“The real transmutation,
The most sacred offering,
Is to pour the elements of your body,
All of your sensual impressions,
Into the fire of the Great Void.
Your richness of experience
Is the wine you offer
To the divinity that is everywhere.”
-The Radiance Sutras: 112 Gateways to the Yoga of Wonder and Delight
Yes, divinity is everywhere and so the opportunity for yoga is everywhere and in every moment of the day. Don’t wait for a perfect, silent, pristine place and time; life always seems to throw curveballs. In fact, I was getting ready to jump back into a more regular yoga and exercise routine and then boom, I got my first period since before I got pregnant with my son in 2019.
Luckily, I had just finished reading Wild Power: Discover the Magic of Your Menstrual Cycle and Awaken the Feminine Path to Power, by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer. This book is a treasure for any menstruating woman, no matter how you feel about your cycle or how it affects your yoga practice and life.
It’s pretty easy to feel dragged down by your menstrual cycle, but then again, it really depends on your attitude about it. So, you can’t feel your usual energy while doing yoga on your mat during your period? The good news is, your period doesn’t last forever and if you give yourself that time to rest, before you know it, you’ll feel more energetic again. It’s an ebb and flow. No time to read Wild Power? Listen to some podcast episodes by Dr. Aviva Romm for some insight into what your body needs most at each phase of your cycle.
There is so much in yogic texts about the unchanging, absolute, light in us all. It seems like the goal put out there is to have perfect equanimity no matter what. And it’s poetic and beautiful and lofty and sometimes just the thing that makes us feel like we’re not good enough or spiritual enough to practice yoga. I’m not saying, stop trying to cultivate calm; what I’m suggesting is that if/when you do ‘lose it,’ give yourself some compassion. Being a mom is hard!
Momlife is messy, full of emotion and stress, and constantly changing. How should a mom practice yoga in the midst of such chaos? It depends: your needs change with the ages and needs of your kids, your stage in life, your energy level, important events in your world, the time of year, and ‘that time of the month.’
So, my first period in more than a year didn’t keep me from practicing yoga. It just pushed me to revise what it means to practice yoga. I got down on a couple of bolsters and let myself rest in child’s pose. It was great for a luxurious 15 seconds, and then my son came over and threw a bunch of balls at me.
Then it was cute and hilarious. But that 15 seconds at least was a gesture to myself that my body, mind, and wellbeing matter enough for me to stop everything and just be still for a bit. It might not be perfect, but it is absolutely better than completely abandoning my practice.
Sometimes when I’m on my period, I don’t do yoga postures at all. Instead I focus on meditation, just pausing and breathing during tough moments, writing and self-reflection, or ritual and prayer.
Okay, now back to some lounging. What yoga practices do you find most helpful during your period?