The Menstrual Cycle is More Than Phases
The menstrual cycle is finally gaining more of the acknowledgment, respect and care that it so deeply deserves. This work is spreading and rippling out into the world. For this, I am grateful.
With this growing awareness, I have noticed a common theme being shared within this work - that the menstrual cycle has four clear & separate phases. This doesn’t ring true for me, and it feels important to share why.
We live in a world that is comfortable with the known and the easily calculable. And so, it makes sense that we apply this same logic to our bodies and menstrual cycles. We separate the cycle into four unique pieces and believe we have reached a complete understanding of this rhythm. As someone who has been in an intentional relationship with their cycle for years, this approach leaves me feeling uneasy and somewhat ripped off.
I feel it as an immense oversimplification of a process that is far more nuanced and of richer subtleties. Every day within the cycle we change – hormonally, psychologically, emotionally and energetically. Aside from when our blood arrives, there is no clear starting or stopping point to each phase; there is no line we can draw that distinguishes one from the other. Rather, each day is a transition as we move away from and towards one of the two great orchestrations of the cycle: ovulation and menstruation.
It is commonly said that there are four phases within the menstrual cycle, and this is true in that there are four distinct hormonal trends present - just as there are four seasons of the earth’s cycle. But in the same way that winter moves toward spring, there are days of transition that are neither one nor the other, but some combination of both. Each moment has a unique quality of its own. The seasons within our own menstrual cycle offer us the same teaching and experience.
The wisdom of the menstrual cycle is neither absolute nor easily definable. It requires a daily meeting of the truth of our present moment. One that is always changing - cycle to cycle, day to day, and moment to moment. It is a process of listening from the inside out, so that we may hear what is truly alive within us.
It is not one of expecting to be a certain way because of what phase we are in. It is also not one of adjusting how we move through the world based on what others have told us we should be feeling. This runs counter to the fundamental truth of menstrual cycle awareness: that there is power and wisdom offered to us by listening to our own cyclical bodies.
We are continually changing and evolving, and our cycles will reflect this. To simplify the menstrual cycle into four separate one-size-fits-all phases is to distance ourselves from the inherent mystery and intelligence behind the force of life guiding us.
When we deeply connect with our cycle, it becomes our natural anchoring point.
When we intimately relate with our menstrual rhythm, we strengthen our own inner knowing.
When we welcome the truth that the body holds wisdom, we no longer need to reach outside of ourselves for it.
This work teaches us that our own body & being will always be our greatest teachers and truest sources of guidance. Embodied menstrual cycle awareness is this wisdom in practice.
For those interested in learning more about navigating their menstrual cycle and connecting to their female bodies, the Cyclical Living Immersion provides a comprehensive and holistic approach to menstrual cycle education. Complete with a 70-page ebook, in-depth audio lessons, recorded interviews and yoga nidra & meditation practices, it serves as a supportive guide on your own journey of menstrual cycle awareness. You can learn more and enroll here.