5 Ways to Nourish Your Feminine (Yin) Essence & Tap Into the Wisdom of Your Cyclical Nature
14 years ago some girlfriends and I had taken a course with a wise free-spirited woman who was travelling through town about the phases of the Moon and our connection to it. We had the sessions at my home once a week for a month. My son was a toddler and I remember him at one point poking his head out of the pop up tent he was playing in near us declaring something like, “Papa and me are with da Sun, mama is da Moon.” We were all quite shocked as he was sooo little (and he hadn’t said a peep before that or after! lol).
What my son said that morning touches on an important piece many women don’t realize and that is that we live in a world that follows the male hormonal pattern of testosterone which is linear and follows a similar pattern to the Sun where it rises in the a.m and decreases in p.m. day after day. It’s the same day after day.
As women we are cyclical and creative (have a cycle that sets us up to create life!). Our menstrual cycle follows the pattern of the Moon cycle where everyday of the cycle hormones are a little different and after a cycle completes another begins.
Each phase of the menstrual cycle has different combos of hormones at play resulting in changes happening not only in our uterus but affecting really every aspect of our being from energy, to mood, to focus, to sleep, to intuition, to digestion, to skin, to muscle tone, to sex drive, etc.
These 4 phases are present in all cycles of nature/cycles of creation and each phase has a unique purpose and offers something of value.
Some people liken each phase of the menstrual cycle to the different seasons. Like the seasons of the year, through your menstrual month you move through an inner winter, spring, summer and autumn and back to winter again. These dates below are just ball park figures for the phases - by charting for yourself you will know when the transitions from 1 phase to the next happen for you in particular.
Common 28 day cycle Seasonal Rhythm Example:
Winter - day 27 to day 5
Spring - day 6 to day 11
Summer - day 12 to day 19
Autumn - day 20 to day 26
Living in a world that runs by the linear male hormonal pattern of testosterone we can forget that as women it isn’t possible for us to to be, feel and act the same everyday of our cycle with the combo of hormones present changing each day of our cycle. Also, we live where producing and harvesting (Summer and Fall) are honoured far above the rest and receive mode (of Winter) and we truly madly deeply need all the aspects to thrive. Over the years the wisdom of the teachings have become more practical for me as other teachers and my own experience have helped me to see the power of understanding and working with our cyclical nature to live well and create sustainably.
To live aligned with our feminine power/nature without burning out we benefit greatly from relearning how to rest, receive, and orient to pleasure. These are 3 principles of the feminine that are key to hormonal and nervous system health and our happiness.
My hope is that this information helps you live simply and richly and that our daughters and sons grow up with the awareness of this wisdom so they can share their gifts with the world in a sustainable way that has them thriving … shining their lights without burning out.
I am grateful to Tami Lyn and Kate Northrup for all they have taught me and am happy to spread the wisdom!
So here are 5 ways to nourish & connect to your feminine nature and wisdom :
I’ve woven pieces of the stages of the cycle into these to help you understand and be empowered to deepen your own exploration of this!
1. Take regular time for reflection & replenishment. Taking time daily to pause and reflect is so important - even a regular practice of drinking a cup of tea before it gets cold mid afternoon when you’re a mom with young kids can transform your days and life as the little acts of self care done routinely have effects that magnify. AM and PM are great times for taking even a minute to connect with yourself - to listen to what your body and soul need and maybe set an intention for the day.
From a monthly cycle perspective the day before and first days of your period are a great time to carve out time for a little extra rest and reflection and to set intention for the month ahead. When women lived by the light of nature - and were aware of their connection to the Moon cycle with their bodies - women would commonly start their period on the New Moon. This was a time when they would rest, reflect and listen - they would receive visions/guidance on where the buffalo were, etc . at this time more than any other. This time still holds the gifts of increased intuition for us - in the Season analogy it is the Winter of your cycle and a good time to drop (even 1%) more into being and feeling and away from thinking and doing. Baths, cups of tea, massage, journaling, meditating, restorative yoga, time in nature. Taking this particular time to pause serves to reconnect you with your heart’s desires and truth. Taking time monthly to reset is like checking in with your inner compass letting you course correct as needed so you find yourself led forward by your wise Self vs outside demands, distractions, etc. End result: less regret, more sense of empowerment and joy.
2. Spend Time Connecting to Nature. Time in nature is so effective at putting things into perspective. It’s a good reminder that there is time for everything, that the world is abundant and generous and really … naturally content to just be. We are made of the same stardust and have the same still, peaceful, strong center of being that a tree does. Being in nature awakens this part of us that can be harder to hear in the hustle and bustle …
Hormonally and nervous system wise nature has been found to soothe our overactive nervous systems, build resiliency to stress through its action on the stress hormone cortisol. Time in nature increases the hormones that have us feeling (and looking) calmer, clearer and confident like DHEA. Pop out for a walk or sit by a tree and see how you feel!
3. Pay Attention to and Track the Moon Cycle with Your Cycle. What part of the Moon Cycle is the Moon in and where are you at energy, mood, focus and sleep wise? Track it on the pdf attached.
Since our menstrual cycles follow the same cyclical pattern as the Moon with 4 phases that begin again every 28 days or so charting how you feel daily for even just 3 months will show you your unique pattern of rest and activity (and more). Understanding this for yourself has so many benefits to your life and your capacity to know and care for you. You will learn that you do have a unique cycle and how to listen to and meet your changing needs more. This can help you commit to things in a way that takes into account your pattern - for example if you are invited to a party but know it’s going to fall on the days before or on your period and you notice generally it’s a time when you crave some solo/leave me alone time then you can use that self knowledge to either take a rain check on the party or make sure you take some time to nurture yourself in that day or go later to the party - after a bath - and leave earlier or if its a potluck buy the item you bring instead of making it. When you know yourself better you can treat yourself better and this helps that.
Take home: you are different every single day - hormones affect every aspect of us from mood, to focus, to energy, to cravings, to skin, to muscle tone, to weight gain, to sleep, to our desire for space or connection in our relationships, etc.. As a woman who is cycling your hormones are slightly different every single day of the month.
Yet how many of us expect the same from ourselves every single day?
To always be ________ (happy, clear, wanting connection, doing, energetic, etc) goes against the truth and depth and wisdom and beauty of our wild feminine essence and limits the full expression of ourselves and the gifts we have come to share. Honour you Queen!
4. Sing, Dance, Draw, Play. Explore Ways to Be Creative That Enliven You. Live not just in your heart but in your hips and pelvis too the potent center of feminine power and creativity that many women are disconnected from due to trauma and societal taboos. Find things you enjoy that bring you into a richer sense of embodiment(of being connected to all of your body). Notice the things you do that make you feel beautiful in the doing of them. It can be anything … I love to dance and then there’s these blue shoes I have (!) that when I wear them (a bit of heel on them that I’m not used to) I feel empowered, strong, present, soft, flowy, beautiful (-: …. do more of those things that reconnect you with your body in joy, tenderness, celebration, kindness, pleasure.
Ovulation time (corresponds to Full Moon) lends itself to getting out there with others. This time has the energy of Summer where we are drawn to be with others and be more visible and in connection. The hormonal combination at ovulation gives our skin a beautiful gorgeous glow and we have a magnetic quality at that time where we ooze awesomeness and attraction.
Our energy tends to want to go outward and with it comes an ability to have more patience than usual towards others (unlike before our period where our energy naturally wants us to go more inward to attend to our own needs and has a focussed quality). Ovulation (Full Moon) is a great time to share your gifts or offerings with the world. Bring more play and pleasure into your life.
Strut your stuff if you’re feeling it or just let us bask in the glow of the wonder and beauty of You! Your presence is your power always but more at ovulation than any other ….
5. Nurture Your Capacity to Feel. One of my mentors talked about how most people put their feeling into their thinking and don’t actually feel. It took me a bit to really understand what was meant. In the last years as I weave more yoga therapy and nidra into my naturopathic practice I see the truth of that. For example clients will say, “I felt angry/sad/scared” and when I ask them where in their body they feel this as sensation it’s not uncommon for them to say, “I don’t know” or go into the story of why they feel as they do.
Our bodies hold so much soul wisdom for us. It’s not hard to reconnect actually and it starts with just shifting our attention. Reconnecting to our senses by checking in during the day to what we are hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling (as sensation in the body) increases our capacity to live with an open heart, feeling more alive, connected, grounded and free.
To the gift of being in a woman’s body and honoring and thriving from its age-old wisdom!
Much love, xo, Dr. Monika🦋
What has this got to do with my naturopathic practice? Everything. Living out of balance of our true nature and needs strains women’s nervous systems, hormonal systems, immune systems, digestion, metabolism, adrenals, mental health … basically overall health. I work with diet and herbs and acupuncture and yoga therapy in my practice to help women self heal and re-establish connection with themselves and their joy but without understanding their cyclical nature and the gifts of the feminine they miss out.
Understanding and honoring her cyclical nature (and her unique rhythm within it) and regular need for rest and reflection, play and pleasure is where burnout prevention and true thriving lies for a woman. The cycle -when understood - is a support and structure for some true self caring and sustainable wellness in her life that is both simple and practical to work with.
Can I support you? To work with me 1-on-1 naturopathically you can book online through the booking link at the top of the page or through the office at (403) 609-8385. I also co-facilitate yearly yummy women’s restorative wellness retreats in gorgeous nature immersed locations. If you would enjoy a week of connection and replenishment and honoring of the gifts of the feminine (dance, art, healthy fresh food, yoga, reflection, nature, rest) join us. The next one is at the Xinalani Eco Yoga Resort in Mexico November 23-30, 2024. inspired@opentowellness.ca for more information or to straight up register ($500 USD deposit)! (-:
