 June 2021, 10am-12pm
Free, booking essential
Join Magdalen Bartlett in this Menopause movement freestyle session involving African, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, and improvisation.
The Menopause Movement workshop will be in two parts.
Part one
Travel around the world through dance with Magdalen in an hour. This class will be a fun and cultural dance session at a slow pace involving African, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern movements.
Part two
The second hour will be a relaxing and slow-pace creative movement session focusing on a theme chosen by the group to explore how they move in space using different choreographic techniques.
You have the option to join one or both workshops, and please wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing for dance (t-shirts, yoga pants, jogging bottoms, etc. and bring a bottle of water. This session takes place on Zoom, and you can also dance barefoot or with trainers.
Magdalen Bartlett is a choreographer and dancer who delivers African and Caribbean dance workshops. Find out more here.
Past event | Menopause Meditation – Online
Menopause Meditation and Yoga morning retreat with Sara Domville
Tuesday 11 May 2021, 10am-1pm
Free, booking essential
This special Menopause Yoga Workshop, is led by Sara Domville, a Menopause Yoga teacher accredited by the British Wheel of Yoga and Yoga Alliance UK.
Join us for a nurturing morning of gentle yoga specifically aimed at women transitioning through menopause. This workshop will teach you simple yoga stretches and breathing techniques to release tension held within the body, replenish your energy and calm your mind.
Past event | Menopause Mark Making – Online
A drawing/craft workshop with Steffie ElHassan
Tuesday 6 April 2021, 2-4pm
Free, booking essential
This workshop will introduce mark-making, using pastels, to explore the menopause timeline and mark the journey. With therapeutic arts practitioner Steffie ElHassan.
Find out more about 'Steffie’s Arts Space' and Exploring Yourself and Life's Challenges through Therapeutic Arts. Click here to visit Steffie’s website
Past event | Menopause Musing – Online
A creative writing session with Louise Wallwein
Tuesday 9 March 2021, 10am-1pm
Free, booking essential
The Whitworth's Age Friendly Programme is celebrating International Women's Week with an invitation for you to join in our live (Zoom) creative writing workshop exploring the menopause journey in all its glory. This online workshop will be led by Louise Wallwein MBE an award-winning poet, playwright, and performer.
For a positive approach to menopause visit positivepause.co.uk
For further details about Creative Responses to the Menopause or any other Age Friendly activities at the Whitworth please get in touch by email with our Age Friendly Coordinator, Claire Cowell.
Past event | Emergent Strategy: Creativity and Ageing
– Online
Tuesday 18 May 2021, 2-4pm
Free, booking essential
This event is a project led by the Whitworth ARTivists and is part of the ongoing Age-Friendly Whitworth Older Artists research project. The research has explored how we can, not only support older people as participants but also how we champion the work of older artists.
Taking ‘emerging artist’ as a theme for an online (zoom) panel discussion with a focus on practicing older women artists to explore this further.
For context for this is based on the visual arts' long-held emphasis on 'the new', being associated with emerging or ‘young’ whilst it has also traditionally viewed older artists, through the practice of the retrospective.
Join us for a lively and interesting debate facilitated by artist Ekua Bayunu and the ARTivists.
The panel includes artist Alice Kettle. Alice is a British contemporary textile artist. She is focused on stitched textiles, a powerful medium through which to explore themes of cultural heritage, journeys, and displacement.
Alice Kettle is currently a Professor in Textile Arts at MIRIAD Manchester School of Art at Manchester Metropolitan University.
