Nourishing Your Inner Winter
Creating a Sacred Retreat to Create Balance in Your Cycle
Growing up I was never taught the power of the menstrual period and what its importance was in my health. To be honest, it was at this time every month that I dreaded and wished it to be gone. So much so that I thought the birth control shot that eliminated your period for 3 months was the most magical invention ever.
For me, in my teen years, my period was this shameful time. In my 20’s it was a hated time. Then in my 30’s it became my reminder of another month gone by with no baby.
To say my menstrual period and I had a bad relationship is an understatement. We had a relationship built on painful destructive emotions.
One of the gifts of infertility was that it led me down a path of learning about my body, the sacred truths of the female cycle and the wisdom that lies in the feminine energy. It was about shining a flashlight into the darkness of my womb energy that was under lock and key, unexposed, and never explored. So much of the pain and the hatred I had for my body was deeply ingrained into how disconnected I was from it.
As I seeked more and more knowledge about the female cycle and how the womb operates, I learned just how golden our menstrual blood is. This physiological function in the female body is one that resets the body as a whole. It eliminates and detoxifies and seeks to establish balance by clearing out for a new start. This is why it is so important for us to really create a sacred ritual of rest during this time.
As part of helping my body do what it is built to do and to help it figure out the steps to establish hormone balance, I create a sacred winter retreat every month. This process helps me be in connection and flow with my body. To feel its rhythm and to be in relationship with it.
NO MORE HATE….ONLY LOVE & CURIOSITY!
So, here is how I create a sacred retreat for my body.
No cooking or cleaning on day 1 & 2
No work on day 1
Find a guided visualization meditation to help me go deep into a soul journey
NAP and then Sleep some more.
Gentle restorative practice (usually only 2-3 poses)
I drink lots of hot tea
Soups, stews or warm casserole are my favorite during these days
I spend lots of time under a blanket to keep my body warm and rested
I indulge on guilty pleasures like Netflix or a good easy fiction read
I do as little parenting as possible
This time is about letting go and surrendering. No guilt. Just nourishing restful time with the self.
I know this may feel impossible to do with modern demands, but try it or start by trying to do just 20% less than what you normally do. At the end of your bleed days take note of how you feel and what you want to try again the next inner winter.
