This society, once colonized, was built around men’s needs by men. The wellness industry is consistently researching the next best exercise and diet, using studies mostly on men, discounting the unique femme monthly cycle.
If you are female-bodied, or transitioning, you have an Infradian Rhythm. This is our macrocosm timekeeper in relation to our Circadian Rhythm (our 24-hour time clock). Medicine and research have totally discounted our unique rhythm-based on our menstrual cycles and sexual tendencies. An infradian rhythm is not unique to femme-bodied humans, other mammals follow infradian rhythms for survival behavior such as migration, mating, shedding, and hibernation. Yet, the medical-industrial complex has totally discounted hormonal shifts and patterns that occur during a woman’s menstrual cycle and treated women as if they have the same 24-hour hormonal clock as men. This can explain why we have had an explosion of applied treatments in the wellness industry on biohacking, yet women’s autoimmune and chronic disease illness is increasing rather than declining.
Biases in Medicine and Wellness Industry
I love to look at the macro and microcosms. One of our greatest stems of disease is the fact that we forget to relate to the moon, stars, sun, planets, and the rest of the natural world. If you look back to wisdom medicine of native cultures that lived in relationship with nature, women and femme-bodied folk were nourished during certain phases of their cycle. It was never a showy chic and trendy thing to do, it just simply was. As women had their first moon or menses, their grandmothers and mothers would simply feed them certain foods at that time of the month.
Know that medicine is extremely biased, and if you have experienced any hormone-related health issues such as PMS, heavy periods, or PCOS-like symptoms, you are often dismissed and simply put on hormonal contraception instead of being listened to. I love reading Maya Dusenberry’s work when I believe that I am becoming too biased of a champion for women’s health.
How Do I Apply This Information?
We have five parts to our Infradian Rhythm, our menstrual cycle, the microcosm of the five seasons. This is because we women are an embodiment of Earth. As my clients begin to follow their unique infradian rhythm (in relation to the moon and their cycle), they not only find fitness and energy easier to obtain, they generally become pregnant within the first three months of trying to conceive.
Menstrual Phase / Winter
Rest, and eat nourishing foods.
Your metabolism is higher, but not at its peak. Gentle stretching, walks, and yoga. Meditation, going within to hibernate as you let go of what is no longer serving you.
Follicular Phase / Spring
Spring forward.
Fertile grounds of new life, take with you what you want to birth, and begin building projects. Your metabolism is slower and stress levels (cortisol) are not as high. Keep building to the ovulation, which when in sync with the moon is representative of the full moon. Your Cortisol is lower at this time, as well as your metabolism. As your Estrogen builds healthy follicles in your ovaries, it is a great time to eat healthy fats, yet consume fewer calories. At this time, you can also lift heavier, do more HIIT, and run faster/further. This is when you see more gains from your workouts. This is also when you see more gains for your personal projects. IE – meditate more to see with clarity what you are working for in life.
Ovulatory Phase / Flowering Summer
Whoa, go get ‘em.
Your metabolism is slower, you need less rest, and you can continue on with your fire. Work out harder, have your presentations and meetings scheduled. Note – if you are trying to get pregnant, you want to be having sex every other day for 5 days leading up to your ovulation. Having sperm waiting for the egg to drop is the best method. As the egg’s lifespan is 24 hours while sperm can live in the vaginal canal for five days.
Luteal Phase / Earth
Harvest the fruits of what you learned this month.
Take what is serving you and preserve it to take down to the fertile void of menstruation or else this is during the implantation phase of a fertilized egg.
Luteal Phase / Metal
The second half of the Luteal Phase.
This is when you are realizing that something isn’t working. Rather it’s a nutrient deficiency and you’re exhausted or you have premenstrual rage and frustration because of hormone imbalances or unmet social/emotional needs. This is when you have your luteal list to put things off until your menstrual phase and what you want to bring into your daily habits for the next phase.
Did you realize that your brain functioning can decline as much as 25% during your cycle? Or that your relationships are healthier during phases of your cycle? Or that your sex drive is up and down? Using these methods and phases in my group program Cyclical Living can be the game-changer for your work, body, spirit, and relationships. It is my wish that we all reclaim our natural relationship with Earth, Moon, and our own cycles so that we can heal ourselves and our communities. Now more than ever, the world needs us and our gifts.
How do I apply this to Natural Contraception or Birth Control ? See this article here on Natural Family Planning.