Honoring Your Period Phase: Understanding Yoga, Hormones, and Your Period | Om Yoga Magazine

It is normal to ask yourself: “What phase of the menstrual cycle am I in?” when symptoms fluctuate and you may be too busy to keep up. This series of articles will help you understand each of the 4 phases of the menstrual cycle, including menstrual cycle hormones, expected symptoms, managing those symptoms, using yoga to tune into your body’s natural energy and needs, and self-care that suits each phase you are in. This will give you the knowledge to understand your body, read your symptoms like a book and give you the tools to manage and tailor to each phase of your cycle.

Welcome to the first part of our cycle sync series, where we start in the menstrual phase: your inner winter. This is the part of your cycle that invites silence, gentleness and deep rest. Instead of pushing through, your body urges you to slow down, let go, and reset. In this article, we explore how you can honor this phase with gentle yoga, mindful nutrition, and compassionate self-care so you can support your body in exactly the way it needs.

We often see our periods as an inconvenience. It can come with challenging symptoms, ruin our social plans and just feel like a monthly hassle. But what if you didn’t have to? What if we could flip the script and start thinking of it as a powerful monthly cleanse? If we understand what this phase is Real means that it becomes the most restorative part of the menstrual cycle physiologically, emotionally and energetically.

Whether you’re tracking your cycle with a menstrual cycle calendar or a fertility tracker, or are still waiting for it to arrive, we know that this phase has started as the start of your bleeding. day one of your menstrual cycle. It’s the point where hormones drop, energy shifts, and your body begins a powerful natural reset.

Understanding the menstrual phase

If you’ve ever wondered, “Why do changes in the menstrual cycle happen?” or “What does the menstrual cycle mean?”the answer lies in your hormones. Hormones control all processes and symptoms we experience during our cycle. Likewise, lifestyle factors, especially the stress we may experience, affect our hormones, which has a knock-on effect on our cycle. If you notice changes in your period, it’s a good time to think about what else is going on and what could be causing these hormone shifts.

During menstruation:

• Estrogen and progesterone decline (if no pregnancy has occurred)
• This hormonal decline causes the uterus to contract and shed the lining that has built up during the other phases of your cycle
• This process and the drop in hormones cause common menstrual symptoms that we all know too well

These hormone dips are the cause of common menstrual symptoms, such as:

• Low energy
• Menstrual pain
• Menstrual cramps in the back, abdomen or thighs
• Skin rash
• Mood swings
• Soft breasts
• Menstrual migraine