Aligning your practice with your menstrual cycle
Over the last weeks, there’s been a chart circulating on social media (see below!), which shows the hormone fluctuations that women experience throughout their menstrual cycle.
What this confirms is that our way of being is constantly and relentlessly in flux - and it carries into the way we show up in the world, how we feel in ourselves one day to the next, the nature of our thoughts and our self-perception. It’s always changing, and it can be really hard to keep up - especially with conditions like PMDD, PMS and endometriosis often working against us.
Chart of hormonal changes throughout the menstrual cycle
Source: HealthyLife Pharmacy
So, armed with the knowledge of each menstrual cycle phase, how can we better support ourselves as we traverse them?
Let’s take a closer look at each phase…
FOLLICULAR/OVULATION:
In the follicular/ovulation phase, as estrogen rises we feel more energetic and tend to be more outwardly-focused. We’ll probably feel moreconfident, and less doubtful about ourselves and the situations in our lives.
That makes it a great time to focus your self-connection practice on expression, expansion, visualisation and creativity.
Think uplifting guided visualisation meditations, intention setting, and dynamic and flowing movement.
We recommend these practices:
Meet your future self guided meditation + journalling
EFT tapping for abundance, expansion + opening to limitless possibility
Intuitive movement practice to move from mind to body + feel fully expressed
Morning yoga flow to energise the whole body + reset
LUTEAL/MENSTRUAL:
In the luteal/menstrual phases, we tend to feel more inwards - it’s a time of shedding and recovery. We need more rest and solo time, and we may experience more negative thoughts, doubts and limiting beliefs coming to the surface. During this time it’s important to give ourselves compassion and gentleness.
During this time, choose practices that promote stress-releasing, grounding, relaxation and self-compassion.
This could look like gentle yoga flows, mindful meditations/body scans, or inner work journalling.
We recommend these practices:
Wind down before bedtime gentle flow yoga
Evening guided meditation - you are worthy of rest
Writing a love letter to yourself
Connect with a specific part of the body + invite healing
Make taking care of yourself the priority, in every phase
We can thrive when we meet ourselves where we are in our menstrual cycle and give ourselves what we need. This is where tracking your menstrual cycle is really useful. Aligning your practice with each phase is a great way to empower and nourish yourself.
