Innate wisdom
I first started to learn about the intrinsic wisdom of woman’s body back in 2010 when I was preparing to conceive my first son.
I had bought the book ‘Fertility Awareness Method’ by Toni Weschler which gives an amazing overview of how a woman’s body actually works and the signs to look out for when trying for a baby. Before this time I didn’t think to look at the very clear signals my body was giving me about when I was fertile and when I was not. My first thought was why was I never taught this in school?
After this time much of my Homeopathic and non Homeopathic study has centred around the female hormonal system and the cycles that we naturally encounter throughout the month. Much like the outer seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter, women go through a similar cycle.
Over the past few years I have delved deeper into the cyclical nature of a woman’s body, tried to plan my month around it and become more in touch with my own seasons and living in tune with them.
As I have mentioned, much like the outer seasons women go through a similar wheel over the course of the month. Male energy is more constant and on the go but feminine energy works to a different rhythm and below I will show you how you can honour that.
I talk to my clients about this when they come to me with hormonal issues and ask them to tap into their cycle as a first step to becoming more balanced alongside using Homeopathy and Homeobotanicals.
You will find my social media pages sprinkled with information on the female hormonal system and the four inner seasons we encounter throughout the month but I thought that a blog on these seasons and how to harness the power in them for the benefit of your hormones and energy levels was long over due.
We are told that women typically have a 28 day cycle but cycles can vary hugely from person to person and any where from 25 – 35 days is normal. As long as you have a regular pattern that is ok.
What are the 4 seasons?
Period – Winter
This is the start of a new cycle and is classed as beginning from the first day of your period starting until it ends. This phase typically lasts 3- 7 days and is the bleeding part of your follicular phase.
This is a time to rest as much as you can and for inward focus. The winter of your cycle is about letting go and nourishing yourself for example with warm baths, early nights, nutritious food and only gentle exercise.
Work wise if possible try not to pack too much into the diary, especially outward focussed work like trips away or presentations. Can you arrange to work from home at this time? Typically during the winter of our cycle we have much less energy and our confidence will be at its lowest due to the lower amounts of oestrogen and progesterone our bodies are producing.
My top tip for this part of your cycle is not to over-extend yourself physically or emotionally. If you do it could have a knock on effect for the rest of your cycle and you could end up exhausted for the month ahead. This could also mean a month of hormonal havoc. If you love going to the gym now is not the time to deplete yourself with high intensity work outs, gentle walks, yoga and pilates are the order of the day.
Themes associated with the winter of your cycle – rest, intuition, letting go, and nourishing.
Follicular phase – Spring
This is the non bleeding part of your follicular phase and oestrogen is on the rise. This is the section of your cycle where your period has finished and your energy is increasing and depending on your unique cycle this phase lasts around 7-10 days.
During the spring of your cycle you will typically find yourself feeling more optimistic and energetic. In this part of your cycle your body is preparing for ovulation.
As your energy is increasing this is a great time to get those jobs done that require more energy and if you are into exercise you can up the tempo with things like running, spin, cardio etc.
My top tip for this part of your cycle is to be guided by your increasing motivation and energy levels and ticking off some tasks that you may have been putting off for another time.
Themes associated with the spring of your cycle – optimism, energy, motivation, sharper senses.
Ovulatory phase – Summer
Here Oestrogen is at its highest and your energy will be at its peak, and you will be feeling more confident, your skin might be clearer and your libido will be at its highest. This overall summer phase is short but sweet and will last on average 4 days.
The day of actual ovulation can be a different day for each woman depending on the length of her overall cycle. If we were to base it on a 28 day cycle you would likely ovulate on day 14.
Work wise you are likely to have an abundance of ideas now so aim to get these put into action or jotted down onto paper. Now is a good time to do a work presentation, take a work trip or go for an interview.
Top tip – tap into the energy and confidence of this part of your cycle by meeting friends, taking a weekend away, going on a date or doing more intensive exercise such as HIIT or group exercise classes.
Themes associated with the Summer of your cycle – abundance, fertility, confidence, energy.
Luteal Phase – Autumn
This phase is entered into after ovulation, progesterone is increasing and typically this cycle lasts 7-10 days. The first few days of your luteal phase directly after ovulation you may find your energy and hormones are quite balanced.
But in the latter part of your luteal phase you will find your energy starts to dip again and you feel the need to look inward and rest more. In this phase if you like to exercise you may be more inclined to go for a gentle jog, do some resistance training or do some yoga.
Typically if you suffer with PMS symptoms it tends to flare up in this section of your cycle. Here we can be a bit more honest and our truth telling side appears, this can be quite an abrupt change from when oestrogen was high in the summer phase and we were more inclined to go with the flow.
Therefore my top tip would be to go easy on yourself, don’t over extend your energy as this will help keep your hormones more balanced and the entry into your period will be calmer. Doing calming practices such as meditation and keeping your blood sugar levels balanced to protect your progesterone levels will help hugely.
Themes associated with the Autumn of your cycle – harvest, preparation, relinquishing, truth.
Why align your month around your inner seasons?
Firstly I think its a great way of finding more ease and flow in your life and gives us the ability to work with our hormones and energy levels rather than against them.
Importantly when we know what our inner seasons ‘should’ look like then you can quickly pinpoint any areas of your cycle where your hormones are out of balance so we know where to target your homeopathic treatment.
For example some women find that if their hormones are balanced, they would be optimist and energetic during their ovulatory phase but instead they are anxious and tired. So we know that we need to look for Homeopathic remedies that target the imbalance in this part of their cycle.
Also other important benefits including knowing when you are fertile (if wanting to conceive or avoid conception). Knowing when is the best time to exercise to benefit your hormones, when it would be beneficial to rest to protect your energy levels and rest more and so on.
So have I persuaded you that living in tune with your cycle is worth it? I really do hope so as I and many of my clients have reaped the rewards of doing so.
If you’d like more support with your hormones and would like to work on them in a more natural and holistic way then please do let me know as I’d love to help.
Helen x