There is no doubt that practising menstrual cycle awareness is life-changing. But what do we do when we know about the power of honouring our changing rhythm and flow when the rest of the world around us just doesn’t get it?!*?!%!!!!
Honouring your changing energy levels and needs through the cycle month is challenging alongside the demands of daily life. The family, work, home and community obligations don’t let up do they? Particularly in a society that values high productivity.
And even though a few forward-thinking workplaces are embracing menstrual and menopause policies most of us are expected to show up at work and do our jobs in the same way every day of the month, particularly in the public sector and corporate world.
So today we want to give you support to integrate the cyclical nature of your body into your life, even in a world that doesn’t get it, so you can minimise stress and burnout.
One: Practise the 1% shift
There is great power in making small moves to create big change. When life is coming at you fast and the idea of yielding to your cyclical needs just feels impossible or overwhelming, take a moment to dream into a bite size version of tending to your needs.
Instead of a day of menstrual rest, can you take a long bath tonight? Instead of cancelling everything during your inner autumn, can you cancel just one thing? Or can you take a quiet (even short) walk to clear your head? These small shifts add up over time. They shift the atmosphere around you and enhance your creative capacity to meet your needs, even with the responsibilities you hold.
Two: Protect your vulnerabilities
Through your daily cycle awareness practice aim to become more aware of your peak times of vulnerability in the cycle. For many this happens in the inner autumn and particularly just before bleeding. For others it is on the crossover days between the inner seasons, particularly winter to spring. However, it is unique for each person.
Once you know your Achilles heel moments in the cycle you can prepare to bring extra self compassion to yourself—not overexposing yourself and protecting your tender times. This self-kindness will ripple out in unimaginable ways throughout your cycle.
Three: Claim your right to a cyclical life
It’s a tricky one to claim but the practice of cycle awareness naturally builds your sense of entitlement—your right to this knowledge and a cycle-centred life. Through observation your cyclical rhythm becomes inseparable from who you are.
In no time at all you’ll clearly stake your right to fully embody it in the world. You’ll literally feel a new swagger in your hips—a new sense of authority that says you do have a right to this.
Four: Practise ‘evolutionary’ Menstrual Cycle Awareness
On our The Menstruality Leadership Programme we teach an advanced approach to Menstrual Cycle Awareness which focuses less on ‘syncing’ your life to your cycle and more on bringing the powers of each inner season to bear on whatever you face each cycle day.
This is where the art of this practice really comes to life and starts to transform you and evolve the world around you. If you’d like to dive deeper into cycle awareness in this way you can find out more about the programme and take your seat at: www.menstrualityleadership.com
(There are still some 50% scholarship places for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour, LGTBQ+ folks, and people living with a disability.)
You can explore the Menstruality Leadership Programme here >
