How to Harness the Energy of Your Cycle (Even if You’re Not Cycling)
Did you know that as women, we are perfectly aligned with the lunar cycle?
If you’re aware of the phases of the moon then you know that the lunar cycle is approximately 29 ½ days long, the same length of time as the average menstrual cycle. Very serendipitous.
As women, our hormonal patterns play out and renew every 29 ½ days in accordance with the phases of the moon. If you’ve ever wondered why the men in your life don’t experience the same shifts of expression in their hormones as we do, it's because men cycle differently. Men’s hormones are on a 24 hour cycle, in tune with the phases of the sun.
Women are the moon and men are the sun. The sun predictably rises and falls within a regular 24 hour period yet it takes the moon almost 30 days to fully orbit the Earth and repeat it’s cycle again.
Just as there are four phases of the moon - new, waxing, full and waning - there are four phases of the menstrual cycle - menstruation (bleeding), follicular, ovulation and luteal.
When we begin to tune into each phase and become more connected to nature, we’re able to harness her energy and channel it into every aspect of our lifestyle.
Learning how to harness the power of the moon allows us to increase our productivity, actively seek rest, more purposefully and efficiently move our bodies, flow through creativity, express our sensuality and better nourish ourselves physically and spiritually.
Tapping into this framework that your body already instinctively knows creates more ease, more space and more momentum in your life without creating overwhelm or burnout. In fact, every woman comes wired with this inner phenomenon that connects us directly to the life force of nature.
The best part is you don’t have to be physically experiencing a menstrual cycle to reap the rewards of this inner knowing. Use the phases of the moon to guide you through these cycles as you would if you were naturally cycling.
Let’s break each phase down…
Your cycle begins with menstruation, or your bleed time. This coincides with the New Moon, darkness and the dark moon. (Again, if you’re not naturally cycling, start this process on the day of the New Moon).
This phase is a time of restoration. It’s the time to give your body physical rest and time to repair. Go inward, slow down and nourish yourself. If you’re cycling, your body is doing the hard work of shedding a layer of uterine lining in preparation for what may come next. If you’re not cycling, your body still needs this down time to recharge and recover.
Sit and listen to what might be next for you but don’t rush it. Take this time to nurture your whole being.
Some practices you may wish to try during the New Moon are:
Setting intentions
Meditation
Going on retreat
Doing research or gathering resources
The next phase is the follicular phase, or the waxing moon. The moon is getting bigger and hormonally, the follicles are stimulating the growth of an egg. This is the time of fresh starts and new beginnings. It’s the perfect time of your cycle to begin a new project, take on something more challenging, brainstorming or planning out dates on the calendar.
Practices to try during the Waxing Moon are:
Manifesting
Signing up for a HIIT class
Trying out some new recipes
Tackling your to-do list
Ovulation follows the follicular phase. It’s the time the egg is released, the only time during our cycle we can conceive and coincides with the Full Moon, full brightness. Here we’re in full-on visibility mode, open and receptive to putting ourselves out there to be seen. It’s the best time to launch a business, hit send on that email that’s had you procrastinating, or to get on a stage.
During the ovulation phase, you may want to:
Publish your website
Host an event
Try to conceive
Incorporate intermittent fasting into your routine
And finally the luteal phase, or the waning moon when the moon begins entering it’s return into full darkness. The body is preparing itself to host an embryo and is doing the work necessary to make this happen. It’s the right time to begin to wind down, complete tasks, make space and clean everything up.
The Waning Moon is the best time to:
Batch cook and fill your freezer
Clean out your closet or pantry
Send those long overdue thank you notes
Push to finish a project
Connecting with the power of cyclical living allows us to take our foot off the gas a bit. It leaves the decision making up to a force greater than us and reinforces our connection to the Earth from which we all came from.
It conserves precious energy and lets us finish strong with less effort. It allows us to go through life on a higher level of consciousness and tap into an innate super power in a very predictable way.
When you start to honour these four phases of our cycle and of the moon, you’ll be amazed at what happens to your life.
