Would it help you to know that you don’t have to be and to do the same all month long? 

That it is ok to be different, to feel different and to work differently throughout your cycle.

Menstrual Cycle Awareness is about transforming our knowledge of our own period into empowering and life-altering awareness, so that we can lead a more cyclical and fulfilling life. In very practical terms, it is about observing our physical, mental, emotional, sexual and spiritual selves every day, for a specific or a general purpose and noticing how our menstrual cycle(and the related hormones) influences these aspects of our life.

Living a cyclical life means mindfully moving through the various changes within us and outside of us, honoring these changes and allowing ourselves to change(internally and externally) with them. Just like how mother earth changes season after season. Just like how there are different cycles around us – seasons, day and night, sleeping and waking up etc. They affect our well-being. Similarly, our period cycle also gives us a special opportunity to change, evolve, heal and live cyclically every month.

Now, first let me briefly explain what a menstrual cycle is and then we go on to understanding its significance. Those of us who menstruate, our menstrual cycle begins on the first day when we have full blood flow. This is considered Day 1 of our cycle. And our cycle ends on the day before we bleed next. A healthy cycle could be anywhere between 24 to 36 days. There is a significant play of hormones during our menstrual cycle which is quite important for the maintainence of a healthy cycle. The key hormones are – estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.

So what does menstrual cycle awareness mean?

It means accepting our changing nature throughout our cycle and living according to those changes.

Being aware of our menstrual cycle is about understanding, accepting and honoring the fact that we are not the same throughout the cycle. We change in terms of physiology, energy levels, thought patterns, behaviour and emotions during each cycle. And monitoring these changes effectively adds to our awareness of ourselves and can lead to a better life. 

The four phases in the menstrual cycle have a different flavour. They are called the menstrual phase, the pre-ovulatory phase, the ovulatory phase and the pre-menstruum phase. The menstrual phase is the time that we bleed. Many of us feel like resting more during this time. Amongst other things, it is a time of deep intuitive awareness. The pre-ovulatory phase follows the menstrual phase and is the time when our energy begins to rise and we start coming out of our shell, so to say. Then comes the ovulatory phase during which, internally, ovulation happens and externally, many of us feel on top of the world. And a few days after ovulation(in most cases), begins the pre-menstrual phase which is quite variable in length and characteristics for different people.

What I have described above is somewhat of an ideal picture of the cycle phases. Many of us do not experience our cycle and its phases in such a clear and distinct way. There are overlaps, joys as well as shadows of each of the phases. Different menstruators experience the seasons differently and might not fit into this generic description. And that is why I offer period coaching to support you as you learn to understand and embrace your unique experience of our cycle.

Here is how the cycle phases can look for most people –

These four phases are also related to the four main seasons of the earth. The menstrual phase is related to the winter season, the pre-ovulatory phase is related to the spring season, the ovulatory phase is related to the summer season and the pre-menstrual phase is related to the autumn season.

With menstrual cycle awareness, we learn to honor our cycle as well as our life, we learn to live in harmony with our bodies, we learn to harvest the wisdom of our period and eventually bring the feminine way of living to our world.

Ain’t it a bloody beautiful meachanism in our body!

So what is the need for menstrual cycle awareness(MCA)?

Well, more than a need, its a revolution.

Menstrual cycle awareness brings us in deep connection with and in reverance to our body. It re-connects us with the feminine wisdom of our body. We begin to understand the power that our period holds and how we can utilize that power in our daily life.

Menstrual cycle awareness can help improve our mental, emotional, sexual and physical health. It directs us to those areas of our life which need attention for our overall well-being. It makes us question our choices, our decisions, our ideas of give and take, our understanding of rest and play and our sexuality and sensuality. And most importantly, it can call us out on our own bullshit and demand more self-care and self-love from us.

The wisdom of our cycle can be applied to all areas of life, be it our relationships, our health(pcos, endometriosis, pms etc.), our work, career and finances, our self-worth, our creative expression, addressing shame, guilt and taboos, forming a sense of purpose, balancing the feminine and masculine energies and experiencing the power of rest, pleasure and play. Our cycle holds so many answers for us.

Menstrual cycle awareness helps us understand why we do what we do and why we feel what we feel, in the different phases of our cycle. This valuable information can help us plan and be prepared for what is to come(even on a daily basis), as much as we woman-ly can. With this awareness, we learn when to say yes and when to say no. We learn when to rest and when to work. We learn how to work even when we desperately need to rest. We learn to ask for support. We learn to offer support. All menstruators deserve support, guidance and education around the menstrual cycle and that is what menstrual cycle awareness does splendidly. 

Menstrual cycle awareness is not just tracking and charting our period, but it is also about dismantling the ideas of living a linear life and linear modes of productivity. We do not have to be always giving, always doing, always showing up as our shiny, smiley, generous selves. We do not have to do it ‘like a man’. 

In this so called ‘man’s world’, We have our own place. We belong.

And its about bloody time to give our menstrual cycle, it’s rightful place!

Now if you are thinking that your experience of your period is nothing like what I have described above but you would like to experience your period in this way, then probably it’s time to learn more about menstrual cycle awareness. You can do that in two ways with me. 

1 – sign up for one-on-one period coaching with me 

2 – join my workshop on menstrual cycle awareness

If you have any questions or curiosities, please put them in the comments here. I would love to hear from you.