Like the moon, women are complex beings who operate on a 28-day cycle, and, just like the moon, at different points of our cycle we can manage different things.
The Sun – Papa Inti – is the Masculine energy that is all about the DOING, the obvious, the “out there”. The sun “does” all day long by offering light and providing.
The Feminine moon, on the other hand, is a constant reminder of the importance of our BEING and of living according to our cycle, not against it.
In the months leading up to me writing this, I found myself doing the exact opposite.
If I’m honest, ever since the ectopic pregnancy I suffered in December 2021, I had been in “doing” mode, and because my cycle was compromised because of the pregnancy, I stopped living according to my cycle, which is something I had previously been doing for years.
So, I decided to start restructuring everything, including my business, to work for me as opposed to me working for it, pulling back anywhere I can, practicing ENERGETIC BOUNDARIES, and even pausing the podcast for a few months while I concentrate on other projects. I have also made a conscious effort to come back home to my feminine cycle.
In order to motivate you to get to know your feminine cycle, and enable it to work for you not against you (many women feel that their cycle works against them and ruins their life), I wanted to offer you some information about just how to do that.
There are 4 phases of the menstrual cycle and if we see them like the seasons, we’ll understand how to navigate them a bit more easily.
Menstrual phase:
3-6 days | Winter
This is time for rest, reflection, research, goal setting.
This is the part of your cycle where you bleed and detoxify, releasing anything that no longer serves you. It’s not a time for action. Nature is intending for you to retreat. It’s your inner winter, so hibernate – I give you permission! Honour your body, slow down, listen to your body’s inner wisdom and nourish your beautiful body with warming, comforting foods and drinks. Work less. Try my Lavender Cacao recipe for the evening of the first day of your bleed.
Follicular phase:
5 days | Spring
A time for brainstorming, planning, initiating, making important decisions, connecting with people and moving out your comfort zone.
This is where your brain is sharpest. After the inner winter and the detox, your cells have rejuvenated. This is when your body is releasing high levels of oestrogen, which is why this is the optimal time to do weight training to build muscle, and to eat more (healthy) carbs than you can at other points in the month. This is the point in the month you’ll look and feel best – take advantage of that!
Ovulation phase:
5 Days | Summer
This is a time for communicating, pitching, collaboration, speaking your truth, putting yourself out there & getting visible.
This is the day you ovulate plus the 2 days before and 2 days after where there will be a surge in LH hormone that allows the egg to be released. This is where confidence is at its max (think about why nature did that – it’s when the females had to feel at their best to want to attract a male and procreate – we want to feel good when we’re doing that, right?) If you’re in business, this would be the time where you’d plan video content, for example. Of course, if you’re preparing to conceive, this is the time when you’d try to do that. {A tip from someone who has been there … make it fun, don’t make it about the baby!}
Luteal phase:
10-14 days | Autumn
Time for nesting, details, completing things, focus, organisation, attention to detail.
This is the last few weeks of your cycle where the hormones start to decline so your mood might do the same – work with it, not against it. Creative juices will flow in the second half of this phase before you bleed so it’s a great opportunity to take time to focus on finer details in a more introspective way.
We can absolutely eat, train and generally live according to our cycles and, as I like to inspire in you the things I find to optimise my own life, I’d love to encourage you to start this this month!
Begin by charting your cycle in a new journal and log every notable thing from each day, beginning with day 1 (first day of full bleed). If you do this for a few months, you’ll start to notice consistencies that will help you understand yourself more.
As I talk a lot about “inner work”, you may not have realised that I teach this kind of thing, but because my work is about helping women to heal as complete beings, we learn stuff like this (in way more detail!) on the RISE Membership. In fact, we have a whole module dedicated to Divine Feminine which includes cycle awareness, and a whole module about balancing female hormones! Click here to join.
You can also listen to this episode of my podcast, Reconditioned, to learn more about how to live according to your cycle.
If you’d like to get a deeper understanding of what your hormones are doing, you can do an at-home hormones test through Omnos.
Love & health,
Lauren
