How To Show Your Menstrual Cycle Some Love
“There is an Indian proverb that says that everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional, and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.”
These four rooms are also known as our four bodies and in this blog I’m going to share how you can show each one some love through a selection of things ~ choose the one(s) that fit with your cycle phase and energy levels. When you care for and nurture your four rooms or bodies, your ecosystem thrives, your hormones are happier and your menstrual cycle will thank you.
PHYSICAL BODY
This refers to your body itself:
~ your physiology
~ your physical health
~ your sensory relationship with the world around you
1. MOVEMENT
Close your eyes, take a deep breath and check in with your energy level today.
Take another deep breath and ask yourself ‘What movement would make me feel good today?’ and do that.
Here are some ideas:
~ go for a brisk or gentle walk
~ do a HIIT workout
~ put on your favourite playlist and dance
~ practice authentic yoga with me on YouTube
2. BEDTIME ROUTINE
Bedtime routines aren’t just for children! They can support you to have better sleep quality, improve your mood and reduce your stress and anxiety. So take some time to create your own relaxing bedtime routine.
Here are some ideas to add to your bedtime routine:
~ no screens for at least an hour before you sleep
~ have a relaxing bath
~ listen to a sleep meditation to help you drift off ~ here’s a progressive muscle relaxation I recorded
~ yoga in bed ~ practise with me here
3. ABHYANGA
Abhyanga (uhb-yhung-uh) is one of my favourite ayurvedic practices. When we do abhyanga, we massage our whole body with warm sesame or almond oil.
To practise abhyanga on yourself, start the massage from your head and make your way down to your feet ~ use long strokes up and down your limbs, circular movements on your joints, and broad, clockwise, circular motions on your abdomen and chest.
There are lots of videos on YouTube that guide you through this grounding and nourishing practice
Caveats:
~ Do abhyanga on an empty stomach (preferred) or at least 90 minutes after eating.
~ Let the oil soak into your skin for at least 10 minutes and no more than 45 minutes, and then have a shower.
~ Do not practise abhyanga if you're menstruating. This is because your body is already naturally cleansing and we want to rest as much as possible.
MENTAL BODY
This refers to the realm of your mind and includes:
~ your thoughts
~ your perceptions
~ your belief systems
PLANNING WITH YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLE
Over the last few years I have been refining my process of how to plan WITH my menstrual cycle. This helps me to be more efficient and work with my energy levels as I honour my body’s natural rhythms. I have found the Circle Planner amazing to support me with this and if you’d like to get one, you can use my code JYOTIRANI to save 10% on your purchase. You can also do this simple method using any paper or digital planner.
STEP 1 ~ write a list of all the tasks you'd like to complete this month / cycle
STEP 2 ~ pop your cycle phase for each week into the second monthly spread page in the circle planner or into your calendar
STEP 3 ~ pop the tasks from step 1 into the cycle phase weeks in step 2 depending on your energy and focus levels.
I also show you how to do this in this reel.
EMOTIONAL BODY
This refers to:
~ your emotions
~ your emotional health
~ how you’re feeling
1. MEDITATION
‘Meditation is not about stopping thoughts, but recognising that we are more than our thoughts and our feelings.’
Meditation is a deeply misunderstood limb of yoga that has profound benefits for all four of our bodies.
Check in with how you’re feeling using my free cyclical meditations. There’s one for each phase of your cycle and you can get yours here.
2. WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR MENARCHE SELF
This is something I do with my Devoted coaching clients and it’s incredibly powerful.
Think back to your menarche (your first period) and write a letter to that version of yourself. What would you tell them? What did you cherish about your menarche self? Start with...
Dear [Name],
I’ve been dying to tell you...
And let words flow onto the page, trusting that what needs to come out, will.
3. GET CURIOUS AND TRY SOMETHING NEW
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
Try something new ~ this can help to improve your mood and you’ll learn new things about yourself.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
~ book that class you’ve always wanted to do
~ try a new food
~ do something old in a new way
~ be a tourist where you live
4. GO FOR A WALK
There’s heaps of research showing the benefits of going for a walk, especially in nature. Walking can improve emotional health, boost creativity and calm the nervous system.
If you’re feeling stuck, need a change of scenery or just need some fresh air, get outside and go for a walk.
You could walk listening to the sounds of nature, a podcast, music or call a loved one. You could even go for a walk with someone.
SPIRITUAL BODY
The spiritual body is your anchor to something deeper inside yourself that connects you to all of consciousness.
1. GRATITUDE
‘Energy flows where attention goes’
Cultivating a gratitude practice will support you to connect to something deeper than yourself, both within yourself and in the world around you.
And the more you practise gratitude, the more things you’ll notice to be grateful for.
Here are some way you can practise gratitude:
~ write a letter of gratitude to your four bodies
~ listen to my gratitude meditation
~ the next time you have dinner, ask everyone at the table to share one thing they’re grateful for about their day
2. MUSIC
Music is one of the quickest and simplest ways to feel connected to something deeper. It has the power to trigger an expanded state of awareness and heightened perception.
Jahnavi Harrison is the artist that guides me to feel this way. Her music is medicine to me.
I’d love to know which artist makes you feel this way ~ let me over on IG or by email
3. PRANAYAMA
Our breath is immensely powerful yet most of us are blissfully unaware of this.
Think about it, breathing is the only vital function under both voluntary and involuntary control. Your breath influences the activity of each and every cell in your body as well as your brain, arguably making it the most vital process of your body.
But most of us breathe incorrectly, using only a small part of our lung capacity.
Let’s change that ~ practice with me on YouTube or Insight Timer.
Want to keep showing your menstrual cycle and body some love and learn how to live n sync with your cycle? Check out my Devoted coaching programme here.
With love & gratitude,
Jyoti x