Cycle Medicine: Menstruation

Long before productivity became the measure of our worth, menstruation was honored — as a time for rest, for turning inward, for listening.
This meditation is an invitation to reclaim that. To slow down, soften, and be held by gravity while your body does what it has always known how to do.
We'll settle into a comfortable position — options offered to support your lower back and pelvic floor — and direct the breath low, into the belly and pelvis. From there, we'll ride the waves of sensation together, release what's ready to go, and return to the quiet wisdom your body carries.
Bleeding is sacred. This is your space to just be.

Transcript

Position yourself in a way that feels comfortable to your body. I'll suggest three different positions you can try. That may be suitable for your body at this time of the month. The first is laying flat on the ground, Flat on the surface with legs fully extended. Arms at your sides. Feeling gravity hold you in this position The next posture is keeping our back straight. Rested flat against the surface and simply just bending the legs so that the feet are now pressed against the floor. This allows the lower back to rest a little bit more deeply and also softens the pelvic floor muscles. Can allow your knees to sort of collapse inward. If that's more relaxing. And then the third position I invite you to try is keeping your back flat against the floor, This time scooching towards a wall. And positioning your legs bent, Feet up against the wall. So finding one of these three positions. I invite you to direct your breath. Low into the diaphragm. This is particularly important if you are experiencing any physical pain or cramping. It may seem sort of counterintuitive because we want to clench and resist against pain. Naturally so again just trying to direct that breath low you can even place a hand over the lower abdomen to help cue your body And I want to mention before continuing that ages ago, Long before industrialized capitalism and patriarchal norms taught us to place the utmost value in productivity, Menstruation was respected as a time for rest. It was also revered as a time. Of heightened intuition. So in this practice we're going to spend some time reclaiming that. Enjoying the quiet. Focusing on the release and tuning into our body's wisdom. So at any time you may lose track of the sound of my voice, I invite you to return back to the breath or attend to the physiological sensations in the body. Riding the waves of pain when they arrive. And watching what happens when you breathe low and direct the breath into the sensations of pain. Fully relaxing, Gravity holding you. So as much as we can just enjoying the sensations of what it means to relax and soften and what it means to be with our pain. When it arises. And noticing, Too, If there are other places in the body that need attention. Zooming out from the lower abdomen. We may find that we're clenching the jaw. Parts of the neck and traps. A lot of these muscles can be encaged when we are clenching in the psoas or pelvic floor. So again, Working with gravity. To let go enjoying being upheld and supported by the Earth. And before we close, I will ask you, What means releasing? Can you visualize whatever that is leaving your body? In this next breath releasing be it physiological sensations, Discomfort fear anything that's been particularly meaningful for you in this cycle. That you're ready to let go of. Beliefs, Baggage? Visualizing that loop in the body. I like to think of the earth reabsorbing that and sort of alchemizing it like soil, Turning the soil but it also doesn't have to be that complex of a visual either. Again just enjoying the process of relaxing And then lastly, Closing with the notion of gratitude. For our bodies, For our ability to undergo this complex process. Respecting that it is a taxing biological process. Gratitude for coming to this practice and giving yourself intentional time to rest, Release.