Menopause Flushes Through a Chinese Medicine Lens
When a woman enters her menopausal transition, the landscape of her inner climate shifts. What may have once held a steady rhythms begins to rearrange itself.
From a classical Chinese medicine perspective, through the wisdom of the Six Conformations — hot flushes are not a sign that she is “too hot,” but often that her yang has become unanchored.
Weak Yang Floating
As the Kidney and Spleen yang fade with time, their deep, steadying warmth becomes less available. Yang should sink and root itself in the lower body; this is what gives a woman her sense of inner ballast, temperature regulation, and vitality.
When that yang weakens, it begins to float upward like mist lifting off water.
This rising movement stirs heat in the chest, face, and head. Not because fire is in excess, but because fire has lost its home.
Classically, we call this floating yang.
Somatically, it feels like:
sudden inner surges
rising heat
sensations rushing up the spine or chest
an absence of grounding in the belly or legs
It is not a disfunction, more an energetic displacement.
Water Blocking Fire
In many menopausal bodies, this floating yang is not happening in a vacuum.
There is often a layer of untransformed fluid below. The classical “water” of the Kidney and Spleen systems.
When water is not moving, it becomes a kind of internal weight.
It presses downward, heavy and cold.
So the yang, already fragile, tries to descend…
and meets resistance.
It cannot penetrate the cold, damp layer beneath it.
And in this meeting of warmth and water, something reflexive happens:
Yang rebounds upward.
Like steam driven out of a pot with nowhere else to go.
This is the classical dynamic of water obstructing fire, as the interplay of Shaoyin cold with Taiyang water accumulation.
Somatically, women describe this as:
heat rising out of nowhere
a sense of pressure before the flush
feeling “pushed” upward into the chest or head
a disconnect from the pelvis or lower body
This is not pathology.
It’s a process.
Grounding Your Inner Climate: Qigong, Food, and Gentle Practices
While understanding the movement of yang and water in your body is powerful, the true medicine happens when you bring it back home, into your belly, your legs, and your daily life. Here are some simple ways to do this:
1. Gentle Qigong to Anchor Yang
A short daily practice can help yang sink and reconnect with the lower dantian:
Simple Exercise:
Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees soft.
Place your hands lightly on your lower belly (the “hara” or lower dantian).
Imagine your breath moving down into your belly, filling it like water, and then letting your energy settle into your legs.
Visualise your yang warmth gently sinking, like sunlight seeping into the earth.
Repeat 5–10 breaths, once or twice a day.
Why it helps: It literally anchors the rising yang, giving your nervous system and body a signal that it’s safe to settle.
2. Nourishing, Grounding Foods
Food as medicine for yin-yang balance of your inner climate. Some simple approaches:
Warm, cooked meals instead of cold/raw foods
Root vegetables (sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot) to nourish the Spleen and lower body
Whole grains for gentle grounding and Qi support
Mild warming spices (ginger, cinnamon) to support Kidney and Spleen yang
Why it helps: Warm, dense foods encourage yang to root in the lower body and fluids to move through the system without obstruction.
3. Small Daily Rituals to Feel Rooted
Feet on the ground: Stand barefoot on natural surfaces if possible, even for a few minutes.
Gentle belly massage: Clockwise circles over the lower abdomen to stimulate fluid movement.
Slow breath breaks: When heat or restlessness arises, breathe deeply into your belly, letting the ribcage and spine expand and release tension.
Why it helps: These practices teach your nervous system and body to settle, restoring natural rhythm and grounding yang where it belongs.
Reflection
The significant changes around Menopause is golden opportunity to learn to guide your energy back to its home. Warming, nourishing, and anchoring yourself from the inside out. Your time for you.
Even small, consistent daily actions, a few breaths, a warm meal, a gentle practice — can realign yourself and support the descent of yang, and ease the rising sensations that feel so disruptive.
With love,
Anny
