The four seasons of a woman’s cycle
When we mend our relationship with our cycles, we mend our relationship with ourselves and pave a healthier inner voice for our daughters and our sons about what it means to be a woman who bleeds. ―Shaleana Aiyana
👥 Serves: 1 person
🎚 Difficulty: Medium
⏳ Total time: Ongoing
🥣 Ingredients: Patience, Kindness, Compassion
🤓 Wholebeing Domains: Bioempathy, Liberatory Learning, Rest, Ritualising
💪 Wholebeing Skills: Aligning with the cycles, Challenging, Embodiment, Hosting yourself, Intentionality, Liberation, Refuge, Self-directed learning, Slowing down
The four seasons of a woman’s cycle
📝 Description
Adapting your schedule to your cycle to harness your power.
There is still a lot of stigma around a woman’s cycle and many women experience feelings of shame around bleeding. By acknowledging the deep power that menstrual cycles hold, women can nourish a healthier relationship with their bodies and unleash their divine feminine. The following recipe looks at the menstrual cycle as consisting of four seasons: Inner Winter, Inner Spring, Inner Summer, and Inner Fall. Each phase presents a very specific set of challenges and offers resources to help women grow and embody their power. Even though it is a fairly accurate framework, every woman is unique so it is important you track and map your own cycle to understand how many days your seasons last.
The following activity has been adapted from Shaleana Aiyana’s blog post The 4 Seasons of A Woman’s Cycle Explained Week by Week. If you would like to deepen your understanding of the female archetypes, check out our recipe “The four female archetypes”.
👣 Steps
Step 1 – Week 1 – Inner Winter (1-6 days of your menstrual cycle when you’re bleeding)
Your Inner Winter begins on Day 1 of your moon time, which is the first day you begin bleeding. Winter is a time of inward reflection, a time of metaphorical death. Your energy and hormones are at an all time low and you should make space for rest. Winter is not a time to give to others, but to yourself so it is important you learn to be self-loving during this period. This might mean arriving later at the office or leaving earlier, spending more time by yourself, creating a safe and cosy space at home… Check out our recipe “Yoga practice for people during menstruation” to look after yourself with kindness.
Step 2 – Week 2 – Inner Spring (Around day 7-13 when you’re in the pre-ovulation phase)
Your Inner Spring begins with the end of the bleeding. This phase is all about rebirth, renewal, and cleansing. You will feel energised and happy, ready to get back into the world slowly and take on new projects, as well as start planning and organising your month. During this phase, the hormone estradiol (an estrogen) is rising and so are your energy levels. This is an optimal time to dedicate focused time to projects, reading and researching, learning,and performing physical tasks. Check out our recipe “Yoga practice for people after menstruation” to re-energise your body after the menstrual phase.
Step 3 – Week 3 – Inner Summer (Around Day 14-21 during your ovulation phase)
Your Inner Summer begins with the ovulation phase, when your energy is more expressive and outward. You may feel more social, so this is a great time to focus on community building, nurturing relationships, hosting, cooking, or being or service to others. In the workplace, this might mean meeting with investors, partners, or clients, giving presentations in public, or asking for what you want…
Step 4 – Week 4 – Inner Fall (Around day 22-29 during your luteal phase)
Your Inner Fall begins when you notice yourself feeling more inward-looking, becoming agitated by excessive demands, and craving more space and time alone. This may be the time to take some time off so you can look after yourself, but it is also a time to dedicate yourself to harvesting the fruits from summer and pursue creative ideas. It is a good time to nurture your own creative insights, write poetry, draw, come up with strategic ideas for your business or career, and assert yourself.