Cycle Awareness: This Practice Will Transform Your Relationship with YOU
Important: The term "menstrual cycle awareness" can be supplemented with the term "cycle awareness" in this post if you do not have regular or present menstrual cycles.
Being aware of the natural cycles that govern your life experience is an invaluable practice! If you do not have regular or present menstrual cycles for any reason, I encourage you to read this post without the word "menstrual" and to practice {wholistic} cycle awareness, which is mentioned at the bottom of this post.
What is Menstrual Cycle Awareness and Why is it Important?
Menstrual cycle awareness is a term that was coined by Red School founders, Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer.
Menstrual cycle awareness involves paying attention to:
where you are in your cycle each day,
what you are experiencing,
and how to care for your changing cyclical needs.
Menstrual cycle awareness encourages us to position ourselves in the present.
Many of us have experienced being so wrapped up in the outside world that we forget to check in with ourselves.
Many of us have found ourselves hyper-focused on the future or lost in the past from time to time.
Many of us have put our needs on the back-burner.
We often forget how powerful and necessary it is to be present and take care of ourselves.
There's something very validating about recognizing the connections and patterns of what you are experiencing on all levels of being. Menstrual cycle awareness prompts us to tap into what we are experiencing on any given day, within our bodies as well as mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Cycle awareness is the secret sauce you can pour on top of any charting or tracking practice.
Menstrual Cycle Awareness is a Game-Changer for Women
The practice of menstrual cycle awareness encourages women to make better decisions for their health, have cycle-centered conversations with their partners, and give themselves permission to live in a way that feels natural and fulfilling for them.
Making Informed Health Decisions
When you have a solid cycle charting practice, and you regularly practice menstrual cycle awareness, it's becomes easier to notice patterns that you can review with your medical providers. Increasing your body literacy with cycle awareness allows you to make more informed decisions related to your overall health, fertility, and care.
Confidently Caring for Yourself (And Asking for What You Need)
There's power in knowing what your patterns and needs are. There's comfort in knowing you can take care of yourself well. There's a level of confidence that comes as you acknowledge and express your changing needs - you get to be more specific and intentional when you ask others to support you (e.g., related to your current need for affection, or alone time, or other forms of nourishment).
Permission to Prioritize Your #1
Menstrual cycle awareness is the deep request to listen to and prioritize ourselves.
By practicing menstrual cycle awareness, we can recognize that every single part of our experience matters and is valuable. Not just the parts that feel glamorous or easily digestible. Every part of the cycle is precious. Every part of your being and your life is welcome.
Menstrual cycle awareness helps us all deepen into more self-awareness, honesty, self-intimacy, and self-compassion. In that same vein we recognize that what we give to ourselves, is what we have to give to others.
How You Can Start Practicing Menstrual Cycle Awareness Today
Starting a menstrual cycle awareness practice can be simple.
The recipe for this practice has just three ingredients - identify, express, and attune.
Ask yourself the following questions as part of your usual cycle charting or journaling routine:
Where are you in your cycle today? (identify; note which cycle day and phase you're experiencing today)
How are you feeling today? (express; write out any emotional, mental, and spiritual states you may be experiencing today)
What are you physically experiencing today? (express; write out any physical sensations or conditions that are present for you today)
What do you need today? (attune; be attentive to your needs and consider how you can meet them)
{Wholistic} Cycle Awareness
If you currently don't know what cycle day you are on due to having irregular or absent periods, consider practicing {wholistic} cycle awareness instead!
{Wholistic} cycle awareness involves getting present to where you are within any cycle you may experience. The practice is the same as menstrual cycle awareness, except your focus and how you identify where you are comes from reflecting on a cycle other than the menstrual cycle. For example you may wish to reflect on:
Lunar cycles: What phase is the moon in right now? (e.g., full moon)
Daily 24hr cycles: What time of day or night is it right now? (e.g., 9:00pm)
Life cycles: What phase of your life are you in right now? (e.g., being a student, being a mother, perimenopause)
Seasonal shifts: What season are you experiencing? (e.g., the temporal season of Spring, an inner season of growth)
When practicing either menstrual cycle awareness or {wholistic} cycle awareness, simply remember to identify where you are within the cycle, take note of what you are experiencing, and explore how you can tend to your needs today.
