The Menstrual Seasons

The Menstrual Cycle - what associations do those words bring up for you? Do you feel a shrinking inside, a dread of PMT and the period itself? Do you notice any changes in your energy and creative abilities throughout the month?


Women are cyclical beings. Our bodies and minds ride the rollercoaster of hormones throughout the menstrual cycle. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could recognise the ups and downs of that ride and learn how to use them to navigate our lives better?


A good metaphor for the menstrual cycle is the Four seasons. Winter being the bleed, Summer being ovulation, and Spring and Autumn the seasons in between. Women find different seasons of their cycle more comfortable than others, and contrary to popular belief, some women find the Autumn and Winter seasons (the premenstrual phase and the bleed itself) the place they feel most at home.


Charting our cycle offers powerful insights into our inner lives, through dreams, coincidences and emotional and physical shifts. Our creativity will peak and trough depending on our cycle, so knowing our own personal cycle can help us maximise our creativity and effectiveness in the world and in our personal life. Often women find that their physical symptoms ease once they start listening to the wisdom of their own cycle. If we push ourselves on days that we know to be difficult, then often our bleed is more difficult.


Some women find that they blossom during ovulation, they feel on top of the world, confident, sensual and like “Superwoman” who can do EVERYTHING. Other women find their peak Summer to be too bright, they want to hide away from the spotlight and feel more comfortable once their season has turned into Autumn. Some women find their Winter bleeding time to be a wonderful time to retreat from the world and focus on giving themselves self care, other women experience their period as painful and  inconvenient. Once we understand our own rhythms we can use them to live more harmoniously by choosing to take on new projects when we feel most creative, edit and prune our work and lives when we have moved on from the growing phase, and letting go of that which no longer serves us when we shift again into release.


We all have our own individual rhythms. Once you know where your comfort zones are, you can plan your life around them which will, in turn, enhance your experience of your own individual cycle. Our rhythms change throughout our lives, so it is always useful to check in periodically to see what messages your cycle is giving you.


What is your most challenging moment in your cycle? Let me know in the comments below.

---

If you would like to deepen your relationship with your own natural rhythms, discover your own personal power days, boost your creativity and focus on self care techniques that can help improve your menstrual experience, then join me on my Awakening Menstrual Health workshop in Frome, Somerset on Saturday 10th of November.

I always have one free place on my workshops for people who would otherwise be unable to attend. Please get in touch if that place is for you.