Books by Charlotte and Leo
Embodied Menopause
Charlotte Watts and Leonie Taylor
Embodied Menopause is the wise friend youâve been waiting for to guide you through this powerful transition into a potent stage of life. No âproblemsâ, âfixesâ or âboostsâ, but rather a steady, compassionate and conscious path through this pause, creating time and space for you to understand and more fully inhabit your whole body and your authentic self. It is a rallying call to reframe and find freedom from limiting beliefs and systems that minimise us as we age.
Through insightful somatic practices, nutritional support, reflective invitations and a sage challenge to social constructs, Leo Taylor and Charlotte Watts guide you through whatâs really happening, physically, emotionally, spiritually and contextually as we meet midlife.
Offering insight and practical steps, they show how mood, gut, sleep and social stress weave together; how to respect your natural resources; and how to meet yourself honestly without chasing impossible standards of perfection.
Embodied Menopause is a vital resource youâll return to again and again to remind you that youâre not malfunctioning or diminished, but on a path to becoming more fully yourself
Where to Buy the Book
What's Inside
Foreward by Kate Codrington
Introduction
Chapter 1 A natural transition
How did we end up with the main narrative around menopause being a feared catastrophe to avoid? We have a different perspectiveâŚ
Chapter 2 The arc of the journey
Everything you need to know about what on earth is going on with your hormones â and how not to âfixâ them but to support change.
Chapter 3 What is maturity?
Looking at different cultural perspectives on menopause and ageing in a quest for a brighter âheroineâs journeyâ.
Chapter 4 Your whole body picture
Understanding how your body works as a whole â and not just a disparate collection of unrelated symptoms to fire fight.
Chapter 5 Creating time and space for potential
Why rest is such a radical but game-changing concept and how to make time to dream through and beyond menopause.
Chapter 6 The liminality of the pause
The clueâs in the name but often not the practice: meno-PAUSE, a potent transition to lean into rather than a breakdown to avoid.
Chapter 7 Respecting your available energy
Itâs time to compassionately reevaluate how you generate and where you direct your precious resources.
Chapter 8 Mood and gut connections
From a holistic, mind-body perspective, your feelings and emotions are so tied up in your gut. Letâs look at the psycho-social pressure on your belly.
Chapter 9 Your True Core
Away from all the conditioned hype around toned abs and trim tums, letâs take a look at how your relationship with your middle-aged middle needs to be more well rounded.
Chapter 10 The Sleep Issue
At a point where sleep might be elusive and its absence devastating, whatâs really going on and how can you create the conditions for deeper, more restorative rest?
Chapter 11 What do you need now?
Deciphering what the deeper needs are below the level of your wants and habits, so that you can be more truly nourished and satisfied.
Chapter 12 Positively preparing for Post-menopause
So what next? Letâs take a look at whatâs on the other shore, beyond the wild seas of menopause.Â
Nutritional Support Sections
Boosting the liver
Blood Sugar Balance
Omega-3 Oils
Adrenal and HPA Axis
Phytoestrogens
Mindful Eating
Magnesium
Digestion booster
Intermittent Fasting
Supporting sleep through diet
Protein
Food as a Source of Joy
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Embodied Practices
Subtle Explorations
Nasal Breath
The 4 stages of breathing
Lying Support for Breathing Practices (Pranayama)
Focussed Breathing
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Brahmari(Black Bee Breath) with Shanmukhi Mudra
Golden Thread Breath
Autogenic Release
Sound Practices
Simha Pranayama/Lionâs Breath
Krama Breathing
Metta Bhavana (Lovingkindness Meditation)
Moon- and Sun-Piercing Breathing
Body Scan
Sitali or Sitkari Pranayama / Breath
Nyasa Meditation
Heart Mudras (Intentional hand gestures)
Sa Ta Na Ma finger focus
EFT
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Reflective Pauses
Find balance with non-western medicine approaches
Elemental Body Scan
Cultivate self-compassion
Journalling and wild art journalling
 Attune to interconnectedness
Make space for rest
Find peace with difficult feelings
Create your own rituals
How to cope with overwhelm
Find your joy
Recognise your Cravings
Clarify your feelings
Get ready to sleep
Trust your wisdom
Mind-map your future
Yoga and Somatics for Immune & Respiratory Health
Charlotte Watts, with Leonie Taylor. Foreword by Joanne Avison
A guide for yoga and somatics teachers, other movement and health professionals to understand the immune and respiratory systems and design yoga practises that support their optimal function.
- Supported by an online course with the author - learn more here.
- You can read a sample of the book by clicking here.
Our respiratory and immune systems are intrinsically linked to how we relate to the world around us. Engaging with our vitality through the movement we were designed to express equips us with an invaluable ability to support the optimal functioning of our internal systems.
This book explains how somatic (fluid) movement, embodied awareness, and self-compassion can be incorporated into yoga practice to support respiratory and immune health. Through scientific and yoga lenses, it delves into how stress, trauma, breath, movement, fascia and posture can impact the quality of these systems and how yoga teachers and practitioners can integrate movement, meditation and breath to help improve them.
Through an exploration of our boundaries and attuning to needs, this book will help yoga practitioners and professionals develop a more integrated and nuanced approach to practice and teaching.
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Yoga Teacher in a Box
Leonie Taylor (Author), Sara Goldsmith (Editor), Harriet Lee-Merrion (Illustrator)
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Yoga Therapy for Digestive Health
Digestive issues are widespread and prove difficult to address through mainstream medicine. Senior yoga teacher Charlotte Watts sheds light on the connection between the gut and the brain, explains the links between stress, trauma and digestive issues and demonstrates how yoga with its focus on stilling the mind can have profound effects on conditions such as IBS, IBD, acid reflux, colitis, diverticulitis and more. Breath awareness allows the breath to drop into the belly and diaphragm, essential for good digestive function and understanding the fascial connections within the viscera help shape movement that enables optimal function.
- Supported by an online course with the author. More info here.
- You can read a sample of the book by clicking here.
Fully illustrated with clear diagrams and instructions, this volume provides yoga, movement and medical professionals with a solid understanding of the digestive system in relation to breath, mindfulness, posture, anatomy, movement, stress and trauma. It helps them to apply this knowledge to their practice and teaching approach.
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Good Mood Food
The ultimate guide to using the power of food to improve your mood, energy and mental wellbeing, with over 70 specially selected recipes.
This brilliantly accessible diet book explains how you can use simple steps in your nutrition to manage any mood disorder.
Each chapter explains how to use diet to combat the most common issues that affect people of all ages. Looking at all the ways in which disordered mood can manifest, Good Mood Food discusses specific body mechanisms, underlying causes, symptoms, nutrient needs and recipes that support these for each category: improve your energy levels, focus, resist cravings, reduce anxiety, get more sleep, tackle depression and achieve balanced hormones.
Each chapter also features 6-8 recipes that are perfect to combat each issue and ends with diet plans to help you work mood-boosting ingredients into your diet every day. Drawing on the latest research into the human microbiome, mental health, and links between the gut and the brain, this book will be the perfect companion for anyone who wants to understand a little more about how what they eat affects how they feel - and what to do about it.
More ways to connect with Charlotte and Leo
private community
A nurturing space to ask questions, share experiences, celebrate progress, and connect with others embracing an embodied approach to menopause.
whole health
Online somatic & mindful yoga classes & meditations. Subscription include live weekly classes and access to their recordings, as well as on-demand access. Choose from the price level that suits your budget for continual resources in your home.
