5 Tips for a better monthly cycle!

I know many people with periods who struggle with their cycle. Dreading its onset for a variety of reasons: moodiness, exhaustion, bloating, gassiness and more. If this is you, have you considered that you don’t always have to feel this way during your cycle?! And while many of these symptoms are common, they aren’t necessarily normal. 

What I’ve learned in my own development of wellness is that changes to help my cycle also mean that I am making changes to promote my health in general. These changes may seem very basic- they are. This is one of the gifts of Ayurveda… Many of the ways to bring about balance are simple. Just because they may be simple and basic does not mean they are easy to implement and continue! We are raised in this very instant gratification manner… if I have ailment Z, I should be able to do/take X and be totally fine. But honestly, does the reward come from a quick fix or from all that you learn when you slow down, be present in your body and notice all the subtle changes that come along with making lifestyle shifts? 

With Ayurveda, we are in it for the longer journey! 

All of this to say, here are 5 things I’ve been doing over the last few months that have led me to have my first cycle in many many months where I was surprised I started (I wasn’t early, I just didn’t have the normal pre-cramping cramp party that I’m used to) my cycle, I had minimal cramping and my emotions seemed to be relatively level! 

1- Regular meal times. 

I cannot ‘stress’ this one enough. When your body knows when to expect food and the food times are connected to the circadian rhythm, you will be able to better take in the food, the food will be processed in a more optimal manner and this means all the body functions will be more optimal. When our digestion is working optimally, most other functions in the body will be able to take care of things on their own. Our bodies are meant to heal themselves! Sometimes a little adjustment in our meal times is all we need. Though there can be more refined guidelines based on your current situation, the optimal meal times are breakfast before 8, lunch at 12 and dinner around 6. 

Do you have regular meal times now?

2- Rest on the days just before your cycle and the first few days of your cycle. 

Those of us with periods are gifted in having this monthly cleanse. Yes- gifted! I am working on viewing my cycle as a gift and it really does help! Back to my point, if we think about doing a cleanse, it means our body is already doing extra work to get rid of what we don’t need. We don’t need to add anything more strenuous to this. Taking time to rest, this may mean allowing yourself to sleep in, to have days where you aren’t on the go constantly, to have quiet time or whatever else is supportive for you. Vata is the dosha that governs our cycle and if vata is out of balance, as the Queen of the dosha, it can throw off the other doshas and impact our health in many ways. Rest, grounding and nourishment are the way to help keep vata in line and working optimally. 

Take rest when you need it! It is an urge that should not be ignored. 

3-Cut out (or significantly limit) the caffeine, specifically coffee. 

This may be a really unpopular one but hear me out! I have had an ebb and flow relationship with coffee (I haven’t really drank much caffeine outside of my lattes), cutting it off completely after I had gotten COVID in 2020 but eventually I started drinking it again daily. Then I switched to decaf and now I have had one decaf latte in the last 2 months (maybe even longer than that honestly) and I know it has helped. Here is why this is important. According to Dr. Claudia Welch, author of the amazing book Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life, coffee tends to have an affinity with breast tissue and often can have a negative impact on other reproductive tissue. Coffee is estrogenic in nature and this causes issues in our reproductive health. Now, here are some additional considerations. In Ayurveda, we learn about different qualities of our consumable items and these qualities impact our bodies in the digestive process. Coffee, in whatever form (lattes, cold brew etc) is heating and astringent (drying) and it is also mobile. Decaf or normal caf- here is why knowing these qualities are important: if you tend more towards vata, vata/pitta or pitta constitution or have these types of imbalances, then coffee can cause even more disturbances in your health. The quality of heat comes from pitta, drying and mobile comes from vata. Like increases like, so if you already have heat, dryness and an airy nature, coffee will amplify this. If vata governs our period, we want to give opposites to balance it out. If you aren’t ready to give up coffee just yet, consider adding opposites to it like steaming whole milk, drinking only ½ c a day or even ½ a few times a month (whatever is reasonable), adding cardamon to your coffee or adding in ghee and making a bullet coffee. 

Even limiting your intake by a little bit is a start! 

4- Develop a practice of pranayama. 

Over the years, I have learned that my yoga practice needs to be tailored to me day to day. Some days, I am able to take on a much more active hour+ long practice but most days I need something more gentle. And some days, because of how active I am with my dog (hiking and long walks) 15 minutes of deep breathing is what I need. Consider adding in alternate nostril breathing. This practice brings balance to the masculine and feminine energies in our bodies, it helps move prana around our body and is very soothing. I’ll share more about my pranayama practices for your period soon! 

Note- you do not need designer clothes, a meditation cushion or a cool background to breath deep! 

5- Reduce stress. 

This is the biggest tip and also likely the hardest. Everyone everywhere says this- reduce stress! What I have been sitting with is how much stress can accumulate in our bodies over years. If you had a stressful childhood, chances are there is some amount of that still with you now… if you have worked in a stressful job (and who hasn’t honestly), there is a chance you still have some of that stress. (For much more on this, I suggest reading When the Body Says No by Dr. Gabor Mate, he details so much more about this and it is fascinating!). So this isn’t about limiting stress for just a few days, it is about living your life in a way that even when stressors come along (however big or small), you are able to stay afloat. We typically have 2 options in situations- we can change our external environments (‘quit that stressful job, girlfriend!’ ‘Leave that crappy relationship, sister!’) or we can change our internal environment. Sometimes, we have to do both! However, if we have a mindset that tells us, regardless of the situation, ‘bad things always happen to me’ or ‘I’ll never be happy’, guess what, that will be your reality. And in those statements, you are also creating stress in your body! It’s like you are a welcome committee for bad things and you’ll prove yourself right. However, you can start to shift that! Developing an awareness of your internal dialogue will allow you the ability to take action and start to shift your own narrative (this is a premise from cognitive behavioral techniques, a skill that has been helpful for me). Once your internal narrative starts to shift, you will be able to make external changes needed so that your overall stress levels will start to decrease. This takes time. And this is something I find worth my time to do. 

Maybe we all just need to ride around in a bus again! 

So the key here isn’t a one and done sorta deal. It is a dedicated practice of bringing more ease to your body. Having more ease will mean better digestion. Better digestion means more balance to your entire body. More balance to your body means your cycle will start to improve! And if you are nearing menopause, these considerations will be even more helpful for your transition.

If you are ready to take your journey into a more healthy and balanced way of living, consider booking a session with yours truly! We will work together to develop small changes to your diet and lifestyle and gradually add in other considerations like herbs, yoga and meditation! Slide over the to ‘contact me’ page or book a free 30-minute call with me today!