Researcher: Melanie Knight, Conscious Sexuality
Project: The Mysteries of Menopause: A Tantric Approach Upon the “Wise Age of the Woman”, the practical research element of the Tara Yoga Centre Womens Teacher Training Certification
Dates: April to May 2026

What this study is

I am completing my certification as a Tantra teacher. The final piece of work is a written document on menopause and Tantric approaches, which must include a practical element. This study is that practical element.

You will join a small group of 8 to 10 women for two weeks, choose two or three simple practices to try, attend two Zoom sessions, and share your reflections through a short questionnaire and a light journal.

How your information will be used

  • Your responses to the questionnaires and your journal entries will be read by me, and may be summarised, paraphrased, or quoted (anonymously) in my final training document.
  • Your name will never appear in the document. Any quote will be attributed only as “Participant A,” “Participant B,” or as “one of the women in the group said.”
  • Identifying details will be removed. If a story is unique enough to identify you, I will check with you before including it.
  • The document will be submitted to my Tantra teacher trainers and may, in future, be shared in edited form on my website or in a publication. Anonymisation applies in all cases.

How your information will be stored

  • Questionnaire responses will be held on a UK or EU server and downloaded to my password-protected computer.
  • Zoom recordings (if you have consented) will be kept on my password-protected computer only, and deleted within 30 days of the document being submitted (i.e. by end of June 2026).
  • WhatsApp and journal entries will be downloaded and the originals deleted by end of June 2026.
  • Your contact details will not be added to any marketing list unless you have separately and explicitly opted in.

The WhatsApp group

The main way we will stay in touch over the two weeks is a small WhatsApp group with the other women in the study. You will send three short journal lines a day when you do a practice (which practice, what you noticed, a weather word for how you are), see what is landing for the others, and get short prompts and check-ins from me. Please note:

  • Your phone number will be visible to the other women in the group.
  • Anything you share in the group is only seen by the other participants and me.
  • I will only quote anonymised group messages in the final document under the same rules as the questionnaires (above).
  • The group will be closed and the message history deleted by end of June 2026.
  • If you would rather not be added, you can journal to me privately by email or text instead. There is an option for this on the intake form.

Your rights

  • You can withdraw at any time, for any reason, without explanation. If you withdraw, I will delete all your data and not include any of your words in the document.
  • You can ask to see any direct quote from you before the document is submitted, and you can ask me to remove or change it.
  • You can ask me at any time what data I hold about you and I will tell you.
  • You are not committing to anything beyond these two weeks. This is not a paid programme, not a course, and there is no follow-up obligation.

What this is not

  • This is not therapy or medical care. I am a somatic sex educator and Tantra practitioner, not a doctor or therapist. Nothing in these practices is a substitute for medical advice.
  • If anything difficult comes up for you during the two weeks, please reach out, to me, to your GP, or to a therapist. I can offer signposting if helpful.
  • I make no claims that these practices will reduce symptoms, cure anything, or have any specific effect. We are exploring together.

Confirming your consent

By completing the intake form, you confirm that:

  • You have read and understood the above
  • You are taking part voluntarily and can withdraw at any time
  • You are happy for your anonymised words to be used in the final document
  • You understand this is not therapy or medical care
  • You are over 45 years old
  • You have indicated on the intake form whether you would like to be added to the WhatsApp group or to journal privately instead

If you have any questions, contact me at melanie@conscious-sexuality.co.uk or +44 7876 706910 before completing the intake.

With warmth,
Melanie