Menstrual Cycle Awareness (MCA) is a process of building awareness around the inner happenings of your menstrual cycle.
As you might have read from others of my writings, your menstrual journey is so much more than just your menstrual period, as we were taught about in school. Your menstrual period is only that; a PERIOD. And, your CYCLE has multiple periods in it, and the menstrual period is one of them.
The current literature on menstrual cycle wisdom indicates that your cycle has 4 periods in it, what I will refer to as your inner seasons. Your woman body has inner seasons not unlike that of a year – an Inner Winter, Inner Spring, Inner Summer and Inner Autumn.
The Inner Winter is your menstrual period, Inner Autumn is what has become characterized by pre-menstrual symptoms (PMS) and Inner Summer is where and when ovulation takes place.
Please watch this interview I did with Joy Mogami, where I share extensively on these inner seasons, their respective invitations, powers and inner medicine: https://www.tumelomoreri.com/inner-seasons-of-a-woman-body/
The journey of MCA is essentially of keeping track of the changes within your body and of also learning to acutely listen to your body. This takes practice, and as a start I would recommend that you keep a small journal where you will record the daily experience you have had with your body.
You will take this small journal, and at the top of each page you will write what day of your menstrual cycle you’re on that day [Day 1 is the first day when you get your bleed], and then briefly reflect on the following questions. What you write down doesn’t have to be long; this is something you can do in 5mins, and towards the end of your day once everything has quietened down.
On your daily reflection, write out on the following:
-
- What was my mood like today?
Gently scan through your day and identify the mood you were on. Did you feel good, or not? Might you have been on the optimist or pessimist side?
-
- What was my body’s energy like today?
Were you high vibe, or might you have felt with low energy, or medium energy? Quietly sit with your body and feel for what the day’s experience was like.
-
- What did my body feel like it needed today?
It might have needed some rest, or sex, or some dancing or a hearty meal. Anything goes. Just tap into your body and feel for what it might have needed or craved today.
-
- What were my thoughts today?
Scan for what might have been your specific or general thoughts today.
As you might have noted, this practice requires that you always know the day of your menstrual cycle that you’re on. If you’re doing this every day [which I highly recommend], then you will always know the day you’re on.
To help with this tracking, I’d also recommend that you download to your phone any menstrual tracking APP of your choice. I have been using the Flo APP for quite some time now, and it is what I recommend for my clients. You may check it out here: https://flo.health/
The intention of your MCA practice is to awaken what might now be dormant communication pathways to and with your body. This awareness [which you’re going to build through this daily practice] will begin to awaken these communication pathways. And, when the practice is done over a significantly extended period of time, your body will begin to open up more to you [just like any friend would when you’re in a relationship for an extended period of time]. Your body will begin to share more with you, she will begin to show and tell you more about where she’s at, more about what she needs, and more about the wellbeing of you guys’ relationship. And, this can only bring more goodness your way.
I recommend that you start off by doing this practice for 3 months. Every day, towards the end of your day, just sit with your body for 5mins and reflect on the questions above.
And, the more you do this MCA practice, you will also begin to notice patterns for how you’re feeling at any particular point of your menstrual cycle, and for what your body might be needing at these particular points. These patterns are the architecture of your inner seasons, and these can be unique to each woman. There are general patters [such as that I know you will need to start moving more slowly and take more rest as you near your menstrual period and while you’re in it, and that you’ll desire more sex around ovulation], but your own specific rhythm and needs will begin to emerge and be revealed by your personal MCA practice.
Having practiced MCA since 2015, and therefore going on the 7th year now, I cannot emphasize enough the value of this practice in getting to know your body better and in reawakening the communication lines that will well-serve the wellbeing of your body and life.
Once you have had your own personal patterns emerge, you will have valuable information that you can sync with your daily life. You will know the best times for holiday with the family; the best times for a girls’ night out; the best times for down-time / self-replenishing / me-time; the best time to launch a new product at work or in your business; or, the best time to host that Masterclass you’ve been wanting to host for your online community.
