The Four Seasons: Inner Winter
Are you ready to embrace your menstrual cycle?
Do you what to understand what's happening inside your body?
Are you itching to learn how you can work with your cycle rather than against it?
Yes, yes and yes?
Brilliant - you're in the right place.
Over the next few posts I will be sharing more about each of the four phases of the menstrual cycle: menstruation ~ inner winter, pre-ovulation ~ inner spring, ovulation ~ inner summer and pre-menstruation ~ inner autumn
I will explore what's happening in our bodies, how I feel, how I support myself, how I support my clients and some bonus recommendations too.
An important note before we begin:
**There is no right way or perfect way to experience your menstrual cycle. My writing refers to my personal experience, my clients experience or a generalised experience but that doesn’t mean it will be your experience. So as you read these letters, take what feels right for you and discard the rest. Ultimately, your experience overrides anything I say. Our cycles are constantly changing and what matters the most is that you honour your cycle in your own way.**
Let's start with your period - the phase when you are bleeding.
Photo taken by Nadia Meli
MENSTRUATION | INNER WINTER
'Ah, hello there blood, welcome back old friend'
What's happening in your body?
Your hormones are all at their lowest levels during this phase as the uterine lining breaks down. Much like the season of winter, this is a time of slowing down & hibernation, of rest & stillness, of reflection & release.
How I feel:
Since I started tracking my cycle, I look forward to being on my period. I never thought I would say that but it's true! During the first few days of my period I feel tender, soft and slow. I am acutely aware of my body ~ especially my womb space. I rest as much as I can and when that's not possible (because ya know ~ life!) I do only what's absolutely necessary ~ slowly. Very, very slowly.
How I support myself:
My rituals during this phase ~ an ending of one cycle and the beginning of the next ~ are some of my favourite.
Rest, rest, rest ~ I've already said it but I cannot emphasise the importance of rest during your period enough. The more I rest on my period, the smoother the remainder of my cycle. Sometimes this means napping, sometimes sitting on the sofa, sometimes reading or more recently doing a sudoku
Tarot cards ~ I pull 4 cards, one for each phase of my menstrual cycle, and then journal on their meaning (this is something I learnt from Claire Baker and absolutely looooove doing!)
Set an intention ~ I set an intention for the cycle ahead ~ this might be a word, a sentence or an area that I would like to focus on
How I support my clients:
Encourage stillness - your intuition is at its strongest during this time so take time to get still and listen to its wisdom. In my Devoted sessions, we do this with a guided womb journey similar to this one - YouTube or Insight Timer
Plan for the cycle ahead - take out your diary and note down when you'll be entering inner spring, inner summer, inner autumn and (roughly) when your next period will come. You can also write down any days in your cycle that you tend to find tricky or know you need extra space. Then you can adjust / make plans accordingly
Encourage saying no - it's tough but we must set boundaries and protect our energy. The more we practice this, the easier it gets
I love to...
listen to: rest | winter on repeat during this phase
eat: warm, slow cooked nourishing foods like this delicious soup
meditate: closing my eyes and breathing into my womb space or practicing a Yoga Nidra like the one I recorded here
There is deep wisdom that runs through your bones, blood & body
Learn how to live in sync with your cycle with my coaching programme, Devoted
Journaling Prompts
Take some time to journal on your inner winter experience:
How do you feel?
How do you support yourself?
What do you love to do when you're on your period?
What does your dream period look/feel/sound/smell/taste like?
From the list above, what's one thing you could implement to get 1% closer to your dream period?
I would love to learn about your inner winter phase ~ email me and tell me all about it.
With love and gratitude,
Jyoti x
Read the other blog posts in this series: menstruation ~ inner winter, pre-ovulation ~ inner spring, ovulation ~ inner summer and pre-menstruation ~ inner autumn