Name: Crystal Garcia

Menopause phase: Peri-menopause

Place You Call Home: Upstate New York

What You’re Creating: An online space for women to create rituals of comfort and joy

Age: 43

1. Rituals can be deeply personal. Share a specific ritual that has helped you embrace the changes of menopause with enthusiasm or resilience?

Gaining and building knowledge about this new chapter, and how to care for myself so that I can be my best each day. I’ve been listening to expert podcasts, following women who are making moves in women’s health regarding the topic, subscribing to newsletters, reading books, and attending events like Life In The Pause.

2. How have you redefined beauty as you’ve aged? Do any of your rituals support this new definition?

It’s actually been a journey. I feel like at one point I kind of lost myself. Just recently I decided that I want to get back to who I was, but it might look a bit different. I asked myself what do I want to look like in this new chapter of my life. I have slowly been creating her with experimentation: new clothes, new style, new makeup, new workouts, selfcare that pampers, slowing down, listening to my body… essentially investing in myself.

3. Is there a particular practice—whether it’s movement, meditation, or something else—that has become essential to your well-being during menopause?

Slowing down. I don’t rush to get my day started, I’m intentional and take my time. I always start the morning with lofi beats, and my diffuser (Vitruivi breath is my favorite oil blend). I like to think of myself these days as a slow burn and I love it! I also don’t move or workout like I used to because my body and needs are different. Connecting with nature has been a big practice. I love getting out for walks on the trails in our area and going for hikes with my husband.

4. What role does your community or your sista circle play in your menopausal and aging experience, and do you share any rituals with other women that support this journey?

Recently I’ve been connecting with women in my life through sharing my peri-menopaus journey and they have so much to share. We feel like kindred spirits. We share our struggles, gripes, wins, journeys, and tips. It’s my goal to bring up the topic more within my network, with friends and family.

5. What does ‘sacred’ mean to you in the context of aging and menopause? Do you have any sacred rituals that honor this stage of life?

Sacred in the context of aging to me means something special and prized. It’s an honor to get another day of life, and to make it to this stage. In a way it’s the body’s sacred connection with us, moving us to a new chapter of life.

6. Looking back on your pre-menopausal years, is there anything you wish you had known or done differently to prepare for this transition? How does this wisdom shape your rituals now?

I wish I would have known what was to come when I was learning about puberty and periods. It could have changed how I navigated my life up to this point. I would have been better prepared for and avoided feelings of brokenness, loss, as well as overall health struggles. Knowing what I know now has been like a light bulb. I’ve been able to connect the dots on what I thought were mysterious things happening with my body, another “thing” that was wrong, another trip to a practitioner’s office. Now I’m more prepared to take better care of myself and my overall health.

7. How do you define well-aging, and what does it look like in your life?

Well-aging to me means keeping your health and wellness a priority as you age. What this looks like in my life is continuing to learn about health and wellness, and implementing what I learn. For example, I’m currently reading Metabolism Repair For Women by Lara Briden to learn more about , metabolism, insulin resistance, and how to lose those pesky pounds tied to hormonal changes. I’ve already learned several key ways to help my body heal in this area from the book and have been steadily implementing them.

8. Everyday Rituals: Share one ritual for each of the following, that you’ve not shared above:

Daily Ritual: I love doing somatic stretches in bed before I get up and start my day. I feel refreshed, grounded, and in a good mindset. If I have the extra time I will dry brush, or just sit under my red light. 

Everyday Rituals: Share one or more current rituals that you haven’t shared before.

• Daily Ritual: I love doing somatic stretches in bed before I get up and start my day. I feel refreshed, grounded, and in a good mindset. If I have the extra time I will dry brush, or just sit under my red light.
• Weekly Ritual: I work from home, so getting out of the house is important. I’ve signed up with a co-work space to get out, have a change of scenery, and meet new people.
• Monthly: My husband and I try to join a hiking program in our area each month. In December we did a Christmas Bird Count Hike, January we plan on doing a night hike.
• Yearly: The work your light visioning process. This is something new I just started and have enjoyed it so much I plan on making it an annual ritual. The process helps you release the year that was and start visioning the year to come through meditation, visualization, tarot reading, and journaling.

Connect with Crystal, HERE