Cycle syncing your way to optimal health and wellness
Many women are constantly searching for ways to optimize their health, and menstrual cycles significantly determine their overall well-being.
Enter cycle syncing - a natural approach to your health that incorporates the menstrual cycle into daily habits, diets and exercise routines.
What is Cycle Syncing?
Cycle syncing is an approach to your health that recognizes the unique changes during each menstrual cycle and leverages them for optimal physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Why is Cycle Syncing Important?
You can harness the natural hormonal fluctuations during each phase to optimize your overall health by syncing with your menstrual cycle.
This includes everything from exercise and diet to work and relationships.
The Phases of the Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual cycle can be divided into four phases: menstruation, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal.
Each phase is characterized by unique hormonal fluctuations, which can affect various physical, emotional and mental symptoms.
You can optimise your health and well-being by understanding these fluctuations and adjusting your activities accordingly.
How to Start Cycle Syncing
You might feel that you are already somewhat in touch with your body and the way it works, but there is also a good chance you might not be.
When you track your cycle and sync your Yoga practice, you become aware of the subtleties (and sometimes not-so-subtleties) of how your body responds to these various hormones.
This information can be used to create a personalized plan for optimizing your health and wellness.
Some of the critical steps in cycle syncing include:
Eating a balanced, nutritious diet high in fibre, protein and healthy fats.
Engaging in regular exercise, including both cardio and strength training.
Incorporating self-care practices, such as mindfulness, Yoga and meditation, into your daily routine.
Paying close attention to stress levels and finding effective ways to manage stress.
Making sleep a priority and aiming for 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night.
The Benefits of Cycle Syncing
Cycle syncing has numerous benefits, including:
Improved energy levels and mood.
Better sleep.
Increased sex drive.
Better digestion.
Improved skin, hair and nail health.
Cycle syncing is a powerful approach to women's health that leverages the natural hormonal fluctuations of the menstrual cycle for optimal physical, emotional and mental well-being.
By incorporating this approach into your daily habits, you can experience the numerous benefits of better health and wellness.
How Yoga can help
Yoga has been a staple form of exercise and mindfulness for thousands of years.
Its focus on breathing, flexibility, and balance has proven to be a highly effective tool for improving overall physical and mental health. But did you know that practising Yoga during your period can have even more benefits?
Syncing your Yoga to your cycle can be a valuable addition to your regular Yoga practice.
Whether you’re dealing with cramps, bloating, or mood swings, period Yoga can help alleviate many of the symptoms associated with menstruation.
And one of the primary benefits of using Yoga to cycle sync is its ability to reduce menstrual pain.
This is because many poses and stretches involved in Yoga helps increase blood flow to the pelvic area and relieve muscle tension.
For example, poses such as the child’s pose and the downward-facing dog can help to ease cramps and back pain, while twists and seated forward bends can help to relieve bloating and discomfort.
Additionally, breathing exercises and meditation can help reduce stress and improve mood during your cycle.
Changing Your Practice Throughout Your Cycle
Phase 1: Menstruation
The first day of your bleeding marks the beginning of your menstruation phase.
Your cycle may be longer or shorter, but it lasts around seven days for most people.
This is the phase during which progesterone levels decline and your uterine lining sheds (this is your period).
When energy is lowest, you might feel fatigued, anti-social, emotional, or withdrawn.
Thus a restorative Yoga practice is perfect during this phase.
Asana
Restorative or yin Yoga would be a great form of period Yoga here to account for the drop in energy, but you might even choose to forgo an asana practice altogether.
Avoid asanas like shoulder stands that stress your pelvic area more if you practice.
Meditation
Seasonally, this phase represents winter, so it is the best time to go inwards.
You may want to meditate and follow it up by reflecting on your insights and capturing them in a journal.
It is often thought that the ‘veil’ between the conscious and subconscious is much thinner now, meaning you may notice you are getting more intuitive hits.
Pranayama
Gentle practices such as bhramari (humming bee breath) or anulom vilom (alternate nostril breath) can help to calm the mind, supporting you through this phase immediately.
Phase 2: The Follicular Phase
The phase after menstruation, in which estrogen and testosterone start, it will probably give you a welcomed energy boost and make you more alert and focused.
On average, it lasts until around the 14th day of your cycle.
Asana
A physical practice incorporating some strength or resistance training here is excellent, maybe longer holds of asanas like utkatasana.
And you can gradually add back in the inversion poses you skipped during the menstruation phase.
It’s also essential to ground yourself and ensure you feel nourished through the rest of your cycle, so add stronger postures if you wish but balance them with some yin or gentle hatha.
Meditation
You may want to start your practice with meditation to tune into the body and see what it needs.
This is your spring season, a time of rebirth and new growth, so your energy is expansive as the yang becomes dominant.
As a time full of creativity, you may want to focus on setting new intentions or calling in exciting goals or aspirations.
Pranayama
Try alternative nostril breathing or feel more energized with some bhastrika pranayama.
Phase 3: Ovulation
The body is preparing to release an egg, and estrogen and testosterone are peaking. This is a shorter phase and lasts for around 1-3 days.
This is the point in your cycle when your energy will be the highest.
Asana
You can use this phase to support a higher-intensity asana practice.
Think Rocket Yoga, a strong vinyasa flow, or even a full 108 sun salutations.
You might find inversions helpful to keep your energy steady and balanced during this time.
Thanks to this hormone increase, we are also at our most confident.
This might be a great time to try a new class – hot Yoga, anyone?
Meditation
We can move forward with clear intention here, so a visualization practice might help accelerate your desired outcomes.
Pranayama
You may want to focus on the classic yogic breath to balance out the yang or udgeeth pranayama (chanting Om) to maintain mental clarity.
Phase 4: Luteal Phase
Your estrogen and testosterone levels will decline as your body produces progesterone during this phase.
The length of this phase can contribute to people's varying experiences during it.
Typically, any PMS symptoms that you might have become more prominent towards the conclusion of the luteal phase as the onset of menstruation approaches.
Asana
During the initial stage of this phase, you may experience a burst of energy.
Still, the energy can drop off in the latter half - at this point, adjusting the intensity of your asana practice is more advisable and pay attention to your body and respond to how you're feeling.
In the latter part of the phase, props such as blocks and straps can help you maintain long, deep holds or perform twists to alleviate accumulated tension.
Your body might crave a more restorative practice as your period approaches.
It's essential to remember that during this phase, your ligaments may be a bit more delicate, so exercise caution when attempting new or challenging asanas where injury could occur.
Meditation
During this autumn season of your cycle, energy tends to become more introspective and intuitive.
You may be inclined to retreat from the external world; thus, use meditation to connect with your emotions and evaluate what is and isn't serving you.
Trust your instincts and follow your gut feelings that arise during these meditations.
Pranayama
During this phase, there is an increase in your basal body temperature. To counteract this, you might find it helpful to use a cooling pranayama technique, such as Sitkari (hissing breath).
Any pranayama that promotes balance or that you feel drawn to try can also be incorporated.
Interested in developing a programme to help you sync your Yoga to your cycle and help you obtain optimal health?
Sign up for our six-week Parinama programme for 1-1 coaching designed to help you achieve optimal health and well-being.